Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An integrative revision of Mesocrista Pilato, 1987 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae)

ABSTRACT Mesocrista is a Holarctic tardigrade genus currently classified within the subfamily Itaquasconinae (Eutardigrada: Parachela: Hypsibiidae). The position of the genus has been so far inferred solely on the basis of light microscopy observations. Here, we present the first-ever scanning electron microscopy images of a dissected bucco-pharyngeal apparatus and DNA sequences for Mesocrista from Spitsbergen, mainland Norway and Poland. The new data allowed an integrative redescription of the nominal M. spitzbergensis from the locus typicus and uncovered a new species, M. revelata, from the European localities. The two species differ phenotypically by the oral cavity armature and claw morphology as well as by a number of morphometric traits, and they are also distinct genetically in all sequenced DNA markers, three nuclear (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2) and one mitochondrial (COI). Both molecular and morphometric data presented in this paper suggest that previous records of M. spitzbergensis should be treated with caution, since most probably some of them signify different Mesocrista species. Our phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Mesocrista is indeed a member of the Itaquasconinae. We also found that the most closely related, among genera for which there are molecular data available, is Adropion, from which Mesocrista differs by the shape of the apophyses for insertion of stylet muscles and the width of the bucco-pharyngeal tube. Finally, we advocate that Diphascon marcusi, a rare species hypothesised to represent either Mesocrista or Adropion, should be transferred to the latter genus and that the species should be redescribed to confirm its validity and systematic position. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6515D58D-8469-4854-8687-177232112BDA
Growth Responses and Construction Costs of Various Tissue Culture Systems

The influence of the culture chamber size and medium volume on the growth rates of shoot tips of peas, lettuce, kidney beans, and spearmint were determined after 8 weeks of incubation. Cultures were grown in a variety of culture chambers including culture tubes, baby food jars, Magenta GA-7 containers, 1-pint Mason jars, 1-quart Mason jars used with and without an automated plant culture system (APCS), 0.5-gal Mason jars with and without an APCS, Bio-safe chambers with an
Fatty acid and microbiological profile of the meat (longissimus dorsi muscle) of wild boar (Sus scropha scropha) hunted in Tuscany

Abstract The aim of this work is to study the influence of gender, age and hunting period on the fatty acid composition of the longissimus dorsi muscle excised from 42 wild boars hunted on a farm located in Tuscany. A sub-sample of 22 muscles was used for the study of the microbiological profile of wild boar meat. The results show that gender had an effect only on C16:1 n7, which was higher in females (p ≤ .05). Slaughtering age influenced more parameters, thus resulting in a higher content of C6:0, C18:2, C20:1 and n6/n3 ratio in meat from adults (p ≤ .05) and in a higher percentage of C16:0 (p ≤ .05) in meat from young animals. The hunting month greatly influenced the meat quality because, in addition to the single fatty acids, it significantly modified the MUFA, PUFA, PUFA/SFA and n6/n3 ratio, underlining the great difference between meat of wild boar shot in October – November vs December – January. Ether extract was higher in sub-adults than in young animals (p ≤ .01) but was not influenced by gender and hunting month. Regarding the microbiological analyses, Salmonella spp. was only detected in one sample, while Yersinia enterocolitica was not detected at all. Data on the presence of pathogenic bacteria confirmed health risk for the consumer comparable to that associated with meat obtained from farm animals, while data on microbial loads (total aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic counts, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli) did not highlight any specific criticality.
Apparent Digestibility Coefficients and Amino Acid Availability of Cricket Meal, Gryllus bimaculatus, and Fishmeal in African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus, Diet

A study was conducted on African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, to examine the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of protein, dry matter, lipid, and energy, and the apparent availability coefficient (AAC) of essential amino acid (EAA) for a cricket meal (CM) diet, Gryllus bimaculatus, and fishmeal (FM). Both diets consisted of 30% isonitrogenous levels with a 70:30 ratio of basal diet to test ingredient. Chromic oxide (0.5%) was added to the diet as an inert marker. The ADCs of crude protein (CP) in CM (81.21%), lipid (89.82%), gross energy (64.42%), and dry matter (73.97%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the value of CP (78.22%), lipid (82.03%), gross energy (56.52%), and dry matter (62.26%) in FM. All EAAs were present in both diets. The AACs for both diets ranged from 0.906 to 0.961 and 0.812 to 0.938 for the CM and FM diets, respectively. The growth performance of fish fed with CM exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio compared with FM. Overall, the results suggest that CM could be included in the African catfish diet without affecting their nutrient and amino acid digestibility as well as growth performance.
AFLATOXIN IN COMMERCIAL POULTRY FEEDS AND CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL MANIFESTATION OF AFLAXOXICOSIS IN POULTRY IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA. -

