Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanoscale imaging and quantification of the impact of covalently linked lipids on the hair's surface

The role of 18-methyleicosanoic acid was explored using atomic force microscopy techniques. Treatment with a delipidating agent (hydroxylamine) did not change the hair's morphology but dramatically changed its surface tribological properties, providing a high resolution mapping of the delipidation effect and confirming the importance of the presence of this fatty acid. Using nanolithography we were able to gently scratch the outermost surface layer of hair. The obtained depth of penetration remained constant (12–45 A) and was very close to the average length of the 18-methyl-eicosanoic acid molecule, supporting the assumed model of an ordered monolayer of 18-methyleicosanoic acid on the surface. Taken together, our results suggest that the lipid covering or its grafting strength may not be evenly distributed over the hair surface. The possibilities of combining nanolithography and an analytical method like time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) are discussed.
Efficacy of 17-α-Methyltestosterone for Expression of Male Secondary Sexual Characteristics in the Green Swordtail

Abstract The green swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii is a commercially important ornamental species. Because phenotypic males (specifically, fish with the sword extension of the caudal fin) are more valuable economically than fish lacking the sword, masculinization by means of 17-α-methyltestosterone (MT) was tested. Populations of market-size experimental fish, a mix of females and late-maturing males (i.e., lacking male secondary characteristics) were fed MT-treated feed (60 mg MT/kg feed) at a rate of 30 or 50 g of MT-treated feed per kilogram of fish biomass (3% or 5% body weight [BW]) for 28 consecutive days to cause development of male secondary sexual characteristics, specifically the growth of the sword extension. Use of MT feed at 3% or 5% BW for 28 d resulted in 100% masculinization, whereas 0% masculinization occurred in green swordtails fed control feed. No regression of swords was seen 28 d after the last day of experimental feed treatment. There were no significant differences in mortality amon.
"They should know where they stand": attitudes to HIV Voluntary Counselling and testing amongst a group of out-of-school youth

This article draws on a larger study that examined the ways in which out-ofschool youth responded to a context of HIV/AIDS and how they themselves can be active participants in HIV/AIDS prevention. In addition, four out-of-school youths, trained as fieldworkers, interviewed 32 other out-of-school youths in the Shongweni area of KwaZulu-Natal about their attitudes towards VCT. The out-of-school youth displayed a very positive attitude towards VCT and 91% stated their intentions of getting tested. However this attitude was contradicted by the facts that only nine (28%) had been for testing and that participants evidenced high levels of fear and stigma surrounding VCT. Of the participants, 43% stated a preference for a VCT site or hospital far from home, or, if they could afford it, a private doctor, to minimise the likelihood of being seen by someone they knew. This factor made it more difficult and costlier for outof- school youth to access VCT. For some, the fear of HIV infection is caught up with their existing social exclusion. In contrast, one reason for wanting to test amongst girls was the health of future children. While out-of-school youth understood the role of VCT in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the obstacles to acting on those intentions included the context of poverty, gender inequalities, stigma and the fear of gossip. Campaigns have succeeded in raising awareness, but translating awareness into action remains a central problem. Keywords: HIV/AIDS; out-of-school youth; South Africa; VCT
Consequences of colchicine induced intermeiocyte connections in Helianthus annuus

During microsporogenesis sometimes the chromatin materials migrate from one cell to another by intermeiocyte connections. In the present study, during induction of tetraploidy in sunflower, changes in the normal behaviour of chromosomes was detected. Besides chromosomal aberrations, cytomictic connections were frequently recorded. Cytomixis has been reported by many researchers in many diploid or tetraploid plants. In sunflower, cytomixis in colchiploids has not been recorded. In the current study high numbers of cytoplasmic connections were observed in the plants failing to reach higher ploidy level. Formation of cytoplasmic connections was very high, leading to many hyperploids, hypoploids and even empty pollen mother cells (PMCs). Cytomixis occurred frequently, with two to many meiocytes engaged in exchange of chromatin through one or multiple cytoplasmic connections. Few rare polyploid PMCs with cytoplasmic connections were observed, which favours formation of aneuploids and polyploids. Besides various chromosomal anomalies, fertility was also significantly affected. This work envisages the possibility that although polyploidy was not achieved in some plants there is tendency to form higher ploidy levels in this species. This illustrates the potential for formation of various genetic combinations and thus novel traits. Cytomixis is also an additional source of male sterility in sunflower and thus requires intense research.
Relationship between Temperature and Shell Disease in Laboratory Populations of Juvenile American Lobsters (Homarus americanus)

