Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variación en el contenido de glomalina relacionada a las proteínas del suelo, después de un incendio forestal en un Andisol en bosques de Araucaria araucana del centro-sur de Chile

En bosques de alta montana, las plantas vasculares establecen simbiosis con hongos micorricicos como una estrategia a condiciones edafo-climaticas extremas. En este estudio, se analizo el contenido de glomalina relacionada a las proteinas del suelo (GRSP), una glicoproteina producida por hongos micorricicos arbusculares y depositada en el suelo, despues de cuatro anos de ocurrido un incendio de severidad variable en un bosque de Araucaria araucana en el Centro-Sur de Chile (38°S). Para lo anterior, se propuso como objetivo determinar el contenido de esta glicoproteina en el suelo asi como evaluar y relacionar la composicion de la materia organica con el contenido de esta. Se analizo muestras de suelo a distintas profundidades (0-5, 5-10, 10-20 y 20-30 cm, respectivamente) en sectores con diversos niveles de severidad de incendio (baja, media, alta) y un area no afectada por el incendio (control). Adicionalmente, se estudio la estructura y composicion de la materia organica mediante espectrometria de resonancia magnetica nuclear del 13C (13C RMN). Como principales resultados, la concentracion de GRSP mostro diferencias significativas entre el suelo quemado y suelo control. Se encontro una significativa correlacion entre la composicion de la materia organica y GRSP. La alta concentracion de GRSP en los bosques quemados, podria responder a una estrategia ecologico-evolutiva de los bosques de A. araucana en su adaptacion a suelos con limitantes nutricionales y sometidos a eventos catastroficos periodicos de incendios, que sugieren su rol clave en la recuperacion de estos ecosistemas y deberian ser considerados en programas de restauracion.
The genus Olivancillaria (Gastropoda: Olividae) in the Miocene of Chile: rediscovery of a senior synonym and description of a new species

Revision of historical collections from the Tertiary of Chile housed in Paris and in new collections in Santiago de Chile revealed the presence of an undescribed species of the olivid genus Olivancillaria d'Orbigny, 1840.Also, the used name of a common Miocene species, O. tumorifera (Hupe, 1854), is preceded by an almost completely ignored senior synonym. The older and therefore valid name for the known species is reintroduced as O. claneophila (Duclos, 1835), status and repository of type material is given, types are redescribed and figured and the new species O. matanzana is described. Olivancillaria matanzana differs from O. claneophila in having a higher spire, a less thick callus, and by lacking a node on the callus.
Cellular and gene therapies for the enhancement of peripheral nerve regeneration through bio-engineered nerve conduits

Despite optimal surgical management the functional outcome following peripheral nerve injury remains poor. Experimental adjuvant treatments have been developed to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration including the use of bio-engineered conduits, cellular transplantation, the addition of growth factors and modulation of the extra-cellular matrix. Transplantation of cultured Schwann cells (SCs) improves regeneration through bio-engineered conduits. To improve the localisation of transplanted cells in combination with fluorescent immunohistochemical techniques SCs were retrovirally transduced with green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP-SCs were found to have similar growth and vitality characteristics in comparison with non-transduced cells and following in vivo transplantation were easily identified and enhanced nerve regeneration. Bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) are capable of unorthodox plasticity. Their abundance, ease of access and culture make them potential substitutes for SC transplantation. Following exposure to glial growth factor, MSCs exhibited phenotypical and morphological characteristics of SCs. Following in vivo transplantation these cells were also found to confer a beneficial effect on nerve regeneration. Neurotrophic factors enhance nerve regeneration however delivery at the site of injury is problematic. The use of gene therapy to provide growth factors at the site of injury may overcome this problem. A splice variant of the IGF-1 gene, Mechano-Growth Factor (MGF) was delivered to the site of peripheral nerve injury and functional and histological measures of regeneration were assessed at 14 weeks. It was found that delivery of the MGF cDNA at the site of injury improved target muscle function and total axon number in regenerating nerves. Extracellular matrix macromolecules are important constituents of the peripheral nerve. The addition of fibronectin, laminin, and collagen substrata were found to enhance SC growth in vitro. Coating nerve guidance fibres with these molecules within a peripheral nerve conduit was also found to enhance nerve regeneration and influence the expression of the cell adhesion molecules NCAM and N-cadherin.
Évaluation du pouvoir fermentaire de Saccharomyces cerevisiae et de S. carlsbergensis dans la production de bioéthanol à partir du jus de la pomme cajou

