Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Addressing The Role Of The Not4 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase During DNA Damage-Induced Degradation Of RNAPII In Budding Yeast

Ccr4-Not is a multi-subunit gene regulatory protein complex that has been highly conserved in eukaryotes. Although first thought to solely act as a negative regulator for transcription, it has since been shown that Ccr4-Not is the major cytoplasmic deadenylase in yeast, and has subsequent functions in mRNA decay and control, RNA export, and translational repression. Most relevant to this study, the complex has been shown to have ubiquitylation activity—a process which can target proteins for degradation or modulate their activity. It has also been shown that ubiquitin proteases, such as Ubp3, are involved in transcription and are important to promoting cellular resistance to DNA damage. Connecting these two notions, previous work from the Reese laboratory has found that Not4, a subunit of Ccr4-Not, possesses a RING domain causing ubiquitin ligase activity involved in Rpb1 (the large subunit of RNA Polymerase II) turnover and degradation after DNA damage. In this work, we both verify this result and inform further study on whether Ccr4-Not plays a direct or indirect role in Rpb1 ubiquitylation and degradation, based on its genetic interactions with other enzymes in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) and ubiquitin/proteasome pathways.
DIVERSIDADE DE LEPIDOPTERA EM UM FRAGMENTO FLORESTAL EM MUZAMBINHO, MINAS GERAIS

The monitoring Lepidoptera populations provides important information to assess the dynamics and ecological changes in ecosystems. In this work, it was evaluated and characterized the Lepidoptera fauna of forest fragment of the IFSULDEMINAS - Campus Muzambinho, MG state. Setting the standard for many similar fragments in the region. Throughout 12 months, 590 Individuals of 69 species belonging to 10 families were captured. The most abundant family was Nymphalidae (73.56% of subjects). The most abundant species were Godartiana muscosa , Mechanitis lysimnia , Hermeuptychia sp and Mechanitis polymnia casabranca , which are bio-indicators of disturbed and/or urban environments. On the other hand, it was found rare species, such as Notascea brevispula . Different species were constant and others occurred in only a short period of the year. The diversity and abundance were higher in hot and rainy months. The diversity index Shannon-Wiener and Simpsom indicate a median diversity and equitability index point absence of dominance.
Additional Polymorphisms Linked to Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance At The Rhg4 Locus

Glycine max L. Merr. , (soybean) is one of the major crops in the United States, south America and Asia. Yet, the seed yield of soybean is significantly reduced due to Heterodera glycines (Ichinohe), the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). SCN is one of the most destructive pests and pathogens of soybean because the main methods for control have proven difficult. Lineages of soybean that are resistant to SCN have been developed but it is yet unknown what all the molecular causes of this resistance are. Rhg1 and Rhg4 loci are two of about 10 loci that underlie resistance. The Rhg4 locus, is required for resistance to SCN race 3 in ‘Peking’–type derived resistances. One gene in the locus has been isolated and a causative link shown, but the surrounding regions have not been fully analyzed. Focusing on the Rhg4 locus, this study was aimed at uncovering other potential causes of resistance of soybean to SCN. In a bioinformatic analysis of the Rhg4 locus, alleles of nine genes were analyzed. The set of large intergenic regions have key regulatory elements in them. Since partial resistances are often multigeneic, some of these nine genes could be candidates for causing and regulating resistance.
Reduced and Standard Herbicide Rates for Grass Control in Rice (Oryza sativa)

Field research was conducted in 1988 and 1989 to compare effects of clethodim, fenoxaprop, haloxyfop, and sethoxydim each applied singly and sequentially at full (1X) and reduced (0.5X) rates on barnyardgrass, bearded sprangletop, and rice. A tank-mixture of propanil plus thiobencarb (2.2 + 2.2 kg ha–1) applied sequentially was included as a standard treatment. Control of barnyardgrass and bearded sprangletop was equal to that of the standard treatment both years with 1X rates of clethodim and fenoxaprop, and with 0.5X rates of clethodim, fenoxaprop, and sethoxydim each applied after propanil; rice so treated produced high grain yields. In 1988, severe rice injury occurred after the second application of clethodim at the 0.5X rate, but rice recovered. Grass control costs were reduced 57% with a single application of fenoxaprop at the 1X rate compared with the standard treatment, but net returns were not different.
Temporal leaf litter breakdown in a tropical riparian forest with an open canopy

