Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyethylene Mulch Stimulates Early Root Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Transplanted Tomatoes

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch in New York State frequently have more branches and increased mineral nutrient uptake and yield than plants not mulched. In four field experiments conducted on a silt loam soil, clear PE mulch stimulated root extension shortly after transplanting. One week after transplanting, roots were significantly longer for mulched than for unmulched plants in all four experiments, whereas above ground dry matter differences did not become significant until 14 days after transplanting in two of four trials. Mulching increased branching, hastened flowering on basal branches, and increased concentration of major nutrients in the above ground parts. In the field, stimulation of above ground growth due to mulch might be brought about by warming of the stem by air escaping from the planting hole in the mulch. However, an experiment with black, white, or clear mulch, in which the planting hole was either left uncovered or covered with soil, showed no effect of hole closure on branching even though air temperature near the stem was increased when holes were left uncovered. The results taken together imply that the increased above ground growth observed with mulching is a consequence of enhanced root growthmore » and nutrient uptake. « less
Isolation, quantity distribution and characterization of endophytic microorganisms within sugar beet

The present investigation was undertaken in order to document the spectrum of endophytes colonizing healthy leaves of sugar beet cultivars in Xinjiang Province (China) and to determine the degree of colonization at three growth stages. From the 360 sugar beet leaf and root segments incubated, 221 bacterial isolates, 34 fungal isolates and 5 actinomycete isolates were obtained. Of all the isolates, 7 bacterial species and 6 fungal species were identified. The actinomycete isolates were characterized as Streptomyces griseofuscus and Streptomyces globisporus. There were significant differences between microorganisms, stages of growth, and stages of microorganism interaction. The number of microorganisms isolated increased during the growth period of the sugar beet. At the same time, the number of microorganisms affecting different parts of the sugar beet tissue was quite different. The greatest number of microorganisms was found in the secondary root emergence zone of the sugar beet tissue. Endophytic microorganisms in sugar beet promote growth and increase the yield of the beet.
Production and optimization of alkalostable lipase by alkalophilic Burkholderia cenocepacia ST8

1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, 53300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2 Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 3 Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science Building, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Diatrizoate, Iopromide and Iotrolan Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Daunorubicin in Multidrug Resistant K562/adr Cells: Impaired the Mitochondrial and Inhibited the P-Glycoprotein Function

Multidrug resistance was an obstacle in cancer chemotherapy because the cells decreased their intracellular drug accumulation by energy-dependent compounds efflux pumps such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This study observed some iodinated radiographic contrast media, diatrizoate, iopromide and iotrolan affected the cellular energetic state and the kinetics of P-gp in drug-sensitive K562 and drug resistant K562/adr cell lines using spectrophotometer and spectrofluorometer. By colorimetric MTT assay, it was found that contrast media (0-3500 μM) had no effect on both K562 and K562/adr cell viabilities, but in co-treatment with daunorubicin (DNR), diatrizoate decreased cell viability in K562/adr cells by decreasing ICso of DNR from 610.7 ±74.5 nM to 360±108.9 nM. The change in cellular energetic state was studied using rhodamine B as a probe to estimate mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). The results showed that 3500 μM diatrizoate decreased ΔΨm from 162.2±0.3 mV to 86.9±9.9 mV in K562/adr cells. The kinetics of P-gp-mediated efflux of DNR could be reduced by diatrizoate from 0 (no inhibition) to 0.65±0.11. This inhibition could be partially prevented in co-incubation with 20 nM concanamycin A or 10 μM cytochalasin B. Among the three molecules, diatrizoate showed the best efficiency. It could be proposed for further studies that diatrizoate could be used as MDR identification or MDR imaging and also acted as MDR sensitizing agent in cancer treatments.
Towards a neurobiological understanding of pain in neurofibromatosis type 1: mechanisms and implications for treatment

Abstract Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the most common of a group of rare diseases known by the term, “Neurofibromatosis,” affecting 1 in 3000 to 4000 people. NF1 patients present with, among other disease complications, café au lait patches, skin fold freckling, Lisch nodules, orthopedic complications, cutaneous neurofibromas, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, cognitive impairment, and chronic pain. Although NF1 patients inevitably express pain as a debilitating symptom of the disease, not much is known about its manifestation in the NF1 disease, with most current information coming from sporadic case reports. Although these reports indicate the existence of pain, the molecular signaling underlying this symptom remains underexplored, and thus, we include a synopsis of the literature surrounding NF1 pain studies in 3 animal models: mouse, rat, and miniswine. We also highlight unexplored areas of NF1 pain research. As therapy for NF1 pain remains in various clinical and preclinical stages, we present current treatments available for patients and highlight the importance of future therapeutic development. Equally important, NF1 pain is accompanied by psychological complications in comorbidities with sleep, gastrointestinal complications, and overall quality of life, lending to the importance of investigation into this understudied phenomenon of NF1. In this review, we dissect the presence of pain in NF1 in terms of psychological implication, anatomical presence, and discuss mechanisms underlying the onset and potentiation of NF1 pain to evaluate current therapies and propose implications for treatment of this severely understudied, but prevalent symptom of this rare disease.
Detection and diagnosis of tomato leaf curl virus infecting tomato in Northern Karnataka

