Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalência e fatores de risco associados à infecção por Toxoplasma gondii em granjas suinícolas tecnificadas no Estado de Alagoas

This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and to identify risk factors associated with infection by Toxoplasma gondii in pigs from commercial swine farms in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. To compose the sample size of prevalence 342 pigs were used, with 312 sows and 30 boars, from of seven swine farms and distributed in five districts of the state of Alagoas. The serological examination for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies was achieved by Indirect Immunofluorescence (IFAT), using anti-pig IgG-conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate. The analysis of risk factors were performed by the application of questionnaires consisting of objective questions relating to the designer, the general characteristics of the property, the production, reproductive and health management. The prevalence was of 26,9% (92/342) of seropositive pigs. The associated factor was the boars introduction on farms in the last five years (p=0,014; OR=1,83; CI=1,13-2,96). It is concluded that infection with Toxoplasma gondii is widespread in commercial pig farms in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. The results suggest the control of cat population, the performance of cleaning and sanitation practices and laboratory testing to detect of infection by T. gondii in animals to be placed on the farms as measures to reduce the infection rates on region studied.
Discrimination Between Celery Cultivars with the Use of Rapd Markers

Discrimination Between Celery Cultivars with the Use of Rapd Markers Screening of celery cultivars with random amplified primers is a way of avoiding mistakes in distinguishing similar genotypes. Six primers showed distinct polymorphism between the studied cultivars. The number of bands varied from 7 to 13. Suitable primers generated 52 markers of which 22 were polymorphic. A similarity matrix was created using Jaccard's coefficient. The group average method was employed to construct a dendrogram. Based on RAPD marker profiles the cultivars were grouped into three clusters coinciding with the cultivated types, var. dulce (salad celery), and var. rapaceum (turnip celery), var. secalinum (cutting celery). The salad celery entries were similar to plants of turnip celery with similarity 0.73, and the distance between genotypes of cutting celery and turnip celery was 0.68. Although only 12 cultivars have been analysed, the specific product amplified with OPX1 was observed in the three studied cultivars of cutting celery. Seleriju Šķirņu Noteikšana, Izmantojot Rapd Marķierus Tika meklēti RAPD marķieri, kas ļautu atšķirt fenotipiski līdzīgas selerijas šķirnes. Identificēti seši praimeri, kas uzrāda 22 polimorfus marķierus. Veikta analizēto šķirņu genētiskā klasterizācija.
Effect of COL4A1 Expression on the Survival of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Breast Cancer Patients

Optimal therapy for each patient depends on their subtype, anatomic cancer stage, gene status, and preferences. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy-treated tumors have shown attenuated tumor growth, but the therapy cannot completely reduce tumor cell dissemination to blood stream and distant metastasis. Though it has been indicated that the protein of the collagen type IV alpha 1 (COL4A1) gene is induced by p53 to inhibit angiogenesis and tumorigenic activity in cancer cells, its prognostic significance in breast cancer (BC) patients has not yet been fully elucidated. We analysed 206 BC and fresh paired-match adjacent normal breast tissue from tissue microarrays (TMAs) and COL4A1-stained TMAs using immunohistochemistry. These were used to evaluate COL4A1 expression in BC and to analyse the relationship between this expression and clinicopathological factors and prognosis. The expression of the COL4A1 protein was significantly higher in normal adjacent tissue than in the tumor tissues of BC (P < 0.0001). The low COL4A1 expression of the BC patients had decreased metastasis incidence ratio than those exhibiting high COL4A1 expression (P=0.034). Low COL4A1 expression in the tumor cells of BC patients was found to significantly reduce the overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy patients (P=0.047 and P=0.025, respectively). We also validated the results to ensure their consistency with a web server program for survival analysis from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (P=0.057). Additionally, COL4A1 expression was positively correlated with p53 expression (P=0.00076). Thus, we present clinical evidence that COL4A1 expression can be used as a biomarker of better prognosis of BC patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
TNFα induces NFκB/p50 in association with the growth and morphogenesis of normal and transformed rat mammary epithelial cells

