Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum with Lactic Acid Bacteria in Extended Shelf-Life Cook-Chill Soups

The possibility of protecting cook-chill foods with microbial cultures against the risk of botulism was demonstrated. Three commercial soups were incubated with Clostridium botulinum 17B (103 spores/g) and protective cultures (PCs) during 10–15 days at 10°C. The PCs populations were enumerated on M17, MRS and maltose tryptic soy agar, C. botulinum—on sorbitol tryptic soy agar, botulinal toxin was detected by the immunoassay, bacteriocins—by well diffusion assay. C. botulinum did not grow in two soups with low pH (5.2–5.5) and was unaffected by the PCs. In seafood chowder (pH 6.2) C. botulinum populations reached 108 cfu/g. The co-incubation with the PCs, nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis (107 cfu/g) or pediocin-producing Pediococcus pentosaceus (3×108 cfu/g) singularly and as a mixture, prevented toxigenesis as well as reduced the product pH to 4.8–5.0 and C. botulinum populations to undetectable levels. Color, mouth-feel, texture, flavor and the overall acceptability of seafood chowder was not affected by the presence of the PCs.
Long-term dynamics in growth of Scots pine and Siberian spruce in Komi Republic (European part of Russia)

The main objective was to investigate the long-term growth dynamics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Lebed.) trees in the Komi Republic, in the currently changing environment. Positive long-term growth trends of Scots pine and Siberian spruce were identified in the Komi Republic using empirical data from radial growth and height growth analysis in the forest-tundra transition zone, the northern taiga zone, the middle taiga zone, and the southern taiga zone. The statistically significant increase in height increment of 40% for Siberian spruce and 30% for Scots pine was identified for the whole Komi Republic. Within this region statistically significant increases were found in the middle taiga zone for Siberian spruce by 240%, Scots pine 140%, and in the northern taiga for Siberian spruce by 164%. Increases in the radial growth of Siberian spruce in the forest-tundra was 134% while in the northern taiga zone it was 35% over successive 50 year periods from 1901 to 1950 and from 1951 to 2000. In the middle taiga zone a 76% increase in radial growth of spruce was found (over 100 years), whilst in the southern taiga zone the changes were not statistically significant. The increase in radial growth of Scots pine in the northern taiga zone was 32%. In the middle taiga zone the radial growth increase in Scots pine was 55% and in the southern taiga zone the changes were not statistically significant. During the last 20 years, a temperature increase was recorded by all the meteorological stations in Komi Republic; whilst levels of precipitation have been increasing for the last 40 years ago. This is reflected in the radial increment of Siberian spruce and Scots pine. Thus, climate change could partly explain the increased site productivity. The total variance explained by temperature varied from 22% to 41% and precipitation from 19% to 38%. A statistically significant correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data and tree-ring width has been identified for the territory of the Komi Republic. The increased site productivity caused the increase in integrated NDVI values from June to August. This indicates that NDVI can be used as a proxy for estimating the forest growth trends of recent decades for generalization on a large scale. The increased site productivity in the southern and middle sub zones of taiga in the Komi Republic has been shown using NDVI data for 20 years. In the region under discussion, the distribution of the trends in NDVI data changes on a south-west to north-east gradient. NDVI data could be used to increase the spatial resolution of tree-ring width series. The decrease in precipitations was reflected in increase in NDVI. An increase in productivity reflected in NDVI data is maximal on the sites with increased temperature and decreased precipitations. Taking into account the relatively small influence of humans in the Komi Republic compared to Europe, the site productivity during recent decades has also increased in relatively untouched forests.
Distribution of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase in Angiosperms

Abstract Over 80 Angiosperms have been screened for cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase by means of native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis techniques. The results of our analysis show that the presence of a single cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase form is the most common case in the Angiosperms investigated when seedlings or young tissues are analized. This is a conserved character in orders of the Dicots. Two electrophoretic distinct AApx forms have been identified in Magnoliales, the ancestor group from which both Monocots and Dicots were originated and in few other orders. A notable increase in the isoenzyme number is observed in the advanced Monocots (Poales), thus suggesting the existence of an evolutionary trend leading in Monocots to an apparently progressive rise in the ascorbate-dependent enzymatic scavenging of hydrogen peroxide.
CRYPTOPERIDINIOPSIS BRODYI GEN. ET SP. NOV. (DINOPHYCEAE), A SMALL LIGHTLY ARMORED DINOFLAGELLATE IN THE PFIESTERIACEAE 1