espanolEn los ambientes acuaticos, especialmente en las zonas de sombra (donde la produccion primaria esta limitada por las condiciones de poca luz), el flujo de energia y el ciclo de materia organica son fundamentales para el mantenimiento del metabolismo del sistema. La descomposicion de los detritos organicos es un proceso clave para su movilizacion a traves de las cadenas troficas. Nuestro objetivo fue describir la dinamica temporal de la descomposicion de hojarasca en un arroyo tropical con un bosque de ribera degradado por la extraccion de palmeras. Se recogio la entrada vertical de la hojarasca mensualmente en un arroyo natural y se incubaron las hojas en el arroyo afectado. Cada mes, se recogieron las muestras, y se incubaron un conjunto de nuevas muestras. Se estimaron las tasas de descomposicion de la hojarasca (k), la biomasa microbiana, la esporulacion de hongos y la comunidad de invertebrados. Se observan valores mas altos de k en verano, muy probablemente debido a las altas temperaturas (aumento de la actividad metabolica) y precipitacion (mayor abrasion fisica). Los invertebrados(mayoritariamente trituradores) y el numero total de microorganismos no mostraron influencia en las tasas de descomposicion. Por lo tanto, en este muestreo temporal, el flujo de agua, la temperatura y la precipitacion fueron los factores que controlan la k en este arroyo. Los valores de k son similares con otros entornos naturales, muy probablemente debido a que la degradacion del bosque de ribera es una modificacion estructural y no representa una fuente de contaminacion. EnglishIn aquatic environments, especially in shaded patches (where primary production is limited by the low-light conditions), energy flow and organic-matter cycling are fundamental for maintaining a system’s metabolism. The breakdown of this organic detritus is a key process for its remobilization into the trophic chains. Our objective was to describe the temporal dynamics of leaf breakdown in a tropical stream with a riparian canopy degraded by the extraction of palm trees. The vertical input of leaves was collected monthly in a natural stream and incubated for 30 days in a stream with a degraded canopy. Leaf breakdown rates (k), and leaf associated microbial biomass, fungal sporulation and invertebrate community were estimated. Higher values of k were observed in summer most likely due to high temperatures (increased metabolic activity) and rainfall (higher physical abrasion). Aquatic invertebrates (mainly shredders) and total microorganisms showed no overall influence on leaf breakdown rates. Therefore, in this large temporal sampling, water flow, temperature and precipitation were the factors controlling k in this stream. There were no observed changes in k compared to natural environments, most likely because the canopy degradation is a structural modification and does not represent a source of pollution.
RAISING AWARENESS OF THE THREAT OF FUSARIUM WILT TROPICAL RACE 4 IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Banana and plantain are among the most important commodities, both as staple food and as export crop, for many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4), which is attacking banana in Asia, represents a threat to the export banana industry which in Latin America is based almost 100% on the Cavendish subgroup that is susceptible to Foc TR4. Production for national markets, based on apple banana, plantain and Gros Michel, is also under threat. Bioversity International has formed a strategic alliance with the Research and Development Network for Plantain and Banana for Latin America and the Caribbean (MUSALAC), the Regional Organization for Agriculture and Livestock Sanitation (OIRSA), the University of Florida and the Cuban Instituto Nacional de Investigacion de Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV) to launch an awareness campaign in order to prevent entrance of Foc TR4 into the Americas. The threat of Foc TR4 was first raised in the VII Steering Committee meeting of MUSALAC held in Panama in October 2007. The 12 country representatives prepared a resolution emphasising the importance of quarantine measures. The resolution of this workshop has been distributed to all 13 MUSALAC member countries. In addition, OIRSA sent an official communication to the agriculture ministries of nine countries in Central America in order to strengthen the quarantine measures of plant protection departments to prevent entrance of this pathogen. In addition to the resolution and actions by OIRSA, Bioversity International and OIRSA are co-organising a training workshop and expert consultation with country quarantine officers and international Fusarium specialists. The workshop will provide technical training to country representatives and input to prepare quarantine guidelines oriented to all stakeholders of the banana production chain and other related sectors such as ornamental plants. IMPORTANCE OF THE BANANA INDUSTRY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Banana is one of the most important commodities, not only for foreign exchange generation for producing countries, but also as food security for rural and urban populations of several countries in the region. In addition, with its year-round production, banana is one of the few commodities that provide a permanent source of employment for rural populations. For example, Ecuador has more than 225,000 ha cultivated with banana, creating more than 500,000 jobs that depend directly or indirectly on this industry and generating 1350 million dollars per year (V.H. Quimí, pers. commun.). In the case of Costa Rica, the second largest exporter in the region, more than 43,000 ha of banana cultivation create more than 100,000 jobs generating 659 million dollars per year (Pocasangre and Perez Vicente, 2009; Sandoval and Segura, 2009) . Fusarium wilt of banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) has Proc. Int’l ISHS-ProMusa Symp. on Global Perspectives
Physiological responses of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to drought stress and its amelioration: A review

