Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of sex steroids on spatial cognition in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

It is well established in mammals that chronic, long-term elevations in sex steroids are associated with improvements in spatial cognition. It is less clear the extent to which short to medium term elevations in sex steroids improve spatial cognition and change hippocampal morphology, particularly in birds. The avian hippocampus expresses both androgen receptors (AR) and oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and high levels of the enzyme aromatase that converts testosterone to oestrogen. I began by comparing spatial cognition, hippocampal sex steroid receptor and aromatase expression between males and females. There were no differences in spatial or visual cognition or in hippocampal sex steroid receptor expression between the sexes, although hippocampal aromatase mRNA expression was higher in males. I then addressed the effects of acute and medium-term sex steroid treatment on spatial cognition and hippocampal aromatase and sex steroid receptor expression. A single treatment of testosterone 30 minutes or four hours prior to cognitive testing improved spatial performance. Additionally, when testosterone and oestrogen were given daily for five days spatial cognition in both sexes was improved. The testosterone-induced improvement was blocked when testosterone was administered in conjunction with the aromatase inhibitor fadrozole but not when administered with saline. These findings suggest that spatial cognition is improved by an oestrogenic effect. Thirty minutes following acute testosterone treatment, plasma testosterone levels, hippocampal AR and ERα mRNA expression all increased. Five days of oestrogen treatment increased plasma oestrogen levels, hippocampal ERα mRNA and Nmethyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor levels in males and females; all were positively correlated with enhanced spatial cognition on day five of treatment. Finally, I determined which genes were differentially expressed as a result of five days of oestrogen treatment. Nineteen genes, identified as being involved in learning and memory were differentially expressed in the hippocampus, eleven of which were up-regulated and eight were down-regulated. Taken together these results demonstrate that oestrogen can improve spatial cognition in birds. It is plausible that oestrogen acts to improve spatial memory in the hippocampus through upregulation of genes that control neurotransmitter release, reuptake and receptor levels.
Potential tributyl-tin (TBT) biodegradation agent in contaminated sediment

This study was conducted in order to seek potentialmicroorganisms which are able to biodegrade TBT in sediments.Sediment samples were obtained from three seagrass beds (Merambong,Tanjung Adang, and Tanjung Kupang) and a fishing pier (Jeti Pendas). Microorganisms that are resistant to TBT concentration of more than4. 2μM were isolated and identified based on gram staining methods. Thetotal numbers of colonies isolated from Tanjung Kupang, Tanjung Adangand Merambong were five, six, and nil, respectively. The surface sedimentsof all seagrass beds comprised of sandy clay. The total number of coloniesfrom the pier’s sediments which were resistant to TBT at concentrationsof 4. 2μM, 8. 4μM, and 12. 6μM were 59, ten, and five respectively. A totalof 26 colonies were selected for this study, including all of the coloniesfrom Tanjung Kupang and Tanjung Adang, as well as colonies that wereresistant to 8. 4μM, and 12. 6μM TBT from the pier’s sediment. All ofthe colonies were found to be gram negative whilst 16 colonies wereresistant to 33. 6μM TBT or more. This study showed that the Merambongseagrass beds are more sensitive to TBT contamination as compared toother seagrass beds and that potential microbe capable of degradingTBT can be found in TBT-contaminated sediments. These microbes mayhave a great potential in the bioremediation of TBT contamination iftheir degradation ability is confirmed and assayed in a detailed study.
WEST BENGAL

Total Age group Govt. Pvt. Other Not in School 87.8 6.3 1.6 4.3 100 86.8 5.0 1.6 6.6 100 87.3 9.0 1.5 2.2 100 86.3 9.8 1.6 2.4 100 88.3 8.3 1.4 2.0 100 89.6 2.4 1.7 6.3 100 87.3 2.4 1.9 8.4 100 91.9 2.4 1.5 4.3 100 79.4 2.0 1.6 17.0 100 76.5 2.0 1.8 19.7 100 82.6 2.0 1.3 14.2 100 Age: 6-14 ALL Age: 7-16 ALL Age: 7-10 ALL Age: 7-10 BOYS Age: 7-10 GIRLS Age: 11-14 ALL Age: 11-14 BOYS Age: 11-14 GIRLS Age: 15-16 ALL Age: 15-16 BOYS Age: 15-16 GIRLS
Microfungal flora of Tricholoma matsutake producing and nonproducing sites in the forest of Pinus densiflora