ABSTRACT Epizootic shell disease is affecting American lobster (Homarus americanus) populations and the associated fisheries significantly. Historical movement of the disease suggests that temperature has been a critical factor in driving the susceptibility of lobsters to this disease. Here, juvenile lobsters were held in the laboratory at 10°C, 15°C, or 20°C for up to 1,021 days. Survival, growth, and shell disease were tracked throughout, and a separate experiment was conducted to assess the rate at which dietary white lobsters deposited pigment to the cuticle at the different temperatures. In the laboratory, shell disease was tracked as an initial “spot,” the melanization of the cuticle in response to the bacterial ingress, or, as it progressed, a lesion, which was a visible erosion of the shell. The length of the molt cycle (number of days from one molt to the next consecutive molt) was inversely associated with temperature. Average growth (increase in weight and carapace length per molt) at 10°C and 15°C was equivalent and higher than at 20°C, whereas shell disease was greatest at the intermediate temperature. The amount of initial melanization responses to bacteria (spots) was similar across temperatures, but the number of lesions was greatest at 15°C. This is likely a result of the conditions that allow for a combination of longer molt cycles and active bacterial growth, which allowed the disease to progress to the more advanced lesioned state. At the highest temperature, lobsters molted the compromised shell before severe lesion formation could occur. No gross differences in shell structure were observed at the different temperatures. The lack of a linear relationship between shell disease and temperature does not discount temperature as a critical factor in the onset of this disease in lobsters, but signifies that additional factors are important and the disease is complicated and multifactorial in nature. The continued use of a laboratory model system to study this disease further is important to be able to control the multitude of complicating factors appropriately.
Lipid synthesis and metabolism in the plastid envelope

Plastid envelope membranes play a major role in the biosynthesis of glycerolipids. In addition, plastids are characterized by the occurrence of plastid-specific membrane glycolipids (galactolipids, a sulfolipid). Plant lipid metabolism therefore has unique features, when compared to that of other eukaryotic organisms, such as animals and yeast. However, the glycerolipid biosynthetic pathway in chloroplasts is almost identical to that found in cyanobacteria, and reflects the prokaryotic origin of the chloroplast. Fatty acids generated in the plastid stroma are substrates for a whole set of enzymes involved in the synthesis of polar lipids of plastid membranes such as galacto-lipids, the sulfolipid, the phosphatidylglycerol. In addition, fatty acids are exported outside the plastid where they are used for extraplastidial polar lipid synthesis (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, etc.). Various desaturation steps leading to the formation of polyunsaturated fatty acids occur in various cell compartments, especially in chloroplasts, using fatty acids esterified to polar lipids as substrates. Furthermore, plant glycerolipids can be metabolized by a series of very active envelope enzymes, such as the galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase and the acyl-galactolipid forming enzyme. The physiological significance of these enzymes is however largely unknown. One of the most active pathways involved in lipid metabolism and present in envelope membranes is the oxylipin pathway: polyunsaturated fatty acids that are released from polar lipids under various conditions (injury, pathogen attack) are converted to oxylipin. Thus, the plastid envelope membranes are also involved in the formation of signalling molecules.
The Bipedal Stem Crocodilian Poposaurus gracilis: Inferring Function in Fossils and Innovation in Archosaur Locomotion