Objectif: La presente etude vise a valoriser la pomme cajou, a travers l’etude de la cinetique de conversion de son jus en bioethanol par voie fermentaire. Methodologie et Resultats: Au cours de l’etude, les performances fermentaires des levures Saccharomyces carlsbergensis et de trois souches levuriennes de Saccharomyces cerevisiae , notamment Angel brand super alcohol , Angel super alcohol et Angel brand Thermal-tolerant alcohol dans la production de bioethanol a partir du jus de pomme cajou ont ete testees. Le suivi des parametres cinetiques de fermentation du jus tels que le Brix, le pH, l’acidite et la densite, a montre une grande variabilite de ces parametres au cours du processus de fermentation en presence et en absence de l’uree (CON 2 H 4 ), utilisee comme facteur de croissance. La distillation des mouts en fin de fermentation a permis d’obtenir des taux d’extraction en ethanol (% v/v a 20°C) compris entre (20,48±0,02)% et (51,55±0,01)%. La meilleure performance de bioconversion ethanolique a ete enregistree avec Saccharomyces carlsbergensis et la souche Angel brand thermal-tolerant alcohol , en presence d’uree. Conclusion: Cette etude a montre que ces deux souches peuvent etre utilisees comme des ferments efficaces, dans la perspective d’une production intensive de bioethanol a partir du jus de pomme cajou. Mots-cles: pomme cajou, fermentation, levures, biocarburant, Benin English Title: Evaluation of the fermentative potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis in the production of bioethanol using cashew apple juice English Abstract Objective: The present study aims to valorize the cashew apple, through the study of the kinetic conversion of its juice for bioethanol production by fermentation process. Methodology and Results: During the study, the yeast fermentation performances of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , including Angel brand super alcohol , Angel super alcohol and Angel brand Thermal-tolerant alcohol were tested. Monitoring fermentation kinetic parameters such as Brix, pH, acidity and density, showed a great variability of these parameters during the fermentation process in the presence and absence of urea (CON 2 H 4 ), used as growth factor. Distillation of fermented liquids has yielded ethanol extraction rate (% v/v at 20°C) between (20.48±0.02)% and (51.55±0,01)%. The best ethanolic bioconversion performance was recorded with Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and the strain of Angel brand thermal-tolerant alcohol in the presence of urea. Conclusion: This study showed that both two strains could be used as effective ferments, in the perspective of intensive production of bioethanol using cashew apple juice. Keywords: cashew apple fermentation, yeasts, biofuel, Benin
Effect of Soil Management Systems on the Vegetative Growth Potential of Black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.) Cultivars

Summary This experiment evaluated the effect of soil management systems on the vegetative growth potential of black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) cultivars. Three soil management systems were used: I – bare fallow i.e. continuous tillage; II – sawdust mulch, and III – black polyethylene foil mulch. Six black currant cultivars were included: ‘Ben Lomond’, ‘Ben Sarek’, ‘Titania’, ‘Čačanska Crna’, ‘Tisel’ and ‘Tiben’. The highest values of vegetative growth parameters were obtained in 'Čačanska Crna' and 'Ben Lomond' and the lowest in 'Ben Sarek'. Bare fallow and sawdust mulch treatments showed no differences in the tested parameters, whereas significantly lower values were recorded under foil mulch treatment.
Efficacy of Insecticides and Bio-pesticides for Control of Greenhouse Whitefly on Tomatoes in Greenhouses in India1

