Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
p-Aminobenzoate Synthase fromBacillus subtilis: Amidotransferase Composed ofNonidentical Subunits

acidcompletely inhibits bothactivities. (iii) After ammoniumsulfate fractionation boththeaminase andamidotransferase activities require Mg2+andguanosine inaddition tothesubstrates indicated above for optimal activity. Theguanosine requirement can bereplaced byguanosine 5'-monophosphate, guanosine 5'-diphosphate, andguanosine 5'-triphosphate but notbyguanine, adenosine 5'-triphosphate, uridine 5'-triphosphate, cytidine 5'-triphosphate, thymidine 5'-triphosphate, inorganic phosphate, andphosphoribosylpyrophosphate. Furthermore, ata pH above7.4or below6.4activityisrapidly lost a 4C,or -60C. (iv) Theenzyme iscomposed oftwononidentical subunits, designated subunit A andsubunit X.Subunit A hasan estimated molecular weight of31,000, whereassubunit X hasan estimated molecular weight of19,000. Subunit A hasaminaseactivity butno amidotransferase activity; a mutation atthepabAlocus results intheloss ofPABA synthase activity. Subunit X,whichisalso a component oftheanthranilate synthase complex, hasno PABA synthase activity itself butcomplexes with subunit A togive an AX aggregate that can use glutamine as a substrate. (v) Themolecular weight oftheAX complex hasbeenestimated at50,000, suggesting a 1:1ratio ofsubunits. (vi) Theenzyme isreadily associated anddissociated.
Construction and expression of recombinant plasmids containing nephropathogenic IBV S1 gene and li-key segment of chicken major histocompatibility complex II gene.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) produces highly contagious infectious bronchitis disease (IB) of poultry at all ages around the world. In spite of the proper vaccinations, new IBV strains are emerging at poultry farms in China. In this study, a new nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus (XDC-2) strain was isolated from a vaccinated flock showing clinical signs of IBV in Jiangsu province of China. The virus was confirmed by SPF chicken embryo lesions, RT-PCR and S1 gene sequencing. The complete spike (S1) glycoprotein and li-key segment of chicken major histocompatibility complex II gene with Flag tagged were amplified (S1-F and Ii-F) with expected band 1684bp and 705bp, respectively. S1 and Ii gene were cloned into pcDNA3.1 eukaryotic expression vector (pcDNA-S1-F and pcDNA-li-F). Recombinant plasmids were confirmed by colony-PCR, enzyme digestion and sequencing. Further, recombinant plasmids were transfected to baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells for protein expression in vitro. Cells lysate were used for immuneblot analysis, S1 and Ii genes were successfully expressed with expected band size of protein molecular weight 61KDa and 26KDa, respectively. In conclusion, recombinant plasmids containing IBV complete S1 gene and chicken MHC II li gene expressed in vitro could be co-administer to immunize the chickens for the prevention and control of nephropathogenic IBV infection.
Establishment of hematological reference values in buffalo pox virus infected buffaloes for quick diagnosis of the disease in local laboratory settings.

Buffalopox (BPX) is a zoonotic infection affecting humans, cattle and buffalo. Though, the infection is not associated with heavy mortality even then it adversely affects the working capacity and production potential of the animals resulting huge losses in terms of economy. In present study blood (n=163) and scab (n=19) samples were collected from healthy and BPX suspected buffalo (n=975). Blood samples were used to determine red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), platelet (PLT) count, total leukocyte count (TLC) and differential leukocyte count (DLC) in apparently healthy and diseased animals. The data on hematological parameters showed nonsignificant (P > 0.05) difference on RBC count, Hb concentration, PCV and PLT in diseased and healthy animals. Significant (P < 0.05) increase in TLC was observed in diseased buffaloes due to increase in number of lymphocytes regardless of age groups of animals. Scab samples were injected intradermally in healthy rabbits for BPXV confirmation. Rise in body temperature and development of pit-forming lesions with a specific pattern was suggestive of BPX infection. Histopathologic observation of skin samples of rabbits revealed marked hyperkeratosis, ballooning degeneration and large intracytoplasmic-eosinophilic inclusion bodies in keratinocytes and mononuclear cell infiltration in epidermis and dermis. Key word: buffalopox, hematology, gross pathology, inclusion bodies.
Detecting elusive aspects of wildlife ecology using drones: new insights on the mating dynamics and operational sex ratios of sea turtles

