Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The origin of herbicide-resistant Chenopodium album: analysis of genetic variation and population structure.

Aper J, De Riek J, Mechant E, De Cauwer B, Bulcke R & Reheul D (2010). The origin of herbicide-resistant Chenopodium album: analysis of genetic variation and population structure. Weed Research50, 235–244. Summary Chenopodium album is a predominantly self-fertilising weed species common in temperate regions of the world that has developed resistance to photosystem II inhibitors. The genetic variation and population structure of eight populations from North West Europe were investigated using 416 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. The populations were checked for their level of herbicide resistance by pot experiments and the investigated plants were genotyped for the Ser264 to Gly mutation by cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence. Five populations were sampled in sugar beet, one population from a maize monoculture served as a triazine-resistant reference and the two other populations were susceptible reference populations. Nei’s gene diversity within populations for the whole dataset was low (0.073), whereas, the differentiation among populations was significant (ΦST = 0.26, amova, P < 0.001). There was no correlation between geographical and genetic distance of population pairs. The allelic richness (estimated by ‘band richness’ and percentage of polymorphic loci) was lowest in the two populations with a complete set of herbicide-resistant plants and in one population with a mixture of herbicide-resistant and -susceptible plants, giving evidence for a historical bottleneck. However, the loss in genetic variation was not that large, indicating that herbicide-resistant populations may maintain their adaptive capacity. Furthermore, this study shows that different techniques can be used to extract information from AFLP markers for the investigation of the genetic background of weed populations. Knowledge about the origin and spread of herbicide-resistant weed populations may give opportunities to manage the resistance problem, with its associated ecological and economic consequences.
Scaling in Biology

1. Preface 2. Scaling in Biology: Patterns and Processes, Causes and Consequences 3. Allometry and Natural Selection 4. Hovering and Jumping: Contrasting Problems in Scaling 5. Scaling of Terrestrial Support 6. Consequences of Size Change during Ontogeny and Evolution 7. The Origin of Universal Scaling Laws in Biology 8. Scaling and Invariants in Cardiovascular Biology 9. Vascular System of the Human Heart 10. Constrained Constructive Optimization of Arterial Tree Models 11. Quarter-Power Allometric Scaling in Vascular Plants 12. Twigs, Trees, and the Dynamics of Carbon in the Landscape 13. Cell Size, Shape, and Fitness in Evolving Populations of Bacteria 14. Does Body Size Optimization Alter the Allometries for Production and Life History Traits? 15. Why and How Phylogenetic Relationships Should Be Incorporated into Studies of Scaling 16. Individual Energy Use and the Allometry of Population Density 17. Scaling in Biology, from Organisms to Ecosystem 18. Scaling and Self-Similarity in Species Distributions
Energetic values of some conventional feeds for laying hens.

ENERGETIC VALUES OF SOME CONVENTIONAL FEEDS FOR LAYING HENS The objective of this work was to determine the chemistry composition and energy metabolizable of the corn, soybean meal, wheat bean meal and crude oil of soy with laying hens. First was to determine chemistry composition in the ingredients and one assay metabolism with 80 laying hens, Lohmann LSL white lineage, with 41 weeks of age, distributed in the completely randomized design with five treatments and four replications of four laying hens. The treatments were: one diet reference and four test diet (40% corn + 60% reference diet; 40% soy bean meal + 60% reference diet; 30% wheat bean meal + 70% reference diet and 10% crude oil of soy + 90% reference diet) The chemical composition of the corn, soy bean meal, wheat bean meal and crude oil of soy were: 87.83; 88.36; 87.15 and 99.98% for dry matter, 9.77; 44.47; 14.48 and 0.74% of crude protein, 3.98; 2.61; 3.42 and 99.24% in fat, 2.34; 7.33 and 10.81% of fiber crude, 1.23; 5.77 and 5.44% of ash and 3,873; 4,172; 3,878 and 9,851 for crude energy, respectively. The values for AMEn were: 3,384; 2,433; 1,919 and 8,313 kcal/kg of air-dry matter of the corn, soy bean meal, wheat bean meal and crude oil of soy, respectively.
PKCβΙΙ Augments NF-κB-Dependent Transcription at the CCL11 Promoter via p300/CBP-Associated Factor Recruitment and Histone H4 Acetylation1

