Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two anomalous tobravirus isolates: evidence for RNA recombination in nature

SUMMARY 16 and N5 are naturally occurring tobravirus isolates that produce symptoms in herbaceous plants similar to those induced by strains of tobacco rattle virus (TRV). In immunosorbent electron microscopy tests, however, they reacted with antisera to particles of pea early-browning virus (PEBV), not TRV. Furthermore, these tests indicated that 16 was related to the British serotype of PEBV and N5 to the Dutch. Pseudo-recombinant isolates were produced by reassortment of the genome parts of 16 or N5 with those of TRV, in any combination, but not in most combinations with those of PEBV. However, I6 RNA-2 was replicated in plants inoculated also with RNA-1 from an isolate of the British serotype of PEBV, but the PEBV RNA-1 was imperfectly packaged by 16 coat protein, and the virus particles seemed to have only limited stability. Nucleic acid hybridization experiments showed that the RNA-1 sequences of both I6 and N5 were similar to those of TRV strains. I6 RNA-2 contained sequences resembling those of the British serotype of PEBV, but with some TRV-like sequences at the 3' and 5' ends, whereas N5 RNA-2 contained more extensive TRV-like 3' and 5' ends flanking sequences that were related, but perhaps not closely, to those of the Dutch serotype of PEBV. Thus, the RNA-2 species of 16 and N5 were recombinant molecules that contained sequences typical of both TRV and PEBV, and which probably had separate but similar evolutionary origins. As a result of their hybrid nature, I6 and N5 were part of the gene pool and had the pathogenicity of TRV, while possessing the serological properties of PEBV.
Characterization of Human Lung Tumor-Associated Fibroblasts and Their Ability to Modulate the Activation of Tumor-Associated T Cells1

The tumor microenvironment of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is composed largely of stromal cells, including fibroblasts, yet these cells have been the focus of few studies. In this study, we established stromal cell cultures from primary NSCLC through isolation of adherent cells. Characterization of these cells by flow cytometry demonstrated a population which expressed a human fibroblast-specific 112-kDa surface molecule, Thy1, α-smooth muscle actin, and fibroblast activation protein, but failed to express CD45 and CD11b, a phenotype consistent with that of an activated myofibroblast. A subset of the tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAF) was found to express B7H1 (PD-L1) and B7DC (PD-L2) constitutively, and this expression was up-regulated by IFN-γ. Production of cytokines and chemokines, including IFN-γ, monokine induced by IFN-γ, IFN-γ-inducible protein-10, RANTES, and TGF-β1 was also demonstrated in these cells. Together, these characteristics provide multiple opportunities for the TAF to influence cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment. To evaluate the ability of TAF to modulate tumor-associated T cell (TAT) activation, we conducted coculture experiments between autologous TAF and TAT. In five of eight tumors, TAF elicited a contact-dependent enhancement of TAT activation, even in the presence of a TGF-β1-mediated suppressive effect. In the three other tumors, TAF had a net suppressive effect upon TAT activation, and, in one of these cases, blockade of B7H1 or B7DC was able to completely abrogate the TAF-mediated suppression. We conclude that TAF in human NSCLC are functionally and phenotypically heterogeneous and provide multiple complex regulatory signals that have the potential to enhance or suppress TAT function in the tumor microenvironment.
Sourcing team success : team studies in a purchasing and supply management context

Sourcing teams have become an increasingly important form of organization in purchasing and supply management. Sourcing teams, also referred to as category or commodity teams, are assigned the task of finding, selecting, and managing suppliers for a category of products or services across businesses, functions and disciplines. Typically, sourcing teams are staffed by people from different business units, and with different functional backgrounds. Sourcing teams have a boundary-spanning role in dealing with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Despite high expectations, however, many companies find decreased levels of ambition on sourcing teams within months after start-up, as members’ motivation and cohesiveness flag. Yet there is little rigorous empirical research to provide managers with meaningful insights for increasing the chances of sourcing team success. Sourcing teams’ activities are conducted across functional and divisional borders, making them an exemplar for cross-functional, cross-business teams. Thus investigating sourcing teams contributes to literature by providing deeper insights into team processes and success, which can be applicable to other teams that share their multifunctional and cross-business characteristics. The central research question of this dissertation therefore is: How to improve sourcing team success? Three empirical studies in this dissertation address this overall question; each serves a different objective. The first study aims to identify the critical success factors for sourcing teams. The second study’s objective is to investigate team members’ and managers’ perspectives on cross-functional sourcing team composition and its contribution to team success. Finally, the third study focuses on the collaboration between team members and other stakeholders, and aims to integrate teams’ internal and external processes over time into a single model. The first two studies build on data from two cross-sectional surveys; the third study is a qualitative multiple case study.
Seasonal Changes in the Composition and Abundance of Zooplankton in the Seas of the Mediterranean Basin