Aflatoxin remains the most studied mycotoxin with aflatoxin B1 making up 66 to 82% of total aflatoxin found in feed. In poultry, it can cause high production losses and vaccine failure resulting from its hepatocarcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and immunosuppressive effects. This study aimed to determine the level of aflatoxin in commercial feed and feed ingredients (FFIs) use in poultry production in Southwest Nigeria. The study also tends to describe the clinico-pathological presentations of birds fed with aflatoxin-contaminated feed. A total of 142 commercial FFI (commercial feed, maize, cassava, wheat offal, soya cake etc) were collected randomly from poultry farms and feed mills in Southwest Nigeria. Total aflatoxin levels in FFI were measured using competitive ELISA. The study showed that 34 (23.9%), 24 (16.9%) and 67 (47.2%) of FFI had 21-60 μg/g, 61-100 μg/g and ≥ 101 μg/g of total aflatoxin levels respectively. These levels are above the maximum permissible limit (20 μg/g) as recommended by United State Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). Most of the clinico-pathological findings such as decrease in egg production, friable liver, gastrointestinal mucosal erosion and fistulations were consistent with published reports on aflatoxicosis. History revealed that feed millers engaged in malpractices such as mixing of feed ingredients from different sources etc. The socioeconomic implications of aflatoxin in FFI are enormous, thus measures to reduce fungi contamination at every stage of production should be a collective effort. Our study showed that out of 10 FFIs, approximately 9 had >20 μg/g total aflatoxin. Therefore, studies aimed at prevention of fungal growth and mycotoxin production in FFI as well as mycotoxin absorption through the gastrointestinal wall should be strongly facilitated. Malpractices among feed millers should be abolished by concerned government agencies. Keywords: Mycotoxin, Aflatoxin, Aflatoxicosis, Feed, Ingredients, ELISA
Genetic divergence studies on upland rice grown in Nagaland, India

Genetic divergence was studied in a set of seventy four genotypes of upland rice by using Mahalanobis D2 statistics for yield and its contributing characters. All the characters under study showed highly significant differences among genotypes. The genotypes under study were grouped into 15 clusters. The distribution pattern indicated that maximum number of genotypes (35) were found in cluster I, followed by cluster II with 12 genotypes, whereas, minimum number of genotype (1) had cluster XV. The inter-cluster distance was greater than intra-cluster distance indicating wide genetic divergence among genotypes. The highest intra-cluster distance was revealed in cluster XIV followed by cluster XIII and cluster XI. The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between Cluster XIV and XV, followed by Cluster V and XV. The highest cluster mean was observed for yield/plant in cluster VII; however, contributing characters viz., panicle length, panicle weight, filled grains and 100 seed weight were found in cluster XIV. Seed yield/plant was found major contributing character towards the total genetic divergence which may be utilized in selecting genetically diverse parents, especially for exploitation of heterosis.
Population structure and marker-trait association analysis of the US peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) mini-core collection Ming Li WangSivakumar SukumaranNoelle A. BarkleyZhenbang Chen • Charles Y. ChenBaozhu GuoRoy N. PittmanH. Thomas Stalker • C. Corley HolbrookGary A. PedersonJianming Yu

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important oilseed and nutritional crops in the world. To efficiently utilize the germplasm collection, a peanut mini-core containing 112 accessions was established in the United States. To determine the population structure and its impact on marker-trait association, this mini-core collec- tion was assessed by genotyping 94 accessions with 81 SSR markers and two functional SNP markers from fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2). Seed quality traits (including oil content, fatty acid composition, flavonoids, and resveratrol) were obtained through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography (GC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Genetic diversity and population structure analysis identified four major sub- populations that are related to four botanical varieties. Model comparison with different levels of population structure and kinship control was conducted for each trait and association analyses with the selected models verified that the functional SNP from the FAD2A gene is signifi- cantly associated with oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and oleic-to-linoleic (O/L) ratio across this diverse collection. Even though the allele distribution of FAD2A was structured among the four subpopulations, the effect of FAD2A gene remained significant after controlling popu- lation structure and had a likelihood-ratio-based R 2 (RLR ) value of 0.05 (oleic acid), 0.09 (linoleic acid), and 0.07 (O/L ratio) because the FAD2A alleles were not completely fixed within subpopulations. Our genetic analysis demon- strated that this peanut mini-core panel is suitable for association mapping. Phenotypic characterization for seed quality traits and association testing of the functional SNP from FAD2A gene provided information for further breeding and genetic research.
Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in Fresh White Cheese in Gaza City Markets