A new genus and species of heterotrophic dinoflagellate, Cryptoperidiniopsis brodyi gen. et sp. nov., are described. This new species commonly occurs in estuaries from Florida to Maryland, and is often associated with Pfiesteria piscicida Steidinger et Burkholder, Pseudopfiesteria shumwayae (Glasgow et Burkholder) Litaker et al., and Karlodinium veneficum (Ballantine) J. Larsen, as well as other small (<20 μm) heterotrophic and mixotrophic dinoflagellates. C. brodyi gen. et sp. nov. feeds myzocytotically on pigmented microalgae and other microorganisms. The genus and species have the enhanced Kofoidian plate formula of Po, cp, X, 5′, 0a, 6″, 6c, PC, 5+s, 5″′, 0p, and 2″″ and are assigned to the order Peridiniales and the family Pfiesteriaceae. Because the Pfiesteriaceae comprise small species and are difficult to differentiate by light microscopy, C. brodyi gen. et sp. nov. can be easily misidentified.
Regulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 by Interferon γ and Transforming Growth Factor α in Normal Human Epidermal Keratinocytes and Squamous Carcinoma Cells

Treatment of normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) causes a 9-fold increase in the level of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA expression. Nuclear run-off assays indicate that this induction is at least partly due to increased transcription. Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway due to the enhanced transforming growth factor α (TGFα) expression plays an important role in the induction of COX-2 by IFN-γ. This is supported by the ability of TGFα to rapidly induce COX-2 and the inhibition of the IFN-γ-mediated COX-2 mRNA induction by an EGFR antibody and EGFR-selective kinase inhibitors. Deletion and mutation analysis indicates the importance of the proximal cAMP-response element/ATF site in the transcriptional control of this gene by TGFα. The increase in COX-2 mRNA by TGFα requires activation of both the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Inhibition of p38 MAPK decreases the stability of COX-2 mRNA, while inhibition of MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) does not. These results suggest that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway controls COX-2 at the level of mRNA stability, while the ERK signaling pathway regulates COX-2 at the level of transcription. In contrast to NHEK, IFN-γ and TGFα are not very effective in inducing TGFα or COX-2 expression in several squamous carcinoma cell lines, indicating alterations in both IFN-γ and TGFα response pathways.
What is the Dual of the Energy-Maximization Problem?

A food-limited animal faces the task of finding a diet that comes as close as possible to maximizing its intake of protein, energy, or other fitness-limiting food component, while simultaneously staying above its minima for all nutrients and other essential food components, and below its maxima for toxins, gut capacity, foraging time, or other upper limits. Altmann and Wagner (1978) formulated this energy-maximization goal as a problem in linear optimization ("linear programming"). For every such problem there is another linear optimization problem, referred to as its dual. The dual of the energy-maximization problem can be interpreted as assigning a rate of exchange or unit fee, in terms of energy, to each toxin or other upward-limited food component and to each nutrient or other essential food component so as to minimize the total fee for all dietary components, given the constraint that for each food in the diet, the total fee for all its toxins, nutrients, and other components must equal the energy obtained from that food. The dual problem provides a paradigm for measuring the potential for selection on traits that affect fitness only indirectly, via a network of relationships to other traits.
Some Factors Affecting a Hatchery-Sustained Kokanee Population in a Fluctuating Colorado Reservoir

Abstract The population of kokanees Oncorhynchus nerka in Lake Granby, Colorado, is expected to satisfy the competing demands of providing summer harvest for anglers, kokanee eggs for restocking. and prey for trophy lake trout Salvelinus namaycush In the late 1970s. declines in numbers of kokanees harvested and kokanee eggs collected prompted investigations of the influences of stocking rates, reservoir fluctuations, competition with Mysis relicta, and lake trout predation. The kokanee population has been maintained mainly by annual stocking of fry (≤30 mm total length. TL) since 1951. When maturing spawners exceeded 367 mm TL, more than 50% of them were harvested in the summer recreational fishery. which reduced the number of kokanees in some fall spawning runs. However. when maturing year-classes were composed mainly of smaller kokanees. proportionately fewer were harvested. and the number of maturing kokanees entering the spawning run increased. Despite a trend of increased stocking from 1951 to 1978.
Some factors affecting the establishment of four native grasses

The effects of fertilizer application, types of mulching and times of sowing on the field germination of seed of four native grasses (Themeda australis, Bothriochloa macra, Danthonia spp., and Stipa bigeniculata) are reported. Growth of these species in controlled environments was compared with that of Lolium perenne (ryegrass) at three temperature regimes and two levels of nutrition. Application of an NPK fertilizer had no effect on emergence or survival of the native grasses in the field. Mulching with paper or straw increased emergence of all four species and mulching with bitumen increased emergence from Themeda, Bothriochloa and Danthonia seed only, but decreased survival of the two latter species. In both field and controlled environments, germination and seedling growth of Themeda and Bothriochloa were best when maximum daily temperatures were greater than 30¦, whereas Danthonia and Stipa germinated and grew most satisfactorily when maximum daily temperatures were about 25¦. Growth of Stipa seedlings in a controlled environment was enhanced by a high level of nutrition but growth of the other species was not. Sowing seed in late spring and using a straw mulch should ensure satisfactory levels of establishment of native grass seedlings in the field in south-eastern Australia. Fertilizer application should not be necessary
Microbial food web structure affects bottom‐up effects and elemental stoichiometry in periphyton assemblages

