Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abacavir impairs an HLA-B*5701-restricted CD8+ T Cell response to an immunodominant Epstein-Barr virus epitope

Background: Structural and functional studies show that abacavir (ABC) binds non-covalently to HLA B*57:01 and alters the repertoire of peptide presented, some of which may re-stimulate memory CD8+ T cells to cause ABC hypersensitivity. We questioned whether the binding of ABC to HLA-B*5701 might also impair an HLA-B*5701 restricted CD8+ T cell antiviral response. Methods: 52 putative B95-8 Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) strain HLA-B*57:01 restricted epitopes were identified using NetMHC 3.2 (binding score <400 nM). 7 healthy adult HLA-B*57:01+ donors were screened with EBV peptide pools followed by confirmatory enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISpot) with individual EBV peptides and avidity testing to 0.001 g/mL peptide. In addition, 4 HLA-B*57:01+ and 31 negative healthy donors were screened with 20-mer peptides overlapping with 15 amino acids from EBNA3A, 3B, BZLF1, and BMLF1. 4 short-term lines were generated from 4 HLA-B*57:01+ ABC-naīve donors by pulsing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with 20 μg/mL VSFIEFVGW for 1 hour, washing and then 9 days culture in RPMI-1640 media containing 10% FCS and 10% T-Stim media and 100 U/mL IL-2. The resulting cell lines contained 5% to 35% peptide specific CD8+ T cells. Cell lines or PBMC taken from HLA-B*57:01+ donors were tested for peptide specific responses ąABC at a range of concentrations previously shown not to affect cell viability, by intra-cellular cytokine re-stimulation assays (ICS) or ELISpot. Peptide concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 g/mL were used in the ICS assay and 1 g/mL in the ELISpot assay. Expression of interferon (IFN)-γ in the presence of increasing concentrations of ABC relative to baseline (no ABC) and the respective ratios were analyzed using a linear mixed effects model with nesting for multiple peptide concentrations per individual. Results: 4 HLA-B*57:01-restricted epitopes were confirmed of which 2 were independently detected using overlapping peptides: VSFIEFVGW from EBNA3A and VAAHPEIGAW from BMLF1. Responses to VSFIEFVGW were of high avidity and detectable in all 11 donors confirming it as an immunodominant peptide. IFN-γ responses to VSFIEFVGW relative to baseline were reduced relative to baseline with increasing abacavir concentrations using both ICS (Fig a) and ELISpot assay (Fig b). Conclusions: A new immunodominant HLA-B*57:01-restricted EBV epitope was identified. ABC was shown to impair the CD8+ T cell response to this epitope in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that drugs that bind non-covalently to HLA molecules may modulate immune responses.
Varietal differences in the susceptibility of Brussels sprouts to Lepidopterous pests.

SUMMARY The attack by cabbage caterpillars on open-pollinated cultivars of Brussels sprouts at Wellesbourne was recorded approximately weekly from July to October in 1973 and 1974. The red-foliaged cv. Rubine was much less attacked by Pieris rapae than any of the twenty-five green-foliaged cultivars tested, the least attacked of which were The Aristocrat, Continuity, Evergreen and Pride of the Market. Rubine also showed some resistance to attack by Mamestra brassicae and Evergestis forficialis, as did The Aristocrat. Continuity, though as resistant as any of the cultivars to E. forficialis, was not resistant to M. brassicae. No evidence of antibiosis was found and resistance, based on non-preference, is considered to result from ovipositing P. rapae adults discriminating against the red colour of Rubine and against the leaf composition (relative volatile content) of the green-foliaged resistants. This could also apply with M. brassicae and E. forficialis.
Farmer Perceptions of Weed Problems in Corn and Soybean Rotation Systems1

Corn and soybean growers across Indiana were surveyed in 2003 to determine their perceptions of the importance of weed problems in various crop rotations. Growers were asked to list the three most problematic weeds in the following rotation systems: soybean and corn planted in alternate years (SC) and corn (CC) or soybean (SS) planted to the same field for 2 or more years. Although some summer annuals and perennials (common lambsquarters, Canada thistle, and common cocklebur) and winter annuals (chickweed and henbit) were considered problematic by at least 10% of growers in all three systems, there were differences among systems in the relative importance of weed species. Giant ragweed was considered problematic by at least 30% of SC and CC growers but by less than 10% of SS growers. Horseweed was listed as a problematic summer annual by 13% of SS growers but by only 3% of CC growers. Purple deadnettle was listed by 15% of CC growers but by less than 6% of SC and SS growers. Perennial dicots were more problematic in SS than in CC. Annual and perennial grasses were more problematic in CC than in SC or SS. Despite these differences, the results of this survey suggest that the cumulative effect of weed management practices in corn and soybean rotation systems in Indiana has been the promotion of larger seeded, broadleaf, summer annual species. Nomenclature: Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. #3 CIRAR; chickweed, Stellaria media (L.) Vill. # STEME; common cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium L. # XANTH; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. # CHEAL; giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifidia L. # AMBTR; henbit, Lamium amplexicaule L. # LAMAM; horseweed, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq. # ERICA; purple deadnettle, Lamium purpureum L. ; corn, Zea mays L. ; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Additional index words: pests, weed rankings, winter annual, summer annual, perennial. Abbreviations: ALS, acetolactate synthase; CC, continuous corn rotation; CTIC, Conservation Technology Information Center; fb, followed by; GR, glyphosate-resistant; IASS, Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service; SC, soybean/corn rotation; SS, continuous soybean rotation.
The μ-permanent revisited

This letter aims to correct and clarify several results appearing in [2]. It is clear that, under similarity, the -permanent does not keep the same value, in general, i.e. the polynomial P (A) is not necessarily the same as P (BAB), for B nonsingular. In particular, for permutation similarity, this means that interchanging rows and columns of the same indices leads to possible different -permanents. Indeed, if P( ) is the permutation matrix ( i, (i)), then
Modification of adenovirus capsid proteins for gene therapy applications

Background: Human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) has been widely explored as gene delivery vector for a variety of diseases. Many target cells, however, express low level of Ad5 native receptor, the Coxsackie-Adenovirus Receptor (CAR), thus are resistant to Ad5 infection. The Protein Transduction Domain of HIV TAT protein, namely PTDtat, has been shown to mediate protein transduction in a wide range of cells. We hypothesize that re-targeting Ad5 vector via PTDtat motif would improve the efficacy of Ad5mediated gene delivery. Results: In this study, we genetically incorporated PTDtat motif into the knob domain of Ad5 fiber, and rescued the resultant viral vector, Ad5.PTDtat. Our data showed the modification did not interfere with Ad5 binding to its native receptor CAR, suggesting Ad5 infection via CAR pathway is retained. In addition, we found that Ad5.PTDtat exhibited enhanced gene transfer efficacy in all the cell lines that we have tested so far, which included both low-CAR and high-CAR cells. Competitive inhibition assays suggested the enhanced infectivity of Ad5.PTDtat was mediated by binding of the positively charged PTDtat peptide to the negatively charged epitopes on cell surface. Furthermore, we investigated in vivo gene delivery efficacy of Ad5.PTDtat using subcutaneous tumor models established with glioma U118MG cells, and found that Ad5.PTDtat exhibited enhanced gene transfer efficacy compared to unmodified Ad5 vector as analyzed by non-invasive fluorescence imaging technique. Conclusion: Genetic incorporation of PTDtat motif into Ad5 fiber allowed Ad5 vectors to infect cells via the alternative PTDtat targeting motif while retaining the native CARmediated infection. The enhanced infectivity was demonstrated in both cultured cells and
Intestinal parasites in ecotourism region of the state of Paraná, Brazil

To determine the indices of prevalence of intestinal parasites and commensals in the residents of ecotourism region of Parana State, a retrospective study was conducte, from January/2003 to December/2004 on 3,764 fecal parasitological examinations performed by a private laboratory of Ubirata using the Baermann-Moraes, water-sedimentation and Willis methods. Among the individuals aged eight months to 89 years, 522 (13.9%) cases were positive. Giardia lamblia (175/522; 24.2%) was the most prevalent parasite (p<0.000). Entamoeba coli was the most common commensal, with 238/552 (32.9%) cases (p<0.000), being frequently associated with other species, either parasitic or commensal. The children of preschool age (2-6 years old) and school age (7-14 years) were mainly parasitized (66.0% of positivity; p<0.0000). More individuals harbored a single species of parasite (233; 44.6%) than had multiple species (169; 32.4%). These results indicated a significant degree of the environmental contamination in the cities of Parana, mainly the medium-and small-sized ones, which was a cause for concern in view of the increase in ecotourism in the region.
Modification of Microclimate to Improve Milk Production in Tropical Rainforest of Thailand

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electric fan installation for milk production improvement of dairy cattle in Thailand. The study was conducted using 2 small-holder dairy farms in Chiang Mai province, during April to August 2004. Electric fans were installed in front of each row of cows. Each of the two rows of cows in the barn was defined as an experimental unit, thus each farm had two experimental units. The fans were operated alternately in 7-day intervals between rows of cows within each farm during the day or between 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. Non-operation periods were used as control. Milk yields were recorded. Data on environmental temperature and humidity were obtained from Chiang Mai Meteorological Center. Result from statistically analysis of milk record suggested an interaction between lactation period and fan installation. Therefore, this interaction term of lactation period and fan installation (PERIOD_FAN) was added as a variable to the regression model. Due to the repeated data collection of milk yield from the same cow (alternate week), milk yield was analyzed by repeated measure analysis (Mixed model). Least square means were calculated for all levels and used to compare between each pair-wise values. The final data were collected from the total of 18 cows with 2,072 data. Overall means and SEM of milk yields and days in milk separated into farm were 14.7±0.06 kg/day and 176.3±2.2 days, and 15.2±0.22 kg/day and 202.5±3.7 days for farm A and farm B, respectively. For multivariable analysis, only PERIOD_FAN and humidity were significantly associated with milk yield. Only the first period of lactation showed that the amount of milk yields during fan installation was higher than that of non-fan installation (p<0.05). Cows with fan installation produced approximately 1.2 kg/cow more milk than cows without fan installation during this period. In conclusion, the use of electric fan operated during the day time increased milk production of cows during the first period of lactation. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2006. Vol 19, No. 6 : 811-815)
Efficacy of Two Entomopathogenic Fungi against Corn Pests Under Laboratory and Field Conditions in Egypt

The effect of the twoentomopathogenic fungi Paecilomyces carneus and Paecilomyces farinosuss tested under laboratory green house and field conditions. The results showed that, the LC50 of the entomopathogenic fungi P. carneus ,149X104, 166X104 and 176X104 spores/ ml for Ostrinia nubilalis, Sesamia cretica and Chilo agamemnon. , respectively. under green houseconditions, the corresponding LC50, 156 X104 , 189 X104 and 195 X104 spores/ml. The effect of the entomopathogenic fungi under corn field conditions , detected that during season 2013 the means number of infestation with O. nubilalis significantly decreased to 15±3.1, 20±2.2 and 23±3.2 individuals after 20, 50 and 90 days of post applications as compared to 42 ±5.2, 69±4.3 and 88±2.3 individuals in the control. In all treatments the infestations significantly decreased after the fungi applications (Table 3). Table 4 show that the weight of corn were significantly increased to 3820± 51.6 and 3981 ±60.4 kg/feddans in the plots treated with P. lilacinus in season 2013 and 2014 . , as compared to 2511 ± 50.9 and 2210 ± 73.2 kg/ feddan in the control respectively.
Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Yield of Maize in Mubi North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria

The study on the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on yield of maize in Mubi North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, was conducted at the Food and Agricultural organization/ Tree Crop Production (FAO/TCP) Teaching and Research Farm of Adamawa State University Mubi. The field work was conducted during 2018 cropping season. Mubi is geographically located within Latitude 10 o 05'' N of the equator and longitude 13 o 16'' E Greenwich meridian time on altitude of 696m above the sea level. The mean plant height of maize was different due to sources of fertilizer and levels applied. During the growth stages it showed that, the mean plant heights were recorded after 3, 6 and 9 WAS. Those applied with cow dung had the tallest plant at 3 WAS with 18.27cm, followed by NPK applied with 18.07cm. The combination of cow dung and NPK recorded 15.66cm, while the controlled had 13.96cm. The trends followed at 6 WAS with cow dung, recorded the tallest plant with 49.02cm followed by NPK with 48.52cm while combined had 46.11cm and the controlled with 41,06cm. The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield parameter of maize has significant difference. Subsequently, the tallest plants were obtained with those applied with NPK, while control has the shortest plant. NPK also records shorter days to tasseling and silking with 59 and 62 days respectively, while control records 61 and 63 days. ’ Plants supplied with NPK gave the highest yield of 4,620.6kg/ha -1 even though there were no significant difference with those applied with combination of NPK and cow dung which gave 4,430.7kg/ha1 . The control plots recorded the lowest yield with 2,035.2kg/ha1 . The research shows that application of NPK gave significantly higher yield and grain weight than plants that were supplied with cow dung; NPK, cow dung combined. The study recommends that the farmers in Mubi North should adopt the proper method and time of application of NPK in their farms for higher yield. Therefore, application of NPK should be adopted for greater achievement by farmers in the study area.
Ecological contrasts across an Antarctic land–sea interface

We report the composition of terrestrial, intertidal and shallow sublittoral faunal communities at sites around Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula. We examined primary hypotheses that the marine environment will have considerably higher species richness, biomass and abundance than the terrestrial, and that both will be greater than that found in the intertidal. We also compared ages and sizes of individuals of selected marine taxa between intertidal and subtidal zones to test the hypothesis that animals in a more stressed environment (intertidal) would be smaller and shorter lived. Species richness of intertidal and subtidal communities was found to be similar, with considerable overlap in composition. However, terrestrial communities showed no overlap with the intertidal, differing from previous reports, particularly from further north on the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc. Faunal biomass was variable but highest in the sublittoral. While terrestrial communities were depauperate with low biomass they displayed the highest overall abundance, with a mean of over 3 × 105 individuals per square metre. No significant differences in ages of intertidal and subtidal individuals of the same species were found, with bryozoan colonies of up to 4 years of age being present in the intertidal. In contrast with expectation and the limited existing literature we conclude that, while the Antarctic intertidal zone is clearly a suboptimal and highly stressful habitat, its faunal community can be well established and relatively diverse, and is not limited to short-term opportunists or waifs and strays.
Biochemical composition of amniotic fluid during different stages of gestation in Gaddi sheep

The study was conducted on amniotic fluid collected from fifty gravid uteri of Gaddi sheep at different stages of gestation. The foetii were measured for their crown rump length and then divided into 4 stages i.e. stage I (31-60 days), stage II (61-90 days), stage III (91-120 days) and stage IV (121- till term). The mean concentration of glucose showed a declining trend from stage I to stage IV of gestation. The level of total protein remained consistent initially and decreased slightly in later stages of gestation. Creatinine and urea increased from stage I and II to stage III of gestation. Activity of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significantly higher in stage I of gestation. Alkaline Phosphatase showed highest activity in stage III of gestation. Changes in the concentration of glucose, urea, proteins or enzymes in foetal fluid reflect alterations in the functioning of liver during pregnancy and can be used as an important tool to assess the healthy state of pregnancy.
Relations between weight at first calving and milk production during the first lactation.

Summary Michigan DHIA–IBM records for 4,677 Holsteins, 1,001 Guernseys, and 501 Jerseys were used to fit constants by least squares for the independent influences of age and weight on production in the first lactation. These effects indicated that delaying calving of heifers is economically disadvantageous and that heavier heifers have little or no advantage over lighter heifers of similar age. Intraherd partial regressions were about 75 lb. of milk per month of age and 200 lb. of milk per 100 lb. weight at first calving. Large correlation between herd averages of weight and production contributed significantly to larger partial regressions of milk on weight when herds were ignored. Genetic correlations between weight and production were of the order of . 3. Heritabilities based on paternal-sister correlations ranged from . 4 to . 8 for weight and from . 3 to . 6 for production in the first lactation. Dairy heifers should be bred as soon as large enough to minimize possible harmful effects on length of productive life. Selection for increased milk production may result in larger size. Correcting production for weight should be based only on the environmental part of the relationship between weight and production to avoid removing some genetic variation in production.
Extreme Wave Conditions Over the Bay of Bengal During Severe Cyclone?Simulation Experiment With Two Spectral Wave Models

Two spectral wave models—a second generation wave model (Resio model, hereafter referred to as RM) and a third generation wave model (WAM, hereafter referred as WM) suitably modi ed for the Indian seas—have been used to simulate the state of the sea for an exceptionally severe cyclone which occurred over the Bay of Bengal during November 1977. Maximum average wave heights of 14 m were noticed off Pondicherry coast during this event. The results from both these spectral models were validated with the available observations off Pondicherry coast. In situ wave data was available during this event for comparison and validation. The results of both these models showed good agreement with the observation. Simulation studies were carried out with 50 km grid interval and 1000 km2 area which covers the location where wave data is available for comparison. The wind  eld for this event was obtained from a storm model. Both these models were run for 48 hours from a cold start. Propagation of wave energy is performed using an accurate form of the Lax-Wendroff scheme. Frequencies for RM are  xed to 30 bands on a linear scale to avoid excess of accumulation of energy in the parametric region, and in WM they are set to 25 bands on a geometric progression with a common ratio of 1.1. The partitioning of wind sea and swells are found better in WM in comparison with RM.
EFFECTS OF A TEST FLOOD ON FISHES OF THE COLORADO RIVER IN GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA

A beach/habitat-building flow (i.e., test flood) of 1274 m3/s, released from Glen Canyon Dam down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, had little effect on distribution, abundance, or movement of native fishes, and only short-term effects on densities of some nonnative species. Shoreline and backwater catch rates of native fishes, including juvenile humpback chub (Gila cypha), flannelmouth suckers (Catostomus latipinnis), and bluehead suckers (C. discobolus), and all ages of speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), were not significantly different before and after the flood. Annual spring spawning migrations of flannelmouth suckers into the Paria River and endangered humpback chub into the Little Colorado River (LCR) took place during and after the flood, indicating no impediment to fish migrations. Pre-spawning adults staged in large slack water pools formed at the mouths of these tributaries during the flood. Net movement and habitat used by nine radio-tagged adult humpback chub during the flood were no.
Effect of vitamin E and mineral supplementation during peri-partum period on BCS, body weight and calf performance in Murrah buffaloes.

The present study was conducted on twenty Murrah buffaloes 60 days prepartum and randomly assigned to two experimental groups with 10 animals in each group; Control group was provided 20% higher nutrients than Kearl’s Feeding Standard and group 2 was provided 20% higher nutrients than Kearl’s Feeding Standard along with vitamin E { (2000IU from 60 days prepartum to 30 days postpartum and 1500IU from 30 to 60 days postpartum) vitamin E 50 % powder, Vet Chem } supplementation and 50 gm of commercial mineral mixture (Agrimin, Agrivet Farm Care Division) to meet the expected requirements of the minerals. Body condition score (BCS) increased upto parturition and thereafter decreased in both the groups. The prepartum and postpartum changes in body weights (BW) were not apparently marked to be refl ected in BCS changes which were almost similar (0.12 vs 0.16 prepartum and 0.39 vs 0.35 postpartum). Calves born to mineral and vitamin E supplemented buffaloes performed well in terms of their birth weight, body weight gain upto 90 days and calf weight to dam weight ratio. However, the differences between the two groups were statistically not signifi cant. It can be concluded that vitamin E and mineral supplementation during peripartum period improves the performance of Murrah buffalo and their calves.