Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taenia saginata and Taenia solium: reciprocal models.

: Taenia solium and Taenia saginata are of such close taxonomic relationship that each can be regarded as a model for the other. In these particular species the only available hosts are either humans or large domesticated animals. This has imposed severe safety and/or economic restrictions on the extent of the experimental work which could be attempted. Furthermore, there is a limit to the relevance of work with less closely related species such as Taenia ovis, Taenia taeniaeformis and Taenia pisiformis with their differing host species, larval forms and locations within the intermediate host tissue. However, the application of both monoclonal antibody based and modern molecular biological techniques to the T. solium and T. saginata systems does much to overcome or circumvent some of the problems. Thus advances made in the analysis, diagnosis or immuno-prophylaxis of one of these species are at least potentially both of direct and immediate or indirect benefit to the work on the other species.
Capturing individual-level parameters of influenza A virus dynamics in wild ducks using multistate models

Disease prevalence in wildlife is governed by epidemiological parameters (infection and recovery rates) and response to infection, both of which vary within and among individual hosts. Studies quantifying these individual-scale parameters and documenting their source of variation in wild hosts are fundamental for predicting disease dynamics. Such studies do not exist for the influenza A virus (IAV), despite its strong impact on the global economy and public health. Using capture–recaptures of 3500 individual mallards Anas platyrhynchos during seven migration seasons at a stopover site in southern Sweden, we provide the first empirical description of the individual-based mechanisms of IAV dynamics in a wild reservoir host. For most years, prevalence and risk of IAV infection peaked at a single time during the autumn migration season, but the timing, shape and intensity of the infection curve showed strong annual heterogeneity. In contrast, the seasonal pattern of recovery rate only varied in intensity across years. Adults and juveniles displayed similar seasonal patterns of infection and recovery each year. However, compared to adults, juveniles experienced twice the risk of becoming infected, whereas recovery rates were similar across age categories. Finally, we did not find evidence that infection influenced the timing of emigration. Synthesis and applications. Our study provides robust empirical estimates of epidemiological parameters for predicting influenza A virus (IAV) dynamics. However, the strong annual variation in infection curves makes forecasting difficult. Prevalence data can provide reliable surveillance indicators as long as they catch the variation in infection risk. However, individual-based monitoring of infection is required to verify this assumption in areas where surveillance occurs. In this context, monitoring of captive sentinel birds kept in close contact with wild birds is useful. The fact that infection does not impact the timing of migration underpins the potential for mallards to spread viruses rapidly over large geographical scales. Hence, we strongly encourage IAV surveillance with a multistate capture–recapture approach along the entire migratory flyway of mallards. (Less)
The effect of cutting interval on the growth of Leucaena leucocephala and three associated grasses in Thailand

