Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural dysfunction correlates with heat coma and CTmax in Drosophila but does not set the boundaries for heat stress survival

When heated, insects loose coordinated movement followed by the onset of heat coma (CTmax). These phenotypes are popular measures to quantify inter- and intraspecific differences in insect heat tolerance, and CTmax correlate well with current species distributions. Here we examined the function of the central nervous system (CNS) in five species of Drosophila with different heat tolerances, while they were exposed to either constant high temperature or a gradual increasing temperature (ramp). Tolerant species were able to preserve CNS function at higher temperatures and for longer durations than sensitive species and similar differences were found for the behavioral indices (loss of coordination and onset of heat coma). Furthermore, the timing and temperature (constant and ramp exposure, respectively) for loss of coordination or complete coma coincided with the occurrence of spreading depolarisation (SD) events in the CNS. These SD events disrupt neurological function and silence the CNS suggesting that CNS failure is the primary cause of impaired coordination and heat coma. Heat mortality occurs soon after heat coma in insects and to examine if CNS failure could also be the proximal cause of heat death, we used selective heating of the head (CNS) and abdomen (visceral tissues). When comparing the temperature causing 50% mortality (LT50) of each body part to that of the whole animal, we found that the head was not particularly heat sensitive compared to the abdomen. Accordingly, it is unlikely that nervous failure is the principal/proximate cause of heat mortality in Drosophila. Summary statement Hyperthermic failure of the Drosophila central nervous system causes heat coma, a phenotype varying in temperature between drosophilids, but neural failure is likely not the primary cause of heat mortality.
The adaptive potential of the M-domain of yeast Hsp90

Comparing the distribution of fitness effects (DFE) of new mutations across different environments quantifies the potential for adaptation in a given environment and its cost in other environments. So far, results regarding the cost of adaptation across environments have been mixed, and there were no sufficiently large data sets to map its variation along the genome. Here, we study the DFEs of ≈2500 amino-acid changing mutations obtained from deep mutational scanning of the 118 amino-acid-long middle domain of the heat-shock protein Hsp90 in five environments and at two expression levels. This region is known to be important for client binding, stabilization of the Hsp90 dimer, stabilization of the N-M and M-C interdomains and regulation of ATPase-chaperone activity. Despite the diverse and stressful environments, we find that fitness correlates well across environments, with the exception of one environment, diamide. Consistent with these results, we find very little cost of adaptation; on average only one in seven beneficial mutations is deleterious in another environment. We identify a hotspot of beneficial mutations in a region of the protein that is located within an allosteric center. The identified protein regions that are enriched in beneficial, deleterious, and costly mutations coincide with residues that are involved in the stabilization of Hsp90 interdomains and stabilization of client binding interfaces or residues that are involved in ATPase chaperone activity of Hsp90. Thus, our study yields information regarding the role and adaptive potential of a protein sequence that complements and extends known structural information.
Preliminary evaluation of probiotic potential of yeasts isolated from bovine milk and curd of Sri Lanka

There has been mounting interest in the health benefits associated with live microorganisms commonly known as probiotics. Many probiotic bacterial species have been identified. However, the potential of yeasts as a source of probiotics has not been well explored. The present study was carried out to screen and identify potential probiotic yeasts from selected dairy sources available in Sri Lanka. Yeasts from raw bovine milk and curd were isolated, purified, selected and phenotypically characterized by performing morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. Isolates were assessed for their ability to survive under simulated gastro-intestinal conditions to explore their probiotic potential. Approximately, 190 colonies similar to yeast were isolated and 45 isolates of the division Ascomycota were selected and coded for convenience (SLDY_001-SLDY_045). Most promising probiotic isolates (20) were genotypically identified to be species of Pichia (55%), Candida (30%), and Kluyveromyces (15%) of the family: Saccharomycetaceae. Considering a threshold of >95% similarity to the type strain, eight different yeast species were identified. Isolates (SLDY_005, SLDY_006 and SLDY_039) of Kluyveromyces marxianus species showed the highest probiotic potential from the pool. The strain confirmation and in-vitro/invivo safety assessment of these isolates will further verify their suitability as probiotic starter cultures to be used in local food and pharmaceutical industries.
Resistence induction in Brassica oleracea var. acephala to xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris and growth promotion by endophytic

