Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Postcranial Skeleton of Yanoconodon allini from the Early Cretaceous of Hebei, China, and Its Implications for Locomotor Adaptation in Eutriconodontan Mammals

ABSTRACT A recent study hypothesized that Yanoconodon allini (Eutriconodonta: Jeholodentidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of northeastern China was a terrestrial mammal capable of swimming. However, a detailed description and functional study of the postcranial skeleton of Yanoconodon have not yet been published. Here, we describe and analyze the functional morphology of its postcranial skeleton. Our analyses indicate that Yanoconodon has a combination of adaptive features for diverse locomotor modes. Its humerus has a spindle-shaped head, an indistinct neck, and a broad and shallow intertubercular groove, all of which resemble those of non-therian mammals and premammaliaform cynodonts. The lack of an enlarged olecranon process of the ulna and the lack of styloid processes at the distal ends of the radius and ulna would have limited the digging efficiency of Yanoconodon. The triangular scapula and the pivotal pectoral girdle of Yanoconodon resemble those in extant mammals with some climbing ability. The femur has a spherical head with a very short neck and small greater trochanter. No malleoli are present in the distal ends of the tibia and fibula to constrain the movement of the upper ankle joint in a parasagittal plane. The astragalus is partially superimposed on the calcaneus. The axial skeleton is elongate relative to the short limbs and small skull. These postcranial skeletal features imply that Yanoconodon had a sprawling posture and was a generalized terrestrial mammal, whereas its capability of swimming was inferred from multivariate ecomorphological analysis using extant small-bodied mammals as analogs.
Fruit firmness and fruit retention strength in raspberry cultivars in Chile

Raspberries have a short shelf life, which limits their fresh market potential. Fruit firmness is one of the most important characteristics for a fresh market cultivar, which is related to both the stage of maturity and the variety itself. Fruit retention strength define as the tension force needed to remove the receptacle from the fruit, decreases as fruit mature, and it is also cultivar dependent. The objectives of this work were to evaluate fruit firmness and fruit retention strength in 14 raspberry cultivars in Chile, and also to examine some morphological changes that occur during the fresh-frozen-thaw cycles fruits at the cellular level. To do these fresh berries were harvested at 3 different maturity stages: pink-red, red-ripe and over-ripe (processing ripe). Fruit firmness was measured using a Texture Expert TA-XT2 with a 2 mm embol. Fruit strength was measured with an adaptation of a Dindometer, an instrument that registers the tension force needed to remove the receptacle from the fruit. Electron microscopy was used to examine changes at cellular level between fresh and freeze-thaw berries in three cultivars. We found that in all 14 cultivars fruit firmness decreased with maturity. The largest differences in fruit firmness among cultivars were established at early stages of maturity. The firmest cultivar at pink-red stage was 'Chilliwack' (1.23 N), followed by 'Tulameen' (0.91 N), 'Heritage' (0.73 N) and 'Skeena' (0.68 N). 'Autumn Bliss' was the softest cultivar (0.24 N). Fruit strength also decreased as fruit matured in all 14 cultivars. In this case larger differences among them were also established at pink-red stage. 'Amity' (6.9 N) and 'Fallgold' (6.22 N) required higher amounts of force to remove the receptacle, producing in many cases broken fruits with missing drupelets. 'Yellow Meeker' (1.61 N) and 'Heritage' (2.12 N) had the lowest retention force, and therefore are the easiest cultivars to pick at early stages of maturity. Cellular dehydration was observed in 'Tulameen' after a freeze-thaw cycle. 'Heritage' showed cell dehydration and partial damaged on its epidermis. In 'Amity' a general plasmolysis was observed after a freeze-thaw cycle. Fruit firmness was not necessarily associated with morphological changes of individually quick frozen (IQF) berries. There are probably some physical characteristics of the epidermis of the fruit in the different cultivars that make some cultivars more susceptible to damage during the freeze-thaw process.
Urban Fish Farming in Jos, Nigeria: Contributions towards Employment Opportunities, Income Generation, and Poverty Alleviation for Improved Livelihoods