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is an important and most widely grown vegetable crop in India. The begomo viruses’ affecting tomato in India is the most devastating and is a major limiting factor in the tomato production. The tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) was present in almost all fields of Belgaum, Dharwad and Haveri districts surveyed with the disease incidence ranged from 4-100% in rabi and was in severe form ranging from 60-100% during summer. All the five representative symptomatic samples collected from the different regions of North-Karnataka were found positive for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with specific primers for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA); a component of tomato leaf curl Bangalore virus (ToLCBV). To examine the diversity of the sequences, phylogenetic trees were generated for the four CP sequences together with representative sequences available in gene Bank. The isolates under study clustered into two groups. The Dharwad isolate and Belgaum2 isolate were closely related (99.4% nucleotide similarity) and formed in to one cluster in which Haveri and Belgaum-1 isolates had comparatively less homology (97.30% nucleotide homology) between themselves and clustered into another sub group. The isolates under study had lowest nucleotide sequence homology of 53.50 to 53.90% with ToLCV 19.Patna (AJ 810358) followed by ToLCV 18.Malvastrum. Pa (AJ 810357) (53.50-54.00%), ToLCV 17. Nasik (AJ 810356) (53.90-54.30%), while they had highest homology of 92.40-96.00% with ToLCBV-AVT 1 (AY 428770). The results revealed that these isolates are entirely different from North Indian isolates and there is some variability within the isolates collected from a geographical location, indicating that there will be continuous variability in gemini viruses.
A One Health Perspective on Q Fever

Q fever, a widespread zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetiid, produces a complex and polymorphic disease in humans. As a zoonotic disease, control in animals will influence the level of disease seen in humans, thus resulting in interesting one health perspectives for disease control. Here the authors describe the clinical manifestations in animals and humans, as well as the current diagnostic methods available and the strategies for disease control. A review on the published information regarding Q fever as a disease with impact for veterinary public health and public health is presented.
Seasonal movement patterns of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Fo rs pecies conservation, defining seasons according to an animal’s perception and consideration of seasonal differences in its use of space is required. First, a statistical approach was used to determine seasons based on rates of movement of radio-collared caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou . U sing polynomial regression, five seasons were delineated by inflection points that demarcate changes in rates of movement. Male and female caribou did not differ in timing and number of seasons. Second, the seasons so defined were used to describe the use of space in 33 caribou in north-western Ontario, Canada. Greatest rates of movement occurred during spring and early winter migration when caribou had both the largest range size and largest distance between seasonal ranges. The general direction of movement was west in spring and east early in winter, although variation occurred among caribou and years. A drop in rate of movement lasting about 3 days may indicate calving. Caribou were most dispersed and occupied the smallest seasonal range during the calving season. The animals showed strong fidelity to calving areas in contrast to the highly variable year-to-year location of winter ranges. Understanding the seasons of animal movement patterns, and applying this understanding when developing plans for forest management, may help reduce adverse effects of forest harvesting on highly mobile animals such as woodland caribou.
Human Capital and the State-Dependent Intertemporal Elasticity of Substitution

This paper offers new insights on the intertemporal elasticity of substitution (i.e.s.) both at a theoretical and an empirical level. I first show that within a standard life cycle model of labor supply featuring human capital accumulation, the i.e.s. is a state-dependent variable which strongly depends on the return to human capital accumulation. I identify two important sources of heterogeneity w.r. t. return to human capital accumulation: age and education. Second, I argue that the average i.e.s. is low and comparable with micro estimates, even in the presence of human capital. Estimating the life cycle model for two different education groups; workers with and without a college degree, I find that the average i.e.s. in the sample is 0.34. However, the average i.e.s. hide important heterogeneity: for college graduates the i.e.s. more than doubles over the life cycle, whereas it increases by about 66 percent for non-college graduates. Moreover, young non-college graduates have 35 percent higher i.e.s. than young college graduates. Finally, I find that the welfare costs of permanent tax changes are much lower than previously found in models with human capital. JEL Classification: E24, J24
Functional characterization of the mammalian iAAA protease subunit, YME1L

