Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) ORF17 Protein Induces RNA Cleavage and Is Critical for Replication of VZV at 37oC but Not 33oC

ABSTRACT Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 17 (ORF17) is homologous to herpes simplex virus (HSV) UL41, which encodes the viral host shutoff protein (vhs). HSV vhs induces degradation of mRNA and rapid shutoff of host protein synthesis. An antibody to ORF17 protein detected a 46-kDa protein in VZV-infected cells. While HSV vhs is located in virions, VZV ORF17 protein was not detectable in virions. ORF17 protein induced RNA cleavage, but to a substantially lesser extent than HSV-1 vhs. Expression of ORF17 protein did not inhibit expression from a β-galactosidase reporter plasmid, while HSV type 1 vhs abolished reporter expression. Two VZV ORF17 deletion mutants were constructed to examine the role of ORF17 in virus replication. While the ORF17 VZV mutants grew to peak titers that were similar to those of the parental virus at 33°C, the ORF17 mutants grew to 20- to 35-fold-lower titers than parental virus at 37°C. ORF62 protein was distributed in a different pattern in the nuclei and cytoplasm of cells infected with an ORF17 deletion mutant at 37°C compared to 33°C. Inoculation of cotton rats with the ORF17 deletion mutant resulted in a level of latent infection similar to that produced by inoculation with the parental virus. The importance of ORF17 protein for viral replication at 37°C but not at 33°C suggests that this protein may facilitate the growth of virus in certain tissues in vivo.
Pollen morphology of the genera Onobrychis and Hedysarum (Hedysareae, Fabaceae) in Bulgaria

Pollen morphology of 14 taxa, 12 taxa of the genus Onobrychis Adans. and two taxa of the genus Hedysarum L. , distributed in Bulgaria, was studied with light and electron microscopy. The pollen is 3-colpate, medium or large in size, with reticulate ornamentation. Differences are observed in the dimensions, the aperture shape and the exine stratification. One pollen type with three tentative subtypes are recognized based on size and ornamentation. Pollen morphology confirms a close relationship between the species of both genera.
A study of mole drainage with simplified cultivation for autumn-sown crops on a clay soil

Summary A replicated, long-term field drainage experiment on a clay soil was started in 1978 to investigate the effects of mole drainage on land that had been direct-drilled or ploughed. We here describe the background and the need for this work, details of the experiment and summarize the results for the first 2 years. The main factors causing point-to-point variability in the soil at the experimental site and their relative contributions were assessed. Variations in inherent soil properties were small, except for depth to calcareous clay. Site hydrology was also generally uniform, especially soil water content, and was little affected by the presence of subsoil drainage schemes dating from the 19th century. There were some variations in micro-relief. The drained and undrained plots were hydrologically separated. Equipment was installed to measure separately surface runoff, lateral flow at the bottom of the cultivated layer (the interflow) and deep drainage from the mole and pipe system (in the drained plots only). The design and performance of that equipment is described. In both years much of the undrained soil became saturated in winter, but a residual cultivation pan limited the effect of the mole drains in 1978–9. In 1979–80, after disrupting the pan, the water table in the moledrained plots was about 25 cm deeper than in the undrained plots, root growth was greater and yield of winter wheat 11% heavier. About 90% of water and nutrients draining from the drained plots were carried in the mole and pipe system. The results on water balance, nutrient losses, crop growth and yield are fully reported in companion papers (Harris et al. 1984; Ellis et al. 1984).
A quantitative comparison of microbial community structure of estuarine sediments from microcosms and the field