Seasonal changes in the composition, abundance and biomass of zooplankton in the seas of the Mediterranean basin (the Mediterranean, Black and Azov seas) have been reviewed using our own data and data from the literature. In the deep-water central regions of the seas, the seasonal cycle of zooplankton abundance is characterised by one maximum occurring in spring or summer. In the coastal regions, two to three peaks (spring, summer and autumn) exist for the zooplankton abundance. The amplitude of seasonal fluctuations in abundance for the coastal zone as a rule is much wider than for the deep-water regions. In both coastal and central deep-water regions, the amplitude of seasonal fluctuations increases from the Mediterranean to the Black and Azov seas, as well as from south to north in each sea. This corresponds to seasonal changes in the amplitude of water temperature and the abundance of phytoplankton as the basic factors influencing zooplankton abundance. The dominant role in defining seasonal changes in total zooplankton abundance is played by the main group — copepods, which in some years form up to 90% of zooplankton numbers and biomass. During the warm period of a year, cladocerans may replace copepods.
Effect of conjugated linoleic acid, high-oleic sunflower oil and fish oil dietary supplementation on laying hen egg quality

An experiment was performed to determine the effect of supplementing the diet of laying hens with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), fish oil (FO) and high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) on hen performance, egg yolk fatty acid (FA) concentrations, and egg sensorial quality and firmness. Four treatments were factorially designed involving two levels of supplementation of FO (0 and 17 g kg -1 ) and HOSO (30 and 35 g kg -1 ) for diets containing 3 g kg -1 of CLA. A control diet was also designed, with 30 g kg -1 HOSO but with no CLA or FO. Twenty five 38 week-old Warren laying hens were randomly assigned to 28 d dietary treatments with the above diets, following a pre-experimental period of 21 d. The type of diet did not affect egg production characteristics. The addition of CLA increased the yolk fat concentrations of CLA, saturated FA and C22:5 n-3, but reduced those of monounsaturated FA and C20:4 n-6. Supplementation with FO increased long-chain n-3 FA concentrations but reduced those of long-chain n-6 FAs, t10,c12 and tt-CLA. Supplementation with HOSO had little influence on yolk fat composition. Supplementation with CLA and FO impaired egg sensorial quality in an additive fashion, although yolk firmness was not affected. Eggs from hens fed diets with 3 g CLA kg -1 and 30 g HOSO kg -1 —but no added FO— contained 9 g CLA kg -1 yolk fat and were of acceptable sensorial quality to trained panellists. However, no eggs double-enriched in CLA and n-3 FA were obtained that were also sensorially acceptable.
VET in Higher Education: Rethought Pathways, Pedagogy or Pragmatism?

This paper reports on the preliminary findings from a project funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to investigate the provision of vocational education and training by higher education institutions. The project involved a review of the literature, an analysis of the sketchy statistics available on enrolments in Australian mixed sector tertiary institutions and interviews with 61 people. The study found that higher education institutions offer vocational education for a variety of reasons: as a historical legacy, as a result of a merger or acquisition, to broaden the institution’s role and source of students, and as a part of vertical integration - incorporating the sources of baccalaureate students such as preparatory colleges and senior secondary colleges as well as vocational education colleges. The study also found that while sectoral designation was very important for TAFE institutes offering higher education programs, it was of far less importance to mainly higher education institutions offering vocational programs. Of far greater importance for public and private providers of vocational education were the different funding arrangements from governments. The findings from the study seem to indicate that Australian mixed sector institutes of tertiary education are developing partly for pragmatic reasons and partly to improve student pathways from vocational to higher education and to desirable occupations. Distinctions in pedagogy develop from differences in curriculum, field, industry orientation and teachers’ response to students, which seem to be indirectly related to sector.
Feeding habits of the seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay (Patagonia, Argentina)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina. To this end, analyses of stomach and gut contents were carried out and the diet composition was compared to the potential preys available in the natural environment. Samples were collected from different places in San Antonio Bay, a Marine Protected Area in San Matías Gulf. Type and number of prey present in the digestive tracts were registered and frequency of occurrence (%FO) and number of prey (%N) were calculated for each study area. Amphipods (Gammaridae, Caprellidae and Hiperidae) and decapods are the main dietary items of H. patagonicus in San Antonio Bay. There were differences in %FO and %N at different sites, which could indicate differences in abundance and availability of prey in the environment. No dietary differences were detected between sex and size of seahorse (ANOVA, P > 0.05). Results from the present study show that, in nature and probably due to limiting environmental factors, H. patagonicus behaves as an opportunistic predator, which preys on the most abundant and vulnerable species present in the environment.
Metabolism of xylem-delivered ABA in relation to ABA flux and concentration in leaves of maize and Commelina communis