In most urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of better socio-economic conditions and improved livelihoods is contributing to increased unemployment levels, poverty and large scale urban deprivation. Given such poverty situations and the prevalence of people who survive on less than 2 USD per day, local populations in these areas are increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity as well as malnutrition. One way out of this poverty trap is practicing small scale agriculture both for subsistence and income-generating purposes. In this paper, the role of small scale fish farming as a livelihood strategy by urban farmers in the city of Jos has been investigated by means of a mixed-method research design. Thus, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for analyses in order to understand the various dimensions of small scale fish farming amongst 50 respondents randomly selected in the city of Jos, Nigeria. The results have shown the spatial distribution of these farming practices, as well as the demographic attributes of these farmers. Small-scale fish farming is a viable source of food, generating local employment opportunities as well as much needed income in an environment of urban deprivation. Some of the income (above ₦20,000 or 55.56 USD) derived from this fish farming significantly alleviates poverty, as it exceeds the Nigerian national minimum wage of ₦18,000 (50.00 USD). Results also show that the lack of reliable water supplies and high production costs are some of the most constraining problems that militate against operational effectiveness and efficiency, along with poor marketing of their produce and lack of preservation facilities. The lack of access to credit facilities was also mentioned as one of the problems besetting this activity. From the perceptions of the respondents in this study, a number of negative environmental impacts associated with small scale fish farming have been highlighted. Given these results and the growth potential of this kind of farming in Jos, more integrated local development planning is recommended for addressing the infrastructural and resource needs of practicing farmers for achieving long term sustainability in small scale fish farming.
Epidemiology and quinolone-susceptibilities of Salmonella and Campylobacter in feedlot cattle

Salmonella and Campylobacter are two leading causes of human foodborne disease. Cattle can asymptomatically shed these organisms in their feces. Fluoroquinolones are antimicrobials used to treat both humans and animals. With concerns over antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial use in livestock has become scrutinized. Data on prevalence and susceptibility of Salmonella and Campylobacter in feedlot cattle, particularly those exposed to fluoroquinolones, are sparse. The purpose of the research described in this dissertation was to determine the prevalence and quinolone susceptibility of Salmonella and Campylobacter isolated from feedlot cattle and to determine whether these outcomes were associated with fluoroquinolone use. First, an observational study was performed at five commercial feedlots that used enrofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone) as first-line treatment for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Fecal samples were collected from cattle pens with various levels of BRD and exposure to enrofloxacin. Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence and susceptibility to quinolones, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, were evaluated. Prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter was highly variable among and within feedlots. All but one Salmonella isolate was susceptible to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, whereas 49% (126/256) of the Campylobacter isolates were resistant to both antimicrobials. However, the number of enrofloxacin treatments was not associated with the prevalence or susceptibilities of either organism. A second, experimental study assessed prevalence and quinolone susceptibilities of Salmonella and Campylobacter in feces of feedlot cattle administered enrofloxacin for the control of BRD (metaphylaxis). Cattle with no history of fluoroquinolone exposure were randomly assigned to either an enrofloxacin treated pen or a nontreated, control pen. Cattle feces were repeatedly collected and cultured for Salmonella and Campylobacter, with isolates tested for susceptibilities to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Overall, Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence estimates were relatively low and decreased over time. Resistance prevalence was negligible for Salmonella, but was high for Campylobacter. However, there was no evidence that enrofloxacin metaphylaxis impacted the prevalence of Salmonella or Campylobacter, nor did it significantly affect their susceptibility to human quinolones. In conclusion, enrofloxacin use in feedlot cattle does not appear to have a significant impact on the prevalence or resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter. EPIDEMIOLOGY AND QUINOLONE-SUSCEPTIBILITIES OF SALMONELLA AND CAMPYLOBACTER IN FEEDLOT CATTLE
Association between serum levels of Adipokines and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder associated with metabolic disorders and infertility. Evidence suggests that the adipose tissue secreted products, adipokines, play an important role in the pathophysiology of PCOS. Reciprocally, PCOS influences on the adipokines serum content, also on gene or protein expression of some of them. Finding out of association between serum levels of adipokines and PCOS will help to understand the pathology of PCOS and identify treatment solutions of this syndrome. In this paper, we review the assosiation of several known adipokines with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Identification of regulatory genes to reduce N2O production

Siciliano, S. D. 2014. Identification of regulatory genes to reduce N2O production. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1033-1036. The production of nitrous oxide occurs predominantly by microbial activity. This microbial activity can be broadly sub-divided into denitrification, the sequential reduction of nitrate to nitrous oxide or dinitrogen gas, or into nitrification, the sequential oxidation of ammonia to nitrite. The consumption of nitrous oxide occurs by microbial activity as well, but only by a single pathway, i.e., the activity of nitrous oxide reductase (nos). The purpose of this investigation was to determine the dominant producer of nitrous oxide in our agricultural ecosystems, and then explore how these producers interacted with other biological and edaphic factors to regulate overall nitrous oxide production. Finally, we also investigated what controlled nitrous oxide consumption in these agricultural ecosystems. Much to our surprise, the dominant production of nitrous oxide in these upland agricultural soils occurred by nitrification, likely the nitrification-denitrification pathway. In addition, a root exudate, formate, was a large driver of nitrous oxide release via its interaction with the fungal biomass under micro-aerophilic conditions. Despite these unusual sources of production, what became apparent was that the net flux of nitrous oxide in an agricultural soil was linked to denitrifier consumption of nitrous oxide. In conclusion, this project found that there was a wide variety of non-bacterial denitrifier producers of nitrous oxide in an agricultural soil and that they interact not only between themselves but with the plant community. However, the net production of nitrous oxide in agricultural fields was still tightly linked to bacterial denitrification, but through the consumption of nitrous oxide by bacterial denitrifiers.
Effects of environmental variables on seedling distribution of rare and endangered Dacrydium pierrei