Heterotrophic organisms constitute an important part of the overall biomass of periphyton assemblages, but the role of these components for the propagation of resource enrichment and top‐down control has rarely been addressed systematically. We report results from six laboratory experiments differing in their trophic structure by the inclusion of different functional groups of microbial benthic organisms (i.e., algae, bacteria, flagellates, ciliates, and rotifers). We manipulated the supply of organic carbon, phosphate, light, and the presence of the respective top consumer in full factorial designs. Increased supply of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased total periphyton biomass in almost all experiments, whereas increased phosphorus (P) supply increased total biomass only if algae were present. The effects of DOC and P on the ratio of heterotrophic to autotrophic abundance depended on trophic structure, where additional resources enhanced the autotrophic component when the basal heterotrophs were limited by low organic carbon (C) or by consumer pressure. Light had a comparably minor influence on total biomass and relative abundances. Purely heterotrophic biofilms had higher C: P ratios than autotrophic assemblages. Increased P supply decreased periphyton C: P throughout all experiments except for the experiment with the highest trophic complexity, which yielded low C: P ratios across all treatment levels. Our experimental microcosms with artificially constructed periphyton communities revealed the importance of the benthic microbial food‐web structure for both top‐down and bottom‐up propagating effects of consumers and resources, respectively.
The Relation between Body Size and Organ Size in Plants

1. The problem of the relationship between the size of the plant body and the size of the organs it produces has been studied by various workers, who find that in most cases there is a small but significant correlation between these characters. 2. In a series of bean plants, the coefficients of correlation were determined between plant size, as measured by dry weight of shoot, dry weight of fruit, number of leaves, number of pods and number of seeds; and the average dry weight per plant of leaf, pod and seed. A positive and significant correlation, though usually a small one, was found in each case. 3. An examination of the curve of means for organ size on plant size shows that in each case the curve rises steeply at first and then flattens out. In other words, an increase in the size of the plant is accompanied by an increase in the size of its organs if we consider comparatively small plants only; but after a certain size is reached, any further increase in plant size is not followed by increase in organ size. Separate correlations between plant size and organ size made for small plants (those below the point where the curve flattens) and for large ones (those above it) showed a very decided correlation in the former and practically none at all in the latter. 4. These facts suggested that the size of an organ may not be correlated with body size at all, but rather with the size of the axial growing point from which it develops. In support of this idea attention is called to the fact that during the early stages of a plant's growth there is up to a certain point a progressive and parallel increase in the size of the plant and in the size of the primary meristems of its axes; but that after this point is reached meristem size remains constant and further increase in body size is not accompanied by any increase at all in that of the growing point. 5. Favorable material to test this hypothesis directly was afforded by twigs and leaves of Acer saccharum. The correlation between the blade volume of a given leaf pair and the cross-sectional area of the pith of the internode below (used as an index to the size of the growing point from which the leaves had developed) was found to be high (+ .807 ± .024). 6. It is therefore concluded that the size of a plant organ (leaf, fruit or seed) is dependent not upon the body size of the plant on which it is borne, but rather upon the size of the growing point from which it developed.
Nutritional constraints determine the expression of a sexual trait in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus

Many birds have distinctive patches of feathers that in some cases have been shown to function as reliable signals of phenotypic quality. It has generally been assumed that these called ‘badges’ are inexpensive to produce, so other kind of costs have been invoked to explain how they are maintained as honest signals. In the present study we addressed the hypothesis that the black throat badge of male house sparrows functions as an honest signal of condition because it is nutritionally costly to produce, a possibility not yet evaluated for badges showing status. While under field conditions adult birds exhibited larger badges than juveniles, individuals of both age classes developed badges of similar size when moulting in an aviary with ad libitum food. Fat reserves, blood proteins and body mass records of free ranging birds at the start of moult suggest that juveniles were in poorer condition than adults. The reduction of blood proteins during moult negatively correlated with badge size after moult in juveniles but not in adults, and only the variation of blood proteins, but not fat reserves, correlated with the size of the badge when using multiple regression analysis. The results suggest that: (i) a limited access to food sources during moult may account for the smaller badge size of juveniles as previously reported in the same study population; and (ii) the use of more blood proteins, that seems to depend on a worse nutritional condition, constrains the production of a larger badge. The results give support for the hypothesis that badges are costly to produce, though the magnitude of the costs may be age dependent.
Reproductive Allocation and Strategy of Sargassum elegans Suhr and Sargassum incisifolium (Turner) C. Agardh from Reunion Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract The allocation of biomass to receptacle, holdfast and vegetative tissues differed significantly between Sargassum elegans and Sargassum incisifolium, two sympatric dominant species of the upper intertidal at Reunion Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sargassum elegans, a clumped (many axes per holdfast) species with short primary laterals and a prostrate holdfast allocated a greater proportion of its biomass to the holdfast than did S. incisifolium, an erect species with longer primary laterals, fewer main axes and a conical holdfast. Conversely, S. incisifolium allocated more biomass to the production of receptacle tissue than did S. elegans. These different biomass allocation patterns have previously been considered indicative of different reproductive strategies, i. e. that of sexual reproduction vs. that of persistence and spread in a high wave action environment. At any one time, a low percentage (< 15 %) of the main axes of S. elegans thalli were found to be reproductive, whereas a significantly higher percentage (> 50 %) of main axes of S. incisifolium were found to be reproductive. Per main axis, S. elegans has a greater reproductive effort than S. incisifolium, however at the thallus level, the opposite was observed. It is suggested that the main axes (modules of the genet) of S. elegans function co-operatively to promote sexual reproduction, but minimize any associated costs.
The activity of nucleolar organizing chromosomes in multigeneric F1 hybrids involving wheat, triticale, and tritordeum

