Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic profile of zebu cows (Bos indicus), cystic or with anovulatory anestrus

This study was carried out in the Adamawa region (Cameroon) with the main objective to evaluate the metabolic profile of zebu cows, cystic or with anovulatory anestrus and subsequently to propose a tool for diagnosing the risks of these pathologies. Thus, 53 zebu cows (20 cystic and 33 with anovulatory anestrus) were chosen and the blood obtained was centrifuged (3000 g, 10 min, 4°C) to obtain the serum. Serum concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol, albumin, total proteins, urea, calcium and phosphorus were quantified by spectrophotometry at a wavelength ranging from 340 to 630 nm based on the parameter tested. The metabolic profile of cows with anovulatory anestrus was characterized by low serum levels of glucose (˂ 2.6 mmol / L), total cholesterol (˂ 2.3 mmol / L), urea (˂ 3.8 mmol / L), calcium (˂ 2.2 mmol / L) and phosphorus (˂ 1.05 mmol / L); high serum levels of total proteins (˃ 80 g / L) and total globulins (˃ 45.5 g / L); and normal albumin (27.7-40.4 g / L) with an average Body Condition Score (BCS) of 3. The metabolic profile of cystic cows differed from that of anovular females only by normal total cholesterol level between 2.3 and 6 mmol/L and high urea (˃ 6.5 mmol /L). These findings could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies.
Growth performance, carcass characteristics and organoleptic properties of broiler finisher fed graded levels of ginger root meal (grm) basal diets.

An experiment to compare the effect of varying inclusion levels of ginger root meal (zingiber officianale)on growth performance, carcass and organoleptic qualities of finishing broiler chicken was conducted in the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm of Department of Animal Science Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State. 150 ANAK 2000 day old chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments with diet 1 being the control (0%) and diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 contain the inclusion levels of ginger root meal at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% respectively. In a complete randomized design (CRD),50 birds were assigned to each treatments with 10 birds per replicate. Performance parameters, carcass characteristics and organoleptic qualities were assessed. Result on the performance characteristics revealed that average final weight, feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly (P<0.05) higher in control similar to those on 1.5%GRM. Carcass characteristic study revealed that live weight, slaughtered, defeathered, eviscerated weights and dressing percentages were significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds fed the control similar to those on 1.5%GRM. Weight of shanks, breast muscles, neck and back were significantly influenced (P<0.05) with highest values recorded among birds fed 1.5%GRM. For organoleptic quality, appearance, flavour, juiciness, overall acceptance and calculated overall acceptance were all significantly (P<0.05) affected. It is therefore concluded that the dietary inclusion of ginger root meal in broiler diets at 1.5% inclusion levels had positive effects on the growth performance, carcass characteristics of the birds and organoleptic quality of the chicken meat.
Activity of Epigenetic Inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages

Earlier genetic and inhibitor studies showed that epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical for malaria parasite survival in multiple life stages and a promising target for new antimalarials. We therefore evaluated the activity of 350 diverse epigenetic inhibitors against multiple stages of Plasmodium falciparum. We observed ≥90% inhibition at 10 μM for 28% of compounds against asexual blood stages and early gametocytes, of which a third retained ≥90% inhibition at 1 μM. ABSTRACT Earlier genetic and inhibitor studies showed that epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical for malaria parasite survival in multiple life stages and a promising target for new antimalarials. We therefore evaluated the activity of 350 diverse epigenetic inhibitors against multiple stages of Plasmodium falciparum. We observed ≥90% inhibition at 10 μM for 28% of compounds against asexual blood stages and early gametocytes, of which a third retained ≥90% inhibition at 1 μM.
A comparative atlas of the skull osteology of European lizards (Reptilia: Squamata)

The fossil record provides evidence of a long evolutionary history of European lizards. Since fossil lizards are regularly represented by bone remains, the knowledge of the origins of extant taxa and their distribution in time and space is hindered by the fact that their comparative osteology is not yet completely and adequately known. In spite of a rising interest in this topic since the end of the 20th century, a gap in our knowledge is still evident. We here report the first broad-scale comparative osteological analysis of the skulls of extant European lizards, highlighting significant differences that can be used in identification. This comparative study, including as many European species as possible, leads to the creation of a detailed diagnostic key for each single bone. Also, our data significantly improve the recognizability of extant European non-snake squamates, with 54% of the current diversity to be recognized based on the new results contra the previously estimated 31%. This recognizability is expected to further increase in the future, with new studies focusing on species that are either missing or poorly represented here, or applying promising advanced methodologies.
DNA end-resection in highly accessible chromatin produces a toxic break