In contrast to the cytotoxic or cytostatic effect of TNFα on many breast cancer cell lines, TNFα stimulates growth and morphogenesis of normal rat mammary epithelial cells (MEC). The present studies were carried out to determine whether there are intrinsic differences between normal and malignant MEC which may explain the differing responsiveness to TNFα. Freshly isolated rat MEC organoids from normal mammary gland or 1‐methyl‐1‐nitrosourea‐induced mammary tumors were treated with TNFα for 21 days. Unexpectedly, TNFα stimulated growth and morphogenesis of both normal and transformed MEC in primary culture, although in transformed cells its effects were delayed and the majority of the colonies were histologically abnormal, with multiple cell layers and no lumen. Since NFκB is a key mediator of TNFα action and has been implicated in carcinogenesis, the expression of the p50, p52, p65, and c‐rel NFκB proteins in normal and transformed MEC was determined. Expression of p52 was significantly reduced in tumor cells, and p50 was absent, although its putative precursor, p105 was abundant. There were no changes in the levels of p65 or c‐rel. TNFα induced a pronounced and sustained increase of a p50 homodimeric NFκB/DNA complex in both normal and transformed MEC. However, in transformed MEC, NFκB binding was initially undetectable but then increased in response to TNFα. Thus, NFκB expression and DNA binding activity are altered during mammary carcinogenesis. In addition, the significant increase in NFκB/p50 DNA‐binding was temporally coincident with TNFα‐induced growth and morphogenesis, suggesting that it may play a significant role in both normal development and carcinogenesis. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Forest Inventory and Aboveground Biomass Estimation with Terrestrial LiDAR in the Tropical Forest of Malaysia

Abstract An accurate forest inventory is crucial for forest monitoring and quantifying forest aboveground biomass (AGB). This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in forest inventory and AGB estimation in the tropical forest of Malaysia. Individual trees were detected using manual and automatic detection methods. An average tree detection rate of 99.55% and 93.75% were achieved using the manual and automatic detection method respectively. The accuracy of the diameter at breast height (DBH) of trees measured from TLS was validated using field DBH as reference. A root means square error (RMSE) of 1.37 cm (6.60%) and 2.36 cm (11.47%), respectively, were obtained for manually and automatically measured TLS DBH. Similarly, TLS based tree height was validated using Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS) height as a reference and resulted in RMSE of 1.74 m (9.30%) and 3.17 m (17.40%) with manual and automatic method respectively. Finally, AGB was calculated using the variables derived from the TLS data. Results show an R2 value of 0.98 and RMSE of 0.08 Mg. The results of this study confirmed that TLS as a nondestructive approach can provide a very good estimation of forest attributes and AGB in the dense tropical forest conditions.
Temperature tolerance and the final preferendum—rapid methods for the assessment of optimum growth temperatures

The relationship between the temperature requirements of some fish species, using published data for growth optima, final preferences and lethal limits were examined. A good correlation was found and it is suggested that the data established gives a good estimate of the temperature promoting maximum growth. Determinations of final preferenda are easily conducted in the laboratory and could therefore be used to give rapid assessments of optimum growth temperatures of potential culture species. The practical application of such measurements is discussed.
Natural Mortality of Tadpoles in a Population of Rana Aurora