The vertical distribution of the fungal population for the soil samples from two sites of producing and nonproducing of Tricholoma matsutake, song-yi mushroom, were examined at Yang­yang and Myung-joo, Gangweon province. By the dilution plate method, a total number of propagu­les of fungi per gram of soil was observed to be low at the song-yi producing sites but high at the song-yi nonproducing sites under the communities of Pinus densiflora. The tendency of the number of fungal propagules were decreased with the increasing vertical depth. In the incuhation method at , six genera and nineteen species of the fungi were isolated from two sites; Aspergillus fumigatus, Acremonium sp. , Talaromyces stipitatus, Penicillium lilacinum, P. oxalicum and Westerdykella multispora. The most dominant species by this method was A. fumigatus. From heat treatment method at , seven genera and nineteen species were isolated; Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria alternata, Neurospora sitophila and Mucor sp. In the ethanol treatment method, one genera and one species was isolated Mortierella sp. From the three isolation methods, it was found that the total number of the soil fungi and the frequency of species appeared were the highest at the soil of upper layer whereas the lowest at the soils of lower layer in its vertical distribution.
Environmental and fishing effects on the abundance, size and sex ratio of the blue‐throated wrasse, Notolabrus tetricus, on South Australian coastal reefs

The blue-throated wrasse, Notolabrus tetricus (Richardson), is a site-attached protogynous hermaphroditic species, with a small home range of 1000-2000 m², and the most abundant fish on inshore coastal reefs of South Australia. Long-term studies over 18-24 years were conducted at an island reserve site and a fished mainland reference site. At the reserve site the retention rate of fish (reduced by mortality + emigration) was directly correlated with female mean size; the female:male sex ratio ranged from 10 to 20:1, consistent with an induction-inhibition model of sex-change. At the fished reference site, female mean size declined under intense fishing, and the sex ratio became strongly skewed towards females. Additional spatial surveys over >2000 km of coast showed that: (1) juvenile and adult abundance was variously determined by habitat features, such as substratum-type, depth, bottom relief, wave exposure and algal canopy cover, and by geographical factors, such as distance off-shore and within gulfs; and (2) that female mean size and the sex ratio were strongly influenced by recreational fishing, and to a small extent by bottom relief and other factors. The results suggest that female mean size and the sex ratio together can be used as an indicator of recreational fishing intensity at local scales. As populations of sequential hermaphroditic species are sensitive to size-selective harvesting, management measures should aim to prevent sperm limitation, reproductive failure and skewed sex ratios in this species.
A priori estimates for elliptic problems via Liouville type theorems

In this paper we prove a priori estimates for positive solutions of elliptic equations of the \begin{document}$ p $\end{document} -Laplacian type on arbitrary domains of \begin{document}$ \mathbb {R}^N $\end{document} , when a nonlinearity depending on the gradient is considered. Also the case of systems with very general nonlinearities is considered. Our main theorems extend previous results by Polacik, Quitter and Souplet in [ 26 ] in which either the case \begin{document}$ p = 2 $\end{document} with a nonlinearity depending on the gradient or the \begin{document}$ p $\end{document} -Laplacian case with a nonlinearity not depending on the gradient is treated. The technique is based on the use of a method developed in [ 26 ] whose main tools are rescaling arguments combined with a key "doubling" property, which is different from the celebrated blow up technique due to Gidas and Spruck in [ 16 ]. A discussion on the sharpness of the main result in the scalar case is presented.
Computational study of oxygen evolving complex in photosystem II