When detached maize leaves were fed with an ABA solution via the xylem, the relationship between the relative stomatal inhibition and ABA concentrations was similar under different humidity conditions, but the relationship between such inhibition and ABA flux was different according to changes of humidity. To understand whether such stomatal behaviour was related to the way through which xylem-delivered ABA was metabolized, detached leaves of maize and Commelina were fed with tritium-labelled ( 3 H)-ABA at concentrations similar to that found in xylem of droughted plants and it was found that xylem-delivered ABA was metabolized rapidly in both species. The half-life of ABA metabolism, calculated from the time-related ABA disappearance curve, was 42 and 64 min for maize and Commelina, respectively. The very short half-life suggests that there is a large capacity in leaves to metabolize xylem-delivered ABA and that metabolism is a major factor in the control of ABA accumulation in leaves. When ABA was fed at different fluxes, either through changing the feeding concentrations or through manipulating the rates of leaf transpiration (i.e. the volume flux), ABA was metabolized at rates that were proportional to the amount that was delivered. The absolute rate of ABA metabolism was, therefore, linearly related to the amount of ABA that had arrived. It was found that xylem-delivered ABA reached the epidermis of Commelina, and was metabolized at the same pattern as that in mesophyll tissues, i.e. at a similar half-life and at rates constantly related to the amount that was delivered. The role of the rapid ABA metabolism was discussed in the context of stomatal control by either concentration or flux of xylem-carried ABA.
Accuracy of new and standard intraocular lens power calculations formulae in Saudi pediatric patients

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy of new generation formulas to standard formulas for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculations in pediatric patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This retrospective case series compared the postoperative refractions to the predicted refractions after lensectomy and IOL implantation in pediatric patients. Four new generation formulas (Haigis, Holladay II, Olsen, and Barrett Universal II) were compared to four standard formulas (Holladay I, Hoffer Q, SRK/T, and SRKII) 4. The absolute prediction error (APE) was calculated as the absolute difference between the actual postoperative spherical equivalent and predicted spherical equivalent). The Friedman test was used to evaluate the difference between formulas. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: The study sample was comprised 44 eyes from 29 patients (20 males and 9 females) with median age at surgery of 2.85 years (2.04–6.14 years). The Holladay I and II, Barrett Universal II, SRK/T, SRKII, Olsen, and Hoffer Q formulas had comparable median APE (MedAPE) of 1.32 D (0.51–2.11 D), 1.34 D (0.82–1.94 D), 1.28 D (0.73–1.85 D), 1.26 D (0.60–2.08 D), 1.16 D (0.54–1.16 D), 1.34 D (0.80–1.98 D), and 1.27 D (0.63–2.08 D), respectively (P = 1.0). The Haigis formula had the statistically highest MedAPE of 2.00 D (1.27–3.04 D) (P < 0.001). More than 70% of eyes were within ±2.0 D for the Holladay I and II, Barrett Universal II, SRK/T, SRKII, Olsen, and Hoffer Q formulas. Fifty percent of eyes were within ±2.0 D for the Haigis formula. CONCLUSION: New generation IOL formulas do not outperform standard IOL formulas in predicting postoperative refraction for pediatric patients.
Factors influencing the grazing response of the marine oligotrichous ciliate Strombidium cf. sulcatum

We studied the numerical and functional responses of the marine oligotrichous ciliate Strombidium cf. sulcatum on 4 prey organisms to assess which prey properties affect the grazing response and food ingestion of this taxon. The predator exhibited higher growth rates when feeding on Dunaliella sp. than on Pyramimonas sp. , Prorocentrum sp. or a small cryptophyte species. The ingestion rate of the predator when feeding on Dunaliella sp. increased with increasing prey concentrations. However, no significant ingestion was detected for the other prey organisms. By measuring important properties of the prey organisms, we found that (1) cellular carbon and nitrogen contents and fatty acid composition of the prey organisms are likely unimportant factors affecting food ingestion of oligotrichous ciliates; (2) although the essential fatty acids EPA, DPA and DHA were not detected in Dunaliella sp. , low amounts of EPA and DHA were detected in the predator, indicating that this ciliate can synthesize these fatty acids at a slow rate by itself; and (3) the swimming velocity of Dunaliella sp. was much slower and its swimming behaviour was different from that of the other prey organisms, indicating that the swimming motility of prey species may play a pivotal role in determining the food ingestion of oligotrichous ciliates. This study provided new insight into the mechanism of grazing response and food ingestion of oligotrichous ciliates, which aids in our understanding of how this important ciliate group shapes the composition and functioning of phytoplankton communities in situ.
Control of Bean common mosaic virus by plant extracts in bean plants