The Survivorship, distribution, growth rates, and natural predation rates on the population of Rana aurora tadpoles in Marion Lake, British Columbia, were studied during the summers of 1969 and 1970. Natural survivorship appeared to have two phases: a rapid decline in numbers during the first 4 weeks after hatching was followed by a less rapid decline, until approximately 5% of the population remained at metamorphosis, after 11—14 weeks. The size attained by tadpoles living at any depth in the lake was strongly correlated with the accumulated degree—days since hatching (r = .93). The regression equation (degree—days vs size) obtained from the data on animals in the lake could accurately predict the growth rate of tadpoles kept in the laboratory at maximum food supply. It was concluded that animals in the lake grew at the maximum rate permitted by the temperature. Alterations of the density of tadpoles and predatory salamanders were performed in enclosures in the lake. The percentage of tadpoles surviving in the enclosures containing no salamanders was twice as high as it was in the natural population. The percentage of tadpoles surviving in the experimental enclosures was independent of density, at least up to 75 tadpoles/m2. Except at the lowest density (5/m2), no significant effects were noted at any density, on the rate of growth or time to metamorphosis. These experimental observations support the notion that food is not limiting to the tadpoles at their normal densities. Most of the mortality of tadpoles observed in the natural population was attributed to predation because: (1) Tadpoles kept in the laboratory on starvation diets survived for many weeks, even though they did not grow. (2) Tadpoles living at densities up to 100 times normal could survive and grow to metamorphosis in the absence of predators. (3) Predation rates observed in the field, and simulated on the basis of laboratory experiments, were sufficient to account for much of the mortality observed in the natural population. Laboratory studies of salamanders preying on tadpoles in multi—prey systems showed that the number of tadpoles eaten was proportional to the density of tadpoles present except at very low density, where fewer tadpoles than expected were eaten. The tadpoles also had a refuge from some predators after they had grown to a certain size. Salamanders were observed to move into areas of high tadpole density, thereby increasing locally the intensity of predation. It was concluded from the laboratory and field observations that mortality of tadpoles is density—dependent. However, the limiting factors for the Rana aurora population are unknown, since the frogs were not studied after they left the lake. The numbers of eggs laid in the 2 years of the study were very similar, but no social mechanisms for controlling the breeding population were observed.
Pathogens of Ips duplicatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in three areas in Central Europe.

The pathogens of Ips duplicatus were studied in three outbreak areas, i.e. on the border of Bialowieza Primeval Forest (N Poland), in an Armillaria root rot area in the eastern Czech Republic and on the southern edge of the beetle's range in the Bile Karpaty Mts. and Javomiky Mts. (SE Czech Republic). In all three areas I. duplicatus lives in association with I. typographus. The pathogens found were Chytridiopsis typographi, Larssoniella duplicati, Gregarina typographi, and Pichia sp. N Poland populations of I. duplicatus, coexisting with I. typographus, had a high endemic level 21.5% and 18.9% of C. typographi in both hosts. Also, I. duplicatus had a rather high infection level of L. duplicati (30%). This pathogen was not present in I. typographus. In the E Czech Republic both bark beetles contained C. typographi in low level, with a maximum of 3% infection in I. duplicatus and 3.6% in I. typographus. We did not find infected beetles of both species at one locality. The average level of infestation of I. duplicatus with L. duplicati was 37.7%. A bit different situation was found for the most southern range of I. duplicatus (SE Czech Republic), where the insect's distribution mostly depends on spruce forests. Although the infection level of C. typographi is similar to E Czech Republic in both bark beetles, in contrary, only 4.4% beetles were infected by L. duplicati. Two pathogens, Gregarina typographi, and Pichia sp. , appear only as minor admixture, apparently related to local population densities. The infection of I. duplicatus with L. duplicati frequently reaches a high level in both throughout the range of I. duplicatus and the season.
Mechanisms of potassium absorption by higher plant roots