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash crop for tropical farmers. It is an annual legume and its seeds contain high amounts of edible oil (43-55%) and protein (25-28%). Even though it is fairly drought-tolerant, production fluctuates considerably as a result of rainfall variability. To develop a water stress response function in groundnut, research has been done to improve the performance under varying degrees of stress at various physiological stages of crop growth. This review summarizes recent information on the drought resistance characteristics of groundnut with a view to developing appropriate genetic enhancement strategies for water-limited environments. It is suggested that there are considerable gains to be made in increasing yield and stabilizing the yield in environments characterized by terminal drought stress and further exploiting drought escape strategy, by shortening crop duration. Many traits conferring dehydration avoidance and dehydration tolerance are available, but integ.
Understanding the role of alterations in cortical D1 receptor sensitivity in shaping working memory maintenance through mesocortical dynamics

The dopamine (DA) hypothesis of cognitive deficits suggests that too low or too high extracellular DA concentration in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can severely impair the working memory (WM) maintenance during delay period. Thus, there exists only an optimal range of DA where the sustained-firing activity, the neural correlate of WM maintenance, in the cortex possesses optimal firing frequency as well as robustness against noisy distractions. Empirical evidences demonstrate changes even in the D1 receptor (D1R)-sensitivity to extracellular DA, collectively manifested through D1R density and DA-binding affinity, in the PFC under neuropsychiatric conditions such as ageing and schizophrenia. However, the impact of alterations in the cortical D1R-sensitivity on WM maintenance has yet remained poorly addressed. Using a quantitative neural mass model of the prefronto-mesoprefrontal system, the present study reveals that higher D1R-sensitivity may not only effectuate shrunk optimal DA range but also shift of the range to lower concentrations. Moreover, higher sensitivity may significantly reduce the WM-robustness even within the optimal DA range and exacerbates the decline at abnormal DA levels. These findings project important clinical implications, such as dosage precision and variability of DA-correcting drugs across patients, and failure in acquiring healthy WM maintenance even under drug-controlled normal cortical DA levels.
Antioxidant properties, total phenolic and total flavonoid content of the Slovak white wines - Welschriesling and Chardonnay.

The biologically active compounds in wines, especially phenolics, are responsible for reduced risk of developing chronic diseses (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer disease, etc.), due to their antioxidant activities. Twenty six Slovak white wines, produced from different geographical origins, were examined in this study. The antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of two types monovarietal wines – Welschriesling and Chardonnay were evaluated. All three mentioned parameters were determined by UV-VIS absorption spectrometry. The results showed that both types of Slovak white wines were high in polyphenols (average content was 303.2 mg GAE.L in Welschriesling, resp. 355.6 mg GAE.L in Chardonnay) and flavonoids (average content was 51.9 mg CE.L in Welschriesling, resp. 60.1 mg CE.L in Chardonnay), as well as a high antioxidant activity (average value was 35.0% inhibition of DPPH in Welschriesling, resp. 43.3% inhibition of DPPH in Chardonnay), comparable to the wines produced in other regions in the world. Among the white wines, Chardonnay had higher content of total polyphenols, as well as flavonoids and higher values of antioxidant activity. Our results confirmed very strong linear correlations between all three analysed parameters (TPC, TFC and AA): TPC and TFC (r = 0.818), AA and TPC (r = 0.699), resp. TFC and AA (r = 0.693).
Antibiofilm Effects of Lactobacilli against Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains in Pasteurized Milk

Background and Objective: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli -induced urinary tract infections are the most common uropathogenic Escherichia coli etiological agent. In addition, most of biofilms created by these bacteria can be regarded as a serious problem in the food industry. Foodborne diseases have always been considered an emerging public health concern throughout the world. Many outbreaks have been found to be associated with biofilms. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the anti-adhesive effects of lactic acid bacteria against strains of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia coli using microbial techniques in pasteurized milk. Material and Methods: In this study, strains of Lactobacillus plantarum , Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus were provided from Pasteur Institute of Iran. Twenty strains of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli -Induced Urinary Tract Infections were isolated from patients with urinary tract infection in Shahid Labbafinejad hospital of Iran. Eight strains with ability of biofilm formation were selected for microbial tests. All of these eight strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Disk diffusion method was used to assess the susceptibility of all isolates to the ten common antibiotics. Eight samples of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli were inoculated in pasteurized milk. The microtitre plate 100 method was used to detect anti-adhesive activity of lactobacilli supernatant. Results and Conclusion: Results showed that the eight human isolates were resistant to antibiotics. Isolate of number 4 was the most susceptible strains to antibiofilm effects of lactobacilli in the pasteurized milk. The anti-adhesive effects of lactobacilli on Uropathogenic were confirmed in all microbial tests. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum revealed the highest inhibitory activity against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli 4 strain with inhibition zones of 42 mm. This strain was reported as a proper probiotic bacterium. According to the results, these lactobacilli have had spectacular effects on biofilm formation and pathogenicity of Uropathogenic strains to prevent the adhesion. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Temperature-dependent Patterns of Gene Expression in Caenorhabditis briggsae