Among the most economically expressive agricultural crops, cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) stands out as one of the most popular in human feed. However, Brazilian production has been suffering from the incidence of pests and diseases that affect the crops, and black rot of crucifer (BRC), the main cause of economic losses of its producers. In view of the above, the objective of this study was to identify endophytic bacteria to induce resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, causal agente of BRC, and promoting plant growth in B. oleracea. The experiments were conducted at the Laboratory of Microbiology of the Agricultural Sciences Center of the Federal University of Alagoas in Rio Largo/AL, Brazil. B. oleracea plants was cultivated with inoculation of five bacterial endophytes (ISO31, ISO33, ISO34, ISO48 and ISO51) in vases containing natural and sterilized soil for lesion estimation of in vivo pathogen and biometrics agronomic characteristics of production. The pathogen was inoculated with aid of a disposable syringe in the leaves. The data was subject to analysis of variance and the Scott Knott Test (p≤0,05). Isolate 34 showed the best performance in the promotion of resistance and plant growth in comparison to the other isolates, not showing significant interferences of the BRC in the development of the inoculated plants and in the biocontrol of the disease in the field.
Developmental Constraints Do Not Influence Long-Term Phenotypic Evolution of Marsupial Forelimbs as Revealed by Interspecific Disparity and Integration Patterns

Marsupials show a smaller range of forelimb ecomorphologies than placental mammals, and it is hypothesized that this results from macroevolutionary constraints imposed by the specialized reproductive biology of marsupials. Specifically, the accelerated development of the marsupial forelimb allows neonates to crawl to the mother’s pouch but may constrain adult morphology. This hypothesis makes three main predictions: (i) that marsupial forelimbs should show less interspecific disparity than their hindlimbs, (ii) that morphological integration within the marsupial forelimb is stronger than integration between limbs, and (iii) that these patterns should be strongest in diprotodontians, which undergo the most rigorous crawls as neonates. We use a three-dimensional geometric morphometric data set of limb bones for 51 marsupial species to test these predictions. We find that (i) marsupial forelimbs and hindlimbs show similar disparities, (ii) no clear differences in integration exist either within or between limbs, and (iii) the same patterns occur in diprotodontians as in other marsupials, even correcting for lineage age. Therefore, there is currently little evidence that the developmental biology of marsupials has constrained their macroevolutionary patterns. It is possible that functional selection can overcome the effects of developmental constraint on macroevolutionary timescales. Our findings suggest that the role of developmental constraints in explaining the limited phenotypic variability of marsupials (compared with that of placentals) should be reconsidered.
Mitochondrial clearance of Ca2+ controls insulin secretion

Transport of Ca2+ from the cytosol to the mitochondrial matrix of insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells facilitates nutrient-mediated insulin secretion. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. The establishment of the molecular identity of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) and associated proteins has allowed mitochondrial Ca2+ transport to be modified in intact cells. We examined the consequences of deficiency of the accessory protein, MICU2, in rat and human insulin-secreting cell lines as well as in mouse islets. Glucose-induced mitochondrial Ca2+ elevation and inner membrane hyperpolarization were reduced, together with cytosolic ATP/ADP-ratios and insulin secretion. Insulin secretion in Micu2 knock out mice was attenuated in vitro as well as in vivo. While KCl-evoked sub-plasmalemmal Ca2+ increases were more pronounced, the global cytosolic Ca2+ response was, surprisingly, diminished in MICU2-deficient cells. These findings were supported by selective inhibition of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake by mitochondrial depolarization. It is concluded that mitochondrial Ca2+ transport plays an additional and hitherto unrecognized role in stimulated β-cells by regulating net Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane. This is likely accounted for by clearing of sub-plasmalemmal Ca2+ levels by mitochondria located near the plasma membrane.
Genetic characterisation of European mudminnow (Umbra krameri) populations from the Sava River system

Two new populations of the European mudminnow (Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) were discovered in the Sava River system, one in its middle part (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the other in a tributary to the Kupa River (Croatia). The Croatian population is the most upstream mudminnow discovery in the Sava River system known to date. The genetic structure of the newly recorded mudminnow populations was examined using mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite loci. By adding these new populations to the analysis of the population genetic structure of mudminnow from the Sava River system, previously unresolved relationships between the populations from the upper and the lower Sava were clarified: the middle Sava populations were shown to be well outside the hybridisation zone with the Danubian clade, meaning the upstream boundary of this zone is confined to the lower Sava. The results also suggest that mudminnow populations in the Sava River system are less isolated than previously believed. Namely, intermediate gene-flow was detected when comparing the uppermost Sava population with the lower Sava populations. Taking these results into account, appropriate guidelines are proposed to preserve mudminnow populations from the Sava River system.
Has the Karoo spread? A test for desertification using carbon isotopes from soils

