Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surface ultra structural Studies of an ectoparasite- Aponomma varanense, of Indian King Cobra

The objective of the present study is to underscore the ultra-structural morphology of Aponomma varanense-a rare tick of reptile. A. varanense were collected from an Indian Cobra during post mortem and subsequently processed for both light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies. Light microscopy study revealed few typical morphological features through which the collected specimen identification was confirmed. Further, SEM study revealed little morphological ultrastructural peculiarity with other ixodid ticks as well difference between male and female A. varenense itself. Occurrence of A. varanense is reported first time from this part of country and this is the first SEM studies of this hard tick from India.
Enzyme catalyzed oxidative cross-linking of feruloylated pectic polysaccharides from sugar beet: Kinetics and rheology

Ferulic acid (FA) groups esterified to the arabinan side chains of pectic polysaccharides can be oxidatively crosslinked in vitro by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalysis in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to form ferulic acid dehydrodimers (diFAs). The present work investigated whether the kinetics of HRP catalyzed cross-linking of FA esterified to α-(1,5)-linked arabinans are affected by the length of the arabinan chains carrying the feruloyl substitutions. The kinetics of the HRP-catalyzed cross-linking of four sets of arabinan samples from sugar beet pulp, having different molecular weights and hence different degrees of polymerization, were monitored by the disappearance of FA absorbance at 316 nm. MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS analysis confirmed that the sugar beet arabinans were feruloyl-substituted, and HPLC analysis verified that the amounts of diFAs increased when FA levels decreased as a result of the enzymatic oxidation treatment with HRP and H2O2. At equimolar levels of FA (0.0025 0.05 mM) in the arabinan samples, the initial rates of the HRP-catalyzed cross-linking of the longer chain arabinans were slower than those of the shorter chain arabinans. The lower initial rates may be the result of the slower movement of larger molecules coupled with steric phenomena, making the required initial reaction of two FAs on longer chain arabinans slower than on shorter arabinans.
Involvement of reactive oxygen species and the induction of the cellular antioxidant machinery in the necrotic death of two Capsicum Annuum cultivars with different sensitivity to Phytophthora Capsici

This study analyses the defence response of two pepper cultivars, Serrano Criollo de Morelos (SCM, resistant) and California Wonder (CW, sensitive) to oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici. We compare the production of reactive oxygen species (O2 - and H2O2) in vitro and in vivo, as well as the activity of antioxidative enzymes in the cuts of the decapitated stems elicited with P. capsici. In all tests, following elicitation O2 - and H2O2 are produced in both cultivars, but in higher amount in SCM cells. In vivo assays show that infection by the pathogen causes progressive necrosis in the decapitated SCM and CW stems and that necrosis length is inversely proportional to resistance. The antioxidative enzymes tested (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase) increase their activity after infection, to a significant extent in SCM plants and to a lesser extent in CW plants. Therefore, we conclude that if H2O2 were to play a role in resistance, it would be due to its possible signalling function. These findings are corroborated by the results of our analysis of the spatial distribution of H2O2 production along the stem, since in the SCM cultivar H2O2 penetrates deeper, and can be detected in regions not reached by the P. capsici hyphae. The accumulative effect of oxidative damage mediated by H2O2 plus the attainment of homeostasis in SCM plants results in cells being capable of a defense response that is efficient enough to inhibit pathogen growth. Therefore, reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation increase and antioxidative enzymes change play an important role in the resistance of this pepper cultivar to P. capsici.
Length-weight relation, condition factor and gonadosomatic index of the whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) (Actinopterygii: Sciaenidae), caught in Lençóis Bay, state of Maranhão, eastern Amazon, Brazil

The whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri, which is exploited off the state of Maranhao, Brazil, reinforces the need for maintenance programs of natural stocks of this species to assist in the management of this exploited resource. The aim of the present study was to describe aspects regarding its reproductive characteristics (gonadosomatic index and condition factor) and also the length distribution and weight-length relationships. The fish were caught in Lencois Bay in the state of Maranhao (eastern Amazon) between June 2010 and July 2011. A total of 570 individuals were caught (318 males and 252 females). Differences in length were found between the sexes, with females larger than males. The sex ratio indicated a tendency for females to be more abundant in the rainy season (first semester), whereas males predominated in the dry season (second semester). The weight-length relationship indicated negative allometric growth for both sexes. The analysis of the variation in the condition factor suggests that lower values coincided with higher gonadosomatic index values and that this factor is a good reproductive indicator for M. furnieri in the region.
Asymmetric Hybrid Formation Revealed by Artificial Crossing Experiments between Asplenium setoi from the Ogasawara and Ryukyu islands, Japan

omy unit, it is a difficult term to define. The biological species concept (Mayr et al. 1942) is the most commonly accepted definition of species. It defines species as a group of populations that actually or potentially interbreed in nature and are reproductively isolated from other such groups. Following this definition, reproductive isolation is essential to consider the process of speciation and the origin of species. Even when attempting to recognize species, determining the extent of reproductive isolation is important. Many taxa reveal that reproductive isolation increases with genetic distance, which can be expected to increase with time because of divergence or speciation. Coyne & Orr (1989, 1997) analyzed 171 pairs of species of Drosophila for which information regarding the extent of reproductive isolation and allozyme-based estimates of genetic divergence, calculated as Nei’s genetic distances, were available. The results indicated that the extent of both preand post-zygotic isolation linearly increased with genetic distance. Mendelson (2003) measured the extent of pre-mating isolation between seven species pairs of darter fish (Etheostoma), and those of post-mating isolation in nine of these species pairs. The extent of pre-mating isolation was found to be proportional to genetic distance that was calculated from nucleotide sequences of cytochrome b. Scopece et al. (2007) performed interspecific hand pollination experiments among five genera of Mediterranean orActa Phytotax. Geobot. 67 (3): 147–158 (2016)
Antibacterial activity of Datura stramonium against standard and clinical isolate pathogenic microorganisms

Datura stramonium more commonly known as Jimson weed or thorn apple is a wide growing flowering plant which has been employed by the local community to treat several ailments in Ethiopia. The purpose of the present work was to assess the antibacterial activity of ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform and water extracts of Datura stramonium leaf extracts using broth dilution and agar well diffusion methods against human pathogenic bacteria. Chloroform extracts showed the highest zone of inhibition against most of the tested bacterial strains at the concentration of 50 mg/ml. Water extracts are not able to show any zone of inhibition against all tested bacterial strains as compared to other four solvents used for extraction. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by standard methods. The MIC and MBC results range from 6.25 to 12.5 mg/ml. The present work shows that D. stramonium has maximum antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923; 18.2±2.1 mm) in the chloroform extract, while the minimum antibacterial activity was recorded against Escherichia coli clinical isolate (8.2±1.8 mm) (acetone extract). Chloroform extracts showed the highest zone of inhibition against most of the pathogenic bacterial strains tested as compared to the other solvents used for the extraction. In this study, D. stramonium leaf extracts showed considerable antibacterial activity that sustains the local residential area which uses this plant to treat bacterial and fungal infections, hence leading to the conclusion that, this plant would serve as sources of antimicrobial agents to obtain the best treatment alternatives for the infective disease. Further investigation of this potential antibacterial agent is required, especially using chloroform as an extraction solvent to precisely demonstrate the antimicrobial effects of the plant.
Morphology and Molecular Organization of Developing Wheat Starch Granules