ABSTRACT We introduce a spectacular new specimen of a Late Triassic stem crocodilian identified as Poposaurus gracilis. It is part of a poorly known group, Poposauroidea, that, because of its striking similarities with contemporaneous stem avians (“dinosaurs”), has long puzzled archosaur paleontologists. Observed vertebrate locomotor behaviors, together with exceptional preservation of distinctive anatomical clues in this fossil, enable us to examine locomotor evolution in light of new advances in phylogenetic relationships among Triassic archosaurs. Because this stem crocodilian is unambiguously an archosaur, a diapsid, a tetrapod and a choanate sarcopterygian, we can safely infer major components of its locomotor behavior. These inferences, together with form-function constraints, suggest that P. gracilis was a fleet-footed, obligately erect-postured, striding biped. That behavior seems to have been superimposed on the ancestral archosaur's innovative locomotor repertoire, which includes the capacity to “high walk. ” These novelties persist in a recognizable form in archosaurs for at least 245 million years and are widely distributed across Earth's surface in diverse ecological settings. They thus qualify as evolutionary innovations regardless of significant differences in diversification rates among extant diapsid reptiles.
MYCOPLASMA AGASSIZII IN THE SONORAN POPULATION OF THE DESERT TORTOISE IN ARIZONA

Upper Respiratory Tract Disease (URTD), caused by the pathogens Mycoplasma agassizii and M. testudineum, has been documented in the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Although URTD was identified as the putative agent that led to federal listing of the Mojave population of the desert tortoise, little is known about this disease in the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the prevalence of URTD across an urban gradient in Greater Tucson, Arizona, 2) the relationship between URTD and captive and free-ranging tortoises in Mohave, Maricopa, and Pima counties in Arizona, and 3) the effects of URTD on desert tortoise home range size and winter temperature selection. To determine the prevalence of M. agassizii, I used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect anti-M. agassizii antibodies in plasma samples, indicating previous exposure, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect M. agassizii DNA in nasal flush samples, indicating a current infection. I found that tortoises from suburban sites are 2.3 times more likely to test seropositive for antibodies to M. agassizii than tortoises from other sites in the Greater Tucson area. When I compared the seropositivity between captive and free-ranging desert tortoises from high-visitor-use site tortoises in Mohave, Maricopa, and Pima counties, I found that captive desert tortoises are 1.8 times more likely to test ELISA-positive than free-ranging desert tortoises, and desert tortoises in Pima County are 5.4 times more likely to test positive for anti-M. agassizii antibodies. When examining the effects of URTD on behavior, I found no significant difference between seropositive and seronegative tortoises for home range size, and the two clinically ill desert tortoises exhibited daily
Elevage urbain des ovins par les femmes à Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire

L’elevage ovin occupe une place de choix en Cote d’Ivoire. Les pays saheliens (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali), a vocation d’elevage extensif et excedentaires en viande, exportent traditionnellement vers la Cote d’Ivoire qui est deficitaire. Avec le developpement des villes, se sont mis en place des elevages et des cultures maraicheres qui constituent l’agriculture peri et intra-urbaine. L’elevage peri-urbain touche les grandes villes ivoiriennes avec la production d’ovins, qui fait partie integrante de la vie familiale [1] et representait 5 % du cheptel ovin ivoirien en 1980 [2, 3]. Avec un faible investissement de depart [4, 5], cet elevage est d’acces facile et occupe souvent les couches sociales les plus vulnerables (femmes, enfants, personnes handicapees) [6].
Structural and physicochemical characterization of RS prepared using hydrolysis and heat treatments of chickpea starch

The aim of this study was to evaluate the production and the structural and physicochemical properties of RS obtained by molecular mass reduction (enzyme or acid) and hydrothermal treatment of chickpea starch. Native and gelatinized starch were submitted to acid (2 M HCl for 2.5 h) or enzymatic hydrolysis (pullulanase, 40 U/g per 10 h), autoclaved (121°C/30 min), stored under refrigeration (4°C/24 h), and lyophilized. The hydrolysis of starch increased the RS content from 16% to values between 20 and 32%, and the enzymatic treatment of the gelatinized starch was the most efficient. RS showed an increase in water absorption and water solubility indexes due to hydrolytic and thermal process. The processes for obtaining RS changed the crystallinity pattern from C to B. Hydrolysis treatments caused an increase in relative crystallinity due to the greater retrogradation caused by the reduction in MW. RS obtained from hydrolysis showed a reduction in viscosity, indicating the rupture of molecules. The viscosity seemed to be inversely proportional to the RS content in the sample.
Comparative Study of Volatile Compounds from Genus Ocimum