Estuarine soft-bottom sediments in microcosms and the field were compared with regard to microbial community structure. Community structure was determined by analyzing the fatty acids derived from the microbial lipids in the sediments. Fatty acid profiles were compared using a multivariate statistical approach. Experiments were performed using sediments from St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida. The community structure of St. George Sound sediments was apparently controlled by epibenthic predators. In Apalachicola Bay, the dominant influences were physical factors related to the flow of the Apalachicola River. In the St. George Sound experiment, microbial communities in the microcosms differed from those in the field after only 2 weeks, and the degree of this difference increased substantially as time progressed. In the Apalachicola Bay experiment, although microbial communities in the microcosms were detectably different from those in the field, the degree of this difference was not large nor d.
‘Until it kills you’: cancer related stigma on the Chilean tobacco packaging warning messages 2014-2016 campaign

ABSTRACT Chile has one of the highest rates of tobacco consumption in the Americas and lung cancer is the main cancer-related death cause in the country. Since 2006, the Chilean Ministry of Health mandates pictorial warning labels on all tobacco packaging, in line with global trends of tobacco control and anti-smoking policy. The aim of this study was to perform a discourse analysis (DA) of the Chilean Campaign in force during 2014–2016. Focusing on what the campaign promotes, we problematized its discursive effects, in relation to lung cancer, cancer treatments and the causality between smoking and lung cancer. We developed an analytical inductive process based on Santander’s DA model, assessing written and visual rhetoric, extracting a core axis of the inevitable temporal progression of disease throughout the labelling messages story line, from the viewpoint of stigma as a discrediting trait. Main axis of analysis included: rhetoric of written and visual elements, fear & disgust appeal, and intertextuality with religious/military discourses. The campaign posits a metaphorical equivalence among smoking and lung cancer, and the latter as an inevitably fatal disease: ‘until it kills you’. Lung cancer is a discrediting feature implying physical and moral deterioration, due to aggressive treatments and personal identity spoiling. Fear and disgust appeals are strongly used through images and colors. The campaign’s rhetoric interpellates to ‘choose’ between life and death, showing lung cancer as a self-inflicted disease. We problematize the ethical/moral implications of public health campaigns based on reinforcing stigmatization of cancer patients and therapeutic nihilism.
Linking Complement C3 and B Cells in Nasal Polyposis

Nasal polyposis often is characterized by a persistent inflammation of the sinonasal mucosa, disease recurrence after medical or surgical intervention, and asthma comorbidity. Dysregulated complement activation may contribute to immunologic alterations and disease. To date, there is only scattered knowledge on the source and regulation of the central complement factors in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps. Here, we aim to study complement signatures, especially the C3-C3aR axis, and focus on cellular sources and targets in nasal polyps. Expression of complement factors, including C3, C5, and the anaphylatoxin receptors, was analyzed in nasal polyp tissue samples, the corresponding inferior turbinates, and healthy controls using transcriptomic methods and protein measurements. Distinct patterns of complement expression were found in nasal polyps compared to controls, characterized by an increased C3 activation and an increase in C3aR-bearing cells. In contrast, no difference was shown for epithelial-dependent C3 production. Besides low intracellular C3-expression levels for lymphocytes in general, we could identify an enlarged B lymphocyte population in nasal polyps displaying high amounts of intracellular C3. Our data suggest a prominent role for the C3-C3aR-axis in nasal polyps and, for the first time, describe a B cell population containing high levels of intracellular C3, suggesting a new role of B cells in the maintenance of the inflammation by complement.
Detection of Fusarium sp. contamination in corn by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Abstract Fusarium verticillioides is a primary corn pathogen and one of the main producers of fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins that cause several diseases in animals and probably also affect humans. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) based on polyclonal antibodies was developed to detect the exoantigen of this fungus in corn and its correlation with traditional methods for mould detection was evaluated. Forty freshly harvested corn samples were analysed for F. verticillioides exoantigens, as well as for total mould count, ergosterol and fumonisin levels in order to evaluate the relationship between these parameters. In addition, F. verticillioides was grown in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth in order to evaluate the correlation between biomass and exoantigen concentration. There was no significant correlation between exoantigen concentration and total mould count, Fusarium sp. count and fumonisin levels. The correlation coefficient between exoantigens and ergosterol content was 0.52 and between biomass and F. verticillioides exoantigens in BHI broth was 0.84. These results suggest that this ic-ELISA has potential for Fusarium sp. detection in corn samples.
A dimensionless correlation for the spread of wind-driven fires