MORPHOLOGY AND MOLECULAR ORGANIZATION OF DEVELOPING WHEAT STARCH GRANULES Renuka N. Waduge Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Professor Koushik Seetharaman During starch synthesis, knowledge of how the supra molecular organization of starch granules occur is still unknown. This dissertation begins exploring the changes to wheat starch morphology, structure and organization during granule development. Starches from wheat seeds harvested at different days after anthesis were isolated and studied for their molecular organization at different scales. The interaction of granular starch to iodine vapor was used to reveal information about the physical state of the polymers in the granules. Both large and small granule populations initiated as spherical shaped granules, but large granules changed into lenticular shape, while small granules remained spherical. Blocklet, lamellae, and crystalline structures were well developed already at seven days of maturity, suggesting their presence at the center of mature granules. Furthermore, (i) the size of blocklets decreased from center to the periphery in both granule populations, but at all developmental stages, they were larger in small granules than in large granules; (ii) Lamellae repeat distance was shorter close to the center of granules; (iii) B-type crystallites were mixed with A-type crystallites at the center of granules from both populations, but the proportion of B-type crystallites was higher in large granules, which correlated with a higher proportion of amylopectin long chains in these granules; (iv) The relative crystallinity (RC) of starches from both populations was higher at the center of the granule than that at the periphery. RC was lower in large granules than in small granules suggesting influence of the higher amylose content in large granules, which introduces more defects reducing RC. AFM visualized surfaces with features different from the regular type of surface among immature starch granules, which was interpreted as the amorphous growth ring of the starch granule. Exposure of starches to iodine vapor demonstrated different levels of molecular organization between them and revealed possible interaction of inter-cluster chain segments and spacer segments of amylopectin with iodine. In-situ AFM imaging of the granule surface exposed to iodine vapor under humid conditions revealed that glucan polymers or polymer segments in between and on top of blocklets have the ability to interact with iodine.
In Vitro Culture of Turkish Origanum sipyleum L.

Origanum sipyleum L. is a species that is endemic to Turkey with known medicinal and aromatic properties and with a long historical use in Turkish folk medicine. Micropropagation serves as one possible method to clone and protect O. sipyleum . In this study, nodes, which served as the explants, were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of BA (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mgL -1 ) and GA 3 (0.1, 0.2 mgL -1 ). Shoots were transferred to MS medium containing different concentrations of IBA (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 mgL -1 ) for root induction. Shoot regeneration, rooting, survival and acclimatization were possible. As many as 85% of nodes formed an average of 6 shoots/node on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mgL -1 BA and 0.2 mgL -1 GA 3 . Rooting was most successful in 62.5% of shoots on MS medium with 1.5 or 2.5 mgL -1 IBA. Plantlets derived from all IBA combinations were transferred to autoclaved peat and perlite (1:1, v/v) and acclimatized in a greenhouse, with 79.1% survival. This protocol represents the first comprehensive in vitro regeneration protocol for endemic (Turkish) O. sipyleum .
Estimating escapement of fish and invertebrates in a Danish anchor seine

11 The codend is generally presumed to be the place where the main selectivity of fish occurs in towed 12 fishing gears, but other parts of the net have been found to contribute to the selectivity process of several 13 invertebrate species. This means that conventional selectivity or survival studies may ignore the 14 selectivity of net parts other than the codend for certain species. By attaching 12 small meshed collecting 15 bags to different parts of a Danish anchor seine net and conducting normal commercial fishing activities, 16 this study showed that there is a substantial escapement of fish and (especially) invertebrates from the 17 forward parts of the seine net. For seven species of demersal fish, most fish escaped through the lower 18 panel close to the codend. All invertebrate species were found in higher numbers in the collecting bags 19 than in the codend where many organisms escaped in the lower panel of the wings or the belly. Mean 20 levels of visible damage ranged from 1.00 to 3.25 for collected invertebrates and were similar for all gear 21
Animals and their epibiota as net autotrophs: size scaling of epibiotic metabolism on snail shells