The authors have withdrawn their manuscript whilst they perform additional experiments to test some of their conclusions further. Despite repetitive attempts to reproduce the data shown in figure 2I, we have failed to obtain convincing evidence that chemical inhibition of Mre11 can improve the fitness of cells exposed to the so-called “halt” breaks. Upon re-analysis of the raw data used to compose figure 2I, we noted inconsistencies in the inclusion of datapoints, for which a satisfactory motivation was not apparent. In order to reproduce the experiments with the DNA-PK inhibitor, we ordered new batches of this compound, but noticed that the IC50 was significantly lower than that of the earlier batch (as determined in suppl. fig.1). While this might be due to a difference in batches, the IC50 of the newer batches was more comparable to the IC50 of this compound described for other cell lines. This sheds doubts on the quality of the batch used for the experiments shown in our manuscript, and we no longer wish to draw any conclusions based on these experiments. The authors hope that future experiments can resolve if open chromatin does indeed produce a potentially more toxic DNA break. The authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author.
Limited intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation despite chromosomal rearrangements between closely related sympatric species of small ermine moths (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae)

In evolutionarily young species and sympatric host races of phytophagous insects, postzygotic incompatibility is often not yet fully developed, but reduced fitness of hybrids is thought to facilitate further divergence. However, empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited. To assess the role of reduced hybrid fitness, we studied meiosis and fertility in hybrids of two closely related small ermine moths, Yponomeuta padella and Yponomeuta cagnagella, and determined the extent of intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation. We found extensive rearrangements between the karyotypes of the two species and irregularities in meiotic chromosome pairing in their hybrids. The fertility of reciprocal F1 and, surprisingly, also of backcrosses with both parental species was not significantly decreased compared with intraspecific offspring. The results indicate that intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation between these closely related species is limited. We conclude that the observed chromosomal rearrangements are probably not the result of an accumulation of postzygotic incompatibilities preventing hybridization. Alternative explanations, such as adaptation to new host plants, are discussed.
Genome-wide rare variant analysis for thousands of phenotypes in 54,000 exomes

Defining the effects that rare variants can have on human phenotypes is essential to advancing our understanding of human health and disease. Large-scale human genetic analyses have thus far focused on common variants, but the development of large cohorts of deeply phenotyped individuals with exome sequence data has now made comprehensive analyses of rare variants possible. We analyzed the effects of rare (MAF<0.1%) variants on 3,166 phenotypes in 40,468 exome-sequenced individuals from the UK Biobank and performed replication as well as meta-analyses with 1,067 phenotypes in 13,470 members of the Healthy Nevada Project (HNP) cohort who underwent Exome+ sequencing at Helix. Our analyses of non-benign coding and loss of function (LoF) variants identified 78 gene-based associations that passed our statistical significance threshold (p<5×10-9). These are associations in which carrying any rare coding or LoF variant in the gene is associated with an enrichment for a specific phenotype, as opposed to GWAS-based associations of strictly single variants. Importantly, our results do not suffer from the test statistic inflation that is often seen with rare variant analyses of biobank-scale data because of our rare variant-tailored methodology, which includes a step that optimizes the carrier frequency threshold for each phenotype based on prevalence. Of the 47 discovery associations whose phenotypes were represented in the replication cohort, 98% showed effects in the expected direction, and 45% attained formal replication significance (p<0.001). Six additional significant associations were identified in our meta-analysis of both cohorts. Among the results, we confirm known associations of PCSK9 and APOB variation with LDL levels; we extend knowledge of variation in the TYRP1 gene, previously associated with blonde hair color only in Solomon Islanders to blonde hair color in individuals of European ancestry; we show that PAPPA, a gene in which common variants had previously associated with height via GWAS, contains rare variants that decrease height; and we make the novel discovery that STAB1 variation is associated with blood flow in the brain. Our results are available for download and interactive browsing in an app (https://ukb.research.helix.com). This comprehensive analysis of the effects of rare variants on human phenotypes marks one of the first steps in the next big phase of human genetics, where large, deeply phenotyped cohorts with next generation sequence data will elucidate the effects of rare variants.
Effect of planting dates and photoperiod on growth and flowering of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat) cv. yellow Reagan

Rooted cuttings of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) cv. Yellow Reagan were planted in different planting dates and treated with two different photoperiod. The experiment was carried out with nine treatments in Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The vegetative growth, flowering, flower yield and flower quality parameters were recorded. The results of present investigation treatment T5-1 June (16 hours dark and 8 hours daylight) recorded higher plant height (63.63 cm) and maximum number of flowers per spray (5.33). Early flowering (41.33 days) was obtained in T9-1 December (Natural photoperiod). Maximum number of side shoots per plant (11.00) and number of flowers per plant (42.33) were recorded in treatment T6-1 June (14 hours dark and 10 hours daylight). Maximum number of flowers per spray (5.33), duration of flowering (26.00 days), size of the flower (5.93 cm) and weight of flower (2.77 gm) were noticed in treatments T7-1 August (Natural photoperiod).
Influence of rearing system and sex on carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chickens