Potassium, as a plant macronutrient, is accumulated in plant cells from relatively dilute soil solutions and is indispensable for many vital processes. Studies characterising potassium uptake by roots stretch back over many decades. However, it is only with the introduction of modem electrophysiological and molecular techniques that investigations have been possible at a molecular level. Such approaches have confirmed the existence of discrete high and low affinity uptake systems at the root plasma membrane and have greatly enhanced our understanding of the underlying molecular nature of these uptake systems. High affinity K + uptake from micromolar external K + levels is coupled to H + transport as demonstrated independently by patch clamping of single root protoplasts and by studying the transport system after expression in Xenopus oocytes. The measured coupling ratio between the two ions is 1 :1 and is sufficient to account for an accumulation ratio in excess of 10 6 , a value which encompasses experimental observations on K + accumulation. Low affinity K + uptake activates at relatively high external K + levels in the millimolar range and is 'passive' i.e. down the electrochemical gradient for potassium. In two higher plant species single cell inward potassium currents have been identified which are associated with low affinity potassium uptake. Furthermore, specific ion channels which underlie these potassium influxes and form a major constituent of the low affinity potassium uptake pathway have been identified and characterised.
Financial market consequences of early adoption of international standards on auditing: international evidence

This paper aims to investigate the effects of the early adoption of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) on Financial Market Indicators (FMIs) from a diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory perspective. ,Using panel data from 110 countries in a period that spans from 1995 to 2014, this study applies an ordinary least squares regression model to investigate the financial consequences of adopting ISAs. This analysis was supplemented with estimating a fixed-effects and two-stage least squares regression models to address any concerns regarding the possible existence of endogeneity problems. ,This study reports three key findings. First, the authors find that early ISAs adoption has a negative effect on several financial market consequences, namely stock market integration, market capitalisation, market turnover, market return, market development, stock price volatility and stock trading volume. Second, using an alternative measure to the one that is proposed by DOI theory, the authors found that some financial indicators have been significantly improved after ISAs adoption, but only for listed firms that prepared their financial statements under International Financial Reporting Standards and audited by ISAs simultaneously. Finally, the financialindicators of European stock markets, however, have insignificantly shrank post the mandatory adoption of ISAs in 2006. ,The empirical evidence raises questions about how ISAs were enforced and implemented. For example, countries that adopted ISAs at early stages may have been dominated mostly by recently established stock exchanges. This implies a crucial need to determine and apply the best type of auditing regime that can increase investors trust and enhance the credibility of stock markets information, which might ultimately advance the FMIs over time significantly. ,To-date, studies investigating the impact of the adoption of ISAs on FMI from a DOI theory perspective are virtually non-existent. The study, therefore, seeks to contribute to the extant literature by examining the influence of ISAs adoption on a wide range of FMIs.
The North Atlantic Oscillation and sea surface temperature affect loggerhead abundance around the Strait of Gibraltar

The aim of this study was to explore the possible link between variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and sea surface temperature (SST) and the abundance of loggerhead turtles around the Strait of Gibraltar, using stranding data for the Andalusian coastal area as a proxy for abundance. The annual average SST (from November to October) in the Gulf of Cadiz was negatively associated with the total number of loggerhead strandings each year from November 1997 to October 2006 in the Gulf of Cadiz and the Alboran Sea. The average NAO index was positively associated with the number of strandings in the Gulf of Cadiz in the following year. Prevailing westerly winds during positive NAO phases and the subsequent delayed decrease in SST may lead to turtles from the west Atlantic accumulating in the Gulf of Cadiz and unsuccessfully attempting to return. Secondary causes, such as buoyancy, cold stunning, longline fisheries, net fisheries, debilitated turtle syndrome, and trauma may also increase the number of turtle strandings.
A model for pressure driven analysis-design of water distribution networks

Pressure Driven Analysis (PDA) method provides the ability to simulate Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) more realistically. Most of the PDA-based models use either the Newton–Raphson method or the gradient method for simulation. The computational cost of these models is high, so that in the solution process of them a large system of equations is solved in each iteration. This paper presents a new model for PDA-based design and analysis of WDNs. The proposed model developed employing the graph portioning approach is named GPDA model. This model provides the PDA-based design and analysis of WDNs without any need of iterative computations for governing equations. Two example networks are designed and analyzed using the proposed model and the results are discussed. The obtained results confirm the ability and computational efficiency of the GPDA model for the design and analysis of WDNs.
Helping Yourself or Others? Motivation Dynamics for High-Performing Volunteers in GLAM Crowdsourcing

