Life Sciences Commons^™

Characterization Of The Probiotic Properties Of Yeast Strains Isolated From Different Food Sources And Unraveling The Potential Nutritional Benefits Of Fermented Date Palm Pomace With Selected Probiotic Candidates: Untargeted Metabolomics And Carbohydrate Metabolites Of In Vitro Digested Fraction, Nadia Al Kalbani

Dissertations

The use of agricultural by-products, including date palm pomace (DPP), presents a promising opportunity for advancing sustainable food production. By fermenting DPP with novel probiotic yeast candidates, the bioactive properties of the by-product can be enhanced, potentially yielding health benefits. This dissertation aimed to (1) isolate yeast from fermented food products as well as to characterize their probiotic properties; (2) investigate the physiochemical properties of fermented DPP by selected yeast isolates; (3) evaluate the health benefits of non-fermented and fermented DPP samples both pre and post-digestion (bioaccessible portions); and (4) analyze the untargeted metabolites and carbohydrates metabolites in the bioaccessible …

Delineating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Retained Endoglin Mutants Causing Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Type 1, Nesrin Mohammed Gariballa

Dissertations

Endoglin, also known as cluster of differentiation 105 (CD105), is an auxiliary receptor in the TGFβ signaling pathway. It is predominantly expressed in endothelial cells as a component of the heterotetrameric receptor dimers comprising type I, type II receptors and the binding ligands. Mutations in ENG, the gene encoding endoglin, have been associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder affecting about 1 in 5000-8000 individuals, which is generally characterized by vascular malformations. Secretory and many endomembrane proteins synthesized in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) are subjected to a highly stringent protein folding and assembly …

Characterization And Genomic Analysis Of Two Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Bacteriophages Isolated From Pigeons, Mohamad I. Alolama

Dissertations

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, also known as EHEC, is a subset of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and it has recently been identified as one of the principal foodborne pathogens. E. coli O157:H7 is the most important serotype of STEC for its role in causing foodborne illnesses. E. coli O157:H7 could cause various gastroenteritis symptoms such as diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hemorrhagic colitis, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and may cause death. Elimination of E. coli O157:H7 during food processing and storage is a possible solution. Bacteriophages have a significant impact on bacterial populations in nature due to their ability to …

Sources And Distribution Of Microplastics In The United Arab Emirates, Rana Zeeshan Habib

Dissertations

Microplastics (plastic pieces size) are an emerging environmental contaminant that is ubiquitously present in terrestrial, aquatic and aerial environments. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is categorized among the highest domestic waste producing countries (on per capita basis) in the world. A large portion of waste ends up in the environment and contains macro-, meso- and microplastics. No comprehensive study has been carried out in the UAE to investigate the abundance, sources, distribution and impact of microplastics on its environment. Therefore, a comprehensive study to analyze the sources and distribution of microplastics in the UAE was urgently needed. The objective of the …

Investigating The Role Of Fun30, A Chromatin Remodeler, In Dna Repair, Mehwish Iqbal

Dissertations

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. DSB repair needs to take place within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires changes in the chromatin structure adjacent to DSB sites. These changes occur through covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts as well as by the action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. Many chromatin remodelers, including Fun30, are involved in DSB repair. Fun30 facilitates DNA end resection at DSB site during the homologous recombination repair pathway. Apart from its role in DNA repair, Fun30 promotes gene silencing at heterochromatic loci such as telomeres, …

Livestock Ticks In The Uae: Prevalence, Distribution, Population Dynamics, And Associated Microorganisms, Nighat Perveen

Dissertations

Ticks are important vectors of an array of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens resulting in a wide range of animal and human diseases in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In this study, ticks were collected from camels, cows, sheep, and goats in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objectives of the study were to (1) identify tick species of livestock through taxonomic keys and using molecular markers, and determine their prevalence and distribution in the UAE, (2) assess Hyalomma dromedarii seasonal population fluctuation over a year under common camel breeding and management …

Impact Of Date-Pit Activated Carbon In Different Applications: Biomedical And Environment, Betty Titus Mathew

Dissertations

Activated carbon (AC) or activated charcoal are black carbonaceous porous solid material with prominent physico-chemical properties such as low volume pore size distribution, high specific surface area, and high-degree of surface reactivity for adsorption and other chemicals reactions. AC as strong and reliable adsorbent have been reported to be employed in diverse applications stretching from water/air purification, medical, sewage treatment, energy storage devices, catalyst, supercapacitor electrodes fabrication, and as biosensors component. In this current work, AC was produced from date pits, which is a common biological waste product in UAE, and used for biomedical and environmental applications instead of using …

Molecular Mechanism Of Action Of The Natural Polyphenolic Compound And The P300 Inhibitor “Carnosol” Against The Triple Negative Breast Cance, Halima Ali Mohammed Salem Alsamri