Leucaena ( Leucaena leucocephala ) was grown with 3 grasses: ruzi ( Brachiaria ruziziensis ), and dwarf napier and Taiwan A25 (both Pennisetum purpureum ) under rainfed conditions in Thailand. The pastures were cut at 20, 30 and 40-day intervals for 840 days. Dwarf napier produced more total and leaf dry matter than Taiwan A25 and ruzi (P 0.05). Growing leucaena with dwarf napier gave the lowest total legume dry matter yield (P > 0.05). Less frequent cutting increased total dry matter yields in all combinations through increases in grass yield. Maximum dry matter yield (41.5 t/ha) was produced by leucaena-dwarf napier. Dwarf napier produced herbage of higher quality than the other grass species in terms of crude protein concentration in both stems and leaves and had a higher leaf : stem ratio. Leucaena produced higher crude protein levels than grasses. The crude protein concentration in stems and leaves of all species decreased with increasing cutting intervals. Phosphorus concentrations in leucaena and associate grasses were similar and declined little with age. Leucaena was lower in potassium but higher in calcium concentration than the associated grasses. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the management of leucaena in mixed pastures for dairy production in Thailand.
Identification of miR-4644 as a suitable endogenous normalizer for circulating miRNA quantification in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have proved to be promising biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in cancers. Particularly for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), detection of circulating miRNA biomarkers as a new diagnostic approach has been written into the latest Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer in China (2019 edition). However, no general consensus on an ideal endogenous normalizer for circulating miRNAs quantification has been reached, so it will affect the accuracy of quantitative results. In this study, we aim to identify a stable endogenous normalizer for analyzing circulating miRNAs. Methods: Candidate miRNAs were selected by screening dataset GSE104310, as well as data statistics and analysis. Five commonly reference genes were chosen for further comparison and verification. Then, the expression levels of these genes in serum were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) among four groups, including patients diagnosed with HCC, chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis, and healthy subjects. Furthermore, the stability of target genes was evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder, comparative ΔCq programs, and validated by database. We also explored the availability of the miRNA combination, and compared the performance difference between combination and individuals, as well as the selectivity of miRNA references in the combinations. Results: 11 candidate miRNAs were obtained, and miR-4644 stood out among these miRNAs, and proved to be much more stable than other endogenous miRNAs. Further study showed that miR-4644 exhibited higher stability and expression abundance than other commonly miRNA reference controls. Finally, we discovered the combination of miR-4644 and miR-16 revealed high performance in stability when compared to miRNA individuals. Furthermore, the combination consisted of references with closer nature could give rise to amplification effects in stability. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that miR-4644 is an ideal endogenous normalizer for circulating microRNA quantification in hepatocellular carcinoma. Besides, combining miR-4644 with miR-16 into a whole as a reference control would greatly improve the accuracy of quantification.
WHO WINS AND WHO LOSES UNDER THE AFCFTA? A SIMULATION ANALYSIS ACROSS ECOWAS COUNTRIES

Globalisation has become an unavoidable incidence with almost every country involved in some new form of economic integration arrangement. In Africa, the largest trade agreement, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was recently signed in order to boost intra-trade and to increase not only economic welfare, but also living standards. However, when such trade arrangements occur, some economic sectors are likely to gain while others shrink due to changes in trade dynamics. The effects are structural changes within the economy of the respective countries. Consequently, this paper employs a World Bank developed simulation analysis using WITS-SMART procedures to determine the likely changes that are likely to happen when the AfCFTA is implemented. All even standard HS product classifications were used to compute the results. These are raw materials, intermediate goods, capital goods, consumer goods, agricultural sector, industrial sector and petroleum sector. The simulation results indicate that there will be overall positive gains since trade creation outweighs trade diversion. Secondly, tariff revenue losses were estimated indicating that larger and/or previously closed economies would lose more than INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE STUDIES Vol: 12 No: 2 Year: 2020 ISSN: 1309-8055 (Online) Doi: 10.34109/ijefs.202012215 488 smaller and/or previously open economies. Trade data indicates that larger economies include Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The study also indicated positive consumer surplus and welfare effect values for all ECOWAS economies. Therefore, the study recommends acceleration of the implementation of AfCFTA due to overall positive gains derived from various angles. Secondly, implementation should be complemented by the removal of non-tariff barriers in order to extent the possibility frontier, thereby maximising the likely economic gains.
The Effects of Various Carbohydrates and Tannic Acid on the Food Consumption and Growth Performance of Uresiphita gilvata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Bu calismada, Uresiphita gilvata larvalarinin besin tercihi ve gelisiminde karbonhidratlarin ve tanennin etkisi arastirilmistir. Ayrica, tanen ilavesiyle larvalarin besin tercihinde bitki-herbivor birlikte evrimlesmesinin onemine deginilmistir. Bu amacla, 13 farkli yapay diyet hazirlanmistir. Herbir diyet ayni konsantrasyonda sukroz, galaktoz, glikoz, maltiz, fruktoz, arabinoz, mannoz ya da nisasta icermektedir. Tanenlerin etkisini incelemek icin ayni konsantrasyonda sukroz, nisasta, glikoz veya maltoz iceren diyetlere %5 tanen ilavesi yapilmistir. Calisma sonuclarina gore, larvalar sukrozu, glikoz ve maltozdan daha fazla tuketmistir. Fakat, U. gilvata larvalari en fazla arabinoz iceren diyeti, en az ise mannoz iceren diyeti tuketmistir. Galaktoz iceren diyet fazla tuketilmesine ragmen larva tarafindan donusturulememistir. Diyete tanen ilavesiyle besin tuketim miktari, pupa kuru agirligi, pupa lipit miktari azalmistir. Fakat, pupa protein miktari artmis, gelisim suresi de uzamistir.
Production of a detergent-compatible alkaline protease from Bacillus cereus K-3