While most crowdsourcing (CS) cases in the literature focus on commercial organisations, little is known about volunteers’ motivation of initial and continued participation in not-for-profit CS projects and importantly, about how the motivations may change over time. It is vital to understand motivation and motivational dynamics in a not-for-profit context because a fundamental challenge for not-for-profit CS initiations is to recruit and keep volunteers motivated without any formal contract or financial incentives. To tackle this challenge, we explore high performing volunteers’ initial motivation for joining and sustaining with a GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) CS project. We situated our interpretive exploration in a case study of the Australian Newspapers CS project initiated by the National Library of Australia. Based on the case study, we found that high-performing volunteers were motivated by a combination of personal, collective, and external factors classified into intrinsic, extrinsic, and internalised extrinsic motivations. Further, we found that these motivations changed over time. Specifically, many volunteers presented substantial personal (i.e., personal interest and fun) and community-centric motivations (i.e. altruism and non-profit cause) when they initially joined the project, whereas external motivations (i.e., recognition and rewards) had a greater impact on long-term participation. Our findings offer implications for CS system design (e.g., user profiles, tagging and commenting), incentive structure (e.g., reputation-based ranking, leader boards), and relational mechanisms (e.g., open communication channels) to stimulate sustainable contributions for not-for-profit CS initiatives.
Produção e qualidade físico-química de frutos de laranjeiras 'Valência' em diferentes intensidades e frequências de poda

ABSTRACT - The pruning in citrus can be applied with the objective to control vegetative growth and renew fruiting branches. This research aimed to evaluate different manual pruning regimes in young orchards of ‘Valencia’ Orange, grown in conventional management. It was used an orchard with spacing 5.0 x 2.5 m, established in 2001 at Montenegro–RS, Brazil. The treatments, starting in 2004, were: A - control, without pruning; B - annual pruning of 15%; C - biennial pruning of 15%; D - biennial pruning of 30% and E - three-year 30% pruning of the canopy volume. The experiment had a randomized complete-block design, with four-trees plots and four replications. It was evaluated the number of fruits, total fruit mass production and average weight fruit in the crops 2006, 2007 and 2008. Aspects relating to fruit quality, total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TTA) and ratio (TSS/TTA) on juice were assessed. The manual pruning does not alter significantly the cumulative yield of three crops, nor physical-chemical and fruits quality in orchards of ‘Valencia’ orange under the age of seven, with conventional management system.
Lufenuron: A Potential Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor Against Aedes aegypti L.

Chemical control of dengue vector, Aedes aegypti is impaired due to development of resistance to conventional insecticides. Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) are considered more suitable and effective vector control agents as they specifically inhibit chitin biosynthesis, a process absent in vertebrates, and impose less adverse effects on beneficial insects and the environment. Present study investigates Lufenuron, a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor (CSI), as a control agent of Ae. aegypti. Different instars of Ae. aegypti were exposed to a range of concentrations of Lufenuron as per WHO protocol. The investigations showed the effective hormone-mimetic effect of Lufenuron resulting in the formation of a significant number of larval-pupal and pupal-adult intermediates with the maximum number observed on exposure to L3 (L-P=17%, P-A=21%). Approximately 20% of L2 instars either could not moult and remained trapped inside the new exuviae or possessed bulged abdomen while some showed ruptured exoskeleton. The results showed increase in IE30 from L1 (0.00010 ppm) to L4 stage (0.00013 ppm); the L2 stage exhibiting maximum IE30 (0.00025 ppm). The median emergence suppression (IE50) doses of the Lufenuron were found to be 0.00057 ppm for L1, 0.00047 ppm for L2, 0.00050 ppm for L3 and 0.00096 ppm for L4. The results also revealed increased duration of larval development and inability of pupae to develop into adults, as compared to the controls. The investigations indicate the potential use of Lufenuron as the control agent of Ae. aegypti. Further research is being conducted to understand its mode of action to develop effective control strategies.