Life Sciences Commons^™

Utilizing An Extract From Endophytic Fungus, Alternaria Alternata, Isolated From Ricinus Communis L. Leaves As A Biological Agent For Controlling The Migratory Locust In Algeria, Laib Djamel Eddine, Benzehra Abdelmadjid, Laib Imen, Aouzal Badis, Akkal Salah

Journal of Bioresource Management

In this research, we aimed to explore the insecticidal potential of Alternaria alternata, an endophytic fungus derived from the leaves of castor oil plant. To test its insecticidal efficacy, various doses of A. alternata mycoextract were administered to Locusta migratoria L. through both topical and oral pathways. The findings revealed that the insects displayed the highest susceptibility to a concentration of 2 g/L, leading to an impressive mortality rate of 87.5 % and 93.75 % for topical and oral administrations, in the same order. The extract displayed remarkable insecticidal properties, demonstrating LC50 values of 1.09 g/L for the topical …

A Revision Of Dyscolotaxia Horn, 1890 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Macraulacinae: Macraulacini), With The Description Of Amazotaxia New Genus From South America, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

The Neotropical eucnemid genus, Dyscolotaxia Horn, is revised following the examination of specimens from five collections, examination of the published original description of Plesiofornax tetratoma Chassain, and from images provided by Fernanda Salazar-Buenaño (QCAZI). Dyscolotaxia championi Horn is redescribed with included descriptions of the male genitalia and a female specimen. Three new species of false click beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) are described from the Neotropical region. These new species are: Dyscolotaxia chiriquiensis (Panama), Dyscolotaxia hispaniolensis (Dominican Republic), and Dyscolotaxia picea (Ecuador). Amazotaxia new genus is described from South America for Plesiofornax tetratoma Chassain, creating Amazotaxia tetratoma (Chassain) new combination. Morphology …

Anti-Apostatic Feeding Behavior In Two Species Of Assassin Bug, The White-Spotted Assassin Bug Platymeris Biguttatus And Red-Spotted Assassin Bug Platymeris Rhadamanthus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), Julia H. Potocnjak, Christopher Vitek

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Predator-prey relationships are a driving force when examining community ecology. One question in predator-prey interactions is how a predator may respond to novel prey phenotypes, a form of frequency dependent prey selection. A predator may selectively target or avoid the novel prey, a behavior referred to as anti-apostatic or apostatic selection respectively. We examined apostatic prey selection by observing feeding behavior in two species of assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), the white-spotted assassin bug (Platymeris biguttatus) and the red-spotted assassin bug (Platymeris rhadamanthus) which were fed unmodified and modified (novel) phenotypes of Turkistan cockroaches, Blatta lateralis (Blattodea: …

P53r245w Mutation Fuels Cancer Initiation And Metastases In Nash-Driven Liver Tumorigenesis, Denada Dibra, Mihai Gagea, Yuan Qi, Gilda P Chau, Xiaoping Su, Guillermina Lozano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Obesity is a significant global health concern. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are common risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are closely associated with metabolic comorbidities, including obesity and diabetes. The TP53 tumor suppressor is the most frequently mutated gene in liver cancers, with half of these alterations being missense mutations. These mutations produce highly abundant proteins in cancer cells which have both inhibitory effects on wildtype (WT) p53, and gain-of-function (GOF) activities that contribute to tumor progression. A Western diet increases p53 activity in the liver. To elucidate the functional consequences of Trp53 mutations in …

Smokejumper Obituary: Cordova, Horace M. (Idaho City 1961), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Primate Vocal Repertoires: Vocal Systems As Embodied Capital For Mediating Within-Group Conflict, Eric Schniter, Mateo Peñaherrera-Aguirre

ESI Working Papers

Life history traits constrain investments in costly neural and somatic embodied capital, potentially shaping the evolution of primate vocal communication systems. This study integrates life history theory with the social complexity hypothesis to test a sequential pathway from longevity to social dynamics to vocal repertoire size, using updated vocal repertoire data for McComb & Semple’s (2005) set of 42 non-human primate species, alongside measures of group size and within-group conflict. We compiled data on vocal repertoire size, within-group conflict, group size, endocranial volume, and maximum longevity, analysing these via Phylogenetic Sequential Canonical Cascade Model and ancestral character reconstructions. …

Classification Of Colon Cancer Patients Into Consensus Molecular Subtypes Using Support Vector Machines, Necla Koçhan, Baris Emre Dayanc

