Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Activity Of Medicinal Plants On Streptococcus Mutans, A Causing Agent Of Dental Caries

Streptococcus mutans plays a significant role in dental caries and control of its activities can promote prevention of dental caries. Use of herbal agents is a notable issue in recent researches in dental caries. The study was designed to evaluate of antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of leaf and bark of Azadirachta indica, bark of Vitex negundo, leaves of Spinacia oleracea, fruits of Momordica charantia, Phyllanthus embilica, Piper nigrum, and Tamarindus indica, rhizome of Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale against Streptococcus mutans. Considerable zone of growth-inhibition was observed for the extracts of Curcuma longa, Tamarindus indica and Phyllanthus embilica. The MIC of the extracts ranged between concentrations of 50 mg/ml and 3.125 mg/ml and MBC ranged between concentrations of 100 mg/ml and 12.5 mg/ml. Commercially available antibiotics were used as control for comparative study. Combinations of different extracts were also used and the mixture of Tamarindus indica and Curcuma longa extracts was the most efficient. The efficiency of the extracts in a toothpaste formulation was checked with proven stability. Further study needs to be conducted to check the stability of active ingredients in commercial production condition and to prove the potential of these plant extracts to be formulated in dental care products.
Identification of Clones of Ginbuna Carassius langsdorfii by DNA Fingerprinting and Isozyme Pattern.

DNA fingerprinting and isozyme analyses of 32 Ginbuna (all female triploids) collected from the Monobe River, Kochi prefecture were carried out for identification of clones.Genomic DNA extracted from blood were digested with Hae III restriction endonuclease, and were hybridized with 32P-labeled YNZ 22 probe for DNA fingerprinting. Isozymes of muscle and liver frozen at -20°C were assayed by the horizontal starch gel electrophoresis to detect creatine kinase (CK), esterase (EST), glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI), phosphoglucomutase (PGM), general protein (PROT). Specimens were classified into 7 clonal groups by DNA fingerprinting. The mean of band sharing index (BSI) were 0.314±0.330 between individuals, 1.000 between individuals within a clone, and 0.149±0.077 between different clonal lines. The isozyme patterns were also useful for identification of the clones detected by DNA fingerprinting. There were no significant differences in morphological characters between clones of Ginbuna except two morphological traits.
A Succession of Pliocene and Pleistocene Snake Faunas from the High Plains of the United States

Over 11,000 skeletal elements of snakes from a series of fossil deposits ranging from the Lower Pliocene to the Recent from Kansas and adjacent areas were studied. Each local fossil fauna is relatively distinct, containing as few as one and as many as 15 species of snakes. Glacial and interglacial faunas differ in kind, number, and size of snakes present. Many, but not all, of the Pliocene and Interglacial snake species occur in Kansas today. The greatest overlap of the ranges of all of the species of snakes represented in the fossil deposits occurs today in southwestern Texas, in the Balconian Biotic Province. In contrast to the mammal fauna and other herpetofaunas, the snake faunas from the high plains have no extinct forms in the Pleistocene deposits (though extinction or change in two forms occurred in the Mid and Upper Pliocene) and further indicate that most genera and species of Recent snakes go back, almost unchanged, to at least the Upper, and in some cases Lower Pliocene.
Seasonal variation in activity budget and diet of the endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) in the tourist valley of Ouzoud, central High Atlas, Morocco

Abstract This article reports data on the seasonal activity budget and diet composition of the endangered Barbary macaque group inhabiting a tourist site in Morocco. Data were collected from March 2007 to February 2008. We used instantaneous scan sampling at 15-min intervals. The behaviours that we included in the activity budget were feeding, moving, foraging, resting and aggressive display. Food items were grouped into seven categories. Results showed that activity budgets and the feeding time spent on eating different food categories varied markedly among seasons. The percentage of daily time spent on foraging and moving was lower in spring, while the daily time spent on resting was higher in spring and summer. The time budget devoted to aggressive display was higher in spring than the other three seasons. There is an increase in the daily feeding time spent eating fruits in summer; seeds, acorns, roots and barks in winter and autumn; herbs in spring and summer; and a clear increase in consumption of human food in spring. Conservation effort of Barbary macaques should consider the seasonal variations in activity budgets and diet in human-modified environments.
Impact of pulse sequence, analysis method, and signal to noise ratio on the accuracy of intervertebral disc T2 measurement