There are distinct varieties of basil types in the genus Ocimum which makes them very special. Genus Ocimum is widespread over Asia, Africa and Central & Southern America. All basils are member of the Lamiaceae family. The colors of the leaves vary from bright green to purple-green and sometimes almost black. Fresh basil leaves have a strong and characteristic aroma, not comparable to any other spice, although there is a hint of clove traceable. Ocimum Sanctum, also addressed as Ocimum Tenuiflorum is a sacred plant in the Hindu culture and known as Tulasi in Tamil or Holy Basil in English. Meanwhile Ocimum Basilicum, known as Common or Sweet Basil has very dark green leaves. The genus Ocimum is cultivated for its remarkable essential oil which exhibits many usages such as in medicinal application, herbs, culinary, perfume for herbal toiletries, aromatherapy treatment and as flavoring agent. Due to varying essential oil profiles even within the same species, plants may often be classified as a different species as a result of different scents. In the present study, volatile constituents of Ocimum Sanctum and Ocimum Basilicum were extracted using various solvents and their chemical constituents were identified and quantified by using GC-MS in optimized conditions. The profiles of extract from both species were compared in an effort to investigate effects of seasonal variation on their chemical compositions. The predominant species in Ocimum Sanctum and Ocimum Basilicum was found to be methyl eugenol and methyl chavicol, respectively, during different months of analysis.
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE OF THE COCCINELLID PREDATOR Stethorus gilvifrons MULSANT FEEDING ON THE TWO SPOTTED SPIDER MITE, Tetranychus urticae KOCH: THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PREY STAGES

The functional response of a ladybeetle, Stethorus gilvifrons Mulsant, to increasing density of two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae koch, was of the curvilinear shape depicting Holling’s type II response with larval stage being the most voracious stage when compared with nymphal and adult stages. Results of the maximum likelihood analyses confirmed this type. By plotting a type II functional response model and polynomial logistic regression model to the numbers and proportions of consumed stages of T. urticae, respectively, the resulting regression lines fitted the data well. A sensitivity analysis of the functional response model shows the crucial effect of prey stages on predation rates by S. gilvifrons. Theoretically, based on the lowest handling time for S. gilvifrons on larval stage of T. urticae, the maximum numbers of mites that could be consumed by a single female of S. gilvifrons within 24 h period were 77. 42 larvae. Based on the inversely density-dependent predation rate for S. gilvifrons on different prey stages, it seems to be more effective in low prey densities and this result has to be considered in future inundative biological control programs. These results might be a better strategy for developing mass rearing of S. gilvifrons and biocontrol program of T. urticae.
Thermal plasticity of photosynthesis: the role of acclimation in forest responses to a warming climate

The increasing air temperatures central to climate change predictions have the potential to alter forest ecosystem function and structure by exceeding temperatures optimal for carbon gain. Such changes are projected to threaten survival of sensitive species, leading to local extinctions, range migrations, and altered forest composition. This study investigated photosynthetic sensitivity to temperature and the potential for acclimation in relation to the climatic provenance of five species of deciduous trees, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus rubra, Quercus falcata, Betula alleghaniensis, and Populus grandidentata. Open‐top chambers supplied three levels of warming (+0, +2, and +4 °C above ambient) over 3 years, tracking natural temperature variability. Optimal temperature for CO2 assimilation was strongly correlated with daytime temperature in all treatments, but assimilation rates at those optima were comparable. Adjustment of thermal optima was confirmed in all species, whether temperatures varied with season or treatment, and regardless of climate in the species' range or provenance of the plant material. Temperature optima from 17° to 34° were observed. Across species, acclimation potentials varied from 0.55 °C to 1.07 °C per degree change in daytime temperature. Responses to the temperature manipulation were not different from the seasonal acclimation observed in mature indigenous trees, suggesting that photosynthetic responses should not be modeled using static temperature functions, but should incorporate an adjustment to account for acclimation. The high degree of homeostasis observed indicates that direct impacts of climatic warming on forest productivity, species survival, and range limits may be less than predicted by existing models.
Relative growth rate and hemerobiotic state in the assessment of disturbance gradients