ABSTRACT The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a major insect pest of tomato under field and greenhouse conditions, and its management is based primarily on foliar applications of insecticides. However, the continuous use of conventional insecticides leads to the development of insecticide resistance, which emphasizes the need for new pest management alternatives. The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of insecticides and bio-pesticides against the greenhouse whitefly on tomatoes grown in polyhouses (plastic-covered greenhouses) for two years at Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India. Results showed that abamectin resulted in the highest mean percent reduction in immatures of T. vaporariorum, followed by acetamiprid and buprofezin. Spiromesifen and bifenthrin resulted in moderate levels of efficacy, followed by azadirachtin and mineral oil. Spinosad, Melia, and malathion (the insecticide-treated control) showed the least efficacy against immatures of T. vaporariorum. Similarly, abamectin and acetamiprid were the most highly effective materials against the adult stage. Bifenthrin, spinosad, azadirachtin, and buprofezin showed moderate reductions in adult whitefly populations. Spiromesifen, mineral oil, Melia, and malathion were the least effective against adult populations of T. vaporariorum. Overall, abamectin, acetamiprid, buprofezin, and bifenthrin were the most promising materials for managing T. vaporariorum in greenhouses. Azadirachtin and mineral oil also provided adequate control of greenhouse whitefly on greenhouse tomatoes.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Detection of Methecillin Resistance in Locally Isolated Staphylococcus aureus

Total (150) isolates of Staphylococci species were isolated from different clinical samples. They were distributed as (41) isolates from urine, (59) isolates from wound infections and (50) isolates from ear swabs. These isolates were diagnosed using different morphological and biochemical test followed by the complementary api 20E test and mast staph kit. Out of 150 isolates, (58%) were Staphylococcus aureus. Results of primary screening test for methicillin resistance using disk diffusion method revealed that 84 isolates(96.5%) were proved to be methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). Twenty five isolates were selected for the genotypic study to detect methicillin resistance gene (mecA )using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) . Two target sequences related to this gene were chosen in the current study ,the first represent the total gene segment (1339 bp) since the forward and the reverse primers were picked up from the upstream and the downstream region from the original gene while the other amplified segment represent part of the gene (314 bp ) . Total genomic DNA was used as a Template and it was prepared either by direct colony or by boiling method using distilled water or TE buffer. Results showed that all the selected 25 isolates (100%) were harboring mec A gene based on the presence of 314 bp or 1339bp clear bands in 1% agarose gel as compared with DNA ladder . Direct colony was better in preparing the template DNA compared with the boiling method which gave a negative results with the two amplified segments.
Original Contribution A SEROLOGICAL SURVEY OF BRUCELLOSIS, ECHINOCOCCOSIS, Q-FEVER, TOXOPLASMOSIS, LEISHMANIASIS AND MEDITERRANEAN SPOTTED FEVER IN ANIMAL PRODUCTION EMPLOYEES IN GREECE

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of six zoonoses caused by Brucella melitensis, Echinococcus granulosus, Coxiella burnetii, Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania infantum and Rickettsia conorii in animal production employees in Greece. Methods: 151 blood samples were randomly collected from these employees (Group A), while 122 randomly selected serum samples, kindly provided by blood donation centres from the areas studied, served as controls (Group B). The indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFA) was used for detection of specific IgG antibodies against Leishmania infantum, Rickettsia conorii and Toxoplasma gondii and ELISA for specific IgM and IgG antibodies against Brucella melitensis, IgG antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus and IgG antibodies against Coxiella burnetii. Results: Specific antibodies were detected only for brucellosis, Q-fever and toxoplasmosis in both groups. Anti-brucella antibodies were detected in 15 persons of group A (9.9%) and 3 of group B (2.5%). The respective percentages for Q-fever were 21.2% and 13.9%, while for toxoplasmosis 15.2% and 10.7%. However, when comparisons of the results were made for brucellosis there was significant difference between group A and group B (p<0.05). Conclusion: Brucellosis could be characterized as occupational disease in employees of animal production sector in Greece.
Biological Clocks and the Formation of Human Tooth Enamel