Listeria monocytogenes has gained worldwide interest because it cause food borne illnesses. A descriptive study was performed in the period between October 2004 and October 2005 on one hundred and seventy four samples of fresh white cheese (114 made by farmers and 60 samples made in factories) collected from street venders and suppliers of six licensed dairy factories to investigate the incidence of L. monocytogenes, and other pathogenic bacteria in fresh white cheese in Gaza. Results showed that, L. monocytogenes was not detected at all, while, Salmonella was found in four samples of "Traditional cheese". which exceed limits of Palestinian Standard 46.5% for Staph. aureus, 79% for Coliform, 39.5% for E. coli, 51.3% for Yeast, and 12.8% for Molds. Differences between percentages of samples were statistically significant for all tested microorganisms (P<0.05) except for Salmonella and Mold. The results proved that traditional cheese, in particular, in Gaza were highly contaminated and usually exceeded the Palestinian Standard.
Natural History of Neonatal Green Anacondas (Eunectes murinus): A Chip Off the Old Block

Our knowledge of the biology of neonatal snakes has lagged behind that of adult animals, mostly due to the difficulty of finding and studying neonatal snakes in the wild. Traditional approaches view neonatal reptiles as miniature replicates of their adult counterparts. In this contribution, we present data on the natural history of neonatal Green Anacondas from opportunistic captures in the wild over a 17-year period, as well as from a brief study on captive-born radio-tagged individuals. Both approaches converge in presenting a picture of the ecology of neonatal anacondas showing many similarities between their natural history and that of adult anacondas in spite of the great size difference. The neonates' biology resembles that of adults, especially males, in their preference for birds in their diet, the relative prey size they choose, slow growth rates they experience, low feeding frequency, little mobility, and preference for similar habitats of stagnant, shallow water covered by aquatic vegetation. The conventional wisdom that neonatal reptiles are replicates of their adult counterparts seems to be largely on target in Green Anacondas.
A Miniaturized Interdigital Cavity Filter

A novel type of miniaturized interdigital cavity filter is proposed in this paper. By setting the input port and output port in vertical direction of the cavity, and the feeding coaxial probe directly from the cover to the resonant rods, the cross-sectional height of the filter can be significantly reduced due to cascading and integrating with the antenna structure. Compared with conventional cavity filters, this filter exhibits low profile, miniaturization, and low loss. A prototype was designed and fabricated at 3.5 GHz for applications of 5G base station. The simulated and measured results show 200 MHz working bandwidth and 0.34 dB average insertion loss.
Repression of transforming-growth-factor-β-mediated transcription by nuclear factor κB

Activation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and activin receptors leads to phosphorylation of Sma- and Mad-related protein 2 (Smad2) and Smad3, which function as transcription factors to regulate gene expression. Smad7 is a regulatory protein which is able to inhibit TGF-beta and activin signalling in a negative-feedback loop, mediated by a direct regulation by Smad3 and Smad4 via a Smad-binding element (SBE) in the Smad7 promoter. Interestingly, we found that the Smad7 promoter was also regulated by nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), a transcription factor which plays an important role in inflammation and the immune response. Expression of NF-kappaB p65 subunit was able to inhibit the Smad7 promoter activity, and this inhibition could be reversed by co-expression of IkappaB, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB. In addition, the inhibitory activity of p65 was observed in a minimal promoter that contained only the Smad7 SBE and a TATA box, without any consensus NF-kappaB binding site. This inhibitory effect appeared to be common to other TGF-beta- and activin-responsive promoters, since p65 also inhibited the forkhead-activin-signal-transducer-2-mediated activation of a Xenopus Mix.2 promoter, as well as the Smad3-mediated activation of 3TP-lux which contains PMA-responsive elements and a plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-1 promoter. Activation of endogenous NF-kappaB by tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was also able to inhibit the Smad7 promoter in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In human hepatoma HepG2 cells, TNF-alpha was able to inhibit TGF-beta- and activin-mediated transcriptional activation. Furthermore, overexpression of the transcription co-activator p300 could abrogate the inhibitory effect of NF-kappaB on the Smad7 promoter. Taken together, these data have indicated a novel mode of crosstalk between the Smad and the NF-kappaB signalling cascades at the transcriptional level by competing for a limiting pool of transcription co-activators.
Simulation of Photosynthetic Capacity of Strawberry Plants at Different Leaf Ages

A mathematical simulation was carried out to study the photosynthetic capacity of strawberry plants (Fragaria X ananassa Duch., Benihoppe) at different leaf ages. It also compared the differences in chlorophyll and protein contents in the leaves in order to provide a theoretical basis for the cultivation of high-quality and high-yield strawberry plants. Our results indicated that the chlorophyll content in the functional leaves was 67 and 46% higher than in the new and old leaves and that the soluble protein content in the functional leaves was 21 and 13% higher than in the new and old leaves. Strawberry leaves at different leaf ages had a significantly different maximum photosynthetic rate; the maximum photosynthetic rate of the functional leaves was generally 1.5 times greater than the new leaves and more than 80% greater than the old leaves. The difference in the photosynthetic capacity of the leaves at different leaf ages was consistent with the difference in leaf structure and chlorophyll content. The simulation indicated that the total net photosynthesis of the new and old leaves was approximately 131 mmol/m/d and 140 mmol/m/d on clear days, only 62 and 67% the rate of the functional leaves.
STUDIES ON COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL PROVISIONS ON BREEDING BIOLOGY Of BIRDS IN AGROECOSYSTEM SURROUNDED BY RESIDENTIAL AREAS

