Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Spice Powder On Blood Glucose, Lipid Profile And Body Composition In Adults At Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease: A Controlled, Randomized, Single-Blind, Parallel-Design Study, Dana Hasan Mustafa Alkhatib

Philosophy Dissertations

A cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus have become known as the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). In the United Arab Emirates, 42% of the population was diagnosed with MetS. Previous researchers observed the anti-diabetic, hypolipidemic anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and antiantitumorigenic properties of spices on body composition, blood parameters and blood pressure. The aim of the study was to assess the macronutrient, micronutrient, sugar and caffeine content for seven commonly consumed spices. Moreover, the aim of the study was to measure the effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale), cinnamon (Cinnamomum) and black seed (Nigella sativa) consumption on …

Effect Of Stocking Density Using Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticuson Aquaponic System And Cultivation Of Cherry Tomato Solanum Lycopersicumunder Uae Condition, Adel Ibrahim Hussain Al Bloushi

Biology Theses

The present study was conducted to cultivate tomato plants in aquaponics system in the UAE climatic condition. The cherry tomato Solanum lycopersicum plants were cultivated with the Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fish effluent water. The tomatoes were cultivated with three different densities of fish, 100 fish/m3, 120 fish/m3and 140 fish/m3. Each greenhouse was 120 m2 plant cultivation areas and 15.5 m3 of the fish culture area and the total water stocking volume was 58 m3. Tomato plants were planted with the ratio of 3 plants/m2. The introduced fish are fed with 35% protein based commercial floating feed at the ratio of …

Identification Of Pathogens Associated With Mango Dieback Disease On Mango In The United Arab Emirates, Fatima Ali Hassan Kamil

Biology Theses

Dieback caused by the fungus Lasiodiplodia theobromae is an important disease on mango plantations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this study, 53 actinobacterial isolates were obtained from mango rhizosphere soil in the UAE, of which 35 (66%) were classified as streptomycetes (SA) and 18 (34%) as non-streptomycetes (NSA). Among these isolates, 19 (12 SA and 7 NSA) showed antagonistic activities against L. theobromae associated with either the production of diffusible antifungal metabolites, extracellular cell-wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs), or both. Using a “novel” mango fruit bioassay, all isolates were screened in vivo for their abilities to reduce lesion severity on …

Transcriptional Profiling Identifies Potential Genes Associated With Multiple Biotic Stresses In Arabidopsis, Hibatullah Mustafa Al Ashram

Biology Theses

Plants are exposed to many environmental stresses that affect their growth and development. These stresses include biotic stresses (organisms) and abiotic stresses (drought and salinity). Plants respond to these stresses by transcriptional reprogramming and different signaling pathways. Arabidopsis thaliana had shown great sensitivity to the biotic stress: Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria brassicicola, Pseudomonas syringae and the herbivore insect Pieris rapae. The overall goal is to identify common regulated genes that respond to all these biotic stresses to ultimately improve plant stress tolerance in Arabidopsis. The specific aims are to: (1) determine the regulated genes in response to an …

In Vivo Assessment Of Safranal’S Novel Therapeutic Effects On Chemically Induced Hepatic Neoplasia, Ameera Ali M. Almansoori

Biology Theses

Chronic liver insult leads to fibrosis, which often ends up causing cirrhosis and most of the time that progresses into hepatic neoplasms (early Hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC). HCC is the fifth most common cancer, and the third cause of cancerrelated deaths. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment of cancer patients. HCC is however, chemo-resistant, and the side-effects of chemotherapy are typically exhausting to the patient. Sorafenib is the only anti-HCC drug approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration. It is a multikinase inhibitor that blocks tumor cells proliferation and angiogenesis. Although sorafenib is successful treating early and mid HCC lesions, …

Growth And Development Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L.) In A Hydroponic System With Different Lighting Sources, Ghada Mohammed Ali Hamuda

Aridland Agriculture Theses

The goal of this study was to investigate the influences of different light systems, on growth parameters (fresh and dry weight, height and width, number of leaves and leaf area) and accumulation of chlorophylls and carotenoids of the lettuce. The marketable sensory characteristics (shape, and color) of fresh plants were also evaluated.