The transcription factor NF-κB plays a pivotal role in regulating inflammatory gene expression. Its effects are optimized by various coactivators, including histone acetyltransferases (HATs) such as CREB-binding protein/p300 and p300/CBP-associated factor (p/CAF). The molecular mechanisms regulating cofactor recruitment are poorly understood. In this study, we describe a novel role for protein kinase C (PKC) βΙΙ in augmenting NF-κB-mediated TNF-α-induced transcription of the target gene CCL11 in human airway smooth muscle cells by phosphorylating the HAT p/CAF. Studies using reporters, overexpression strategies, kinase-dead and HAT-defective mutants, and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that PKCβII activation was not involved in NF-κB translocation, but facilitated NF-κB-mediated CCL11 transcription by colocalizing with and phosphorylating p/CAF, and thereby acetylating histone H4 and promoting p65 association with the CCL11 promoter. The effect was dependent on p/CAF’s HAT activity. Furthermore, mouse embryonic fibroblasts from PKCβ knockout mice showed markedly reduced TNF-α-induced CCL11 expression and NF-κB reporter activity that was restored on PKCβII overexpression, suggesting a critical role for this pathway. These data suggest a novel important biological role for PKCβΙΙ in NF-κB-mediated CCL11 transcription by p/CAF activation and histone H4 acetylation.
Reward-related genes and alcohol dependence

Introduction: The rewarding properties of alcohol are mediated by the brain reward systems, specifically by the cholinergic-dopaminergic reward link, involving both nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as well as the ghrelin signalling system. The susceptibility for developing alcohol dependence is influenced by genetic factors. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the genes encoding nAChRs as well as ghrelin and its receptor (GHS-R1A) in human genetic association studies of alcohol dependence. Furthermore, various aspects of ghrelin signalling have been investigated in rats with different alcohol preference. Observations: In the genetic association studies it was shown that; (1) nAChR gene variants influence alcohol consumption and body weight in alcohol-dependent individuals; (2) genetic variants of the ghrelin signalling system influence the risk of developing alcohol dependence, even though the effect size is small, and these variants might also affect body weight. The animal studies in this thesis showed that; (3) GHS-R1A antagonism reduces alcohol intake in a genetic rat model of high alcohol consumption; (4) GHS-R1A gene expression is higher in high alcohol consuming rats than in low alcohol consuming ones in reward-related brain areas; (5) alcohol counteracts the reduction of plasma ghrelin levels over time. Conclusions: The data presented in this thesis suggest that genetic variations of reward-related genes may be involved in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence, although not as major susceptibility genes. Rather, they contribute to increased vulnerability in the reward systems that, in combination with environmental factors, may lead to dependence.
Genetic diversity of three size classes of seeds of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus

Variation in seed size is often observed in samples of eucalypt seeds and this leads to heterogeneous populations of plants, principally through variation in the early stages of plant development. It follows that samples of seeds more uniform in size could produce more uniform populations of plants. In studies of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus it was of interest to determine whether or not the genetic diversity within a population, through the use of isozyme markers, was altered in the subpopulations developed from seeds of different size classes. A commercial sample of seed was separated by seed size into three subpopulations and the percentage germination and mean fresh weight of the seedlings were determined. Proteins extracted from leaves of the seedlings were separated by electrophoresis and tested for activity of eight different enzymes. These eight enzymes showed activity at 20 loci and mean genetic diversity and fixation index were determined using 13 of these loci. The subpopulation of the smallest seeds contained a greater proportion of abnormal seeds and had a lower percentage germination and plant weight compared to the other subpopulations. No significant differences were found in the number of alleles per locus, percentage of polymorphic loci, mean heterozygosity. The major part of the endogamy, indicated by F statistic, was found within the subpopulations: F (IS) = 0.518; F (ST) = 0.010 and F( IT ) = 0.523. We conclude that the use of seeds of uniform size will lead to more uniform germination and plant growth without alteration in overall genetic diversity.
Morphometric variability and allometric relationships in the seagrass Thalassia testudinum in Florida Bay