The present study aimed to evaluate some plant extracts from Plectranthus tenuiflorus, Azadirachta indica, Clerodendrum inerme, Schinus terebinthifolius and Mirabilis jalapa as antiviral materials against Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) in bean plants. The results showed that all the tested plant extracts were effective in reducing the number of local lesions formed by BCMV. The mixing of P. tenuiflorus extracts with BCMV inoculum achieved the highest reduction in BCMV infection (92%), while the mixing of S. terebinthifolius extracts with BCMV inoculum recorded the lowest reduction in BCMV infection (68%). Seed treatment with 1% (w/v) of P. tenuiflorus showed the highest reduction in disease incidence (93% and 85%) under greenhouse and field conditions, respectively. Spray treatments of P. tenuiflorus and M. jalapa reduced disease incidence to 12% and 17% under greenhouse conditions, whereas under field conditions they reduced disease incidence to 17% and 23%, respectively. Protein analysis revealed different effects of the tested treatments on bean plants indicating different gene(s) expression. This study suggests the possibility of using plant extracts for controlling BCMV infection.
Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticle and its antibacterial activity

The use of microorganisms in the synthesis of nanoparticles emerges as an ecofriendly and existing approach. In this study biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Streptococcus sp, Proteus sp, Pseudomonas sp and its antimicrobial activity against (S.typhi, S.epidermidis, K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa, P.vulgaris, E.coli) different pathogen has been reported. The zone of inhibition seems in both gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains.
The effect of pre-emergent herbicides on germination and early growth of broadleaved species used for direct seeding.

Summary Weed control is essential for successful new woodland creation by direct seeding, particularly in the first year after germination. Currently, herbicides probably offer the most practical way of achieving this in UK conditions, although successful direct seeding offers the potential for reductions in total overall herbicide use compared with conventional establishment using transplants. There is a need to identify post-sowing pre-emergence herbicides that might control emerging weed seedlings without significantly affecting tree seedling germination and growth. Seed of ash (Fraxinus excelsior), cherry (Prunus avium), oak (Quercus robur), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), chestnut (Castanea sativa), beech (Fagus sylvatica), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), field maple (Acer campestre), birch (Betula pendula), hazel (Corylus avellana), dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and crab-apple (Malus sylvestris) were sown in pots in glasshouses and treated with post-sowing pre-emergence herbicides including diflufenican, isoxaben, lenacil, metamitron, metazachlor, napropamide, pendimethalin, propyzamide and simazine. Pendimethalin and napropamide, separately or in mixture, appeared to have potential for use on most species tested, in particular ash and sycamore. Applications to emerging seedlings were more damaging. Field trials are required to confirm these initial indications of tolerance.
Validation of a translated measurement scale to assess Chinese business students’ orientation toward corporate social responsibility

Abstract This study translated a corporate social responsibility orientations scale (E-CSRO), a measurement scale that assesses individuals’ orientation toward corporate social responsibility, into Chinese (C-CSRO). A convenience sample of Chinese business students (N = 793) was recruited and randomly halved. Reliability and correlational statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis suggested C-CSRO’s basic factor structure and construct interrelatedness are convergent with those of E-CSRO. Future researchers should cross-validate C-CSRO with different student groups and other Chinese communities.
The endocannabinoid and endovanilloid systems and their interactions in neuropathic pain

Under physiological conditions, nociception has a protective role, allowing an individual to react appropriately to the noxious stimulus and to minimize its effects. On the contrary, chronic pain arises from damage to the nervous system and is persistent. Mechanisms, symptoms, and signs of neuropathic pain have been the subject of extensive studies, but still there is no single, well‐tolerated drug that is effective in all types of neuropathic pain. Currently, there is a growing amount of evidence on the analgesic properties of cannabinoids in nociceptive pathways. Interestingly, recent data also implicate an endogenous cannabinoid ligand, anandamide, as an agonist at the capsaicin VR1/TRPV1 receptor. Herein, we review the available evidence in favour of cannabinoid and vanilloid alleviation of hyperalgesia and allodynia, two typical symptoms of neuropathic pain. The most important findings regarding CB1, TRPV1 receptors, and neuropathic pain are discussed in detail. We also consider the implications of combined studies correlating the endocannabinoid and vanilloid signalling systems as promising therapeutic approaches for new analgesic drugs. Collectively, the investigations reviewed here support the use of drugs targeting the endocannabinoid and endovanilloid systems in the treatment of chronic inflammation and neuropathic pain states. Drug Dev. Res. 67:339–354, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.