The nucleolar activity in interspecific hybrids between tritordeum, wheat, and triticale was studied using the silver salt - nylon technique. rRNA genes from the major NORs from wheat (chromosome pairs 1B and 6B) and Hordeum chilense (chromosome pairs 5Hch and 6Hch) were active in genomic constitutions AABBHchHch, AABBHch, and AABBDHch. The rye chromosome 1R NOR suppression found in triticale and in wheat × rye F1 hybrids is also observed in trigeneric hybrids, genome constitution AABBRHch, derived from crosses between triticale and tritordeum. As expected, the maximum number of NORs per metaphase cell is coincident with the maximum number of nucleoli per interphase cell. Occasional extra nucleolar activity was observed, probably owing to minor sites of wheat NORs, since no other sites of active or inactive rRNA genes were detected in H. chilense. However, it is notable that the two H. chilense loci and two major rDNA loci of wheat origin are expressed together.Key words: silver staining, rDNA, nucleolar .
Cell Density-Dependent Proliferative Effects of Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β1, β2, and β3 in Human Chondrosarcoma Cells HCS-2/8 Are Associated with Changes in the Expression of TGF-β Receptor Type I

In this study, the growth properties of the human chondrosarcoma cell line HCS- 2/8, its response to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β isoforms 1, 2, and 3, and its expression of TGF-β receptors I and II were examined. We demonstrated that these tumor cells are not contact-inhibited and that they can proliferate in the absence of additional serum growth factors. In sparse cultures, all TGF-β forms inhibited the growth of HCS-2/8 cells, whereas they induced a 2-fold increase of DNA synthesis in serum-fed confluent cultures. In serum-free confluent conditions only TGF-β1 stimulated the proliferation rate, whereas TGF-β2 was without effect and TGF-β3 was rather inhibitory. This bimodal effect of TGF-β forms was associated with a greater level of TGF-β receptor I mRNA in confluent HCS-2/8 than in sparse cultures, suggesting that the growth response to TGF-β forms is dependent on the receptor profile expressed.
IMPROVED PROCEDURES FOR THE CLONING AND PURIFICATION OF MICROCYSTIS CULTURES (CYANOPHYTA) 1

A cloned axenic culture of Microcystis Kützing was obtained by combining two procedures: a) the disaggregation of multicellular Microcystis colonies by dilution into deionized water, and b) the selective growth of Microcystis in agar media containing Na2S, which inhibited or killed the associated contaminants. Microcystis growth was stimulated by 0.3–1 mM Na2SO3, but not by 0.1–33 mM Na2SO4. Although Microcystis cells survived temporary exposure to high Na2S concentrations, their growth was not stimulated by 1 × 10−5 to 1.0 M Na2S. Possible metabolic roles of reduced sulfur compounds are considered. Microcystis colonies disaggregated to unicells at ionic concentrations below 1 mM for univalent cations, 10–100 μM for the divalent cations, and 3–10 μM for Fe3+. Higher cation concentrations prompted cell aggregation. With > 100 mM Fe3+, the Microcystis capsule appeared rust‐colored. Neither nonionic solutes nor anions detectably influenced aggregation. These observations suggest cation interactions with the Microcystis capsule and are discussed with regard to: a) possible siderochrome activity, cation chelation or luxury uptake of cations, b) the questionability of using cell aggregation as a criterion for identifying Microcystis in samples of unknown ionic strength, c) the utility of low ionic strength media in releasing contaminating bacteria from the capsule and in obtaining algal unicells for cloning, and d) a model for cation interactions with the capsule.