ABSTRACT The trial was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of the rearing system and sex on live body weight, daily weight gain, carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chickens. Sixty 1-d-old Ross 308 chickens (males and females) were randomly divided, according to the sex, into 2 experimental groups based on rearing system: intensive system (IS; n = 30), birds reared till 42 d of age and semi-intensive system (SIS; n = 30), birds reared till 56 d of age. Compared with SIS group, IS group had higher (P < 0.01) daily weight gain, weight and yield of pectoral muscle (PM). Differently, SIS group had higher (P < 0.05) carcass weight and carcass yield. Males have usually a better performance than females. In comparison with IS, SIS exhibited a lower (P < 0.01) breast meat pH and higher (P < 0.01) lightness and yellowness values. Pectoral muscle from IS broiler chickens showed a greater (P < 0.01) fibre diameter and significantly higher shear force values than PM from SIS chicken. PM from IS chicken group had higher (P < 0.01) dry matter and protein content and slight fat content than PM from SIS chickens. The sex influence was not observed on physicochemical characteristics of PM in chickens reared in both system.
A Meta-analysis of Plant Interaction Networks Reveals Competitive Hierarchies as well as Facilitation and Intransitivity

The extent to which competitive interactions and niche differentiation structure communities has been highly controversial. To quantify evidence for key features of plant community structure, I recharacterized published data from interaction experiments as networks of competitive and facilitative interactions. I measured the network structure of 31 woody and herbaceous communities, including the intensity, distribution, and diversity of interactions at the species-pair and community levels to determine the generality of competition, winner-loser relationships, and unequal interaction allocation. I developed novel methodology using meta-analysis to incorporate interaction uncertainty into estimates of structural metrics among independent networks. Plant communities were competitive, but intraspecific interactions were sometimes more intense than interspecific interactions. On the whole, interactions were imbalanced and communities were transitive. However, facilitation, balanced interactions, and intransitivity were common in individual communities. Synthesizing network metrics using meta-analysis is an original approach with which to generalize community structure in a systematic way.
Cultivation of Osmundea pinnatifida and Codium tomentosum, native seaweed species with commercial potential

In the search for a healthier way of life, Europeans are seeing alternatives such like seaweeds as a way of obtaining not only the nutrients they need in a much healthier form but also food supplements, nutraceuticals and biofuel. As always, when there is an increase in demand, the risks of overexploiting the natural resources are very high so sustainable alternatives to produce the biomass are needed. In this project Codium tomentosum and Osmundea pinnatifida, seaweeds from the Portuguese coast, were studied to determine the best conditions for their cultivation. One part of this study consisted in optimization trials in the laboratory. In these trials it was evaluated different values of temperature (12oC, 16oC and 20oC), and the interaction between density (5, 10, 15 g/L) and light intensity (100 and 200 μmol m-2 s-1). At the same time, cultivation of these seaweeds was performed in an outdoor cultivation system during 2 different seasons of the year (winter and summer). For Codium tomentosum in the optimization trials the best results were obtained at 16oC and 200 μmol m-2 s-1 of light intensity. The trial that demonstrate the highest growth rates was the summer trial. Despite the best growth of this seaweed in the summer, this season also had the highest presence of epiphytes in the tanks, that compete with the seaweeds for light and nutrients. The biochemical analyses of this seaweed show that the cultivation process didn’t affect negatively the components studied and, in the case of phenols, there is an increase of the values due to the cultivation. The optimization trials results showed that the best temperature to grow Osmundea pinnatifida was 16oC. There was biomass loss on the trials of interaction of light and density. In the slow growth season (winter) Osmundea pinnatifida growth rate was close to 0, whereas in the high growth season (summer) the seaweed biomass started to degrade after 2 weeks, due to the elevated temperatures. For the biochemical analyses the cultivation process didn’t affect the antioxidant activity and the protein content. The phenol content had a seasonal variation, decreasing in the summer period. In conclusion Codium tomentosum is a species with potential for aquaculture, although there is still the need to continue to study this seaweed to obtain a better understanding of the best conditions to perform the cultivation. As for Osmundea pinnatifida the results are not so encouraging, with the principal difficulty identified for the cultivation of this seaweed being the sensibility to higher temperature, calling for further studies to develop its cultivation methods. FCUP Cultivation of Osmundea pinnatifida and Codium tomentosum, native seaweed species with commercial potential 6
Habitat characteristics, genetic diversity and conservation concerns for the genus Lithops in Namibia