Proteases due to their huge application spectrum in various biotechnological processes have been the focus of intense research for many decades. However, most of the available proteases lack desired properties from industrial application view point; therefore, search for better and efficient thermostable alkaline proteases, is a continuous practise. In the current study, a total of 30 bacterial strains were screened for protease production. Isolate K-3, identified as Bacillus cereus (B. cereus K-3) produced substantial titre of protease that was thermostable and broad range pH stable. The optimum fermentation time for maximum protease production was 48 h under submerged fermentation. Among various carbon/nitrogen sources examined including agricultural residues, lactose and ammonium sulphate were found to be the best carbon and nitrogen source, respectively, for protease production. The optimum medium pH for maximum protease production was 9.0. The optimum temperature and pH for activity was 40°C and 9.0, respectively. However, enzyme showed considerable activity/stability over a wide range of temperature (50-70°C) and pH (8.0-12). Furthermore, B. cereus K-3 protease exhibited excellent compatibility with detergents and heavy metal ions. Considering these attributes B. cereus K-3 protease may have potential industrial applications.
Tamanho e forma de parcelas para experimentos com girassol

Na experimentacao agricola, a utilizacao do tamanho e da forma adequada de parcela sao tecnicas experimentais importantes para aumentar a precisao do experimento. Assim, objetivou-se nesse trabalho determinar o tamanho e forma adequada de parcela para experimentacao em campo com girassol. Para isso, o experimento foi conduzido em blocos completos casualizados com 14 cultivares de girassol em 10 repeticoes. As parcelas foram constituidas de quatro fileiras de seis metros de comprimento, espacadas de 0,7 m e 0,3 m entre plantas. A area util da parcela (7,56 m2), composta das duas fileiras centrais, foi dividida em 12 unidades basicas, cada uma constituida por tres plantas na fileira (0,63 m2), obtendo-se o rendimento de graos de girassol. O tamanho conveniente da parcela experimental foi estimado pelo metodo de Hatheway e a sua forma adequada foi determinada pelo metodo da informacao relativa. O metodo de Hatheway permitiu estimar diversos tamanhos convenientes de parcelas, muitos de tamanhos aplicaveis para experimentos de avaliacao de cultivares de girassol. Parcela no formato retangular 1 x 6 (fileira com dezoito plantas e 3,78 m2 de area util), foi considerada a forma adequada para avaliacao do rendimento de graos de cultivares de girassol e, tambem, foi menor que o tamanho geralmente indicado nas pesquisas com a cultura do girassol.
Size Selectivity of Multifilament Gill Nets for Sampling Alligator Gar: Modeling the Effects on Population Metrics

AbstractGill nets are commonly used to sample Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula; however, gill nets are size selective. We used five common multifilament gill-net meshes (88.9-, 101.6-, 114.3-, 127.0-, and 139.7-mm bar measure) to collect 477 gar between 1,000 and 2,300mm TL. We fit size-selectivity functions for these meshes for a net in which each mesh was fished equally, i.e., equal-effort net design (EEND), and found selectivity was best described by a binormal distribution in which the assumption of geometric similarity had been relaxed (i.e., binormal with deviations). Overall relative retention was about 30% for fish at 1,200 mm, increased to 100% for fish at 1,670 mm, then declined to 50% when fish were 2,100 mm. To reduce size selectivity, we used an optimization to create a net that minimized bias over the greatest TL range of fish sampled, i.e., weighted-effort net design (WEND). We compared the WEND to the EEND via simulation to estimate the effects of selectivity bias on population metrics.
Evaluation of Inositol Brilliant Green Bile Salts and Plesiomonas Agars for Recovery of Plesiomonas shigelloides from Aquatic Samples in a Seasonal Survey of the Suwannee River Estuary.