Abstract Because growth environment is affected by climate change, Dacrydium pierrei resources are becoming less and less. Therefore, understanding the effects of environmental variables on seedling-sapling distributions can help gain insight into changes in population recruitment in the context of climate change. The seedling-saplings distribution and variability of Dacrydium pierrei in environmental variables at Bawangling, Hainan, China, was surveyed over a 3-year period. In addition, laboratory experiments measuring the effects of soil moisture on seedling emergence were conducted to identify seedling development characteristics; principal component analysis (PCA) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) were used to assess how different factors influenced Dacrydium pierrei seedlings-saplings distribution. The results demonstrated that the influence degree of seedling-sapling distribution is soil temperature>litter thickness>available phosphorus>canopy density> available potassium>nitrate nitrogen; a large number of seedling-saplings occurring at altitudes 1140-1300 m; a GMM trained with a C2-L3-H4-A5-I6 combination yielded an accuracy of 72.23% in simulating seedling-saplings distribution; temperature and precipitation have strong impact on seedling-sapling distribution, with increasing soil moisture, seedling emergence shows a positive relationship. This study focuses more on developing a new method for research on the seedling-sapling distribution of Dacrydium pierrei to get reference for its adaptive management with the intense extreme climate change.
Spring body condition of hen pheasants Phasianus colchicus in Great Britain

In this study we sought to determine main predictors of the body condition of hen pheasants Phasianus colchicus in Great Britain. We collected a total of 181 hen pheasants from 21 estates throughout Britain in 1996 and 1997. Pheasants collected from shooting estates which undertook spring supplementary feeding had significantly larger fat reserves than pheasants collected from estates where supplementary feeding stopped at the end of the shooting season (1 February). Hens from estates managed for wild pheasants had larger fat reserves than hens from estates managed for reared pheasants. However, there was no difference in parasite loads of Heterakis gallinarum, Capillaria sp. or Syngamus trachea between pheasants from wild and reared estates, and parasite load did not influence body condition. Our results suggest that food availability is a key factor influencing body condition of hen pheasants in Britain. We recommend that game managers provide supplementary grain in breeding territories through the spring to increase food availability and maintain pheasant body condition.
A Cell Cycle Switch Dictates Organ Repair and Tissue Growth Responses in The Drosophila Hindgut

Ploidy-increasing cell cycles drive tissue growth in many developing organs. Such cycles, including endocycles, are increasingly appreciated to drive tissue growth following injury or activated growth signaling in mature organs. In these organs, the regulation and distinct roles of different cell cycles remains unclear. Here, we uncover a programmed switch between cell cycles in the Drosophila hindgut pylorus. Using an acute injury model, we identify mitosis as the response in larval pyloric cells, whereas endocycles occur in adult pyloric cells. By developing a novel genetic method, DEMISE (Dual-Expression-Method-for-Induced-Site-specific-Eradication), we show the cell cycle regulator Fizzy-related dictates the decision between mitosis and endocycles. After injury, both cycles accurately restore tissue mass and genome content. However, in response to sustained growth signaling, only endocycles preserve epithelial architecture. Our data reveal distinct cell cycle programming in response to similar stimuli in mature vs. developmental states and reveal a tissue-protective role of endocycles.
Understanding the Regulation of Endogenous TRPV2 by Growth Factors in Neuronal Cells

XI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The Transient Receptor Potential family of ion channels 2 1.2 TRPV channels as thermosensors 2 1.3 Domain structure of thermoTRPV channels 3 1.4 Involvement of TRPV2 in sensory transduction 4 1.5 Pharmacological Activation and Inhibition of TRPV2 6 1.6 Subcellular trafficking of TRPV2 10 1.7 Involvement of TRPV2 in nervous system function and axon extension 12 1.8 Neurotrophins and their receptors 13 1.9 Retrograde transport of neurotrophin signals 17 1.10 Ca as a second messenger in neurotrophin signaling 20 1.11 TRP channels in neurite outgrowth and neurotrophin signaling 21 1.12 Purpose of this study 23 1.13 Figures 25 1.14 Table 33
Biology and Detection of Pregnanes During Late Gestation in the Mare