Data for the behavior of 59 experimental wind-driven fires were extracted from the literature for use in determining a correlation among several variables known to influence the rate of forest fire spread. Also included in the correlation were unpublished data from six field fires. This information consisted of behavior measurements on small-scale burns of artificial fuels in the laboratory and measurements on field fires in diverse fuels such as grass and logging slash. Fire intensities ranged from about 40 to 4600 kW/m. Dimensional analysis was used to derive three variables governing the fire spread process. These variables, rearranged into a dimensionless rate of spread and a dimensionless wind speed, are strongly correlated and lead to a simple expression for fire spread rate in terms of fuel consumption, ambient wind speed, and flame residence time.
Differential Use of Trails by Forest Mammals and the Implications for Camera‐Trap Studies: A Case Study from Belize

Relative abundance indices are often used to compare species abundance between sites. The indices assume that species have similar detection probabilities, or that differences between detection probabilities are known and can be corrected for. Indices often consist of encounter frequencies of footprints, burrows, markings or photo captures along trails or transect lines, but the assumption of equal detection probabilities is rarely validated. This study analyzes detection probabilities of a range of Neotropical mammals on trails in dense secondary forests, using camera‐trap and track data. Photo captures of the two large cats, jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor), were correlated solely with trail variables, while photo captures of their potential prey species had no correlation or negative correlation with trail variables. The Neotropical mammals varied greatly in their tendency to follow or cross trails based on footprints surveys. This indicates that camera locations on trails will have varying detection probability for these Neotropical mammals. Even the two similar‐sized jaguars and pumas, occupying relatively similar niches, differed subtly in their use of trails. Pumas followed trails more completely while jaguars were more likely to deviate from trails. The ecological significance of these findings is that jaguars seem to be more willing to use the forest matrix away from trails than do pumas. We conclude that trail‐based indices, such as photographic captures or tracks along trails, are not appropriate for comparison between Neotropical species, and not even between relatively similar species like jaguars and pumas.
Impact of Application Rate and Treatment Interval on the Efficacy of Pyraclostrobin in Fungicide Programs for the Control of Early Leaf Spot and Southern Stem Rot on Peanut1

Abstract In 1999, 2000, and 2001, efficacy of the strobilurin fungicide pyraclostrobin (Headline F500) for the control of early leaf spot and southern stem rot was compared to that of standard fungicide programs on peanut cv. Georgia Green produced under irrigation. When applied at 2 wk intervals in 1999 and 2001, programs that included pyraclostrobin at rates ranging from 0.08 to 0.22 kg ai/ha gave better control of early leaf spot than the recommended season-long chlorothalonil program and were at least as efficacious against this disease as tebuconazole and azoxystrobin. The level of early leaf spot control provided by 0.08 to 0.16 kg ai/ha of pyraclostrobin applied every 3 wk and by chlorothalonil at the recommended 2 wk interval was similar. In all 3 yr, incidence of southern stem rot on peanut treated with pyraclostrobin alone, tank-mixed with flutolanil, or alternated with tebuconazole was significantly below damage levels recorded in plots treated with chlorothalonil alone and was usually comparab.
Life-cycle duration, growth and spawning times of five species of atherinidae (Teleostei) found in a Western Australian estuary