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: The molecular heterogeneity of colon cancer has made classification of tumors a requirement for effective treatment. One of the approaches for molecular subtyping of colon cancer patients is the Consensus Molecular Subtypes (CMS) developed by the Colorectal Cancer Subtyping Consortium (CRCSC). CMS-specific RNA-Seq dependent classification approaches are recent with relatively low sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we aimed to classify patients into CMS groups using RNA-seq profiles. Materials and methods: We first identified subtype specific and survival associated genes using Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) algorithm and log-rank test. Then we classified patients using Support Vector Machines with Backward Elimination …

Genital Tract Infections, The Vaginal Microbiome And Gestational Age At Birth Among Pregnant Women In South Africa: A Cohort Study Protocol, Ranjana M.S. Gigi, Mandisa M. Mdingi, Hyunsul Jung, Shantelle Claassen-Weitz, Lukas Bütikofer, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor, Janneke H.H.M. Van De Wijgert, Remco P.H. Peters, Nicola Low

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction Preterm birth complications are the most common cause of death in children under 5 years. The presence of multiple microorganisms and genital tract inflammation could be the common mechanism driving early onset of labour. South Africa has high levels of preterm birth, genital tract infections and HIV infection among pregnant women. We plan to investigate associations between the presence of multiple lower genital tract microorganisms in pregnancy and gestational age at birth. Methods and analysis This cohort study enrols around 600 pregnant women at one public healthcare facility in East London, South Africa. Eligible women are ≥18 years and …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Pit Roach (Hesperoleucus Mitrulus), Misty Nelson

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for pit roach (Hesperoleucus mitrulus) using NatureServe methodology, 2023.

Compcorona: A Web Application For Comparative Transcriptome Analyses Ofcoronaviruses Reveals Sars-Cov-2-Specific Host Response, Rana Sali̇hoğlu, Fati̇h Saraçoğlu, Mustafa Si̇bai̇, Tali̇p Zengi̇n, Başak Abak Masud, Onur Karasoy, Tuğba Önal Süzek

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Understanding the mechanism of host transcriptomic response to infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is crucial, especially for patients suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19, such as long COVID or pericarditis inflammation, potentially linked to side effects of the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. We conducted comprehensive transcriptome and enrichment analyses on lung and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, to uncover shared pathways and elucidate their common disease progression and viral replication mechanisms. Materials and methods: We developed CompCorona, the first interactive online tool for visualizing gene response variance among the family …

Svm-Do: Identification Of Tumor-Discriminating Mrna Signatures Via Support Vectormachines Supported By Disease Ontology, Mustafa Erhan Özer, Pemra Özbek Sarica, Kazim Yalçin Arğa

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: The complicated nature of tumor formation makes it difficult to identify discriminatory genes. Recently, transcriptome-based supervised classification methods using support vector machines (SVMs) have become popular in this field. However, the inclusion of less significant variables in the construction of classification models can lead to misclassification. To improve model performance, feature selection methods such as enrichment analysis can be used to extract useful variable sets. The detection of genes that can discriminate between normal and tumor samples in the association of cancer and disease remains an area of limited information. We therefore aimed to discover novel and practical sets …

Stemnesscore: An R Package To Estimate The Stemness Of Glioma Cancer Cells At Single-Cell Resolution, Necla Koçhan, Yavuz Oktay, Gökhan Karakülah

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Glioblastoma is the most heterogeneous and the most difficult-to-treat type of brain tumor and one of the deadliest among all cancers. The high plasticity of glioma cancer stem cells and the resistance they develop against multiple modalities of therapy, along with their high heterogeneity, are the main challenges faced during treatment of glioblastoma. Therefore, a better understanding of the stemness characteristics of glioblastoma cells is needed. With the development of various single-cell technologies and increasing applications of machine learning, indices based on transcriptomic and/or epigenomic data have been developed to quantitatively measure cellular states and stemness. In this study, …

Suma: A Lightweight Machine Learning Model Powered Shared Nearest Neighbour Based Clustering Application Interface Of Scrna-Seq, Hamza Umut Karakurt, Pınar Pir

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-Seq) explores cellular diversity at the gene expression level. Due to the inherent sparsity and noise in scRNA-Seq data and the uncertainty on the types of sequenced cells, effective clustering and cell type annotation are essential. The graph-based clustering of scRNA-Seq data is a simple yet powerful approach which presents data as a “shared nearest neighbour” graph and clusters the cells using graph clustering algorithms. These algorithms are dependent on several user-defined parameters. Here we present SUMA, a lightweight tool that uses a random forest model to predict the optimum number of neighbours to have the optimum …