Animals are heterotrophic by definition, but species from many taxonomic groups are hosts to epibiota that may alter their net metabolism. We tested the degree to which snail-shell epibiota can generate net ecosystem productivity for snails and their epibiota (snail–epibiota ecosystems; SEEs) after accounting for snail respiration. We focused on 3 species from the Lavigeria snail assemblage in Africa’s Lake Tanganyika and quantified the scaling of SEE metabolism with shell size under light and dark conditions. The metabolism of snails and their epibiota shifted significantly across the size gradient. SEEs of large snails (>20 mm) were consistently autotrophic during the daytime, reflecting increases in shell algae as snails move into well-lit microhabitats after reaching a size refuge from predation by crabs. We extrapolated daytime individual SEE metabolism patterns to snail assemblages at 11 sites and found that SEEs range from heterotrophic to autotrophic in aggregate, reflecting spatial differences in size distributions. Our integration of organismal traits, species interactions, and assemblage structure reveals the important role of epibiota in organismal metabolism. Large epibiotic contributions to organismal metabolism could be widespread among animals that live in well-lit environments and fertilize their epibiota, but depend on the scaling of epibiotic and host metabolism with body size.
Unexpected Vegetarian Feeding Behaviour of a Predatory Tiger Beetle Calomera littoralis nemoralis (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

An unexpected vegetarian feeding behaviour in a predatory tiger beetle Calomera littoralis nemoralis was observed on the marine sandy beach in Albania. The aggregation of some 100 beetles on an area of ca. 5 m 2 was noted during eating grains of maize as well as coocked macaroni. This is the first known case of feeding on plant grains by Cicindelidae species.
Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae)

Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, is a species native of tropical Asia. It is grown and used in tropical countries of America, including Mexico, where it is used for the treatment of throat infections. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of essential oil of Z. officinale rhizome and evaluate their antimicrobial activity. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation, and the chemical composition of the oil was determined by GC-MS. To determine the antimicrobial activity diffusion, agar dilution and radial growth inhibition methods were employed. Microbial growth curves were performed on the strains most susceptible. It was identified 28 compounds in the essential oil, the most abundant were eudesmol (8.19%), γ-terpinene (7.88 %), a-curcumene (7.28%), alloaromadendrene (6.56%), zingiberene (6.06 %), α-pinene (5.76 %), δ-cadinene (3.84%), elemol (3.39%), farnesal (3.45%), E-β-farnesene (3.57%), neril acetate (2.8%) and β-myrcene (2.94%). In antimicrobial activity, the essential oil inhibited the growth of 15 bacterial strains, 3 of yeast fungi and 4 of mycelia fungi. The most susceptible strains were S. aureus FES-I (MIC = 0.25 mg/mL) S. epidemidis FES-C (MIC = 0.5 mg/mL), E. faecalis ATCC 14506 (MIC = 1.0 mg/mL), C. tropicalis (CMI = 0.125 mg/mL) and T. mentagrophytes (CF50 = 0.08 mg/mL). In the microbial growth curves the essential oil showed bactericidal effect on S. aureus FES-I and S. marcescens ATCC 14756 from the first hour of exposure of the strains to oil, eliminating 99.9% of CFU in concentrations of 0.5 and 0.75 mg/mL respectively. The results validate the medicinal use of Z. officinale in the treatment of diseases of possible infectious origin.
Mycelial compatibility in Valsa malicola, the causal agent of canker disease in Iran

Abstract Mycelial compatibility of 62 isolates of Valsa malicola from different hosts and areas of Iran were investigated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and oat meal agar (OMA). Four mycelial compatibility groups (MCGs) on PDA, 1–4, including three single membered (1–3) and a 58 membered (4) were identified. However, 8 MCGs, 1–8, consisting of 6 single membered (1–3, 5, 6 and 8), a 6 membered (4) and a 50 membered (7) were identified on OMA. On PDA, the number of groups and the time to achieve results were less than on OMA as well as the barrage zones were clearer on PDA than OMA. There was no correlation between groups and host or geographical origins of the isolates. The low number of identified MCGs on both culture media revealed low genetic diversity of investigated isolates of V. malicola.
Prevalence of Sarcoptic mange in camels in Punjab, Pakistan.