Tooth enamel contains relics of its formation process, in the form of microstructures, which indicate the incremental way in which it forms during enamel formation on teeth (). These microstructures, called cross-striations and striae of Retzius, develop as enamel-forming cells called ameloblasts, which cyclically deposit enamel on developing teeth in accordance with two different biological clocks. Cross-striations result from a twenty-four-hour cycle, called a Circadian rhythm, in the enamel deposition process, while striae of Retzius have a longer periodicity. Unlike other tissues, enamel does not remodel after it forms, leaving those microstructures intact after deposition. Cross-striations and striae of Retzius thus provide evidence of the timing and processes of tooth development, and they indicate how organisms in a lineage differently grow and develop across generations. Researchers have examined these microstructures to investigate human evolution [5].
Growth and age determination in the hyrax Procavia capensis

Growth and age determination were studied in known age captive hyrax by measuring the animals monthly for three years and killing groups at ages 12,24 and 36 months. Ten body measurements and five skull measurements were used as ageing criteria using multiple regression and a predictive equation. Age (months) = 0,0593 Length + 0,0444 Girth + 0,01117 Headlength - 20,652 was developed for both sexes. Tooth eruption and wear, dental annulli and eyelenses were also investigated and an ageing schedule was developed using tooth eruption and wear. Cementum annulli were shown to be a valid means of ageing up to 36 months and probably up to at least eight years. Eyelenses are not an effective ageing method. Growth in the hyrax is slow and Von Bertalanffy growth coefficients are similar to those in the elephant.
Helminths of Milvago chimango temucoensis (Aves: Falconiformes) from Los Ríos Region, Chile: New Records for Neotropical Raptors

Summary The goal of the present survey was to improve the scarce knowledge regard the endoparasites of raptors in Chile and South America. Thus, necropsy was performed on 14 chimango caracara Milvago chimango temucoensis from Los Ríos Region, Chile. From all examined birds, 78.6% were positive to helminths. The species identified were Capillaria tenuissima, Pterothominx sp. , Baruscapillaria falconis, Cosmocephalus obvelatus, Skrjabinoclava sp. , Synhimantus (Dispharynx) nasuta, Synhimantus (D.) sp. , Synhimantus (Synhimantus) sp. , Paracuaria adunca, Procyrnea spinosa, Porrocaecum depressum, Contracaecum rudolphii sensu lato, Stephanoprora sp. and Polymorphus mutabilis. All species listed, with the exception of C. tenuissima, P. spinosa and P. depressum, are new records for the chimango caracara. Furthermore C. obvelatus, Skrjabinoclava sp. , S. (D.) nasuta, S. (D.) sp. , P. adunca, C. rudolphii s. l. , Stephanoprora sp. and P. mutabilis all are new records for Neotropical raptors.
GENETICS OF YIELD AND QUALITY TRAITS IN QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE (Zea mays L.)

Hayman’s component analysis was employed to ascertain the gene actions conditioning the ear related traits viz., ear length, ear diameter, kernel rows per ear, kernels per row and grain yield per plant in quality protein maize, eight yellow grain quality protein maize (QPM) inbred lines were crossed in diallel mating design, including reciprocals. All the inbreds and their 56 crosses were evaluated in randomized block design with 3 replications over 3 seasons. Significant differences among genotypes were observed for all the traits, over the seasons. Influence of epistasis was observed for most of the traits in one or more seasons except ear length. Ear length exhibited importance of additive gene effects in all the seasons. Over-dominance was observed for all the traits. Most of the traits exhibited low narrow sense heritability between 10-30% over the seasons except kernel rows per ear which exhibited moderate narrow sense heritability ranging from 44.3-66.5% over the seasons. In general, narrow sense heritability estimates were higher in Rabi seasons as compared to Kharif season.
A Biophysical Study of the Ion Transport Mechanism in Uncoupling Protein 2 by Investigating the Role of Lysine Residues in its Matrix Network