Karoo shrublands are widely believed to have spread at the expense of grasslands as a result of livestock farming since European settlement. We tested this view by analysing carbon isotope composition (? 13C) of soil organic malter (SOM) at 11 sites spanning the area thought to have undergone the greatest changes. Results confirm a substantial shift of SOM ? 13C from values characteristic of C4 grasses to C3 shrublands in surface soil layers. There is also evidence for a much earlier cycle of change, from deeper soil layers. Summer rainfall was strongly correlated with grass cover, as measured by SOM ? 13C. Our study supports the view that grass cover has declined under grazing pressure, but not that grasslands covered most of the central Karoo before European settlement.
Detection of efflux pump CmeABC in enrofloxacin resistant Campylobacter spp. strains isolated from broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Fowls are the main reservoirs of the highly important food-originating pathogen called Campylobacter spp. and broilers’ meat and byproducts are the main vehicles of this microorganism. Increasing of Campylobacter spp. resistant strains to fluorquinolones, an antimicrobial class often employed in poultry farming and in human medicine has become a great concern to poultry breeders. In fact, several studies evaluated increasing bacterial resistance against these antimicrobial agents. The role of CmeABC efflux system has been underscored among the resistance mechanisms in Campylobacter spp. to fluorquinolones. This study investigated the occurrence of CmeABC efflux pump in 81 and 78 enrofloxacin resistant strains of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli respectively, isolated from broilers collected from six abattoirs situated at São José do Vale do Rio Preto/RJ poultry center and from two commercial abattoirs situated at Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, from 2013 to 2016. The resistance to enrofloxacin was assessed by agar dilution to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The CmeABC efflux system was investigated through the detection of genes genes cmeA, cmeB and cmeC by PCR. The activity of CmeABC efflux pump was investigated in 20 strains by using the efflux pump inhibitor Phenylalanine-Arginine β-Naphthylamide (PAβN). The three genes cmeA, cmeB and cmeC were detected in 94.3% of the strains (C. jejuni = 80 and C. coli = 70), whereas the system was absent or incomplete in 5.7% of strains (C. jejuni = 1 and C. coli = 8). MIC varied between 0. 5μg/ml and 64μg/ml, and 88.7% of strains were enrofloxacin resistant and 11.3% featuring intermediate resistance. The inhibition of the efflux pump by PAβN reduced the MIC to enrofloxacin up to eight times in fifteen strains (75%). These results indicate that this system is frequent and active in Campylobacter spp. Resistant strains in the presence of enrofloxacin.
Revision of the New World Scentless Plant Bug Genus Niesthrea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhopalidae), with Descriptions of Six New Species and a Key to the Species

Abstract The scentless plant bug genus Niesthrea Spinola, 1837 (Rhopalinae, Niesthreini) is revised. Fourteen previously described species are diagnosed; Niesthrea ashlocki Froeschner, 1989 and Niesthrea remediana Grillo and Alayo, 1978 (revised synonymy) are synonymized under Niesthrea flava Grillo and Alayo, 1978; Niesthrea parasidae Grillo and Alayo, 1978 is synonymized under Niesthrea sidae (Fabricius, 1794); Niesthrea pictipes casinii Göllner-Scheiding, 1984 is elevated to species status; a neotype is designated for Corizus campoi Porter; and the six new species Niesthrea choprai sp. nov. from Argentina and Peru, Niesthrea conicoloba sp. nov. from Argentina, Niesthrea lateroloba sp. nov. from Peru, Niesthrea parvaloba sp. nov. from Bolivia, Niesthrea rostrata sp. nov. from Colombia and Ecuador, and Niesthrea truncata sp. nov. from Brazil and Colombia are described. A color habitus illustration of N. flava, color digital images of all adults and male genitalia, and an identification key to the 20 currently known species, based primarily on male genitalia, are provided to help distinguish species. Host plants and biogeography are documented.
Neurovascular Uncoupling in Schizophrenia: A Bimodal Meta-Analysis of Brain Perfusion and Glucose Metabolism

SUKUMAR, N. , S. Priyadharshini, U. Anazodo, L. Palaniyappan. Neurovascular uncoupling in schizophrenia: A bimodal meta-analysis of brain perfusion and glucose metabolism. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV X(X) XXX-XXX, XXXX. - The use of modern neuroimaging approaches has demonstrated resting-state regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) to be tightly coupled to resting cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMRglu) in healthy brains. In schizophrenia, several lines of evidence point towards aberrant neurovascular coupling, especially in the prefrontal regions. To investigate this, we used Signed Differential Mapping to undertake a voxel-based bimodal meta-analysis examining the relationship between rCBF and rCMRglu in schizophrenia, as measured by Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) and 18Flurodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) respectively. We used 19 studies comprised of data from 557 patients and 584 controls. Our results suggest that several key regions implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia such as the frontoinsular cortex, dorsal ACC, putamen, and temporal pole show conjoint metabolic and perfusion abnormalities in patients. In contrast, discordance between metabolism and perfusion were seen in superior frontal gyrus and cerebellum, indicating that factors contributing to neurovascular uncoupling (e.g. inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress) are likely operates at these loci. Hybrid ASL-PET studies focusing on these regions could confirm our proposition.
Soil organic carbon sequestration potential and economic profitability of perennial forage crops under different mulching environments