Noninvasive assessments of intervertebral disc health and degeneration are critical for addressing disc degeneration and low back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is exceptionally sensitive to tissue with high water content, and measurement of the MR transverse relaxation time, T2, has been applied as a quantitative, continuous, and objective measure of disc degeneration that is linked to the water and matrix composition of the disc. However, T2 measurement is susceptible to inaccuracies due to Rician noise, T1 contamination, and stimulated echo effects. These error generators can all be controlled for with proper data collection and fitting methods. The objective of this study was to identify sequence parameters to appropriately acquire MR data and to establish curve fitting methods to accurately calculate disc T2 in the presence of noise by correcting for Rician noise. To do so, we compared T2 calculated from the typical monoexponential (MONO) fits and noise corrected exponential (NCEXP) fits. We examined how the selected sequence parameters altered the calculated T2 in silico and in vivo. Typical MONO fits were frequently poor due to Rician noise, and NCEXP fits were more likely to provide accurate T2 calculations. NCEXP is particularly less biased and less uncertain at low SNR. This study showed that the NCEXP using sequences with data from 20 echoes out to echo times of ~300 ms is the best method for calculating T2 of discs. By acquiring signal data out to longer echo times and accounting for Rician noise, the curve fitting is more robust in calculating T2 despite the noise in the data. This is particularly important when considering degenerate discs or AF tissue because the SNR of these regions is lower.
A Study of the Structure of Feathers, With Reference to Their Taxonomic Significance

This article describes structure and comparative morphological study of feathers (plumage) with reference to the phylogeny (evolution), nomenclature (name) and taxonomy (classification) of birds. Topics include feather terminology, plumules (down, oil-gland, nestling), filoplumes, contour feathers (remiges, rectrices, ornamental, facila, ear coverts), color, production and albinism. The following orders and suborders are described: Struthioniformes, Rheiformes, Casuariiformes, Apterygiformes, Sphenisciformes, Colymbiformes, Procellariiformes, Ciconiiformes (Steganopodes, Ciconiae, Ardeae, Phoenicopteri), Anseriformes (Anseres, Palamedeae), Falconiformes (Cathartae, Gypogerani, Accipitres), Galliformes (Galli, Turnices), Crypturiformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes (Laro-limicolae, Pteroclo-columbae), Cuculiformes, Coraciiformes, Passeriformes. Bibliographic references date from 1809-1914. Numerous plates illustrating feather structure are included. This article is a reference for curators of natural history specimens (ornithology collections) and feather identification.
Morphological reaction and yield of Nigella sativa L.to Fe and Zn

This experiment was conducted in Ardestan University in an experiment based on randomized complete block design with four replications. Each replication consisted of 12 treatments in four fertilizer levels including 2.5 per thousand of Fe-sulfate solution, 2.5 per thousand of Zn-sulfate solution in three stages of growth (4, 8 and 12 leaves). During the experiment, the height of plant, number of stem branches, follicle number in plant, seed number in follicle, 1000- grain weight, biologic yield, seed yield/plant and harvest index were assessed. This study showed that using spraying had significant differences in different growth stages except in the factors like plant height, times of flowering and weight of thousands grain. Also, using all microelement treatments had significant effects to the level of 1%. The most grain yield was in eight-leaf-stage with 172.35 kg/ha and after that four-and twelve-leaf-stages were in the second level. In case of using spraying treatments, the best results were related to 2.5 per thousand of Fe-sulfate solution and the least were related to control and 2.5 per thousand of Zn-sulfate solution. In evaluating the interaction between treatments, the best yield was related to 2.5 per thousand of Fe-sulfate solution in eight- leaf- stage and the least related to 2.5 per thousand of Zn-sulfate solution and control. In the end, spraying of 2.5 per thousand of Fe-sulfate solution in eight- leaf- stage without using Zn-sulfate, in many cases dedicated the best results to itself. This formulation can be used for increasing yield, enhancing the products and removing food deficiencies. Key words: Nigella sativa L. , Fe-sulfate, Zn sulfate, seed yield and growth stage, spraying.
Calcium influx into mouse spermatozoa activated by solubilized mouse zona pellucida, monitored with the calcium fluorescent indicator, fluo‐3. inhibition of the influx by three inhibitors of the zona pellucida induced acrosome reaction: Tyrphostin A48, pertussis toxin, and 3‐quinuclidinyl benzilate