Physicochemical Differences Between Camelid Single-Domain Antibodies And Mammalian Antibodies, Nazli Eda Eski̇er, Doğa Eski̇er, Esi̇n Fi̇ruzan, Si̇bel Kalyoncu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: In recent years, single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, have emerged as an alternative to full immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs), due to their various advantages including increased solubility, faster clearance, and cheaper production. Nanobodies are generally derived from the variable domain of the camelid heavy-chain-only immunoglobulin Gs (hcIgGs). Due to the high sequence homology between variable heavy chains of camelids (VHHs) and humans (VHs), hcIgGs are ideal candidates for nanobody development. However, further examination is needed to understand the structural differences between VHs and VHHs. This analysis is essential for nanobody engineering to mitigate potential immunogenicity while preserving stability, functionality, …

Glp1 Receptor Agonists-Effects Beyond Obesity And Diabetes, Sydney S Wilbon, Mikhail G Kolonin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) have been transformative for patients and clinicians in treating type-2 diabetes and obesity. Drugs of this class, the bioavailability of which is continuously improving, enable weight loss and control blood glucose with minimal unwanted side effects. Since adopting GLP1RA for treating metabolic diseases, animal and clinical studies have revealed their beneficial effects on several other pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration, kidney disease, and cancer. A notable commonality between these diseases is their association with older age. Clinical trials and preclinical data suggest that GLP1RA may improve outcomes in these aging-related diseases. Some of the benefits …

Patient-Reported Sexual Function, Bladder Function And Quality Of Life For Patients With Low Rectal Cancers With Or Without A Permanent Ostomy, Michael K Rooney, Melisa Pasli, George J Chang, Prajnan Das, Eugene J Koay, Albert C Koong, Ethan B Ludmir, Bruce D Minsky, Sonal S Noticewala, Oliver Peacock, Grace L Smith, Emma B Holliday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing utilization of sphincter and/or organ-preservation treatment strategies, many patients with low-lying rectal cancers require abdominoperineal resection (APR), leading to permanent ostomy. Here, we aimed to characterize overall, sexual-, and bladder-related patient-reported quality of life (QOL) for individuals with low rectal cancers. We additionally aimed to explore potential differences in patient-reported outcomes between patients with and without a permanent ostomy.

METHODS: We distributed a comprehensive survey consisting of various patient-reported outcome measures, including the FACT-G7 survey, ICIQ MLUTS/FLUTS, IIEF-5/FSFI, and a specific questionnaire for ostomy patients. Descriptive statistics and univariate comparisons were used to compared demographics, treatments, …

Deep Learning In Bioinformatics, Malik Yousef, Jens Allmer

Turkish Journal of Biology

Deep learning is a powerful machine learning technique that can learn from large amounts of data using multiple layers of artificial neural networks. This paper reviews some applications of deep learning in bioinformatics, a field that deals with analyzing and interpreting biological data. We first introduce the basic concepts of deep learning and then survey the recent advances and challenges of applying deep learning to various bioinformatics problems, such as genome sequencing, gene expression analysis, protein structure prediction, drug discovery, and disease diagnosis. We also discuss future directions and opportunities for deep learning in bioinformatics. We aim to provide an …

Structural Basis For Dna Proofreading, Gina Buchel, Ashok Nayak, Karl Herbine, Azadeh Sarfallah, Viktoriia Sokolova, Angelica Zamudio-Ochoa, Dmitry Temiakov

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

DNA polymerase (DNAP) can correct errors in DNA during replication by proofreading, a process critical for cell viability. However, the mechanism by which an erroneously incorporated base translocates from the polymerase to the exonuclease site and the corrected DNA terminus returns has remained elusive. Here, we present an ensemble of nine high-resolution structures representing human mitochondrial DNA polymerase Gamma, Polγ, captured during consecutive proofreading steps. The structures reveal key events, including mismatched base recognition, its dissociation from the polymerase site, forward translocation of DNAP, alterations in DNA trajectory, repositioning and refolding of elements for primer separation, DNAP backtracking, and displacement …

Comprehensive Assessment Of Economic, Productive, Phenotypic, And Morphometric Traits In Azikheli Buffalo Breed Of Northern Pakistan, Nadar Khan, Bakhtawara Bibi, Tariq Ahmad, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Muhammad Ibrahim