The dwarf succulent genus Lithops (Aizoaceae) is endemic to southern Africa, with 16 species in Namibia. Lithops are vulnerable to a variety of threats and assignment of accurate conservation status is difficult due to insufficient information about population parameters and influence of habitat variables. In addition, taxa are defined according to leaf characters that may be adapted to plant habitat, resulting in over-classification. Plant density, spatial arrangement of plants and habitat profile was investigated in a 1 ha study area in a population of L. pseudotruncatella. Five out of seven plant density estimation methods vastly over- or under-estimated plant number as determined in a census. Plant number in 100 10×10 m test plots was positively associated with a higher percentage cover of gravel and pebbles as opposed to sand or stones, and with a gentle rise as opposed to slopes and depressions. Plant abundance and habitat variables were also evaluated in 9 populations of L. ruschiorum. Evaluation of the 51 and 43 sites of the meticulously studied RUL population, and the remaining 8 populations, respectively, showed that plant density and/or plant number was associated with aspect, slope, soil texture, substrate and geographic distance from the coast. Results are concordant with a strong impact of fog-based precipitation on plant density in the coastal populations, whereas rain is probably more important at RUL, situated further inland. Plant number dropped by 50% in 21 10×10 m plots monitored at RUL over nine years, most likely due to a prolonged drought in 2012–2016. Plant number declined also in some of the 15 plots in the other populations. AFLP markers were employed to study 52 individuals from 7 populations of L. ruschiorum, and 223 individuals from 44 populations representing 15 Lithops species and 23 taxa in total. An AMOVA demonstrated low levels of genetic differentiation between populations of L. ruschiorum, and a significant but rather weak isolation-by-distance pattern. Analyses of genetic structuring and phylogenetic relationships identified several groups of closely related species, while subspecific taxa often overlapped considerably. Main reason for the overall low variability in Lithops is probably a rapid and recent diversification of succulents after the global expansion of arid environments in the late Miocene. Three nomenclatural changes were made, affecting: (1) L. optica and L. herrei, (2) L. amicorum and L. karasmontana, and (3) subspecies bella and eberlanzii of L. karasmontana.
Geographic determinants of spatial patterns of Quercus robur forest stands in Latvia: biophysical conditions and past management

Abstract: Most of the forest area dominated by pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) in Latvia was lost to arable land several centuries ago and the remnant patches of Q. robur stands are small and spatially scattered. We hypothesized that a large part of the present Q. robur stands in the Eastern Baltic area of the hemiboreal forest zone developed around the past manor houses in the period of social and political turmoil and subsequent agricultural land abandonment. Our aim was to determine the relationship of Q. robur stand occurrence with soil properties, climatic conditions and proximity to past manor houses. Our study area was the entire territory of Latvia (64.589 km2), divided into 16 landscape regions. We used the State Forest Inventory database to filter out all stands dominated by Q. robur (n=3746). Spatial aggregation of the stands was tested by multi-distance spatial clustering analysis (Ripley’s K method). Mean stand area and Euclidean nearest-neighbour distance for stands were calculated for landscape regions. Binary logistic regression with the calculation of autocovariates showed that winter temperature, soil texture, carbonate concentration and distance to closest manor house were the independent factors significantly (p<0.01) related to the probability of occurrence of Q. robur stands. The results showed that Q. robur is spatially clustered, i.e., significantly different from a random distribution (p<0.05). Higher densities of stands occurred in landscape regions with milder maritime climatic conditions. The largest proportional area of stands established between 1885 and 1914 in the period when peasants gained title to lands and manor lords lost control over their land holdings. In addition, in the landscape regions of Rietumkursa, Austrumkursa and Rietumzemgale, the abundance of Q. robur stands coincided with high densities of past manor houses. Thus, establishment of the Q. robur stands likely responded to suitable conditions (open canopy) made available for tree colonization during the land reform occurred 100 years ago. Our results suggest that priority for conservation should be given to spatial aggregations of stands with high connectivity and on richer soils in more maritime conditions.
Sialadenosis in a dog.

an 18 months old miniature Pincher cross was presented with a history of acute vomiting, gulping, inappetence, weight loss, sensitivity to palpation of the laryngeal area and neck spasms. Blood work and imaging studies revealed gastrointestinal inflammation and ulceration but no underlying cause. the dog did not improve with aggressive medical treatment. additionally, it developed bilateral enlargement of the submandibular salivary glands, which appeared normal in cytological exam. treatment with oral phenobarbital brought rapid resolution of clinical signs. this is the first reported case of phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis in a dog in israel.