OF THE DISSERTATION Computational Study of Oxygen Evolving Complex in Photosystem II by He Chen Dissertation Director: David A. Case Photosystem II (PSII) of photosynthetic organisms converts light energy into chemical energy by oxidizing water to dioxygen at the Mn4CaO5 oxygen evolving complex (OEC). Extensive structural data have been collected from crystal diffraction, EXAFS studies and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), but the protonation and Mn oxidation states are still uncertain. A “high-oxidation” model assigns the S1 state to have the formal Mn oxidation level of (III-IV-IV-III), whereas the “low-oxidation” model posits two additional electrons. Generally, additional protons are expected to be associated with the low-oxidation model. We first consider structural features of the S0 and S1 states using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method. We systematically alter the hydrogenbonding network and the protonation states of bridging and terminal oxygens and His337 to investigate how they influence Mn-Mn and Mn-O distances, relative energetics, and the internal distribution of Mn oxidation states, in both high and low-oxidation state paradigms. Optimized geometries are compared to experimental data and to results from earlier computational studies. The bridging oxygens (O1, O2, O3, O4) all need to be deprotonated (O2-) to be compatible with available structural data; while
Sieve element acceptance by aphids

Aphis fabae took 3 to 4 hours, after access to a plant, to show the first puncture of a sieve element. A further hour was needed before sustained ingestion started. Early probes did not show sieve element punctures, in general. Within later probes, showing these punctures, the average time needed to reach them was 30 min. Early sieve element punctures were mainly accompanied by the secretion of a watery saliva. The composition of this saliva and the function of its secretion is unknown. It is speculated that this saliva secretion makes the phloem sap more readily available and/or improves its quality for aphids. Further research is needed to test this hypothesis.
MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATIONS OF TWO COMMON FOOD PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE MICROBIAL ECOLOGY OF SWINE FECES IN VITRO

OF THESIS MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATIONS OF TWO COMMON FOOD PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE MICROBIAL ECOLOGY OF SWINE FECES IN VITRO Feeding sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics to livestock has been associated with development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of antibiotic alternatives (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and carbadox) on the microbial ecology of swine feces in vitro. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of caffeic and chlorogenic acids were determined for several pathogens using macrobroth and agar dilution techniques. Gram-negative bacteria were not inhibited. Caffeic acid inhibited four Staphylococcus aureus strains at 200 ppm or less, and two Clostridium perfringens strains at 300 ppm. Chlorogenic acid inhibited all S. aureus strains at 500 ppm, and one C. perfringens strain at 400 ppm. Effects of antibiotic alternatives on fecal microbial ecology were determined using an in vitro incubation. Caffeic acid lowered total anaerobes, Bifidobacteria, Escherichia coli, and percent E. coli (p<0.01). Chlorogenic acid lowered total anaerobes, Bifidobacteria, and lactobacilli (p<0.01), and increased acetate concentration (p<0.0001). Carbadox lowered total anaerobes, Bifidobacteria, E. coli, and coliforms (p<0.01), and lowered acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, and total volatile fatty acid concentrations (p<0.01). It can be concluded that addition of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, or carbadox effected bacterial and chemical components of the microbial ecology of swine feces.
Relevance of anti-myelin antibodies in Multiple Sclerosis

Antibodies directed against myelin antigens have been described in multiple sclerosis (MS). Although anti-myelin antibodies have been implicated in central nervous system (CNS) demyelination, it is unclear to what extent anti-myelin antibodies contribute to MS pathogenesis. In this dissertation, the role of antibodies in MS and in the animal model experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is addressed in eight chapters: Chapter 1: A review on antibodies, complement and Fc receptors in MS Chapter 2: A review on antibodies, complement and Fc receptors in several models of EAE Chapter 3: An in vivo study to the role Fcgamma receptors (FcgR), and interactions between FcgR and anti-MOG antibodies in EAE Chapter 4: A genetic study on FcgR polymorphisms in MS patients and healthy donors Chapter 5: An immunohistochemical study to describe deposition of complement activation products, antibodies and expression of FcgR in active demyelinating MS lesions Chapter 6: The description of a new method to measure antibodies to human whole myelin in human serum Chapter 7: Application of the myelin flow cytometry assay to study the clinical relevance of anti-myelin antibodies Chapter 8: Summary and discussion of the previous chapters
Testing the role of male–male competition in the evolution of sexual dimorphism: a comparison between two species of porcelain crabs