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv DECLARATION OF WORK PERFORMED v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix ABBREVIATIONS xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Mitochondrion and ATP Production 1 1.2. Uncoupling Proteins 4 1.3. Structure of Uncoupling Proteins 5 1.4. Uncoupling Protein 2 7 1.5. Ion Transport and Nucleotide Inhibition in UCPs 8 1.6. Conserved Motifs in Members of Mitochondrial Carrier Family 10 1.7. Research Objectives 14 CHAPTER 2: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES USED TO STUDY THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS 2.1. Overlap Extension Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 16 2.2. Cloning, Protein Expression and Purification 18 2.3. Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Phospholipid Vesicles 20 2.4. Analysis of Liposome Size Distribution and Stability with Dynamic Light Scattering 21 2.5. Analysis of Protein Secondary Structure with Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy 22 2.6. Fluorescence Based Ion Transport Measurements Across Reconstituted Vesicles 24 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS, EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND METHODS 3.1. Materials 27 3.2. Experimental Design and Methods 28 3.2.1. Site Directed Mutagenesis by Overlap Extension PCR 28 3.2.2. Ligation of UCP2 Mutant cDNA into pET26b(+) and Transformation into DH5α 31 3.2.3. Confirmation of Mutant cDNA Sequence and Transformation of the Recombinant Vector into BL21-Codon Plus-RIPL cells 33 3.2.4. Overexpression of Native and Mutant UCP2 BL21 CD + cells 33 vii 3.2.5. Protein Extraction from Bacteria Cells and Purification with Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) 34 3.2.6. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide (SDS PAGE) Gel Electrophoresis of Purified Proteins 36 3.2. 7. Optimization of the Purification Procedure for Wild Type and Mutant UCP2 Proteins 36 3.2. 8. Western Blot analysis of Purified Proteins 37 3.2. 9. Structural Analysis of UCP2 Proteins by CD Spectroscopy 38 3.2.10. Reconstitution of UCP2 Proteins into Liposomes 38 3.2.11. Size Determination of Liposomes Size by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) 40 3.2.12. Proton Flux Measurement Mediated by UCP2 Proteins 40 3.2.13. Quantification of Total Protein by Modified Lowry Assay 43
Genetic approaches to the study of coronavirus replication and pathogenesis

DAMON J. DEMING: GENETIC APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF CORONAVIRUS REPLICATION AND PATHOGENESIS (Under the direction of Dr. Ralph S. Baric) The recently developed coronavirus reverse genetic systems have been a tremendous asset for improving our understanding of the viruses’ complex replication strategy, pathogenesis, mechanisms of host-range expansion, and in the development of anti-viral therapies. We completed two studies using coronavirus infectious clones. The first evaluated a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) vaccine to protect against an antigenically divergent strain. The second study determined the requirement for proteolytic processing of a highly conserved region of the replicase polyprotein for efficient replication. Ideally, a SARS-CoV vaccine should confer long-term protection, especially in vulnerable senescent populations, against both the 2003 epidemic strains and zoonotic strains that may yet emerge from animal reservoirs. Using Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP) expressing the 2003 epidemic Urbani SARS-CoV strain spike (S) glycoprotein (VRP-S) or the nucleocapsid (N) protein from the same strain (VRP-N) as candidate vaccines, we tested their ability to protect young and senescent mice when challenged with homologous and heterologous SARS-CoV strains. The novel heterologous SARS-CoV strain (icGDO3-S) was constructed using synthetic biology and reverse genetics to generate a chimeric virus encoding a synthetic S glycoprotein gene of the most genetically divergent human strain, GDO3, which clusters among the zoonotic SARS-CoV, and represents a strain of SARS-CoV that emerged into the human population independently of
Large Herbivore Grazing Limits Small-Mammal Densities in Finnish Lapland

Grazing by large mammals can affect small-mammal populations by modifying the ground-layer vegetation, which provides them with food and shelter. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of semi-domesticated reindeer grazing on smallmammal abundance in boreal forests/subarctic tundra ecosystems in a large-scale exclosure experiment in northernmost Finnish Lapland. In our experiment spanning four years, reindeer grazing affected the abundance of arvicoline voles, which were less abundant in grazed areas. This was probably due to a reduction in the abundance and height of bilberry, an important forage plant for both voles and reindeer. Changes in ground-layer vegetation affected the general condition of bank voles, which had significantly lower body mass in grazed areas. The abundance of insectivorous shrews was also reduced by grazing, probably due to a reduction in ground-dwelling invertebrates as an indirect effect of changes in the composition of ground-layer vegetation. A grazing-induced reduction in small mammal abundance can have far reaching ecological consequences for small-mammal population dynamics as well as mammalian and avian predators depending on small mammals as food.