Discerning the genetic basis of adaptive phenotypes is a fundamental problem in biology that remains an open question. Studies using high-throughput sequencing methods of gene expression have contributed greatly to our understanding of how genotype becomes phenotype by treating gene expression as an intermediary phenotype, especially under variable environmental conditions. Using whole genome high-throughput RNAseq data, I characterized the responses of Temperate and Tropical genotypes of Caenorhabditis briggsae to chronic temperature stress. These genotypes show evidence of local adaptation, suggesting that differences in their responses to temperature may underlie adaptive phenotypes. I discovered that a large proportion of genes show genotype-specific changes in gene expression in response to temperature (genotype-by-temperature interactions), and that most of these genotype-specific responses occur under heat stress. These results suggest that responses to cold stress and heat stress are qualitatively different, and identify sets of genes that suggest further study into temperature-
Teratogenic effects of Khat (Catha edulis) in New Zealand rabbit

Objective: The present study was carried out to evaluate morphometric and histopathological abnormalities during organogenesis in liver, kidney, brain, spinal cord, heart, Lung, digestive tract and spleen in rabbit feti in response to oral administration of Khat prepared from leaves of khat tree ( Catha edulis ). Materials and methods: The current work was carried out with apparently healthy adult New Zealand rabbits (n=27; 3 males and 24 females) weighing 2.5±0.5 Kg. The female rabbits were divided into four equal groups. Three goups (low, medium and high dose groups) were treated with Khat . The groups were given 3 mL, 6 mL and 12 mL extract/Kg bwt once daily from day 8 to 18 of gestation, respectively. The control group was given distilled water only. All females were slaughtered on day 28 of gestation. Visceral organ were subjected for histopathological examinations. Results: Khat was found to be associated with hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in rabbits. The kidney of feti of treated dams showed subcapsular hemorrhages along with mild vacuolar degeneration of some renal tubular epithelium. Glomeruli were atrophied, and moderate degenerative changes were observed in renal tubular epithelium and hemorrhages between renal tubules. The liver of the feti showed vacuolar degeneration, necrotic hepatitis, congestion of central veins and hepatic sinusoids, pyknotic clumped nuclei, hemorrhages, edema with atrophy of some hepatocytes, and hyperplasia of Megakaryocytic cells. The Khat also harmed the brain causing hemorrhage, edema, degenerative changes, swelling and necrotic changes of some nerve cells as well as supporting cells. The spinal cord was affected showing degeneration of nerve fibers in white matter and some neurons in grey matter. The heart of treated feti showed congestion of epicardial blood vessels and diffuse degeneration of heart muscles. Lung and alimentary tract only showed congestion of blood vessels. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure of Khat in rabbit induces harmful effects in defferent visceral organs including liver, kidney, brain, spinal cord, spleen, intestine, heart and lung. http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2018. e242
Age, growth and reproduction of the lizard fish Saurida undosquamis from the Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt

The lizard fish Saurida undosquamis represents one of the most commercial fish in the Gulf of Suez. The growth and reproductive biology of the species were studied. The age was determined from otolith readings of the collected specimens from the Attaka Harbor through the period from September 2011 to April 2012. The results show that the life span of the sampled fish was seven years. The estimated von Bertalanffy growth equation was Lt=51.252 (1-e -0.131(t+1.45) ), the calculated lengthweight relationship was W= 0.004 L 3.107 . Seasonally distribution of gonado-somatic index (GSI) values showed that the main peak of GSI was in spring. The results of gonad development stages show that, Saurida undosquamis is a synchronous spawner. The size at which 50% of fishes are mature was 15.0 cm for males and 15.5 cm for females, which indicates that all individuals over one year of age were sexually mature. The results indicated that juvenile individuals are one of the targets of the fishery and the protection of the juveniles is probably the key factor for the sustainability of the resources.
Microbial protein production in cattle fed ryegrass, buffel grass and spear grass hays

The efficiency of microbial crude protein (MCP) production in the rumen of cattle was examined using four hays, including one temperate species, ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), and three tropical species: young buffel (Cenchrus ciliaris cv. Biloela), mature buffel grass, and spear grass (Heteropogon contortus). The main purpose was to provide information on tropical forages as there are few published values for these. The design was a 4 x 4 latin square using four 18-month old Brahman crossbred steers (316±20 kg). Each run included a 14 day preliminary period, during which ad libitum intake was established, and a seven day measurement period when intake was restricted to 95% of ad libitum intake, and urine and faeces were collected. Microbial crude protein production was estimated from the excretion of purine derivatives in the urine (Chen and Gomes 1995). Rumen fluid was collected using a stomach tube, three hours post-feeding, and was analysed for ammonia-nitrogen (N) concentration. The results are shown in Table 1.