Five species of atherinid were collected monthly from the estuary of the Swan-Avon river system. Length-frequency data and gonadosomic indices showed that Atherinosoma presbyteroides, A. elongata, A. wallacei and Allanetta mugiloides typically have a 1-year life cycle and generally reach maturity at total lengths of 40-85 mm. The mean length of the mature females was significantly greater than that of the mature males in each Atherinosoma species, but not in Allanetta mugiloides. The fifth species, Pranesus ogilbyi, was often represented by many individuals with far greater total lengths (100-150 mm) than were found in the other four species, a feature that reflected the presence of two year classes. Length-frequency and gonadosomic data indicated that all five atherinid species breed over protracted periods during spring and summer. Values for the gonadosomic index and the absence of local marine populations of Atherinosoma elongata, Allanetta mugiloides and Atherinosoma wallacei confirmed that the populations of these species in the Swan-Avon are estuarine or estuarine-inland water sensu stricto. Gonadosomic values for the marine species A. presbyteroides and P. ogilbyi, allied with the times of disappearance of larger individuals from the estuary, suggested that only the former of these two species may breed to any extent in the estuary. Length-frequency histograms showed that the populations of A. presbyteroides and P. ogilbyi in the Swan-Avon are more heterogeneous than those of the same species in a nearby marine embayment.
Cuatro modelos de redes de drenaje

We review four quantitative models of drainage networks. The main characteristic of channel networks is selfsimilarity. But networks are not deterministic, there is natural variability that needs to be taken into account. The first model is simple, it takes into account variability and can be tested. Nevertheless, it does not reproduce observations adequately because self-similarity is not explicitly considered in the model construction. The second model does consider self-similarity in the construction but it does not take into account variability and it cannot be tested. The third model considers both self-similarity and variability. The fourth model defines a firmer theoretical basis butit also needs testing against observations. We conclude stressing the need for a thorough test of the model against observations and analysing implications for hydraulic geometry and hydrologyc similarity. © 2018. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.
Effectiveness of Respiratory Muscle Training for Pulmonary Function and Walking Ability in Patients with Stroke: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Background: Neurological dysfunction due to stroke affects not only the extremities and trunk muscles but also the respiratory muscles. Aim: to synthesise the evidence available about the effectiveness of respiratory muscle training (RMT) to improve respiratory function parameters and functional capacity in poststroke patients. Methods: a systematic electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, PEDro and Web of Science databases, from inception to May 2020. Study selection and data extraction: randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the effects of RMT versus non-RMT or sham RMT in poststroke patients. We extracted data about respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength and functional capacity (walking ability, dyspnea, balance, activities of daily life), characteristics of studies and features of RMT interventions (a type of RMT exercise, frequency, intensity and duration). Two reviewers performed study selection and data extraction independently. Results: nineteen RCTs met the study criteria. RMT improved the first second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and walking ability (6 min walking test), but not Barthel index, Berg balance scale, and dyspnea. Conclusions: RMT interventions are effective to improve respiratory function and walking ability in poststroke patients.
Telepractice for School-Based Speech and Language Services: A Workload Management Strategy

This article discusses the combination of onsite and telepractice services as an effective way for professionals working in multiple schools to maximize their time and professional services in an effort to manage their workload. The combined onsite and telepractice services were used by district-wide school-based professionals to deliver direct and indirect services across various locations, thereby reducing time-consuming travel and increasing scheduling efficiency. The possible uses of telepractice as a workload management tool are discussed, as well as some challenges that the team overcame in order to successfully use this method. Telepractice, in combination with onsite services, is an effective workload strategy for school-based therapists.
Laparoscopy‐assisted repair with Ventralex ST Hernia Patch for a small subcostal hernia: A case report

A 55‐year‐old woman with a history of right hepatic lobectomy via a Benz incision presented for evaluation of a new abdominal bulge in the right upper quadrant. We diagnosed an incisional hernia, but because we could neither reduce the hernia contents nor locate the orifice, we performed a laparoscopic evaluation. Laparoscopy revealed subcostal herniation of the greater omentum via a 2‐cm defect on the caudal side of the right ribs, which we repaired using a Ventralex ST Hernia Patch. Laparoscopic placement of this mesh with straps allowed for reliable deployment, fixation, and confirmation of defect closure, including the cranial aspect—often a major challenge in subcostal hernia repair.
Breakdown of leaf litter in a neotropical stream