Two plating media, inositol brilliant green bile salts (IBB) and plesiomonas (PL) agars, were compared using surface plating procedures for the recovery of Plesiomonas shigelloides . IBB was more effective in both the percentage of positive samples recovered and the percentage of isolates confirmed as P. shigelloides . Pure culture studies of heat- and cold-injured cells, however, showed that IBB agar failed to recover many of these organisms. Samples examined were from the Suwannee River estuary and included water, sediment, fish, crabs and mollusks. This survey found a high incidence (58.7%) of Plesiomonas in environmental samples. Counts of P. shigelloides per gram of sample differed among the various types of samples, ranging from 101 CFU/g in water and oysters to 106 CFU/g in bream.
Growth performance and nutrient digestibility of weaned rabbits fed diets supplemented with varying levels of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of varying levels of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) supplementation on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of weaned rabbits. Sixty weaned heterogeneous breed of rabbits of equal number of males and females, aged between 5 - 6 weeks with average initial live weight of 612.73±60.84 g were used for the experiment which lasted for 12 weeks. The animals were randomly divided into five treatment groups and allotted to five experimental diets. Diet 1 designated as TRT1 served as the control, without supplementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 designated as TRT2, TRT3, TRT4 and TRT5, respectively were supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the rate of 20, 40, 60 and 80 g per kg of basal diet, corresponding to 2 x 10 9 , 4 x 10 9 , 6 x 10 9
Morphological and Developmental Responses of Anuran Larvae (Physalaemus albonotatus) to Chemical Cues from the Predators Moenkhausia dichoroura (Characiformes: Characidae) and Belostoma elongatum (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)

Animals constantly face various predators in diverse environments. The phenotypic changes induced in prey by different predators may differ quantitatively but not qualitatively, possibly because similar defense strategies are effective against different predators. Also, species inhabiting more-permanent habitats tend to exhibit defense strategies that enable them to coexist with potential predators. We examined phenotypic plasticity responses to different predators. We tested differences in the morphology and growth rates of mewing frog Physalaemus albonotatus tadpoles raised in the presence of chemical cues from water-bug (Belostoma elongatum) and fish (Moenkhausia dichroura) in order to determine if this species has generalized or specialized responses to different predators. The experiment was performed under microcosm conditions, and the experimental design consisted of 3 treatments: chemical cues from fish and from water-bug, and a control group. Each container held a single larva in order to obtain independent data for different variables. Each treatment was replicated 30 times, with 90 total experimental units. The main findings were as follows: 1) tadpole morphology was significantly affected by the presence of predator cues; 2) tadpoles reared with fish cues were significantly larger than those subjected to the other 2 treatments (water-bug cues and the control), while those reared with water-bug cues were also larger than the control; and 3) tadpoles exposed to chemical cues of predators exhibited accelerated growth rates and development stages. Our results suggest that the presence of predaceous fish and water-bug has a major effect on morphology, growth rate, and development of P. albonotatus tadpoles. Morphological variables, growth rates, and developmental stages followed the same pattern, and all of these variables showed increases in tadpoles exposed to chemical cues of predators, possibly because P. albonotatus larvae develop in temporary and semi-permanent ponds and are able to exploit different habitats, and therefore their responses to chemical cues from different predators are similar.
Diversity and biogeographic patterns of the bryozoan fauna of the Faroe Islands