Dissertations

Carnosol, a naturally occurring Phyto polyphenol found in sage, oregano, and rosemary, has been extensively studied by our laboratory for its anticancer effects in various types of cancer. In human Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), carnosol was shown to inhibit cellular viability, colony growth, induced cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and apoptosis. Nonetheless, very little is known about the molecular mechanism of action. In the current study, the ability of carnosol to inhibit metastasis and tumour growth was examined. Wound healing and invasion assays revealed that carnosol inhibited migration and invasion at non-cytotoxic concentrations of MDA-MB-231 cells. Also, carnosol was found to …

Soft Camel Milk Cheese Effects Of Coagulants And Processing Conditions, Mustapha Mbye

Dissertations

In recent years, camel milk (CM) has been acknowledged for several health benefits, including anti-diabetic, hypoallergic, and other effects. Accordingly, CM may provide a complementary or a healthier alternative to bovine milk (BM). This has led to increased interest in processing CM to products like cheese, yogurt, and powders to extend its shelf-life. However, CM is difficult to coagulate into hard gels, affecting its cheese quality and consumer preference. The current research aimed to investigate the impact of different coagulants (chymosin, Withania coagulans, citric and acetic acid) on CM cheese quality and sensory attributes compared to BM cheese. It …

Chemical And Biological Control Of Canker Disease Of Delonix Regia Caused By The Fungus Neoscytalidium Dimidiatum, Seham Mohammed Al Raish

Dissertations

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), royal poinciana (Delonix regia) trees suffer from stem canker disease. Symptoms of stem canker can be characterized by branch and leaf dryness, bark lesions, discoloration of xylem tissues, longitudinal wood necrosis and extensive gumming. General dieback signs were also observed leading to complete defoliation of leaves and ultimately death of trees in advanced stages. The fungus, Neoscytalidium dimidiatum DSM 109897, was consistently recovered from diseased royal poinciana tissues; this was confirmed by the molecular, structural and morphological studies. Phylogenetic analyses of the translation elongation factor 1-a (TEF1-α) of N. dimidiatum from the …

The Role Of Nutrient Sensitive Protein O-Glcnacylation In Developmental Cortical Neurogenesis, Shama Parween

Dissertations

The nutrient responsive O-GlcNAcylation is a dynamic, posttranslational protein modification present on many nucleocytoplasmic and mitochondrial proteins. Previous research has indicated that hyperglycaemia increases the levels of total O-GlcNAcylation within cells. Transcription factors and histones are among hundreds of proteins that have been reported to be O-GlcNAcylated and have importance in cell fate determination during cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the role of protein O-GlcNAcylation in epigenome control in response to nutritional perturbations is poorly understood. Hyperglycaemia induced protein O-GlcNAcylation have been linked to several pathologies, including obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. …

Variability Of The Proximate And Protein Composition Of Camel Milk (Camelus Dromedarius), Huda Musa Elsayed Mohamed

Dissertations

Dromedary camel milk (Camelus dromedarius) has unique physical, nutritional, and technological properties when compared with other milk. Unlike bovine milk, the processing of camel milk into fermented products and its treatment using ultra-high temperatures is technically challenging. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the variability in the proximate composition and the protein composition of camel milk collected from individual animals that are reared under intensive management in the UAE. To determine the proximate composition of samples (n = 217) were analyzed by NIR and MIR spectroscopy methods. The results obtained by the two methods were also compared. The …

Geo-Spatial Modeling Of Carbon Sequestration Assessment In Date Palm, Abu Dhabi: An Integrated Approach Of Fieldwork, Remote Sensing, And Gis, Basam Saeed Dahy

Dissertations

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undertaken huge efforts to green the desert and afforestation projects (planted mainly with date palms) hence, reducing its carbon footprint, which have never been accounted for, because of lack of implemented mechanisms and tools to assess the amount of biomass and carbon stock (CS) sequestered by plants in the country. The purpose of this dissertation is to implement a new approach towards assessing the carbon sequestered by date palm (DP) plantations in Abu Dhabi, in both their biomass compartment as well as the soils under beneath, using geospatial technologies (RS and GIS) assessed by …

Utilization And Evaluation Of Treated Wastewater On The Production Technology Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Under Different Modes Of Cultivation, Fatima Hasan Al Hamedi

Dissertations

In the recent past, the production of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources has been steadily increasing through the population, urbanization, industrial revolution and economic development. In the world, 80% of wastewater consists of several harmful substances and hazardous chemicals that cause many deadly effects to human beings as well as ecosystems. So, the elimination of this toxic substance before discarding into landfills is utilized as an alternative source of water which is an emerging need. Using the treated wastewater for agricultural purposes is an excellent approach for rendering wastewater beneficial. As the quantity of wastewater grows, there is a …