Morphometric variability and allometric relationships were investigated in the seagrass Thalassia testudinum in Florida Bay in 1998 and 1999. Thalassia testudinum is the dominant seagrass in this perturbed estuary and is important to its ecology. In this study I describe the trends and patterns of the morphometric characteristics of T. testudinum in ten basins in Florida Bay at two spatial scales in two sampling seasons. At the larger scale examined, only mean leaf number showed a significant interannual difference. Distributions of shoot-specific variables were more sensitive to interannual variation; however, both shoot-specific and area-specific characteristics have a high degree of variability at both levels examined. Certain morphometric parameters grouped together consistently and led me to define four ecological zones, similar to ecological zones defined in other studies based upon physical and other characteristics. The results of this study confirm that spatial heterogeneity in the distribution, abundance, and physical characteristics of T. testudinum support the concept of these ecologically distinct regions. Also, the results demonstrate the plasticity of T. testudinum morphology and the significant control that the physical and chemical environment of Florida Bay exert on this morphology. Density had little effect on the morphology of T. testudinum, which is similar to results reported for other clonal plants. However, density had a slight but significant negative correlation with leaf number; this was the only evidence of selfthinning seen. Age and water depth also had little effect on T. testudinum morphology. The results demonstrate that leaf area index can be used to estimate standing crop (and by extension productivity) and total shoot biomass of T. testudinum in Florida Bay. Leaf area index explained 97% of the variance in standing crop. The data compiled here show that some of the shoot-specific and area-specific characteristics of T. testudinum in Florida Bay are strongly related and may prove to be useful descriptors of the architecture of this important seagrass.
The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in surfactant catabolism in the alveolar macrophage

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a lung disease characterized by surfactant accumulation in the alveolar spaces and alveolar macrophages. Although PAP is rare, surfactant abnormalities occur in many lung diseases including acute respiratory distress syndrome, sarcoidosis, and asthma. Studies have shown that surfactant accumulation in PAP patients results from insufficient catabolism by alveolar macrophages. Research in PAP patients and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor knockout (GM-CSF KO) mice revealed deficiencies in the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) and downstream cholesterol transporter ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1). PPARγ regulates lipid metabolism in macrophages and is a prominent target of research in the fields of atherosclerosis and diabetes. This study tested the hypothesis that PPARγ promotes catabolism of surfactant in alveolar macrophages through the transcriptional regulation of ABCG1. Alveolar macrophages from macrophage-specific PPARγ knockout (PPARγ KO) mice accumulate surfactant and exhibit reduced expression of ABCG1 and reduced ABCG1-mediated cholesterol efflux. These results directly link PPARγ-deficiency to surfactant accumulation and demonstrate that PPARγ regulates cholesterol efflux in alveolar macrophages. We next investigated the expression of genes involved in the uptake and biosynthesis of cholesterol in PPARγ KO alveolar macrophages. Expression of key cholesterol biosynthesis genes was suppressed, and cholesterol influx genes (scavenger receptors) were up-regulated. These results suggested PPARγ regulates cholesterol metabolism in alveolar macrophages. We next investigated the up-regulation of PPARγ in the GM-CSF KO alveolar macrophages by instilling mice with a Lentivirus vector containing PPARγ (Lenti-PPARγ). Reconstitution of PPARγ promoted ABCG1 expression and ABCG1-mediated cholesterol efflux in the alveolar macrophages of GM-CSF KO instilled with Lenti-PPARγ. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that PPARγ-mediated transcriptional regulation of ABCG1 is critical to cholesterol metabolism and the maintenance of surfactant homeostasis overall. Understanding the role of PPARγ in normal surfactant homeostasis provides insight into the pathophysiology of PAP and identifies a potential therapeutic target.
Understanding Pseudo-Profound Statements