Summary Offspring and breeding (operational) sex ratios (OSR) are a key component of demographic studies. While offspring sex ratios are often relatively easy to measure, measuring OSRs is often far more problematic. Yet highly skewed OSRs, and a lack of male-female encounters, may be an important extinction driver. Using loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) as a case study, we showed the utility of drones, i.e. unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to distinguish adult males and females in a marine breeding area, using a combination of morphological characteristics (tail length) and behavioural differences (active mating, courting and searching by males versus resting by females). Through repeated surveys, we documented seasonal changes in the OSR. While the number, and ratio, of males and females on the breeding grounds changed massively, the ratio of receptive females (derived from the rate of influx of new individuals to the area) to breeding males remained close to 1:1 for much of the period before nesting commenced. Hence, we show how large imbalances in the number of adult males and females may translate into relatively balanced OSRs. Our results suggest that the departure of males from the breeding grounds is linked to a decline in female receptivity, with female sea turtles being known to store sperm to ensure high clutch fertility throughout the nesting season. In conclusion, while we detected up to three times more females than males at the breeding ground, at present, OSRs appear stable. However, because most males breed annually (versus biannually by females), there might only be ˜100 males in the adult population (i.e. adult sex ratio of 1:7.5), which might become further skewed under expected climate change scenarios; thus, we need to identify the minimum number of males required to prevent extinction. Finally, we highlight the use of UAVs for assessing the mating dynamics of other marine, terrestrial or avian species, in which adults might exhibit visually detectable differences, such as sexual dimorphism, external body characteristics or grouping tendencies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Seed mass, seed number and evolutionary trade-off across geographic distribution: do they explain invasiveness in Eschscholzia californica, central Chile?

Background: Seed mass is a life history trait that is related to invasiveness. Under limiting conditions, a trade-off is observed whereby an increase in seed mass occurs at the expense of seed numbers; if the above trade-off holds across climatic gradients it can provide an opportunity to assess the fitness/invasive potential of exotic plants. Aims: To examine the variation in the life history traits of Eschscholzia californica populations across climatic gradients and to relate these traits to observed invasiveness. Methods: We examined 19 populations in Chile. For each population we related seed mass, seed number, the slope of trade-off between seed mass and number and plant density with annual precipitation and mean annual temperature. Results: Seed number and the coefficient of variation in seed mass were positively correlated with climatic variables. Trade-off was detected in 26% of the populations and no relationship was detected with climatic gradient. Plant density was negatively associated with precipitation. Conclusions: The results suggest that for E. californica producing seeds with a variety of sizes is an optimal strategy to face geographic heterogeneity and hence to increase its invasiveness. Increased production of seeds at the cool and wet southern limit of the current range of the species does not contribute to an increase in its invasiveness.
Low-temperature pausing : an alternative short-term preservation method for use in cell therapies