(Lactuca sativa crispa. “Lollo bionda”) lettuce were cultured in three levels of vertical hydroponically for 45 days under different light sources of natural light in the upper level, 60% shade light in the middle level and red (R), green (G) blue (B), provided by light-emitting diodes …

Evaluating Different Densities Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L) With Varying Levels Of Feeding Regimes On Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis Niloticus L) In Aquaponics System, Ahmed Salem Mohammed Suhail Alkaabi

Theses

Aquaponics uses waste generated by fish as plant nutrients within a re-circulating system that returns clean water back to the fish. The purpose of this study was to cultivate the high quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) production in an integrated aquaponic system with recirculating aquaculture system in the UAE climatic condition on three different densities and feeding regimes. An experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 (from April to August). The evaluation of the production was based on three parameters viz., head of the …

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 …

Molecular Cloning And Functional Analysis Of Salt Overly Sensitive (Sos) Pathway Genes From Local Plants Of The United Arab Emirates, Mariam Obaid Saeed Abdalla Alzaabi

Biology Theses

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that lead to extreme reduction in crop productivity worldwide. Increased soil and water salinity is a major issue in UAE’s agriculture. Some plants however have adapted to grow in high saline conditions, i.e. halophytes. Unfortunately, most crops are glycophytes and cannot tolerate high salinity. During salinity stress, expression of numerous genes is altered to protect the plants. Understanding the differences in gene structure between halophytes and glycophytes could provide insights into developing transgenic crops that can thrive in salinity conditions. The Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway is a key mechanistic cascade controlling …

Transcriptomic Analysis On Hepatocellular Carcinoma Model In Response To Safranal Treatment, Badriya Mahmood Ahmed Baig

Biology Theses

Unsolved riddle of cancer remains a major global health concern particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which is among the leading causes of cancer related death worldwide. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and its bioactive phytochemicals possess promising anti-cancer activities. One of these phytochemicals, safranal, has demonstrated potent anti-cancer activities against different types of cancers. Yet, its association with liver cancer remains under documented. This study investigated HCC response to safranal’s treatment via transcriptomic approach. Safranal was found to be involved in mitochondrial dysfunction, induced oxidative stress and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production leading to cell death. Interestingly, safranal has …

Effect Of Heat Treatment On Camel Milk Proteins, Crystal Dcosta Clement

Food Science Theses

Camel milk is important in the dry and arid lands because of its cultural, nutritional, and therapeutic properties. Milk proteins are known to be affected by various treatments including heating. The structure of proteins are known to change upon exposure to temperatures due to unfolding/folding and intra- and inter-molecular interactions. The aim of this thesis was to study the effect of various heating temperatures (60-130 °C) and times (0, 1, 10, and 30 min) on camel milk proteins. Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), free thiol groups, and hydroxymethylfurfural were used to observe the changes in proteins after the heat treatments. It was found …

Role Of The Snf2 Homolog, Irc20, In Yeast Genome Maintenance, Deena Mohamed Galal Eldin Ahmed

Theses

In eukaryotes, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins forming a highly compact structure, the chromatin. All DNA-based processes must occur within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires modulation of its structure when needed. This is accomplished by covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts, as well as through the actions of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. These multi-subunit complexes play major roles in transcription regulation, replication and repairing DNA damage. This thesis aims to characterize a poorly studied member of the SWI/SNF family of ATPases/helicases, Irc20, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously, Irc20 has been shown to be involved in …

The Role Of Vitamin D Receptors In Gastric Epithelial Homeostasis, Ifrah Ismail Ali