A study was conducted to investigate the soil organic carbon sequestration potential and economic profitability of perennial forage crops under different mulching practices. Based on the field experiment and analysis, forage crop Setaria anceps was found as an economically viable crop as well as provided an efficient carbon sequestration system. Green forage productivity was 10.31–17.67% higher with live mulching during first year and 12.66–18.31% during second year when compared with no mulching and soil dust mulching. There was an improvement in soil organic carbon sequestration rate (4.15–12.37% higher over other treatments) and a decrease in bulk density with live mulching. Higher economic benefit was also obtained with live mulched plot. Live mulching also increased uptake of N, P and K by perennial forage crops significantly. It was concluded that live mulching with legumes in Setaria anceps was superior for improving productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability.
A Dual-Purpose Model for Spring-Sown Oats in Cold Regions of Northern China

Alpine regions in northern China are the traditional animal husbandry base. The lack of high-quality forage supply resulting from degradation of natural grasslands and low forage production due to short growing seasons greatly restricts development of animal husbandry in these areas. Spring oats have been widely planted in cold regions worldwide harvesting as either grains or forages because of their great adaptative ability to low temperatures and early maturation and high nutritional values. To maximize forage and grain production, we developed a dual-purpose model for spring-sown oats in the cold regions of northeastern China using two oat species, Avena nuda L. (cv. Bayou6) and Avena. sativa L. (cv. Qinghai444). Growth, forage production and quality, grain yield, and re-growth ability of the two oats were investigated in field trials and field demonstration. Maximal dry weight was found to occur at 70 days of emergence for both oats with higher forage production and crude protein (CP) in Bayou6 than Qinghai444 oat species. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of the two oats increased with time during the early vegetative growing stage, while the relative feed value showed a decrease during vegetative growing stage. The re-growth ability following cutting for the two oats reduced with increasing growth times during vegetative stage. Plant height, tiller density, CP and NDF contents of re-growing seedlings harvested at 30–40 days of emergence did not significantly differ from those of un-cutting control. The overall cumulative dry weight of biomass following cutting at 30 days of emergence was significantly higher than that of control without cutting in both oat species. Seed yield from plots cut at 30 days of emergence for both oat species was insignificantly different from that of control plots. Harvesting of spring-sown oats at 30 days of emergence enhanced forage production, but it did not influence seed yield. Results from 2-year field demonstration confirmed these conclusions. These findings highlight that this dual-purpose oat management model can have great applications in the cold regions of China.
Phytochemical screening and total lipid content of marine macroalgae from Binuangeun beach

Marine macroalgae has potent applications for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic. Several species of green and brown macroalgae from Binuangeun beach have been collected and analyzed by phytochemical test and total lipid content. Phytochemical screening has been carried out to discover bioactive compound in macroalgae. The lipid of algae contains fatty acid, oxylipins, and sterol, which has nutritional dan chemo-taxonomic properties. The results show the presence of bioactive compounds in green and brown macroalgae such as flavonoids, saponins and steroid. The analysis of total lipid content reveals that macroalgae of brown (Turbinaria sp.) and green (Tydemania sp.) species recorded the total lipid content, 5.69% and 5.87%, respectively.
Impact of Row Distance and Seed Density on Grain Yield, Quality Traits, and Free Asparagine of Organically Grown Wheat

Organic farming faces challenges providing sufficient nutrient supply as manure and crop rotations are often the major nutrient inputs. Larger row distances and fewer seed densities can support nitrogen availability by giving more space to the single plant. As free asparagine (Asn) the main precursor of acrylamide (AA) in plants is closely related to nitrogen uptake and storage, the question arose whether free Asn will be affected by row distance and seed densities in organic farming. This study investigated the effect of row distance and seed density on yield, yield components, baking quality, and free Asn in organic farming. A two-year field trial was carried out including two winter wheat cultivars, two row distances, and two seed densities. Year and cultivar highly influenced all traits. The impact of both treatments was mainly caused by interaction. Nevertheless, enlarged row distances raised baking quality, while free Asn was changed to a minor extent. Thus, we recommend larger row distances for raising baking quality without increasing free Asn. Seed density is of minor relevance. The close relation found between free Asn and grains per spike (R2 = 0.72) indicates that smaller grains contain more Asn than bigger grains. This opens new insights into Asn synthesis during grain development and offers a potential prediction of Asn amounts.