Journal of Bioresource Management

The study was conducted to illuminate the phenotypic, morphometric, and productive characteristics of the Azikheli buffalo breed. One thousand two hundred pure Azikheli buffaloes (male: female) were randomly selected from the main hub of the Azikheli buffalo breed in Swat (Azikhel). The data were analyzed for comparison and frequency distribution. Phenotypic characteristic of the female buffalo shows that more than 73 % of the body color was golden yellowish. In contrast, in males, this value was 83 %, followed by white-albino and grayish colors. The shape of horns were semi sickle and grayish in color. Morphometric parameters of the breed …

Ethnobotanical Study Of Antihemorrhagic Plants In The Skikda Region (North East Of Algeria), Nabila Souilah, Hamdi Bendif, Abdelkrim Benaradj, Abdelouaheb Belaid, Scherazad Mekious

Journal of Bioresource Management

Our survey was carried out at the level of 17 Municipalities of the Province of Skikda. Questionnaire sheets were distributed to 55 herbalists and 350 locale population (informants). The processing of survey data with the local population shows us that women (52 %) have more knowledge of phytotherapy compared to men (48 %) with a fairly high level of education. For the herbalists, we found that most are men (85.45 %) aged between 31-40 years (29.09 %) and 41-50 years (25.45 %), and with level of university study (36.36 %). On the other hand, 52.73 % of herbalists said they …

Description Of Sivalhippus (Equidae: Perissodactyla) From The Late Miocene Siwalik Sub-Group Of Pakistan, Muhammad Tahir Waseem, Ayesha Iqbal, Sania Zubaid, Abdul Majid Khan, Muhammad Ammar

Journal of Bioresource Management

New fossil mandible as well as isolated upper and lower dentitions of the late Miocene Hipparionine species, have been discovered from a locality of Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan. By using morphometric and morphologic analysis, we have deduced that these specimens belong to Sivalhippus theobaldi. The body size of this species was intermediate between Sivalhippus perimensis and Hipparion antilopinum while its hypsodonty indicates that this species was a grazer to a larger extent which existed in mosaic of woodland and grassland in the Latest Miocene. However, the comparison with the recent horse (Equus caballus) mandible indicates some differences in …

Hepatoprotective Effect Of Berberis Lycium In Αlpha-Naphthylisothiocyanate Induced Cholestatic Mouse Models, Shamaila Bashir, Hassan Hameed, Nida Irshad, Aqsa Ashraf, Muhammad Faizan, Saiyada Fatima Maida Halim, Hafiz M. Mazhar Asjad, Andleeb Batool, Imran Sohail

Journal of Bioresource Management

Cholestasis is characterized by the obstruction of bile flow from hepatocytes to the intestine. It results in accumulation of bile acids in the liver, which cause oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Till now, the treatment options against cholestasis are limited. Therefore, there is an utmost requirement to develop and evaluate the drugs with potential anti-cholestatic effects. In the current study, the drug-induced cholestasis mouse models were generated via oral administration of α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT). The mice were placed into three groups of six animals each. Group I was the control group and was given saline. The cholestasis model Group …

Evaluating Microbial Contamination Of Bakeries, Wheat Flour In Ghaemshahr, Iran, Reyhaneh Gouran, Nazanin Khakipour

Journal of Bioresource Management

Although flour is regarded as a safe product from the perspective of microbiology due to its low water activity, it can be a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms if suitable conditions are provided for their growth and reproduction. The objective of this study was to examine the microbial quality of 82 % and 78 % flours distributed in 5 bakeries in the city of Ghaemshahr. The evaluation of the results of the physicochemical tests on the samples revealed that sample No.5's moisture content (82 % of the flour sample from the bakery E) was significantly higher than other …

Formula Optimization And Volatile Flavor Substance Analysis Of Extruded Corn Flour Composite Powder, Liu Xiaoqin, Ye Yang, Zeng Deyu, Yang Zhengang, Lin Fengmei

Food and Machinery

Objective: This study aimed to improve the flavor and solubility of extruded corn flour by compounding. Methods: D-optimal mixture design was used to add different proportions of puffed millet flour, fried red rice flour, puffed rice flour, and puffed black rice flour, into puffed corn flour. The composite powder was analyzed and evaluated from the perspectives of caking rate, viscosity, sensory score, and volatile flavor substance changes. The aroma components of different samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: The formula of compound powder was as follows: expanded corn flour 50.8%, expanded millet flour 8.8%, fried red rice flour …