Biology Theses

The gastric epithelium consists of different types of cells, which are involved in gastric homeostasis by balancing cell proliferation and differentiation. This process involves several signaling molecules such as growth factors, hormones and vitamins. Vitamin D3 (VD3) is engaged in several biological activities. It plays a role in cell differentiation, cell proliferation, immune response and also regulates calcium homeostasis. The biological activities of VD3 are mediated by vitamin D receptor (VDR). Target tissues of VD3 in the gastrointestinal tract were identified earlier in intestine, colon and gastric cancer tissues; however, the normal expression of VDR in stomach is poorly studied. …

Modelling The Micro Environment Of Liver Cancer Using 3d Culture System, Ala’A Abdel Rahim H Al Hrout

Biology Theses

Tumor micro environment has been the focus of many studies that highlighted its essential contribution to tumorigenesis. A two-way communication between the tumor and the surrounding microenvironment sustains and contributes to the growth and metastasis of the tumor by several means, such as extracellular matrix remodeling, fibroblasts activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Hepatocellular carcinoma progression and metastasis have been reported to be highly influenced by diverse microenvironmental elements. The main objective of this study is to create an in vitro model of liver cancer microenvironment that better recapitulate in vivo settings. The proposed model is based on three-dimensional co-culture system of liver …

Physicochemical Characteristics Of Mono Floral Emirati Honey., Maryam Mohammed Alyammahi

Food Science Theses

Honey is a sugar solution used as a food and as a food ingredient. According to Codex standards, honey from different floral sources is regulated by its content of sugar (>60 %), moisture (<20 %), acidity (<50 meq/kg), and hydroxymethylfurfural (<40 mg/kg) and (80 mg/kg) of honey of declared origin from countries or regions with tropical ambient temperatures. The aim of this thesis was to study the physicochemical composition of four types of monofloral honeys collected in UAE: sider (Ziziphus spina-christi), samar (Acacia tortilis), ghaf (Prosopis juliflora), and neem (Azadirachta indica). Twelve pure honey samples (5 sider, 5 samar, 1 ghaf, and 1 neem) were tested for their main physicochemical parameters including sugar composition, moisture content, pH/free acidity, minerals, total phenolic compounds, hydroxymethylfurfural, texture, viscosity, and glass transition temperature. Results of all samples were found to fall …

Effect Of Feeding Frequency And Stocking Density On Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus And Lettuce Lactuca Sativa Production In Aquaponics System Under The Uae Condition And Business Enterprise Analysis, Ahmed Abdelrahman Mohamed Abdelrahman

Biology Theses

This thesis was carried out to investigate the impact of various Tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) feeding frequency and stocking density on quality and quantity of organic lettuce that is produced in an aquaponic system, knowing that they affect the nutrient content in water. Business analysis through enterprise budget was developed considering different feeding frequency and stocking density of the fish to predict the business efficiency of the system, and the net incomes were as high as AED 34,394 and AED 46,637, respectively. On the other hand, lettuce was seeded in a culture raceway. The duration of the experiments was decided to be …

Determination Of The Ideal Plant Density Of Tomato Solanum Lycopersicum Under An Aquaponic Production System With Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus Under Uae Conditions, Mohamed Ahmed Al Dhanhani

Theses

Aquaponics is an agricultural system that saves water and fertilization and offers a way of growing plants without soil pest infestation or pesticide residues. This system ensures the production of hazardous chemical free food for humans. This system also ensures sustainability by creating a natural relationship between fish and plants and makes gardening more productive and economical.

Aquaponics system is a dynamic ecosystem that can be integrated to achieve food security through the production of fish and vegetables without the intervention of fertilizers.

The focus of this study is optimizing planting density of tomato in an aquaponics system; with assess …

Probiotic Characterization Of Lactic Acid Bacteria (Lab) Isolated From Dried Emirati Fish And The Health Promoting Benefits Of Fermented Fish Sausages By Selected Isolates, Nadya Salem Sultan Saeed Al Kalbani

Food Science Theses

Probiotics have great positive impacts on human health. Therefore, finding new probiotics possess novel probiotic characteristics would be greatly appreciated by medical, scientific and food industrial societies. This study aimed to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from traditionally dried fishes, assess their safety aspects, characterize their probiotic features, and investigate their potential health-promoting benefits of fish sausage fermented by selected LABs, in-vitro.