The fluorescent calcium indicator, fluo‐3, was loaded as the membrane permeant tetraacetoxymethyl (AM) ester into cauda epididymal mouse sperm at 25°C for 20 min in the absence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and presence of the dispersant, Pluronic F‐127. Excess indicator was removed by two centrifugation washes at 100g for 10 min, a procedure that did not impair sperm motility. Upon resuspension in medium containing 20 mg/ml BSA to promote capacitation, the sperm cells exhibited readily detectable fluorescence uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm. Cell fluorescence was stable over the time of the experiments and was responsive to changes in intracellular calcium concentration, [Ca2+]j. Initial [Ca2+]j was 231 ± 58 nM (±SE, n = 43). Addition of heat‐solubilized mouse zonae pellucidae to capacitated sperm increased [Ca2+]j by 106 ± 19 nM (±SE, n = 18), the higher steady‐state concentration being reached after 30 min. Subsequent addition of the non‐fluorescent calcium ionophore Br‐A23187 resulted in a further increase of 114 ± 18 nM (± SE, n = 18), the higher steady‐state concentration being reached after 6 min. The increase in [Ca2+]j induced by solubilized zonae pellucidae was largely blocked by 3‐quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) an antagonist of muscarinic receptors that was earlier shown to block the zona pellucida induced acrosome reaction in mouse sperm (Florman and Storey, 1982: Dev Biol 91:121–130). This [Ca2+]j increase was completely blocked by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, tyrphostin A48, and by the inactivator of G1 proteins, pertussis toxin. At the concentrations at which they blocked the zona pellucida‐induced increase in [Ca2+]j all three inhibitors also blocked the zona pellucidainduced acrosome reaction. These results indicate that [Ca2+]j increase in is an early, if not the initial, reaction in the sequence leading to zona pellucida induced acrosomal exocytosis in mouse sperm. The observation that the three inhibitors, each having a different mode of action, all block the zona pellucida induced [Ca2+]j suggests that the sperm plasma membrane receptors mediating the zona pellucida induced acrosome reaction may function as a complex, whose formation is activated by zona pellucida ligand binding. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of aerial strip spraying on mixedwood stand structure and tree growth

Herbicide application in strips offers a cost-effective way to accelerate spruce growth in young mixedwood stands, while also retaining the mixedwood character of the stand. In June of 2006 data were collected to evaluate the effects of aerial strip spraying on subsequent growth of treated stands. These blocks had been planted in 1991 and treated in 2000 with Triclopyr ester herbicide applied in strips. Treated and untreated strips averaged 5.8 m and 8.4 m in width, respectively, with 38% of the block area being effectively treated. In 2006 aspen density, DBH, and height were significantly lower in the treated strips compared to either untreated strips or completely untreated blocks. Spruce growth was significantly larger in treated strips with diameter growth responses beginning in the first and height growth responses in the second growing season following treatment. Yield estimates from the Mixedwood Growth Model (MGM) indicate that the strip spray treatments result in the highest spruce yields. Howeve.
Effect of Salinity on Nodulation, Glutamine Synthetase and Glutamate Synthase Activity in Nodules of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Abstract Bami cultivar of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was inoculated with salt-tolerant Sinorhizobium meliloti in solution culture with different salt concentrations (0, 50, 75 and 100 mmoles 1-1NaCl) added immediately at the time of inoculation. The results indicated that S. meliloti formed an infective and effective symbiosis with alfalfa under saline and nonsaline conditions. Salinity significantly decreased shoot and root dry weight, nodule weight and mean nodule weight. Roots were more sensitive than shoots, and N2 fixation was more sensitive to salinity than was plant growth. Analyses of ammonium assimilating enzymes in the nodule showed that glutamine synthetase appeared to be more tolerant to salinity than glutamate synthase, and that it limits ammonium assimilation under saline stress.
Age, growth, and reproduction of Dentex maroccanus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Sparidae) in the Saros Bay (north Aegean Sea)