Effects Of Sublimation Temperature On Cell Microstructure Of Pear Melon During Vacuum Freeze Drying, Tian Jinjin, Yao Chaoyang, Zhang Zhiqiang, Zhang Zhe, Ji Hongwei, Wu Jinyu

Food and Machinery

Objective: This study aimed to obtain optimal sublimation temperature of pear melon cells. Methods: The pre-freezing cooling rate and vacuum pressure were selected by optimization method to be 25 ℃/min and 10 Pa, respectively, based on cryogenic microscope imaging and vacuum freeze-drying technology. Then, sublimation temperatures of 10, 5, 0, -4, -7 and -10 ℃ were used for experimental research. The morphological parameters (equivalent diameter, area, circumference, volume), internal pressure, and porosity of cells during the process of dehydration and drying were analyzed. Results: As the sublimation temperature rose, the morphological parameters of different dimensions of cells first decreased and …

Research On Image Recognition Of Cracked Eggs Based On Convolutional Neural Network Model, Li Shu, Tang Mengdi, Tong Siyuan, Sun Ke

Food and Machinery

Objective: In order to improve the accuracy and operating efficiency of the egg crack detection method based on computer vision. Methods: Used poultry egg simulation impact equipment to obtain cracked eggs, and collected images of cracked eggs and intact eggs from different angles through egg dynamic image acquisition equipment. Then, the YOLO-v5, ResNet and SuffleNet models for cracked egg image recognition were established for the original and the preprocessed egg images, respectively. After that, the recognition accuracy and the adaptability for original egg images recognition of different models were compared. Results: The YOLO-v5, ResNet and SuffleNet models could effectively identify …

Determination Of 27 Antiparasitic Drug Residues In Penaeus Vannamei By Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Simultaneously, Zhang Lifang, Ma Ruixin, Zheng Baiqin, Song Wang, Zhou Xin

Food and Machinery

Objective: An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the simultaneous determination of 27 antiparasitic drug residues in Litopenaeus vannamei. Methods: The solution was used to extract antiparasitic drugs in the samples of L. vannamei. The supernatant after centrifugation was purified by C₁₈ and neutral alumina powder. The sample solution was analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and applied to the instrument workstation to perform data analysis. A Thermo Hypersil Gold aQ column was used as the separation column, and 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile and 10 mmol/L ammonium formate solution （containing 0.1% formic …

Study On The Integration Model Of Port Clearance In Food Supervision In The Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, Zhang Yiming

Food and Machinery

At present, the integration construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is deepening. Among them, the port customs integration model in food supervision in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area has problems such as inconsistent regulatory standards, cumbersome customs clearance procedures, and information asymmetry, which have led to increasingly prominent issues of low food supervision efficiency. In this regard, effective innovation in the integration model of port clearance can be promoted by unifying the food safety supervision standards of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, constructing an integrated port clearance procedure mechanism, and strengthening information sharing …

Establishment Of Quechers-Uplc-Ms/Ms Method To Determine Three Kinds Of Ochratoxins In Coffee, Gao Yunkai, Chen Xiaomei, Chen Chunqian, Zhou Lingyu, Deng Yinglin, Yin Qingchun

Food and Machinery

Objective： A new method was developed for the simultaneous determination of three kinds of ochratoxins in coffee by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with QuEChERS pretreatment. Methods： Samples were extracted by acetonitri-water-formic acid solution (55∶40∶5) with ultrasonic, salted out with a QuEChERS salt pocket, and then purified with a (ZanChERS-Myco17) column. The chromatographic separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ (1.7 μm, 2.1 mm×100 mm) column by gradient elution using a mobile phase comprising 0.2% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile. In the positive ion mode of electric spray, the samples detected were used …

Food Packaging Defect Detection By Improved Network Model Of Faster R-Cnn, Xia Junyong, Wang Kangyu, Zhou Hongdi

Food and Machinery

Objective: Accurate identification and location of paper packaging box defects. Methods: The improved network model of Faster R-CNN was applied to automatically detect box defects. The data of the training set picture was enhanced and noise was added to improve the training accuracy and robustness of the model. The feature extraction network was replaced with ResNet50, and the feature pyramid network （FPN） was fused to improve the multi-scale detection ability of the model. K-means++ was used to cluster the defect scale in the dataset and optimize the anchor box scheme. Results: The average accuracy （AP） of the improved Faster R-CNN …