Date Fruit Fiber Variability In Composition, Tissue Distribution, And Contribution To Hardness Of Date Fruits (Phoenix Dactylifera L.), Navomy George

Dissertations

Date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a major desert crop and is an integral part of the United Arab Emirates. This study is on the various aspects of dietary fiber of ten Emirati date varieties. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the content and composition of mature date fruits and to study their microstructure. The aspects of biomineralization with particular importance to silica phytoliths and lignification are also studied. Finally, the date fruit dietary composition and microstructure are related to the textural attributes of the fruit. Uppsala method of dietary fiber analysis (AOAC 994.13) is used …

Evaluation Of The Genetic And Structural Variations Of Camel Hemoglobin, Amanat Ali

Dissertations

The single-humped Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) thrives in the hot arid Arabian desert. Many unique adaptations permit it to accomplish this. Camel erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs) have a peculiar elliptical shape and are amenable to large variations in physical conditions resulting from dehydration and rehydration cycles. The oxygen transport protein hemoglobin is found abundantly in RBCs and is also believed to behave differently in camels. While several physiological and biochemical studies have been performed on camel hemoglobin, very little is known about genetic and structural adaptions in this protein. The camel genome harbors several unique variations …

Chemical Characterization Of Trichoderma Reesei Degraded Date Pits And Its Effect On Growth Performance And Intestinal Bacterial Population And Antioxidant Status - A Comparative Study With Mannose And Mannan-Oligosaccharide On Broiler, Salem Rashed Ali Rashed Al Yileili

Dissertations

With the increasing apprehension over food safety nowadays, there have been relentless efforts aiming for subrogating antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feeds. Thus, this research study aims at investigating the potential effects of using degraded date pits (DDP) as feedstuff and as a natural alternative for antibiotics in poultry feeding. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the minimum time of feeding a diet containing 10% DDP is required to induce growth-promoting effects on broiler performance. In experiment 2, the influence of feeding 10% DDP was examined as feedstuff at 10% in broilers diets and a growth-promoting agent …

Chemical Characterization Of Trichoderma Reesei Degraded Date Pits And Its Effect On Growth Performance And Intestinal Bacterial Population And Antioxidant Status - A Comparative Study With Mannose And Mannan -Oligosaccharide On Broiler, Salem Rashed Ali Rashed Al Yileili

Dissertations

With the increasing apprehension over food safety nowadays, there have been relentless efforts aiming for subrogating antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feeds. Thus, this research study aims at investigating the potential effects of using degraded date pits (DDP) as feedstuff and as a natural alternative for antibiotics in poultry feeding. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the minimum time of feeding a diet containing 10% DDP is required to induce growth-promoting effects on broiler performance. In experiment 2, the influence of feeding 10% DDP was examined as feedstuff at 10% in broilers diets and a growth-promoting agent …

Deciphering The Molecular Mechanism Through Which Rhus Coriaria Exerts Its Anti-Cancer Activity, Khawlah Najib Saeed Athamneh

Dissertations

Cancer remains a major health problem around the globe. Among various types of treatments, plants have been shown to have great capacity in cancer treatment, one of which is Rhus coriaria. Commonly known as sumac, Rhus coriaria is a culinary herb that is known to possess different therapeutic values including anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities.

In this Ph.D. project, we tested the effect of Rhus coriaria extract (RCE) on the migration, invasion, and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We showed that non-cytotoxic concentrations of RCE inhibited migration and invasion, blocked adhesion to fibronectin, and downregulated MMP-9. Additionally, we found …

The United Arab Emirates Indigenous Essential Oil-Bearing Plants: Essential Oils Of Aerva Javanica And Cleome Amblyocarpa Grown In Sandy Soils Under Arid Conditions, Suzan Marwan Ramadan Shahin

Dissertations

Essential Oils (EOs) are expensive hydrocarbons produced exclusively by specific species in the plant’s kingdom. Nowadays, with the growing trends of a healthy lifestyle and enormous research-based discoveries, EOs became a popular, attractive topic, for both research and industry, with revenues reaching billions of dollars annually. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has rich traditional herbal medicine, associated with topical and EO-aromatherapy applications, that (in most cases) not scientifically justified nor clarified. This dissertation investigated the EO-bearing plants of the UAE, providing a databank with comprehensive knowledge for all indigenous and naturalized EO-bearing plant species of the UAE wildflowers. Also, this …

Protein Domain Linker Prediction: A Direction For Detecting Protein – Protein Interactions, Maad Mohammad Hasan Shatnawi