The iAAA protease is an ATP-dependent proteolytic complex in the mitochondrial inner membrane and belongs to the highly conserved family of AAA proteins. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the iAAA protease is a homo-oligomeric complex composed of Yme1p subunits which are active in the intermembrane space and mediate protein quality control. Yeast cells lacking Yme1p are characterized by pleiotropic phenotypes including a respiratory deficiency at elevated temperature and an aberrant mitochondrial morphology. However, the molecular basis of the different yeast yme1 phenotypes has not been completely understood. Human YME1L was shown to be the ortholog of the yeast Yme1p, but its functions within mammalian mitochondria and specific substrate proteins have not been identified so far. In order to define the roles of the mammalian iAAA protease two main approaches were carried out: (1) down regulation studies in mammalian cells using RNA interference, and (2) inducible overexpression of YME1L and several mutant variants in the mammalian system. The present study reports the functional conservation of the mammalian YME1L by showing its involvement in the proteolysis of prohibitin 1 whose homolog is also degraded by the iAAA protease in yeast. Furthermore, it demonstrates that YME1L has a role in the maintenance of the tubular mitochondrial morphology and in the constitutive processing of OPA1, a component of the mitochondrial fusion machinery. Moreover, the degradation of TIM23, a core subunit of the translocase of the inner membrane, in caspase-independent apoptosis depends on YME1L identifying a novel substrate for the mammalian iAAA protease and a new pathway it is involved in. The overexpression of YME1L mutants has no dominant negative effect on the iAAA protease. Its functions in mitochondrial proteolysis, import, and mitochondrial morphology remain unaltered. Taken together, this study reveals versatile roles of mammalian YME1L in protein quality control, mitochondrial morphology and apoptosis, thus demonstrating its importance for both the cellular viability and death.
Could Complete Blood Count Parameters and Non-fasting Cholesterol Profile Describe Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Chronic Kidney Disease?

BACKGROUND: Establishment of inexpensive clinical laboratory tests to evaluate inflammation and oxidative stress is urgently needed in the limited resources settings. This study aims to investigate the potential of complete blood count (CBC) parameters and non-fasting cholesterol profile parameters to describe inflammation and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.METHODS: Measurement of CBC, non-fasting cholesterol profile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were performed in 71 CKD patients grouped into hemodialysis (HD) and non-hemodialysis (non-HD). Correlation analysis were performed to assess the potential of CBC and cholesterol profile to describe the level of hs-CRP and MDA.RESULTS: In the HD group, total cholesterol was moderately associated with hs-CRP while total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio, monocyte/HDL-C ratio, monocyte/LDL-C ratio, neutrophil/HDL-C ratio, neutrophil/LDL-C ratio, platelet/HDL-C ratio and platelet/LDL-C ratio were strongly associated with hs-CRP. In the non-HD group,only neutrophil/total cholesterol ratio and platelet/total cholesterol ratio that were associated with hs-CRP. Total cholesterol, monocyte/LDL-C ratio, neutrophil/LDL-C ratio and platelet/LDL-C ratio were moderately associated with MDA while total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio, monocyte/HDL-C ratio, neutrophil/HDL-C ratio and platelet/HDL-C ratio were strongly associated respectively with MDA in HD group. In the non-HD group, total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio, neutrophil/HDL-C ratio and platelet/HDL-C ratio were moderately associated with MDA in non-HD group while monocyte/HDL-C ratio was weakly associated with MDA.CONCLUSION: Some CBC parameters and non-fasting cholesterol profile such as cholesterol/HDL-C, monocyte/HDL-C, neutrophil/HDL-C and platelet/HDL-C ratio showed a potential to describe the inflammation and stress oxidative markers, given some strong associations with the level of hs-CRP and MDA. Further study is needed to assess whether this parameter represent long-term prognostic value among CKD patients.KEYWORDS: inflammation, oxidative stress, CRP, MDA, TAC, 8-OHdG, CBC, cholesterol
Hello michaelsie Search Arini Astasari Widodo, Githa Rahmayunitha, Triana Agustin, Rinadewi Astriningrum Diagnostic procedures in pediatric dermatology

Diagnostic procedures in pediatric dermatology are different and significantly more challenging than those in adult patients, especially on how to approach the patients. We need to acknowledge that pediatric patients have unique anatomical, physiological, and psychological aspects. Compared to adults, children have smaller procedure area, are less cooperative, and more difficult to understand. For these reasons, we should perform diagnostic procedures on children cautiously. Having extensive knowledge in this field can facilitate us to carry out an ethical, efficient, targeted procedure with less risk. This article reviewed the most appropriate, most comfortable, and least invasive diagnostic procedures for children. Some of the most commonly performed pediatric dermatology procedures highlighted in this article are potassium hydroxide examination, Gram staining examination, acid fast bacilli examination, skin test for allergies, and skin biopsy for children. We also discuss the process of obtaining a written informed consent from the parents who were involved in decision making process and play a crucial role in assisting physicians to calm their children during the diagnostic procedures. Keywords: children, dermatology, diagnostic procedures
Lipooligosaccharide Pk(Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glc) Epitope of Moraxella catarrhalis Is a Factor in Resistance to Bactericidal Activity Mediated by Normal Human Serum