With encouraging advancements in cell therapies, there is a requirement for an effective short-term cell preservation method, enabling time for quality assurance testing and transport to their clinical destination. This project aims to pause cells at ambient temperatures, whilst maintaining viability and function post-preservation. Ambient cell preservation bypasses ice crystal exposure and toxic solute concentrations experienced with cryogenic storage. Storage in ambient conditions also avoids use of toxic cryoprotectants and aims to greatly reduce costs and reliability on specialist machinery. Early work used HOS TE85 cells (derived from an osteosarcoma) as a model. When atmospheric factors were controlled, HOS TE85 cells demonstrated effective recovery in terms of morphology, membrane integrity (viability >90%) and fold growth expansion when paused at ambient temperature for up to 144 hours. Without atmospheric control, addition of the buffering agent HEPES (25mM) to cell medium was required to keep viability above 70%, as well as to maintain yield and continual passage following 144 hours pausing. The pausing potential of therapeutically relevant human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from three individual donors (M2, M3 and M4) was tested by keeping cells in suspension for up to 72 hours. Using standard medium with the addition of 25mM HEPES, average membrane integrity was maintained above 70%. Following pausing for between 24 72 hours, hMSC attachment efficiency, immunophenotype and tri-lineage differentiation capacity (osteogenesis, adipogenesis and chondrogenesis) remained similar to non-paused cells. Apart from a short lag phase on the first passage, hMSC fold growth expansion level was consistent with the control for all three donors over 3 x 6 day passages. The colony forming unit (CFU) efficiency of paused cells was significantly reduced when compared with non-paused M2 and M4 lines, whilst M3 retained a similar CFU efficiency to its non-paused counterpart. On return to normal culture conditions, hMSCs had comparable metabolic activity rates with non-paused cells for up to 9 hours. Stable pH is vital during pausing and additional antioxidants or apoptotic inhibiters may be required to keep average viability well-above the 70% threshold, set by the US Food and Drug Administration. Collectively, results have been encouraging and show potential for the movement towards using ambient temperature preservation as an option for the short-term storage and transport of cells for therapy.
A comparative histological study of fossil and recent bone tissues. Part III.

Part II of the study described in this article is concerned entirely with a description of the histological structure of the bone tissues of fossil and recent reptiles and birds. Methods of preparation, bibliographic references, a classification of bone tissue types, and descriptions of bone tissue structure of fish and amphibians were previously described and discussed in Part I of the study. The summary and conclusions appear in Part II.
Discovery of novel traits in seed-propagated Lilium: Non-vernalization- requiring, day-neutral, reflowering, frost-tolerant, winter-hardy L. xformolongi. I. Characterization

Lilium are important floricultural crops worldwide. The objectives of this research were to examine L. xformolongi hybrids and a parental species (L. longiflorum) in photoperiods (Exp. 1) and environments (greenhouses, Exp. 1; field, Exp. 2) for flowering without vernalization, post-emergence photoperiod, potted plant/field performance, frost tolerance, and winter hardiness. Seed germination (4-15%) and yield potential (3.5-12.5%) varied between genotypes. In Exp. 1, short/long days had a significant effect on visible bud date only, but not on leaf unfolding rates, plant height, leaf number, or flowering dates; cultivar differences were highly significant. Cultivar × photoperiod interactions were nonsignificant except for flowering date (P = 0.04). ‘Nellie White’ (case-cooled bulbs) flowered in 213 d, while L. xformolongi cultivars took 247 d (‘Sakigake Raizan’) to 306 d (‘Raizan No. 3’) from sowing. Both VBD (h = 0.93) and flowering date (h = 0.91) were highly heritable (Exp. 1) and correlated. Regardless of photoperiod and environment, L. xformolongi flowered in <1 yr from sowing without cold. Leaf number (h = 0.81, Exp. 1) and unfolding rates (h = 0.93) were not as tightly linked in L. xformolongi as ‘Nellie White’. No seed-propagated hybrids (98-164 cm) were as short as ‘Nellie White’ (62 cm). ‘Augusta F1’ had the highest flower bud counts (6.9 / plant). Shoot numbers ranged from n=1 (‘Nellie White’) to n = 3.8 (‘Sakigake Raizan’). L. xformolongi reflowered continuously in the field, but varied for frost-tolerance (25-75%; Exp. 2). Winter survival ranged from 0 to 87.5% in L. xformolongi over two years (Exp. 2). Flowering and reflowering of seed-propagated L. xformolongi in <1 yr. without vernalization, frost-tolerance, day neutrality, and winter hardiness are novel trait combinations for Lilium. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acidity of Microenvironment as a Further Driver of Tumor Metabolic Reprogramming