Theory predicts marked sexual dimorphism in terms of body size and body structures used as weapons (e.g. chelipeds) in gonochoric species with intense male sexual competition for receptive females and reduced or no sexual dimorphism in species where competition among males is trivial. We tested this hypothesis using a pair of closely-related species of symbiotic porcelain crabs as a model. In one species that inhabits sea anemones solitarily, competition among males for receptive females is unimportant. In a second species that dwells as dense aggregations on sea urchins, male–male competition for sexual partners is recurrent. We expected considerable sexual dimorphism in body size and weaponry in the urchin-dwelling crab and reduced sexual dimorphism in the anemone-dwelling crab. In agreement with expectations, in the urchin-dwelling crab, male body size was, on average, larger than that of females and males invested considerably more to cheliped length than females. Also supporting theoretical considerations, in the anemone-dwelling crab, sexual dimorphism in terms of body size was not detected and differences between the sexes in investment to cheliped length were minor. Interestingly, chelipeds were more developed both in males and females of the anemone-dwelling crab than in the urchin-dwelling crab as a result of the importance of these structures for monopolization of their naturally scarce anemone hosts. Another difference between the studied species was the existence of two clearly distinguishable ontogenetic phases in males of the urchin-dwelling crab but not in males of the anemone-dwelling crab. Whether the two different male morphs display different male reproductive strategies in the urchin-dwelling crab remains to be addressed. Other conditions that might additionally explain the observed differences in sexual dimorphism (e.g. female mate choice) between the studied species remain to be explored. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105, 548–558.
Seasonal changes in a fish assemblage associated with mangroves in a coastal lagoon of Baja California Sur, Mexico

The fish assemblage in a coastal lagoon with mangroves known as "Rancho Bueno" was determined and associated with environmental parameters. We used an experimental otter trawl net to catch the fish, and 62 fish species were identified from 48 genera and 30 families. The most abundant species were: Etropus crossotus, Eucinostomus gracilis, Paralabrax maculatofasciatus, Sphoeroides annulatus, and Eucinostomus dowii. The water temperature changed seasonally, being warm from July through December and cold from January through June. We found more fish species during the warm season than during the cold season. The southern area of the coastal lagoon had the highest diversity and species richness. The small size of the fishes registered confirms the ecological role of coastal lagoons as nursery areas that offer protection and feeding to commercially important fish near Bahia Magdalena, Mexico.
Assessing the link between executive functions and aggressive behaviours of children who are deaf: Impact of early special education

Introduction. Relation between constructing complex mental structures and language skills cause delays in development of executive functions of deaf children. When the importance of language skills in development of executive functions and frequency of aggressive behaviours of deaf children are considered, investigation of executive functions of deaf children may ex-plain their aggressive behaviours. Method. 82 children of 10-14 ages were analyzed within 2 groups; students with and without early special education background. For measuring aggressive behaviours Buss-Durke Hostility Inventory (BDHI) and for measuring executive functions Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were used. Results. Preschool special education has no significant effect on aggressive behaviours but on executive functions. Aggression has no significant effect of any variables analyzed in the present study whereas early special education background and gender has significant effects on the development of executive functions. Discussion and Conclusions. From a theoretical perspective, the findings support the interdependence of language and executive functions. Therefore, one can say that early special education has positive effects on cognitive development of deaf children, however, lacks of supporting social development during adolescence. Findings present to the literature on the aggressive of who are Andersson and in their study assessed 57 children who and found that there are no gender differences in who in terms of Similarly, Sipal (2002) tested normally developing and impaired and lacks of studies directly assessing aggressive behaviors of children who limited parallel it to generalize this finding for
Nematodes from some Norwegian marine fishes

Abstract The present paper deals with nematode parasites from some Norwegian marine fishes. The major part of the material was collected personally from fishes caught in the fjords near Bergen and Tromso; the minor part of the material was obtained from the zoological museums in Oslo and Bergen and from other sources. 260 specimens of fish, belonging to 64 species, have been searched for nematode parasites. 9 species of fish were found to be free of nematodes.
Life Table studies on Thelytokous and Antibiotically cured Trichogrammatids