ABSTRACT Moraxella catarrhalis is a respiratory pathogen responsible for acute bacterial otitis media in children and exacerbation of chronic bronchitis in adults. M. catarrhalis strains are frequently resistant to the bactericidal activity of normal human serum. In order to determine if the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of M. catarrhalis has a role in serum resistance, the UDP-glucose-4-epimerase (galE) gene was identified, cloned, and sequenced and a deletion/insertion mutation was introduced into M. catarrhalis strain 2951. GalE enzymatic activity, measured in whole-cell lysates, was ablated inM. catarrhalis 2951 galE. Mass spectrometric analysis of LOS isolated with hot phenol-water confirmed that strain 2951 produced a type A LOS. These studies showed that the LOS from 2951galE had lost two hexose residues due to thegalE mutation and that the resultant LOS structure lacked the (Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glc) Pk epitope found onM. catarrhalis 2951. Wild-type M. catarrhalis2951 is resistant to complement-mediated serum bactericidal activity. In contrast, a greater than 2-log10-unit reduction in CFU occurred after incubation of 2951 galE in either 50 or 25% pooled human serum (PNHS), and CFU in 10% PNHS decreased by about 1 log10 unit. These studies suggest that the Pkepitope of the LOS may be an important factor in the resistance of M. catarrhalis to the complement-mediated bactericidal effect of normal human serum.
Optimal hesitation, an experiment

We investigate how people make choices when they are unsure about the value of the options they face. At any moment in time they can make a decision or choose to wait and acquire more information before making their mind. We design a laboratory experiment to study whether human behaviour is able to approximate the optimal solution to this problem. We find that participants deviate from the optimal strategy in a systematic manner: they acquire too much information when it is costly and not enough when it is cheap. With time, participants tend to learn, without converging towards equilibrium. This deviation costs participants between 10% and 25% of their potential payoffs. We examine various explanations to our results, and find that the most likely one is that participants exhibit a confirmation bias.
MtDNA diversity of the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas Chevey, 1913) and closely related species: implications for conservation

Catfishes of the family Pangasiidae are an important group that contributes significantly to the fisheries of the Mekong River basin. In recent times the populations of several catfish species have declined, thought to be due to overfishing and habitat changes brought about by anthropogenic influences. The Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas Chevey, 1913 is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. In the present study, we assessed the level of genetic diversity of nine catfish species using sequences of the large subunit of mitochondrial DNA (16S rRNA). Approximately 570 base pairs (bp) were sequenced from 672 individuals of nine species. In all species studied, haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity ranged from 0.118±0.101 to 0.667±0.141 and from 0.0002±0.0003 to 0.0016±0.0013, respectively. Four haplotypes were detected among 16 samples from natural populations of the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish. The results, in spite of the limited sample size for some species investigated, indicated that the level of genetic variation observed in wild populations of the Mekong giant catfish (haplotype diversity=0.350±0.148, nucleotide diversity=0.0009±0.0008) is commensurate with that of some other related species. This finding indicates that (1) wild populations of the Mekong giant catfish might be more robust than currently thought or (2) present wild populations of this species carry a genetic signature of the historically larger population(s). Findings from this study also have important implications for conservation of the Mekong giant catfish, especially in designing and implementing artificial breeding programme for restocking purposes.
Efficient direct protocorm-like bodies induction of dwarf Dendrobium using thidiazuron.

An efficient induction of protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) from seedlings of dwarf Dendrobium was accomplished in order to develop mass-scale propagation. The effect of N6-benzyladenine (BA) and thidiazuron (TDZ) on the in vitro induction of PLBs was studied. TDZ was found to be a more effective inducer of PLBs and their proliferation than BA. The highest percentage for the induction of PLBs (86%) and the highest number of PLBs (3.6) per protocorm were observed after 9 weeks of culture in modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium supplemented with 18 ? M TDZ.
Range shift promotes the formation of stable range edges

Aim I investigate the counter‐intuitive possibility that range shift promotes the formation of stable range edges. This might be expected because: (1) range‐shifting populations typically evolve increased dispersal on the expanding range edge; (2) increased dispersal steepens the relative slope of environmental gradients (gradients appear steeper to a more dispersive population); and (3) environmental gradients that are steep relative to dispersal encourage the formation of stable range edges (when gradients appear steep, adaptation on the range edge is swamped by maladapted genes).