In the last decade, experimental research has intensely focused on metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells, which contributes to cancer cell adaptation and survival in different and hostile microenvironments. Metabolic reprogramming consists of the switch of tumor cells from aerobic or anaerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation. A comprehensive vision of the metabolic scenario involving functionally different tumor cell subpopulations was proposed as a necessary premise to the design of new strategies of diagnosis and therapy. Special focus has been put on the role of acidosis of certain tumor regions, a very important although frequently neglected aspect.Despite the progresses in cancer therapy, the escaping of tumor cancer cells from host defense and relapse of disease still represent main issues in tumor-bearing patients. Indeed, malignant cells are provided with a tremendous plasticity that they exploit to survive, replicate and invade in stressed microenvironments. Such plasticity allows cancer cells to easily modify their properties, including metabolism, switching back and forth from aerobic or anaerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). It is well ascertained that a suitable metabolic profile of cancer cells is necessary to sustain tumor growth, local invasion and distant colonization. Thus, cancer metabolism needs to be considered in view of the design of new strategies to control tumor progression.
Nodulation, grain yield and grain protein contents as affected by rhizobium inoculation and fertilizer placement in chickpea cultivar bittle-98.

Two fertilizer application methods i.e. Fertilizer broadcast (F1) and Band placement (F2) and five rhizobium inoculation strains along with a control; Uninoculation (I0), Mezo rhizobium (I1), Rhizobium (I2), Biozote (I3), Agro bacterium (I4) and Biofertilizer (I5) were studied in split plot arrangements. Main plot consisted of two fertilizer application methods whereas rhizobium inoculation strains were kept in sub-plots. The study was carried out at the Arid Zone Research Institute, Bhakkar, during Rabi (winter) of 2004-05 and 2005-06 with the objectives to determine the appropriate method of fertilizer application with the selection of Rhizobium strain for exploitation of its natural symbiosis with chickpea for effective nodulation, maximum grain yield and grain protein contents in chickpea under the agro-climatic conditions of Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan. Yield and yield components were significantly affected by fertilizer band placement and seed inoculation. Maximum number of pods plant (36.50) and100 grain weight (29.19 g) was recorded in fertilizer band placement. Fertilizer band placement increased grain yield by 10 % (3279 to 3772 kg ha) during 2004-05 and 5.96 % (2979 to 3560 kg ha) during 2005-06 over fertilizer broadcast. Nodules plant was also increased 27 % by seed inoculation. Inoculation with Biofertilizer increased 25.0 and 27.77% yield of chickpea over check (uninoculated) during 2004-05 and 2005-06 study seasons, respectively. It was concluded that, fertilizer band placement along with Biofertilizer inoculation was the best for higher yield and grain protein contents in chickpea.
Testing Banker Plants for Predator Installation

The addition of plants to a crop system in greenhouses can have positive effects on the productivity of crops and enhance the effectiveness of biological pest management. These additional plants - banker plants - may provide shelter or food for biocontrol agents which influence the interactions between phytophagous arthropods, biocontrol arthropods and culture plants. However, despite the clear function of their presence, there is a scientific lack of knowledge about these plants. We hardly understand why certain plant species act as banker plants, and which plant morphologies and structures enhance the desired proliferation of the biocontrol arthropods. Consequently, only few species of banker plants are in use, many of which are not natural in the region of employment. We postulate that the potential of banker plants is by far underestimated. If we know more about the morphologies which bear positive implications for the crop system, we can easily choose additional endemic plant species instead of potential invasive ones. We then can increase the efficiency and optimization of banker plants in pest control for industrial use. Therefore, our study aims at testing which importance banker plants have as biotic components in a crop system. We hypothesize that banker plants are the key to achieving the goal of determining whether biological control of a pest can be accomplished on bedding plant crops with biocontrol agents. The aim of this paper is to review the knowledge about banker plants, their function and morphology. The final scope is to understand how agricultural systems can be optimized with the aid of banker plants, and how the efficacy of biological pest management as an alternative to chemical control may be increased with the aid of additional plants in the system.
Evidence for the linkage of survival of anadromous Arctic char and brown trout during winter to marine growth during the previous summer