Life table studies on four wolbachia derived thelytokous trichogrammatids, viz., Trichogramma brasiliense, T. pretiosum, T. evanescens, and T. embryophagum and that of antibiotically cured conspecifics was determined in the laboratory at 27±1°c and 65±5% RH. There was no significant difference between adult longevity of infected and cured wasps. Total female progeny production (Ro) was more in thelytokous species compared to cured species. Intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of thelytokous species was 0.285, 0.397, 0.404 and 0.346, respectively, and that of cured ones were 0.308, 0.312, 0.351 and 0.312, respectively. The finite rate of increase (e) was 1.329, 1.487, 1.498 and 1.413 female/female/day, and that of cured ones was 0.360, 1.366, 1.42 and 1.366 female/female/day for thelytokous and cured species, respectively. The results of the life table study showed that thelytokous species were more suitable candidate for biological control programmes than its conspecific cured species.
Fungal Diversity in Gut Microbiota in Patients with Cancer

Patients who have cancer are more prone to get infections than healthy individuals. In this study, we applied cloning sequencing technique to identify the mycobiome and other transient fungal components in the digestive tract of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), Leucopenia and anemia and compare it with the fungal components of healthy individuals. Fungal universal primer pair targeting ITS region of the fungal genome was used to assess the fungal components in fecal samples. Approximately more than 1,481 clones were selected and subjected to sequence analysis resulted in detection of a total of 44 and 43 fungal species from both fecal samples of cancer patients and healthy control individuals respectively. The majority of fungi were assigned to the 3 taxa Ascomycota (n = 39/63, 61.9 %), Basidiomycota (n = 23/63, 36.5 %) and Zygomycota (n= 1/63, 1.6 %). Fungal species such as Candida parapsilosis , Candida dubliniensis , Malassezia restricta were represented only in the feces of cancer patients. Moreover, the results from analyzing ITS clone library revealed that the most frequently detected fungi of the Malassezia genus ( Malassezia globosa , Malassezia pachydermatis , Malassezia restricta ) were retrieved in high amount in the fecal samples of cancer patients compared with those of healthy volunteers. Further efforts and studies are needed to shed light on the complex relationships between the fungal populations and the host immune system in cancer patients.
Gyroporus ammophilus, a new poisonous bolete from the Iberian Peninsula

Gyroporus ammophilus, a poisonous bolete occurring in Pinus woods on sandy soils along the western Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, originally published as a variety of G. castaneus, is formally raised to the rank of species. The distinguishing characters of Gyroporus ammophilus are given against G. castaneus (Bull.: Fr.) Quel. The new species causes severe gastroenteritis when consumed.
The Role of the “Cancer Stem Cell Niche” in Cancer Initiation and Progression

Adult stem cells, also known as progenitor cells, have two major ascribed functions: (1) to replenish tissues throughout normal growth and development and (2) to repair tissues following damage by disease or injury. Classically, a stem cell is defined as possessing the capacity for self-renewal and potency. Self-renewal requires a stem cell to be able to divide in such a way as to maintain the pool of stem cells in an undifferentiated state, while potency (commonly referred to as plurior multi-potency) requires a stem cell to retain the capacity to differentiate into an array of specialized cell types. Cancer stem cells (CSC) represent a subset of tumour cells that exhibit the same properties as normal adult stem cells; namely the ability to self-renew, undergo asymmetric cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of cell types. In addition, the CSC population has the capacity to initiate tumours and has also been implicated in metastatic spread and in resistance to conventional anti-cancer therapies.
Climate, climate change and range boundaries

Aim A major issue in ecology, biogeography, conservation biology and invasion biology is the extent to which climate, and hence climate change, contributes to the positions of species’ range boundaries. Thirty years of rapid climate warming provides an excellent opportunity to test the hypothesis that climate acts as a major constraint on range boundaries, treating anthropogenic climate change as a large‐scale experiment.