ABSTRACT A total of 228 bryozoan species are recorded within the EEZ of the Faroe Islands, 74 of which are new to the area. Analysis of the distribution of the species among six sectors, each characterized by different environmental conditions, showed three faunal assemblages. Variation of the total Faroese bryozoan fauna and of the bryozoan fauna of most sectors, demonstrated significant negative relationships with depth. In general, analysis of the biogeographic composition showed a strong predominance of boreal over arctic species. However, with respect to faunas of each sector, the Norwegian Basin is characterized by a predominance of arctic species and may be regarded as a part of the Arctic Eurasian sub-region of the Arctic biogeographic region. Comparison of the bryozoan species of each sector with the bryozoan faunas of the other 12 areas in the North Atlantic and the neighbouring Arctic regions showed that only the Faroese shelf fauna has significant similarity with part of them, and thus can be regarded as part of the Scandinavian province of the Norwegian high-boreal sub-region of the Atlantic boreal region. Three sectors, the Faroese–Iceland Ridge, the Faroese–Shetland Channel and Norwegian Basin, belong to a transitional zone between the Atlantic Boreal and the Arctic biogeographic regions. The deep south-western sector forms a separate faunal cluster when compared with both the other sectors within the Faroese area and with the faunas of other large geographic areas, and may be regarded as a separate biogeographic zone of the Boreal Atlantic region due to its high proportion of specific species.
Reactivation of the Cambium in Aesculus hippocastanum L.: A Transmission Electron Microscope Study

Changes taking place during cambial reactivation in Aesculus hippocastanum have been studied using transmission electron microscopy. Cytoplasmic activity in the form of vesicle production by dictyosomes and endoplasmic reticulum, and coated vesicle formation at the plasmalemma, was observed in samples collected in mid-Feb. The first cell divisions occurred 1 month later, in cells to the phloem side of the cambium, and were of two types: periclinal divisions producing new phloem precursors, and oblique anticlinal divisions in phloem mother cells formed at the end of the previous growing season producing putative companion cell/sieve element pairs
Genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium in the Argentine public maize inbred line collection

Abstract Knowledge of linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns is considered a prerequisite for effective association mapping studies. However, no LD analysis in the Argentine public temperate maize collection has been reported to date. In this study, a panel of 111 temperate maize inbreds genotyped at 74 single sequence repeats (SSRs) loci was used to assess LD, genetic diversity and population structure to evaluate the suitability of the panel for association mapping. Mini-core sets were also designed for in-depth phenotyping and allele mining purposes. The panel consisted of: (1) locally developed orange flint germplasm; (2) temperate inbred lines with Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic background; and (3) eight historic flint lines, some of them from the Cuarentín race. As a result, four subpopulations were defined. Joint analysis of population structure and combining ability allowed identifying two main heterotic patterns. High molecular diversity, a low extent of LD and a high ratio of linked to unlinked SSR loci pairs in significant LD were detected indicating the suitability of the entire collection for association mapping. The fact that the LD extent in the mini-core sets was similar to that observed in the entire collection and that only a small percentage of allelic richness was reduced suggests that these mini-core sets are suitable to capture diversity, exploit phenotypic variance and discover useful variants representative of the entire collection.
Salivary parameters altered in smokers and possible correlations with the cariogenic activity

Objectives. Our research team aimed to evaluate the effects smoking has on several salivary parameters and to assess if there are any correlations between smoking and the cariogenic activity. Material and method. The present research included a total of 35 participants. Saliva was collected from every participant to the study. Salivary chloride, calcium and potassium levels, as well as salivary flux and pH were determined for all subjects. Results. Our results showed significantly lower salivary flux and pH levels in smokers compared to nonsmokers (p < 0.01). Chloride, calcium and potassium we found to have higher concentrations in smokers compared to the control group. However, a statistical significance could be found only for calcium (p = 0.02). Moreover, we were able to find in the smokers group a positive correlation in smokers between salivary chloride levels and cariogenic activity as well as a negative correlation could be found in smokers between salivary calcium levels and the cariogenic activity Conclusions. The results of the present study show that smoking alters salivary parameters and that these modifications can favour the development of dental caries.