Out of one hundred and fifty (150) isolates, 85 isolates were considered as a potential probiotic. The 85 isolates achieved a reduction under gastric juicy ranged from 0.5-5.2 log10 CFU/mL during 2h of incubation and they were …

Characterization And Bioactive Properties Of Camel Whey Protein Hydrolysate Generated With Gastric And Pancreatic Proteases, Sabika Jafar

Food Science Theses

Camel milk has been used for its nutritional and therapeutic benefits since ancient times. Previously, whole camel milk and casein proteins have been explored for their potential bioactive properties. However, studies on camel milk whey proteins and their hydrolysates are still scarce. Hence, the aim of the proposed thesis was to evaluate camel whey proteins and their hydrolysates for potential bioactivities like antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and anti-cholesterol properties. Production of the hydrolysates was carried out using three digestive enzymes – pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin for 3 and 6 h of hydrolysis time. Hydrolysates were characterized by degree of hydrolysis …

An Assessment Of Dna Extraction Protocols For Herbarium Specimen: The Case Of Uaeu Herbarium, Mouza Ali Hasan Mohammad Alshehhi

Biology Theses

The herbarium collections have become vastly used due to the recent developments in molecular techniques. Molecular techniques such as DNA extraction and DNA sequencing are playing an important role in studying genetic makeup of plant and identifying the evolutionary relationship using DNA bar coding. Herbarium collection is considered as one of the potential source to access the genetic material of the extinct plant species. Study focused on the DNA isolation process using five isolation techniques: Maxwell, Synergy, Qiagen, I-Genomic , and CTAB on herbarium desert/medicine plant: Inula Helenium, Chenopodium album, Salsola Kali, Haloxylon Persicum, Atriplex Halimus and compared them with …

Anti-Colon Cancer Effect Of Origanum Majorana Essential Oil, Asma Nasser Rashed Alrashedi

Biology Theses

Plants have been shown to be an excellent source of new drugs, including anticancer agents. Origanum majorana commonly known as marjoram is a plant that is known to possess different therapeutic values including antioxidant andantimicrobial activities.

Our research team has previously tested the ethanolic extract of O. majorana on triple negative breast cancer and published the findings. The ethanolic extract promoted mitotic arrest at G2/M phase, induced apoptosis as well as inhibition of migration and metastasis. The promising potential of the ethanolic extract encouraged us to test the effects of O. majorana essential oil on human colon cancer cell lines. …

Study Of Rheological, Chemical, And Microbiological Properties Of Chami, A Traditional Emirati Soft Chees, Aysha Othman Abdullah Al Katheeri

Theses

In this work, ten Emirati Chami cheese samples were collected and analyzed to determine their chemical composition, texture, rheology, and microbiological properties. Chami cheeses showed large variations in moisture (60.9–84.1%), protein (7.5–14.6%), fat (0.5–7.8%), and ash (3.4–8.0%) contents as well as in pH (3.6–4.4), and water activity (0.977–0.999%). The variation in fat content of samples suggested that extra fat was added; this added fat was either butter or vegetable oil as indicated by the fatty acid composition. The different samples showed peaks of variable size for fat melting. The sodium content in the 10 cheese samples varied from 223–2410 mg/kg, …

Assessment Of Nutrition Knowledge And Dietary Behaviors Of Post Bariatric Surgery Patients Attending The Outpatient Clinic Of Rashid Hospital, Dubai, Souheir Mahmoud Alia

Food Science Theses

Obesity is regarded as an increasingly prevalent public health problem, with enormous adverse health consequences. It also increases the risk for co-morbidities. There are several means to treat obesity, and bariatric surgery has emerged as one of the most prevalent ways to treat obesity. Despite the vast research assessing nutrition knowledge of patients regarding several health conditions, existing research assessing the nutrition knowledge of post-bariatric surgery patients is limited, although this category of patients is very susceptible to malnutrition post-surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the patients’ general nutrition knowledge and the knowledge specific to the dietary …