After examining a rather small body of research on bullshit, we focus on the bullshit receptivity of Slovenian and Finnish teachers and students. Finnish higher education system and management schools were ranked substantially higher by the Global Economic Forum in 2015. Out of 144 countries, Slovenian higher education system is ranked 48th (scoring 4.1 on a scale from 1–7), Finnish second (5.9), with Finnish management schools taking tenth place (5.6) and Slovenian 74th. Being teachers ourselves, we thought it would be interesting to see if there are any substantial differences in recognizing bullshit statements between Slovenian and Finnish educators and students. We asked respondents to assess the level of profoundness in a set of 15 statements, of which only three were meaningful. Prior to this, the respondents were requested to complete the 18-item Need for Cognition ( nfc ) scale and the 16-item Faith in Intuition ( fi ) scale to see if those with higher nfc / fi scores are better or worse at recognizing bullshit. With an average score of 1.54 on the nfc scale, our respondents were not very likely to engage in and enjoy ef-fortful cognitive activities. On the other hand, with the score as low as 1.27 on the fi scale, our respondents were also unlikely to trust their feelings and intuition. As for the pseudo-profound statements, they were rather keen on giving high scores (average 2.94) to sentences lacking any meaning. Our research proved that there is a negative correlation between the Need for Cognition and pseudo-profound statements for the whole sample. On the other hand, this is not statistically signiﬁcant for the subsample of Finnish teachers and students, for the subsample of both Finnish and Slovenian students, where it is neither present nor statistically signiﬁcant, and for the subsample of teachers (Slovenian and Finnish) where the correlation is negative, but
INTERACTING NON-SPECIFIC IMMUNOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF BCG AND Tdapf VACCINATIONS: AN EXPLORATIVE RANDOMIZED TRIAL.

BACKGROUND Certain vaccines such as BCG have non-specific effects, which modulate innate immune responses and lead to protection against mortality from unrelated infections (trained immunity). In contrast, in spite of the disease-specific effects, an enhanced overall mortality has been described after diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination in females. This randomized trial aimed to investigate the non-specific immunological effects of BCG and DTP-containing vaccines on the immune response to unrelated pathogens. METHODS Seventy-five healthy female adult volunteers were randomized to receive either BCG followed by a booster dose of tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis-inactivated polio vaccine (Tdap) 3 months later, BCG and Tdap combined, or Tdap followed by BCG 3 months later. Blood was collected before vaccination, as well as 1 and 4 days, 2 weeks and 3 months after the first vaccination(s), plus 2 weeks after the second vaccination. Ex-vivo leukocyte responses to unrelated stimuli and pathogens were assessed. RESULTS Tdap vaccination led to short-term potentiation and long-term repression of monocyte-derived cytokine responses, and short-term as well as long-term repression of T-cell reactivity to unrelated pathogens. BCG led to short-term and long-term potentiation of monocyte-derived cytokine responses. When given together with Tdap or after Tdap, BCG abrogated the immunosuppressive effects of Tdap vaccination. CONCLUSIONS Tdap induces immunotolerance to unrelated antigens, which is partially restored by concurrent or subsequent BCG vaccination. These data indicate that modulation of heterologous immune responses is induced by vaccination with Tdap and BCG, and more studies are warranted to investigate whether this is involved in the non-specific effects of vaccines on mortality.
Phylogeny of the subfamily Mycetophilinae (Diptera: Mycetophilidae)

A phylogenetic analysis of the Mycetophilinae is presented and discussed. The analysis is based on morphological characters for 27 genera. Fourteen equally parsimonious trees were found. The monophyly of the Mycetophilinae and the two tribes, Exechiini and Mycetophilini, is well supported. Within the Exechiini, good support for the sister-group relationship of Exechia and Exechiopsis was found, as was support for the inclusion of Cordyla in the tribe. The analysis provides good resolution within the Mycetophilini, with Trichonta as the sister group of the remaining taxa.
Combining Ability Studies Involving Male Sterile Lines in Pigeonpea