Data from a 25-year study of anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the River Halselva provided evidence that survival during winter was linked to marine growth during the previous summer. The study supported the “critical size and critical period” hypothesis, which postulates that regulation of the abundance of adult salmonids occurs in two major phases. The first phase is marine mortality that occurs shortly after smolts enter salt water, and the second is during the following winter, when individuals that have not attained a critical size are unable to meet minimum metabolic requirements and die. In the present study, growth during summer appeared to be more important to winter survival than body size. Size-selective mortality occurred both at sea during summer and in fresh water during winter and was more evident for first-time migrants than repeat migrants.
Corona development and floral nectaries of Asclepiadeae (Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae)

Flowers of Asclepiadoideae are notable for possessing numerous nectaries and elaborate coronas, where nectar can accumulate but is not necessarily produced. Given the complexity and importance of these structures for reproduction, this study aimed to analyze the ontogeny of the corona, the structure and position of nectaries and the histochemistry of the nectar of species of Asclepiadeae. Two types of coronas were observed: androecial [C(is)] and corolline (Ca). Th e development of the C(is)-type of corona initiates opposite the stamens in all species examined with the exception of Matelea in which it begins to develop as a ring around the fi lament tube. Despite their morphological variation, coronas typically originate from the androecium. A notable diff erence among the studied species was the location of the nectaries. Primarily, they are located in the stigmatic chamber, where nectar composed of carbohydrates and lipids is produced. A secondary location of nectaries found in species of Peplonia and Matelea is within the corona, where nectar is produced and stored, composed of carbohydrates and lipids in Peplonia and only carbohydrates in Matelea. Th e functional role of nectar is related to the location of its production since it is a resource for pollinators and inducers of pollen germination.
Dimethylated sulfur compounds in symbiotic protists: A potentially significant source for marine DMS(P)

Symbiosis with micro‐algae (photosymbiosis) is a common feature among marine planktonic protists, but very little is known about the physiology and ecological significance of these associations. High concentrations of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a metabolite produced by marine microalgae, are commonly observed in coral‐microalgae symbiosis, where DMS(P) is involved in multiple physiological functions. Knowledge on concentration and role of DMSP in analogous photosymbiosis in plankton is lacking. Here, we assess the total DMSP (DMSPt = DMSP + DMS) concentration and natural stable isotopes of sulfur across ecologically relevant symbiotic plankton groups, the Radiolaria and Foraminifera. We found that intracellular DMSPt concentrations in microalgal symbionts were among the highest recorded (range = 170–702 mmol L−1), while lower concentrations (range = 0.1–23 mmol L−1) were characteristic of the holobiont (i.e., host‐microalgae). The contribution of symbiotic Radiolaria to the water column particulate DMSPt concentration ranged 0.1–8%. Sulfur isotopic composition (34S) of DMSPt in the Collodaria holobionts was significantly higher than their symbiotic microalgae isolated in culture. Despite their high intracellular DMSPt content, SO42− uptake in these holobionts throughout 3‐d incubations was not detected. We observed a systematic 34S depletion (∼ 1.5‰) of DMS relative to DMSP in experimental incubations containing filtered seawater, which we hypothesize is related to the bacterial preference for the uptake of 34S‐depleted DMS. Overall, the results indicate that plankton symbiosis can, at times, represent a potentially important source of DMS(P). Specific differences in 34S provided new insights into sulfur isotopic fractionation associated with DMS(P) biotransformation processes, with potential implications for current interpretations of isotopically tracked biogenic sources of marine aerosols.