We investigated the breakdown of 2 leaf species, Croton gossypifolius (Euphorbiaceae) and Clidemia sp. (Melastomataceae), in a 4th-order neotropical stream (Andean Mountains, southwestern Colombia) using leaf bags over a 6-wk period. We determined the initial leaf chemical composition and followed the change in content of organic matter, C, N, and ergosterol, the sporulation activity of aquatic hyphomycetes, and the structure and composition of leaf-associated aquatic hyphomycetes and macroinvertebrates. Both leaf species decomposed rapidly (k = 0.0651 and 0.0235/d, respectively); Croton lost 95% of its initial mass within 4 wk compared to 54% for Clidemia. These high rates were probably related to the stable and moderately high water temperature (19°C), favoring strong biological activity. Up to 2300 and 1500 invertebrates per leaf bag were found on Croton and Clidemia leaves after 10 and 16 d, respectively. Shredders accounted for <5% of the total numbers and biomass. Fungal biomass peaked at 8.4 and 9.6% of the detrital mass of the 2 leaf species, suggesting that fungi contributed considerably to leaf mass loss. The difference in breakdown rates between leaf species was consistent with the earlier peaks in ergosterol and sporulation rate in Croton (10 d vs 16 d in Clidemia) and the faster colonization of Croton by macroinvertebrates. The softer texture, lower tannin content, and higher N content were partly responsible for the faster breakdown of Croton leaves. The rapid breakdown of leaf litter, combined with a low influence by shredders, is in accordance with previous findings. The high fungal activity associated with rapid leaf breakdown appears to be characteristic of leaf processing in tropical streams.
A 1.7‐Mb chromosomal inversion downstream of a PpOFP1 gene is responsible for flat fruit shape in peach

Abstract Flat peaches have become popular worldwide due to their novelty and convenience. The peach flat fruit trait is genetically controlled by a single gene at the S locus, but its genetic basis remains unclear. Here, we report a 1.7‐Mb chromosomal inversion downstream of a candidate gene encoding OVATE Family Protein, designated PpOFP1, as the causal mutation for the peach flat fruit trait. Genotyping of 727 peach cultivars revealed an occurrence of this large inversion in flat peaches, but absent in round peaches. Ectopic overexpression of PpOFP1 resulted in oval‐shaped leaves and shortened siliques in Arabidopsis, suggesting its role in repressing cell elongation. Transcriptional activation of PpOFP1 by the chromosomal inversion may repress vertical elongation in flat‐shaped fruits at early stages of development, resulting in the flat fruit shape. Moreover, PpOFP1 can interact with fruit elongation activator PpTRM17, suggesting a regulatory network controlling fruit shape in peach. Additionally, screening of peach wild relatives revealed an exclusive presence of the chromosomal inversion in P. ferganensis, supporting that this species is the ancestor of the domesticated peach. This study provides new insights into mechanisms underlying fruit shape evolution and molecular tools for genetic improvement of fruit shape trait in peach breeding programmes.
Ecology of Aquatic Worms in the Langat River, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia

A study was conducted t o det ermine the diversity and dens ity of aquatic wor ms i n La ngat River, Selangor, P eninsular Malaysia a nd i ts relationship wi th t he physicochemical parameters that influence the distribution o f the worms. The three a nnelid species fo und were the oligochaetes, Limnodrilus sp. and Dero sp. and the p olychaetes from family Nereididae. The d ensity of different taxonomic group s differed among t he sites with all the aq uatic wo rms showing co rrelation wi th t he physicochemical p arameters studied (except co nductivity). Dero sp. , Limnodrilus sp. and N ereididae showed negative correlation with dissolved oxygen. T he aquatic worms sh owed positive correlation with temperature and organic matter content. Dero sp. (r= 0.135) sh owed positive correlation with pH but b oth Limnodrilus sp. (r= -0.727) a nd Nereididae (r=-0.420) sh owed a negative correlation.