Combining ability and genetic variance for nine quantitative traits in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. ) were estimated through line x tester analysis involving three male-sterile lines, 18 pollinators and 54 F1 hybrids. The male-sterile lines and pollinators differed for their GCA for almost all the characters. Additive gene effects were predominant for the inheritance of plant height, pods per plant and seed size, whereas non-additive gene effects appeared to be more important for rest of the characters. Among females ms Prabhat (DT) was a good combiner for early maturity, plant height, number of primary branches, seeds per pod, seed size and grain yield. Pollinators such as AL 688 and AF 276 were observed to be high combiners for early maturity, heigher number of pods and higher grain yield. The three top yielding hybrids viz. PMS 1 x AF 276, ms Prabhat (DT) x AL 688 and PMS 1 x AL 201 also exhibited high SCA effects for seed yield and these experimental hybrids involved parents with high GCA effects.
Nature conservation oriented algal biodiversity monitoring investigations in the main arm and some dead arms of the River Tisza I. Benthic diatoms

Benthic diatoms started to be studied as part of the Hungarian National Biodiversity Monitoring Programme in some dead-arms within the Pilot Project area in 1996 and continued in 2000-2001. The investigations had a nature conservation oriented biodiversity monitoring focus but besides the diversity of diatom communities, the water quality of the dead-arms was also described on the basis of benthic diatom species composition an relative abundance by using the trophic and saprobic condition scale of Hofmann. A considerable nutrient content was detected in the investigated dead-arms; besides algal blooms and the spreading of macrophytes, benthic diatom investigations always supported this fact. On the basis of a German red list several valuable species were found in the studied dead-arm. This valuable algal flora can only be protected by the conservation of the habitats (dead-arms) and its catchments area.
ZOOMETRICAL BODY MEASUREMENTS AND THEIR RELATION WITH LIVE WEIGHT IN MATURED LOCAL MUSCOVY DUCKS IN BORNO STATE NIGERIA

Zoometrical body measurements and their relationship with body weight of matured Muscovy ducks were determined. The effect of sex and plumage was significant (P < 0.05) for all body measurements. Drakes showed significantly higher body weight (2.71kg) than ducks (1.46kg) while black colored ducks had significantly higher weights than the other color types. High, positive and highly significant (P < 0.01) correlations were observed between body weights and all body measurements. Though chest girth (r = 0.85) and body length (r = 0.87) had the highest correlation with body weight, the most reliable prediction from regression analysis was between body weight and body length + chest girth + chest width (R 2 = 0.856, SE = 0.290). These parameters may be used to evaluate the body weight of ducks, in addition to being used as selection criteria.
Correlated response in litter traits to selection for intramuscular fat in Duroc swine

vii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 3 Selection for Intramuscular Fat 3 Individual Pig Traits 6 Crossfostering 10 Mortality Traits 11 Litter Traits 13 Correlated Response between Reproductive and Production Traits 18 Correlated Response among Reproductive Traits 31 CHAPTER 3. CORRELATED RESPONSE IN LITTER TRAITS TO SELECTION FOR INTRAMUSCULAR FAT IN DUROC SWINE 35 Abstract 35 Introduction 36 Materials and Methods 37 Results and Discussion 40 Implications 46 Literature Cited 47 Tables 50 CHAPTER 4. ESTIMATES OF GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR LITTER TRAITS IN DUROC SWINE IN RESPONSE TO SELECTION FOR INTRAMUSCULAR FAT 56 Abstract 56 Introduction 57 Materials and Methods 58 Results and Discussion 63 Implications 71 Literature Cited 72 Tables 77 Figures 81 CHAPTER 5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 86 CHAPTER 6. REFERENCES 88
To Scale or not to Scale: Insights from a Study of Grade Comparability in CXC Examinations

This study sought to ascertain the extent to which the use of statistical scaling procedures to establish comparable Grade III/IV cut scores for different examinations of the same subject resulted in cut scores that were comparable to those obtained when judgmental procedures are used. The study used data from three subjects of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) where the same Grade III/IV cut scores were retained over a five-year period. Through linear transformation, the Grade III/IV cut scores for each subject were converted to scale scores on a base form. The extent to which scaling procedures validated CXC’s maintenance of the same Grade III/IV cut scores across years was considered. For all but one of the 11 cut scores considered in this study, the calculated scale scores were dissimilar from those retained by CXC. The calculated scale scores, therefore, could not be regarded as comparable to the cut scores established by CXC through the use of its judgmental procedures. However, it was found that the direction of change in the proportion candidates obtaining Grades I to III with the CXC judgmental procedures was consistent with the outcome of scaling.