OF THESIS BIOLOGY AND DETECTION OF PREGNANES DURING LATE GESTATION IN THE MARE Progesterone in the mare declines to almost undetectable concentrations in late gestation. It’s metabolized into several pregnanes, some circulating at very high concentrations. Although the function of many pregnanes remains unclear, 5α-dihydroprogesterone and allopregnanolone are bioactive. Measurements of pregnanes in late gestation are typically by immunoassay, although results are confounded by cross-reactivity with related pregnanes. Conversely, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) allows differentiation of individual pregnanes. The purposes of these studies were: 1) to evaluate the ability of a 5α-reductase inhibitor, dutasteride, to alter pregnane metabolism and pregnancy outcome, 2) to evaluate changes in target pregnanes in late gestation by LC-MS/MS in mares with ascending placentitis, and 3) compare immunoassay and LC-MS/MS detection of pregnanes in late gestation. Our findings suggest that dutasteride significantly altered pregnane metabolism without effects on pregnancy outcome. Pregnane measurement by LC-MS/MS resulted in a significant (p<0.05) increase in pregnanes metabolized in the placenta, but not those coming directly from the fetus in mares with placentitis. Results indicate pregnane profiles of mares with chronic placentitis mirror those of healthy pregnancies prior to parturition. A comparison of immunoassays demonstrated significant (p<0.05) differences in assay results, while correlation was observed between immunoassay measurements and actual progesterone concentrations by LC-MS/MS. These studies demonstrate the complexity of pregnane metabolism in late gestation in the mare and the necessity of LC-MS/MS to detect specific changes that immunoassays cannot differentiate.
Qualities of Cookie Made With Beeswax-Coconut Oil Organogels as Replacement for Shortening

The effects of beeswax-coconut oil organogels (7.5%, 10.0%, 12.5%, 15.0% and 17.5% beeswax, wt) quality-related characteristics of shortening replaced cookies were evaluated. The following quality attributes were measured: organogels melting points, fatty acids contents, proximate composition, color, texture, spread factor, sensory evaluation, antioxidant activity and storage stability. Peroxide values of cookie extracts made with organogels were dramatically lower than that of cookie made with shortening (p 0.05), nevertheless, the antioxidant activity of cookie extracts with light or without light exposure for 2 hours decreases slightly. No significant differences in sensory attributes of cookies made with shortening and 12.5% beeswax-coconut oil organogel except crisp were revealed by 72 panelists. For cookie made with coconut oil, the oil separate out problem after baking was solved by adding more than 12.5% beeswax in organogel. Accordingly, cookies made with 12.5% beeswax-coconut oil organogel is considered the most acceptable and appropriate practice in processing cookies for commercial purposes of shortening replacement.
Genetic Adaptation of C. elegans to Environment Changes I: Multigenerational Analysis of the Transcriptome

Abrupt environment changes can elicit an array of genetic effects. However, many of these effects can be overlooked by functional genomic studies conducted in static laboratory conditions. We studied the transcriptomic responses of Caenorhabditis elegans under single generation exposures to drastically different culturing conditions. In our experimental scheme, P0 worms were maintained on terrestrial environments (agar plates), F1 in aquatic cultures, and F2 back to terrestrial environments. The laboratory N2 strain and the wild isolate AB1 strain were utilized to examine how the genotype contributes to the transcriptome dynamics. Significant variations were found in the gene expressions between the “domesticated” laboratory strain and the wild isolate in the different environments. The results showed that 20% - 27% of the transcriptional responses to the environment changes were transmitted to the subsequent generation. In aquatic conditions, the domesticated strain showed differential gene expression particularly for the genes functioning in the reproductive system and the cuticle development. In accordance with the transcriptomic responses, phenotypic abnormalities were detected in the germline and cuticle of the domesticated strain. Further studies showed that distinct groups of genes are exclusively expressed under specific environmental conditions, and many of these genes previously lacked supporting biochemical evidence.
Phytochemical Analysis of Muntingia calabura Extracts Possessing Anti-Microbial and Anti-Fouling Activities

The present study was carried out to determine the possible antifouling and anti microbial activity of plant extracts prepared from Muntingia calabura and phytochemical screening was demonstrated. The extracts from the following plant parts like stem, leaves, fruits, flower and stems were prepared in different aqueous solvents like ethanol, methanol, acetone, acetonitrile and water. The highest antimicrobial potentials were observed for the methanolic extracts against K. pneumonia, B. subtilis, B. megaterium and P. aeruginosa. Its efficacy was comparable to the standard drug, ampicillin. Significant amount of tannins, alkaloids, steroids and flavonoids were found. Interestingly, the present study showed anti fouling effect against pathogenic biofilm forming bacteria. These extracts also contain high hemagglutination activity. The present study provides evidence that solvent extract of M. calabura contains medicinally important bioactive compounds and this justifies the use of plant species as traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases.