Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metal specificity and the mechanism of allosteric regulation in metal-sensing metal-responsive transcriptional repressors Staphylococcus aureus CzrA and Mycobacterium tuberculosis NmtR

Metal Specificity and the Mechanism of Allosteric Regulation in Metal-Sensing MetalResponsive Transcriptional Repressors Staphylococcus aureus CzrA and Mycobacterium tuberculosis NmtR. (May 2005) Mario Antonio Pennella, B.S., University of Oklahoma Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. David P. Giedroc The metal-responsive transcriptional repressors of the SmtB/ArsR family repress the expression of their respective operons in the absence of metal and are released from the operator/promoter region when metal ions bind, thus allowing RNA polymerase to bind and transcribe the operon, which encodes genes involved in homeostasis and resistance. To elucidate the determinants of metal ion selectivity, comparative metalbinding and DNA-binding properties of S. aureus CzrA and M. tuberculosis NmtR were characterized. The structure of the metal coordination complexes of CzrA and NmtR reveal that CzrA forms a 4-coordinate, tetrahedral complex with both Zn(II) and Co(II) potent regulators of czr operator/promoter (O/P) binding in vitro and de-repression in vivo. In contrast, NmtR adopts 5or 6-coordinate complexes with Ni(II) and Co(II), the strongest allosteric regulators of nmt O/P binding in vitro and de-repression in vivo. Zn(II), a non-inducer in vivo and poor regulator in vitro, binds NmtR with high affinity and forms a non-native 4-coordinate complex. These studies suggest that metal
Turbulence Investigation and Reproduction for Assisting Downstream Migrating Juvenile Salmonids, Part I of II, 2001-2002 Final Report.

Turbulence in gravel bed rivers plays a critical role in most stream processes including contaminant and nutrient transport, aquatic habitat selection, and natural channel design. While most hydraulic designs and fluid models are based on bulk velocity, migrating juvenile salmon experience and react to the temporally varied turbulent fluctuations. Without properly understanding and accounting for the continuous turbulent motions proper fishway design and guidance are impossible. Matching temporally varied flow to fish reactions is the key to guiding juvenile salmonids to safe passageways. While the ideal solution to fish guidance design would be to use specific fluid action-fish reaction mechanisms, such concrete cause and effect relations have not been established. One way to approach the problem of guidance is to hypothesize that in an environment lacking obvious bulk flow cues (like the reservoir environment), turbulent flow conditions similar to those experienced by juvenile salmonids in natural migration corridors will be attractive to juvenile salmonids. Proof of this hypothesis requires three steps: (1) gathering data on turbulence characteristics in natural migration corridors, (2) reproduction of the turbulence parameters in a controlled environment, and (3) testing the reproduced turbulence on actively migrating juvenile salmonids for increased passage efficiencies. The results from the more » third step have not been finalized, therefore this report will focus on understanding turbulent processes in gravel bed rivers and reproduction of turbulence in controlled environments for use in fish passage technologies. The purposes of this report are to (1) present data collected in natural gravel bed rivers, (2) present a simple method for reproduction of appropriate turbulence levels in a controlled environment, (3) compare these results to those from one prototype surface collector (PSC), and (4) discuss the implications on fish passage design. « less
Seasonal Variation in phytoplankton diversity with an emphasis on the seasonality and morphology of Dinophysis Ehrenberg (Dinophyceae) in the outer Oslo Fjord

This thesis examines the phytoplankton diversity in the Oslo Fjord and the seasonality of the size, shape and abundance of the genus Dinophysis Ehrenberg. The genus, which contains several toxinproducing species, has previously been shown to at times be highly form variable, and delimitation of some of the species has been the subject of much discussion. Samples were collected from station Missingene (OF2) in the outer Oslo Fjord. Net hauls and natural water samples were collected for cell quantification and size measurements nearly once per month between the late summer of 2009 and the early summer of 2011. Cell counts were performed in an inverted microscope and used to examine seasonality of diatoms and dinoflagellates, as well as to calculate the biodiversity through Shannon's diversity index and species richness. Photographs of Dinophysis cells in net haul samples were used to measure length and width of individuals. Shannon's diversity index showed between 1.13 and 3.53 bits, with no clear correlation to neither temperature nor salinity, and no significant variation between the seasons. Between 16 and 53 total species were found in cell counts for any given month from this study, with an average of approximately 28 total species per month. Species richness did not correlate with salinity nor temperature, and did not appear to vary with the seasons. 90 separate species were registered between 2009 and 2010, and 82 species were found in between 2010 and 2011. Diatoms and dinoflagellates followed a previously reported pattern in which diatom abundance was higher than that of dinoflagellates throughout the sampling period, with the exceptions of late spring/early summer in 2010 and 2011. Vernal blooms were detected in January 2010, dominated by Skeletonema spp. and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. , and in February 2011, dominated by Skeletonema spp. Dinophysis acuminata and D. norvegica were found to be the two most abundant species of their genus, and made up most of the Dinophysis species detected during cell counts. Dinophysis acuminata and D. norvegica both showed a short-lived abundance increase in the late spring/early summer of 2010, showing cell numbers of up to 1000 cells L and 1600 cells L, respectively. Dinophysis acuminata and D. norvegica both had highly variable cell sizes, whereas D. rotundata did not show the same size variation. Most cell sizes did not conform to previously reported size ranges. Hydrographical data showed a correlation with the sizes of D. acuminata, D. norvegica and D. rotundata, though high significance (p <0.0005) was only shown with temperature against the length and salinity against the length-width ratio of D. acuminata cells. Dinophysis acuta did not have a sufficient sample size to provide any statistical significance.
EFFECT OF GROWTH REGULATORS ON FRUIT CHARACTERS AND SEEDINESS IN IVY GOURD (COCCINIA GRANDIS L)

Field experiment was conducted on Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L) during kharif 2003, to study the effect of different growth regulators viz., GA, NAA and 2, 4, D on fruit characters and seediness. The results showed significant differences and the longest fruit (5.95 cm) was obtained with GA 100 ppm, followed by NAA 400 ppm and all other treatments were superior to control (5.00cm). Among the different treatments, GA3 100 ppm and 2, 4, D 100 ppm were found to be more effective on fruit girth, which recorded 5.71 and 5.70 cm respectively. GA3100 ppm (13.25 g) and GA3200 ppm (12.75 g) gave significantly superior individual fruit weight over control (8.03g). Among the treatments, GA3 100 ppm (1.72 g) and NAA 400 ppm (1.73 g) produced lesser amount of seeds and gave better individual fruit weight.
Structure and properties of bubble domains in cholesteric‐nematic mixtures

Textural laser diffraction and light‐scattering studies on homeotropically aligned nematic material (MBBA) doped with cholesteryl nonanoate (CN) has been carried out with and without an applied ac (50 Hz) electric field. In the narrow range of the ratio of the pitch p to the thickness l of the cell, 1.2<p/l<2, one observes uniformly densely packed bubble domains which grow in size on application of an electric field. In the range p/l≳2, the bubble domains become visible only at certain applied electric fields which increase with a decrease in the CN concentration. These bubble domains constitute a cholesteric phase with the spiral axis perpendicular to the substrate in a matrix of homeotropically aligned nematic material. The increase in the bubble domain size on application of electric field constitutes a nematic → cholesteric transformation. Light‐scattering experiments indicate an optimum doping in relation to the threshold potential, contrast ratio, etc.
Gastrointestinal helminth parasites of Amietophyrnus regularis , Bufonidae (African common toad) in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria

Gastrointestinal helminth parasites of Amietophyrnus regularis (African Common Toad) in Anyigba were investigated. A total of 120 specimens were examined for helminth parasites, 113(94.17%) toads were infected, while 7(5.8%) were uninfected. Helminth parasites recovered were 1576, comprising of 1 Cestode: Baerietta jaegerskioeldi (2.50%) and 3 Nematodes: Amplicaecum africanum (92.50%), Cosmocerca ornata (16.67%) and Physaloptera spp. (6.67%). Nematodes had the highest occurrence with A. africanum as the most prevalent. The cestode, B. jaegerskioeldi and the nematode, C. ornata exhibited specific sites of infection, being found in the small intestine and large intestine/rectum, respectively. Small intestine of hosts harboured the highest number of parasites with a prevalence of 90%. Although infection increased with the size of hosts examined, there was no significant difference in the infection of size categories. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the infection of male and female toad hosts (p>0.05). The toads with 1 – 10 worms had the highest frequency of infections, 61(50.83%). Multiple infections were recorded in several of the toad hosts, an indication of the rich parasitic fauna of Amietophyrnus regularis in Anyigba. This study is an attempt to bridge the dearth of information on the helminth parasites associated with Amietophyrnus regularis in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. Keywords : Gastrointestinal parasites, Amietophyrnus regularis, Savanna, Nigeria
Effects of sublethal and lethal temperatures on plant cells

Soybean, Glycine max L. , and elodea, Elodea canadensis Michx, leaves were exposed to sublethal and lethal temperatures and examined by light mioroscopy. Loss of ohlorophyll and swollen chloroplasts were observed in cells of elodea leaves exposed to sub. lethal temperatures. At the thermal death point of leaf cells of elodea and soybean, there was a disorganization of the tonoplast membrane, plasmalemma, and chloroplast membranes. Approximately 40 % o! f the cells in elodea and 50 % of the cells in soybean leaves exhibited oriteria of cell death when exposed to a temperature which induced necrotic leaf tissue. Plasmolysis of leaf cells of elodea and soybean occurred at lethal temperatures, but did not appear to be the primary oause of cellular death. The primary effect of lethal temperatures on the leaf cells used in these experiments is disintegration of the cellular membranes. Following exposure of attached elodea leaves to lethal temperatures, changes in leaf cells were periodically observed with a light microscope. In low temperature treatments, (43 through 52°), the percentages of cells exhibiting criteria of death 12 days after treatment did not change from the percentages determined immediately after treatment. All treatments above 52° resulted in 40% or more of the cells exhibiting criteria of cell death immediately after treatment. In these treatments, this resulted in all cells exhibiting criteria of death on the fourth day after treatment.
Assessment of Skeletal Maturity and Prediction of Adult Height (Tw2 Method)

Assessment of Skeletal Maturity and Prediction of Adult Height (TW2 Method). By J. M. Tanner, R. H. Whitehouse, W. A. Marshall, M. J. R. Healy and H. Goldstein. London and New York, Academic Press, 1975. vii, 99p. 31 cm. £9·00.
Marginal productivity and the macroeconomic theories of distribution

Presents a commentary on macro-economic theories of distribution which demonstrates the intellectual sterility engendered by the methods of neo-classical economics. Assumption of profit maximization under conditions of universal perfect competition; Argument on anti-Pasinetti theorem; Validity of Pasinetti inequality. (Из Ebsco)
Bone histology of the ichthyosaurs: comparative data and functional interpretation

The periosteal cortex in the shaft of limb bones is described histologically in three ichthyosaurian genera, Omphalosaurus, Stenopterygius, and Ichthyosaurus. The primary periosteal deposits are composed of typical woven-fibered tissue that was accreted as spongy bone in young individuals, and more or less compact bone in older individuals. During growth, the bone tissue was extensively remodeled with a quantitative imbalance between resorption and redeposition. As a result, the cortex was made cancellous, if previously compact, or still more spongy, if already cancellous. This pattern of remodeling explains why compact cortices are generally lacking in the long bones of ichthyosaurs. The presence of woven-fibered tissue strongly suggests that the limb bones, and probably also the body as a whole, had a rapid postnatal growth in ichthyosaurs, that might have been related to a high, “endotherm-like” metabolic rate. This hypothesis bears on the ecological interpretation of the ichthyosaurs: they could have been capable of sustained, fast swimming and long-range movements, rather than being slow-moving creatures as commonly supposed.
ENERGY SPECTRA OF IRREGULAR SURF WAVES

The investigations under consideration are based on synchronous measurements of water level deflections n(t) at some positions in a beach profile with a slope of approximately 1:40. Surf conditions are studied during a severe storm surge as well as during periods of attenuating wave action. By the use of a FOURIER ANALYZER 40 energy spectra are calculated which are also presented in integrated form (co-cumulative spectra). Because of different site arrangements it is possible to analyze the deformation of the spectra due to tide dependent changes of the water depth as well as due to coastward decreasing water depth. It happens that there are some phenomena associated with certain frequency bands. With the water depth decreasing the energy densities in surf spectra are distributed over a wider frequency band. In the present case unbroken waves are characterized by energy spectra in which at least 90 % of the energy is represented by FOURIER components in the frequency range 0 - f - 0.5 Hz. Increasing distribution of the energy densities over a wider frequency band represents at first breaking and finally broken waves. Sometimes the amount of energy coastward of the surf zone is higher than seaward of the breakers. This phenomenon can be explained by refraction effects caused by local nearshore bathymetry. All of there investigations were sponsored by the DEUTSCHE FORSCHUNGSGEMEINSCHAFT (German Research Foundation).
Investigations into the Nature of the Endosomal System in Plasmodium falciparum

The parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes the most virulent form of human malaria and is responsible for the vast majority of malaria-related deaths. During the asexual intraerythrocytic stage, the parasite must transport newly synthesized proteins and endocytosed cargo to a variety of organelles, many of which are formed de novo and have no human equivalent. This process in mammalian cells would utilize an endosomal protein trafficking system, but no endosomal structures or proteins have been described in the parasite. Prior work on the parasite genome indicated that several proteins, which could potentially coordinate an endosomal network, were encoded in the genome and expressed during the asexual parasite stages. In this study, we have localized and attempted to further characterize these proteins in the context of the endosomal system. Two well-conserved protein components of the late endosome, the retromer cargo-selective complex and Rab7, were found on a previously un-described inherited structure adjacent to the parasite Golgi apparatus and in close opposition to nascent rhoptries (specialized secretory organelles required for invasion). The retromer cargo-selective complex was also in close proximity to its putative cargo, a P. falciparum homolog of the sortilin family of protein sorting receptors, PfSortilin. Another protein, PfFCP, the sole FYVE domaincontaining protein in the P. falciparum genome, was localized to the membrane of a specialized acidic organelle, known as the food vacuole, where the parasite catabolizes the majority of its host cell hemoglobin. We analyzed the effects of a PfFCP dominant negative mutant and found that it altered food vacuole morphology and trafficking. A previous report localized the early endosome phosphoinositide, phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, to the food vacuole membrane,
Sectional rearrangement of arborescent clades of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) in South America: Evolution of arillate seeds and a new species, Croton domatifer

Most of the arborescent Croton species in the New World were treated by Webster as belonging either to C. sect. Cyclostigma Griseb. or C. sect. Luntia (Neck. ex Raf.) G.L. Webster. The circumscription of C. sect. Cyclostigma has been treated recently. In this paper we focus on C. sect. Luntia, which was subdivided by Webster into two subsections, C. subsect. Matourenses and subsect. Cuneati. Using chloroplast trnL-F and nuclear ITS DNA sequence data, morphology and a broader sampling of additional Croton lineages, we found that the two subsections are not closely related and form distinct monophyletic groups. Substantial morphological differences support the molecular data. A taxonomic recircumscription of the two subsections, elevated to sectional level, is proposed. A key and taxonomic revision, with new synonyms, is provided for C. sect. Cuneati; together with the description of a new species from the coastal mountains of Venezuela, Croton domatifer. The new species is the only one in the genus known to possess leaf domatia. We infer that species in the Cuneati clade have lost the typical Croton caruncle, and some of them have evolved a different, specialized type of aril. We hypothesize that the arillate seeds are an adaptation to dispersal by fish in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins.
Bird quality, origin and predation level affect survival and reproduction of translocated common pheasants Phasianus colchicus

We investigated the survival and breeding success of common pheasants Phasianus colchicus of two origins and in two predator densities. We translocated hand-reared and wild pheasant hens to southern Finland (60°N, 24°E) and hand-reared ones to central Finland (63°N, 27°E). Both groups of birds were treated similarly before release and translocated to areas with no local pheasant populations. Both areas appeared similar, the only major difference being the amount of predators. The red fox Vulpes vulpes was the major predator of pheasants present in the southern study, where it was abundant, whereas it was almost non-existant in central Finland. In accordance with earlier studies, the wild birds survived much better than the hand-reared ones in the area with a high red fox density. The hand-reared birds located in the low red fox density area survived better than the hens in the area of high red fox density. However, no significant difference was observed in the survival of the hand-reared birds in the low fox density area and wild birds in the high fox density area. Interestingly, after the first two weeks, the survival of pheasants in different groups was equal. We additionally found no significant differences between the bird-groups in terms of hatching success when comparing hens that managed to initiate nesting. No difference was also observed between the hand-reared birds in the low fox density area and the wild in the high fox density area in brood survival to the age of six weeks. We conclude that even hand-reared pheasants can succeed in brood production in an area with low fox densities. We furthermore suggest that pheasants that survive the two first weeks after translocation have good chances of producing a brood whether they are wild or hand-reared.
Efficacy of new insecticides against mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.)

Efficacy of newer insecticides was studied against mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) and their effect on Coccinella septumpunctata was also recorded at Pilibhit (UP) during 2007–08 on Indian mustard. The insecticides used are acetamiprid 20 SP (125 g/ha) and imidachloprid 17.8 SL (150 ml/ha). Acetamiprid 20 SP (125 g/ha) proved as the best insecticide followed by acephate, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, profenofos, dimethoate and oxydemeton methyl for the management of aphids. Thiamethoxam was found as the safer insecticide to the coccinellids.
Sex Assessment of Fragmentary Skeletal Remains

To determine the sex of fragmentary human skeletal remains, discriminant function analysis using 18 measurements on relatively preservable parts of the skeleton was made on samples from western Japan, of recent, medieval and aeneolithic Yayoi periods. A total of over 150 discriminant functions based on one to eight variables were applied to recent samples and the sex could be determined with over 90% accuracy, using combinations of only two to three measurements. When the discriminant function coefficients calculated from measurements on the recent Japanese were applied to the excavated skeletal remains, they proved to be useful in sexing the samples from the Yoshimo-hama site (15-16C.). In case of the Yayoi population (300 B. C. -A. D. 300), a suitable selection of the discriminant functions containing the variables which showed relatively small differences among the populations studied made feasible sex determination at a high rate of accuracy. When the discriminant functions were calculated for each population respectively, the measurements were found to be highly useful for sex determination in all the populations studied. Furthermore, the combination method of midpoints between the male and female mean measurements also showed a sufficiently high accuracy in sexing the samples. Since the methods we used are not so influenced by the degree of bone preservation, these approaches can be used to determine the sex of excavated human skeletons containing poorly preserved materials.
Illustrated key to Penaeoid shrimps of commerce in the Americas

The commercially important species of penaeoid shrimps comprise 4 families, 12 genera, and 37 species in the Americas, This key is supported by 49 figures including lateral views of whole shrimps in 10 of the 12 genera and detailed figures of male (petasma) and female (thelycum) genital structures of the species. A glossary of terms used in shrimp taxonomy plus a bibliography of references useful in identifying shrimps are included. (PDF file contains 38 pages.)
The Metabolism of Human Spermatozoa.∗

Summary The metabolism of human spermatozoa in Ringer-glucose is almost exclusively glycolytic and not respiratory. Aerobic lactic acid production is 80% of the anaerobic and falls off with time whereas anaerobic glycolysis is linear over a period of many hours. Maximal motility is maintained for many hours under anaerobic conditions but shows a marked tendency to decrease in air or in pure O2. This suggests that the presence of O2 has an inhibiting effect on the normal function of human spermatozoa.