Abstract A method is discussed for describing the intensity of disturbance, based on the floristic composition of vegetation types. It includes the development of a hemerobiotic scale (from hemeros = cultivated). We attempted to relate this scale based on floristic patterns with functional parameters. Following a large phytosociological survey of the Roman area, we selected 19 species of herbs and grasses, widely differing in ‘hemeroby’, and measured their Relative Growth Rate (RGR). RGR varies between 0.13 and 0.21 d−1. A significant correlation between mean hemerobiotic value, resulting from the phytosociological study, and measured RGR of juvenile plants emerges. Although Specific Leaf Area (SLA) is highly correlated with RGR, and thus explains most of its variations, as previously found in other studies, it is only weakly related to hemerobiotic state. An additional data set with 78 species from the literature supports the conclusions. This approach allows a functional quantification of hemeroby which enables useful applications, for instance in cartography. A biotope map showing a steep gradient of disturbance impact in the city of Rome is presented as a preliminary test. Nomenclature: Pignatti (1982) for taxa; Rodwell et al. (2002) for syntaxa. Abbreviations: FW/DW = Fresh Weight/Dry Weight ratio; LAR = Leaf Area Ratio; LWR = Leaf Weight Ratio; RGR = Relative Growth Rate; RWR = Root Weight Ratio; SLA = Specific Leaf Area; ULR = Unit Leaf Rate.
A marine unicellular alga in diets of pregnant and lactating rats as a source of ω3 fatty acids for the developing brain of their progeny

The period of brain development in rats occurs during the late pregnancy and early lactation periods. During that time a large quantity of omega-3 (ω3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, mostly decosahexaenoic acid, is deposited in the brain lipids of the developing and growing pup. A dietary source of ω3 fatty acid should be provided during this period to the dams' diet to assure sufficient of ω3 fatty acids to the developing progeny. Although a wide variety of lipids from plants and marine animals was examined in this respect, we provide herein for the first time, experimental data that indicate that the marine unicellular alga Nannochloropsis can be efficiently used as a dietary source of the ω3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid for pregnant and lactating dams. Furthermore, the dietary ω3 lipids of the alga are efficiently transferred to the developing foetus and pups to support the requirements for normal brain development.
Comparative Demographics of Tropical and Temperate Roseate Terns

Abstract This paper presents a summary of the four preceding papers and integrates them with previously-published data to compare demographic parameters of Roseate Terns breeding in tropical and temperate regions. Tropical Roseate Terns appear to breed less frequently than temperate birds and raise far fewer chicks to fledging when they do breed. Nevertheless, the three estimates of adult survival rates of tropical populations that were presented in this symposium are lower than those for temperate populations (0.71-0.82 yr-1 vs 0.83-0.90 yr-1). Two estimates of juvenile survival (from fledging to age 1 or 2 years) of tropical birds are slightly higher than comparable estimates for a temperate population, but the differences are not sufficient to offset the lower productivity. Data on ages at first breeding are similar in the two regions. Given their irregular breeding and low productivity, the true survival rates of tropical Roseate Terns must be much higher than those estimated in this symposium. The adult survival rates of temperate Roseate Terns are unusually low compared to other seabirds with similar life-history characteristics. This is partially offset by consistently high productivity, but the reported demographic parameters cannot account for the observed long-term increases in numbers of two well-studied regional populations. Despite intensive study of Roseate Terns in several parts of their world range during the last 25 years, important features of the demography of both tropical and temperate populations remain poorly understood.