Camels are raised in the desert, arid and other rain fed or hard climatic areas of Pakistan, where very little advisory and veterinary services exist due to which they remain exposed to a large number of diseases especially the parasitic infestations of which scabies has the special significance. A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of scabies mange infestation in camels in Punjab, a province of Pakistan from September, 2013 to August, 2014. A total of 1489 animals from different camel populations of Punjab were examined for mange mite infestation. 168 animals were found positive for Sarcoptic mange, on the basis of microscopic examination of the skin scrapings. Statistically significant difference (p<0.05) regarding the prevalence of mange mite infestation between different months of the year and seasons prevailing in the country was observed. Furthermore a non-significant difference with reference to the sex and age of animals regarding the prevalence of disease was observed. Negative and significant effect of temperature and non-significant effects of rainfall and humidity were also observed as during the period when there was low temperature the disease increased. “ The results of this study revealed that mange infestation is a potential health hazard of the camel population of Punjab in Pakistan, particularly during the winter season with young and females more prone to the disease, which further requires studies to measure its impact on camel production with economic losses and the ways to control it for the betterment of farmers of the area
A pharmaceutical human apotransferrin product for iron binding therapy

3 PREFACE 5 LIST OF ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS 9 ABBREVIATIONS 10 INTRODUCTION 11 1 Transferrin and serum iron 11 1.1 Transferrin characteristics 11 1.2 Iron and role of transferrin 13 1.3 Serum non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) 15 1.4 Measurement of NTBI in serum 17 2 Iron and infection 20 2.1 NTBI, microbial growth, and risk of infection 20 2.2 Iron acquisition of Staphylococcus epidermidis 22 3 Methods to produce apotransferrin 22 AIMS OF THE STUDY 24 MATERIALS AND METHODS 25 1 Methods for production, identification and characterisation of apotransferrin (I) 25 1.1 Apotransferrin production method 25 1.2 Identification of transferrin 25 1.3 Apotransferrin characteristics and purity 25 2 Serum iron parameters (II-V) 27 2.1 Patient serum samples 27 2.2 Serum iron and transferrin saturation 27 2.3 Determination of serum NTBI 27 2.4 Determination of transferrin iron forms in serum 28 3 Growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis (IV, V) 29 3.1 Bacterial strains and preparation of inoculum 29 3.2 Monitoring of growth with pure transferrin 29 3.3 Monitoring of growth in serum samples 29 RESULTS 31 1 Pharmaceutical apotransferrin preparation (I) 31 1.1 Large scale purification of apotransferrin 31 1.2 Identification and characterisation of the apotransferrin product 32 2 Binding of NTBI with apotransferrin 34 2.1 Evaluation of assay for measuring NTBI (II) 34 2.2 Binding of NTBI in patient serum (III, V) 35 3 Growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis (IV, V) 36
Removal of an exotic fish influences amphibian breeding site selection

For pond-breeding species, the distribution of larvae is a reflection of habitat suitability and adult breeding site selection. Some species preferentially breed in ephemeral ponds, which can provide benefits for larvae. An alternative strategy used by adults to increase offspring survival is to detect aquatic predators and avoid them when selecting breeding sites. We investigated whether either of these types of breeding site selection are contributing to the negative correlation between the distributions of tadpoles of the threatened green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) and the introduced eastern gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) in Sydney, Australia. From 2003 to 2012 we drained ponds to temporarily remove gambusia and examined the effect of removal on the numbers of male, female, and juvenile frogs, and tadpoles. We found that males preferentially selected fish-free ponds as breeding sites. In addition, the removal of gambusia increased tadpole abundance to over 140 times that of an undrained pond. Pond draining did not influence female or juvenile abundances. The ability to detect and avoid gambusia may be mitigating the effect of predation to a certain extent. We conclude that pond draining to remove exotic fish is an effective strategy that can be used to greatly increase the reproductive success of this and potentially other threatened amphibian species in the presence of exotic predators. 2017 The Wildlife Society.