To understand the impact of tremendous changes in agroecosystem of Punjab on many bird species, community structure and breeding biology of birds in natural nests and in artificial provisions installed in agrifields surrounded by residential areas was studied. Studies were carried out in plant nursery and agrifield near residences of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana from June 2009 May 2010. A total of 2897 birds including 21 different species were recorded. Common Myna was found to be the dominant bird species. The number of birds was more in the evening than in the morning. Species richness was highest (15 19) in May June and lowest (4 11) in November December. Species diversity as well as evenness also varied throughout the year. Total twelve natural nests, one each of Spotted Owlet, Common Babbler, Blue Rock Pigeon, Common Myna, 3 of Eurasian Collared Dove and 5 cavities by Rose Ringed Parakeet were recorded on different trees at heights of 6 29 ft during January April in two areas. Nesting materials included twigs, feathers, roots, grasses, leaves etc. Clutch size, incubation and raising period of young ones were normal and breeding success was 100% in all bird species. Out of three provisions, artificial boxes installed on different trees at a height of 10 18 ft in these areas were occupied mainly by Common Myna (85%) with a high breeding success of 89.6% which reveals that provision of artificial nest boxes enhances the breeding of Common Myna, the dominant species of agroecosystems near residential areas.
Changes in microhabitat, but not allelopathy, affect plant establishment after Acacia dealbata invasion

Aims The tree legume Acacia dealbata Link is an aggressive Australian invader that severely affects abiotic and biotic compartments of ecosystems worldwide. This invasive species outcompetes native plant communities through direct competition, changes in microhabitat and soil properties under the canopy and the release of allelopathic compounds. However, these effects are usually studied separately and under controlled conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of these modifications exerted by A. dealbata on the establishment of native and invasive species in the field. Methods A full factorial experiment was performed in order to test the combined effect of microhabitat, soil type and allelopathy on the establishment of the invasive A. dealbata and three native species in the field (North–West Spain). We sowed seeds of native or invasive species in pots with different soil type (soil collected under A. dealbata or Pinus pinaster), allelopathy status (soil treated or untreated with activated carbon) and microhabitat (under the canopy of A. dealbata or P. pinaster). The number and total biomass of established plants were evaluated after 8 months. Soil abiotic properties were determined in all soils. Important Findings The establishment of native and invasive species was significantly affected by the microhabitat, with a higher number of seedlings under the native forest (P. pinaster). The establishment of A. dealbata seedlings was also significantly promoted by its own soil. A negligible effect of allelopathy was detected on the establishment and growth of both invasive and native species. We conclude that (i) the main factor affecting seedling establishment was microhabitat rather than changes in soil properties or allelopathy, (ii) soil modifications by A. dealbata promote the establishment of its own seedlings, contributing to the progress of invasion and (iii) allelochemicals released by A. dealbata do not seem to play a key role for the establishment of native and invasive plants under field conditions in the European non-native range.
Cannabinoid CB1R Receptor Mediates Metabolic Syndrome in Models of Circadian and Glucocorticoid Dysregulation

Environmental stressors have consistently been linked to increased rates of morbidity and mortality, but the specific mechanisms by which such stressors get “under the skin” remain elusive. Here we look at the impact of disrupted lighting cues as a potential environmental stressor and means to disrupt circadian rhythms. Similar effects can be caused when wakefulness occurs at inappropriate biological times due to environmental pressures (i.e., early school start times, long work hours that include work at night, shift work, jet lag) or the occurrence of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Previous work from the lab demonstrated that disruption of the light-dark cycle in mice resulted in altered body temperature rhythms (suggesting a disruption in circadian rhythms), changes in neural function, as well as an obese phenotype. Here we looked to extend these findings and determine the consequences of chronic circadian disruption on core clock gene expression, altered hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity as measured through glucocorticoid, particularly corticosteroid (CORT) signaling, and how the two systems act to induce obesity in this mouse model on the level of white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver metabolism. We report here that male C57BL/6 mice exposed to a 10 h light: 10 h dark circadian cycle (LD10) compared to a normal 12 h light: 12 h dark cycle (LD12) have decreased and blunted diurnal expression of clock genes in WAT and liver tissue associated with a similar pattern in CORT secretion. Decreased signaling acted to increase liver lipid content in the absence of increased food intake, while also decreasing the expression levels and rhythmicity of hepatic gluconeogenic regulatory genes. Adiposity and adipocyte size are increased in LD10 mice,