Dissertations

Protein chains are generally long and consist of multiple domains. Domains are the basic of elements of protein structures that can exist, evolve and function independently. The accurate and reliable identification of protein domains and their interactions has very important impacts in several protein research areas. The accurate prediction of protein domains is a fundamental stage in both experimental and computational proteomics. The knowledge is an initial stage of protein tertiary structure prediction which can give insight into the way in which protein works. The knowledge of domains is also useful in classifying the proteins, understanding their structures, functions and …

Development And Functioning Of Mycorrhizal Root Systems Under Non-Uniform Rootzone Salinity, Asha Christopher

Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhiza are obligate symbionts that live in association with most plant roots. The fungal mycelium extracts nutritional elements from the soil, and supplies these to plants in exchange for plant photoassimilates. The present study investigated the effects of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on growth and nutrient uptake of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Sudan grass (Sorghum bicolor L.) exposed to topsoil salinity through a horizontal split-root set-up. Roots in the upper compartment were exposed to substrate salinity, while lower compartment roots had access to non-saline nutrient solution. Despite roots being well-colonized by mycorrhizal fungi, there was no …

Biofilm Production By Food-Transmitted Bacteria And Their Control By Selected Nanoparticles, Mariam Al Shamsi

Dissertations

Biofilm is a population of bacteria attached to any types of surfaces and impeded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilm exhibit up to 1000 fold antibiotic increased resistance to a broad range of antimicrobial agents. Several food-transmitted microorganisms are capable of forming biofilms and considered as a major source of contamination, transmission and infection. In the last few decades, nanoparticles has gained a great attention for their potential applications as antimicrobial agents. The aim of this work was to assess the biofilm formation capacity of food-transmitted bacteria under various environmental conditions and to investigate the efficacy of …

Development Of A Therapeutic Model Of Early Liver Cancer Using Crocin-Coated Magnetite Nanoparticles, Rkia El-Kharrag

Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common health problems that is difficult to treat. As a result of the side effects frequently experienced with conventional cancer treatments, there has been a growing interest to develop controlled drug delivery system that can reduce the mortality rate of liver cancer patients and un-harm healthy tissues. Magnetite nanoparticles are potentially important in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment, since they can be used as delivery system. Pure and coated magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized via modified co-precipitation method in air at low temperature. Various reaction parameters and coating materials have been investigated and characterized. Among these …

The Expression Pattern Of Death Associated Protein Kinase1 In Normal Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons And Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Maryam Sulaiman Mohammed Al Saadi

Dissertations

Death-associated protein kinase1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) regulated serine/threonine kinase. An increasing body of evidence supports the significance of DAPK1 protein in cancer and CNS diseases. The role of DAPK in peripheral nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain remains completely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of DAPK1 along with key proand anti-apoptotic cell signaling molecules (p53, Bax, Akt, ERK5, p38) and to verify the possibilities of DAPK1-NMDA NR2B relationship in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG) after 2 hours, 7 days and 14 days following a sciatic nerve injury. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry …

Studies On The Initial Stage Of Lipid Oxidation In Bulk Oils, Elizabeth Budilarto

Dissertations

During the oxidation of bulk oils, oxidation products (i.e. peroxide values, conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) are formed gradually and increased sharply at the end of the induction period. Tocopherols were consumed, some water was formed, and micelles increased in size during the induction period of vegetable oils oxidized in bulk. The evidence that the evolution of micellar size was in parallel with the end of induction period corroborates the recognition that micelles are the active site of oxidation. The interactions of α-tocopherol and three synergists: ascorbyl palmitate, phosphatidylcholine and L-lysine were studied in cod liver oil, to …

Identification Of Novel Natural Compounds With Anti-Breast Cancer Activities, Yusra Saif Al Dhaheri

Dissertations

Breast cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. In this dissertation, natural compounds with anti-breast cancer activities were identified. We investigated the effect of Salinomycin, a potassium ionophore isolated from Streptomyces albus, on the survival of three human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, T47D and MDA-MB-231. High concentrations of Salinomycin induced a G2 arrest, down regulation of survivin and triggered apoptosis. Interestingly, treatments with low concentrations of Salinomycin induced a transient G1 arrest at an earlier time and G2 arrest and senescence, associated with enlarged cell morphology, at a later time. There was also …

Assessing The Fishery And Ecology Of Sharks In The United Arab Emirates, Rima W. Jabado

Dissertations

Large scale shark population declines have been documented worldwide due to overexploitation and the lack of adequate management frameworks to conserve shark stocks. This study aimed at gaining an understanding of the national shark fishery and the trade in shark products from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data were collected from June 2010 to October 2012 through interviews with local fishermen, market and landing site surveys, fishery independent surveys, and stomach content analysis. Interviews with local fishermen (n=126) provided information on the fishery characteristics and established that sharks were increasingly targeted due to their high value in the global fin …