In the Mediterranean, sea breams (Sparidae) are represented by 22 species belonging to 10 genera (Arculeo et al. 2003), of which 14 species are also found in the north Aegean Sea (Ismen et al. unpublished**). The Morocco dentex, Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes, 1830, is an important demersal commercial sparid species inhabiting depths ranging from 20 to 500 m and can be found throughout the Mediterranean (absent in the Adriatic), especially in the areas featuring gravel or rubble bottoms. Morocco dentex ecologically prefers deep and highersalinity waters. This species is distributed in the southern and eastern Mediterranean (Maravelias et al. 2007) and the Atlantic (Bay of Biscay to Gulf of Guinea) (Froese and Pauly 2014). The major studies on the Morocco dentex in the Mediterranean have been carried on its western basin and concerned the age, growth, feeding, reproduction, and distribution (Nguyen and Wojciechowski 1972, Mennes 1985, Lamrini and Bouymajjane 2002, Chemmam-Abdelkader et al. 2004, Maravelias et al. 2007). In the Aegean Sea (Saros Bay), a basin of the eastern-central Mediterranean, the sparids represent important components of the demersal fish stock and are generally caught by trawl, long line, and trammel nets. There is currently no information concerning the age, growth, and reproduction of this species or regarding the state of stocks in the Aegean Sea. Aspects concerning to the length–weight relation have been investigated, but these studies did not provide any population relations (Karakulak et al. 2006, Ceyhan et al. 2009). As far as we know, this is the first report that provides a comprehensive picture of population parameters (length–weight relation, age, growth, reproduction, fecundity, first maturity length) of Dentex maroccanus, with the aim of generating sufficient information to improve future stock management and sustainable fishing. ACTA ICHTHYOLOGICA ET PISCATORIA (2014) 44 (4): 295–300 DOI: 10.3750/AIP2014.44. 4.03
New Species and a New Genus of Plectomycetes with Aspergillus States

1. Benjamin, R. K. 1970. Laboulbeniales on semiaquatic Hemiptera. II. Autophagomyces, Dioicomyces, and Prolixandromyces gen. nov. Aliso 7: 165-182. 2. Tavares, I. I. 1970. The appendage of Amorphomyces (Laboulbeniales). Mycologia 62: 741-749. 3. Thaxter, R. 1900. Preliminary diagnoses of new species of LaboulbeniaceaeII. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts Sci. 35: 407-450. 4. --. 1902. Preliminary diagnoses of new species of Laboulbeniaceae-V. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts Sci. 38: 7-57. 5. 1908. Contribution toward a monograph of the Laboulbeniaceae. Part II. Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts Sci. 13: 217-469. 6. --. 1931. Contribution towards a monograph of the Laboulbeniaceae. Part V. Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts Sci. 16: 1-435.
Needle respiration and nitrogen concentration in Scots Pine populations from a broad latitudinal range : a common garden test with field-grown trees

Models of tree function and forest ecosystem carbon budgets often assume that potential global changes in temperature and/or other factors may alter tissue nitrogen (N) and dark respiration rates (R d ). However, little is known of patterns of co-variation in tissue N and R d among intraspecific populations originating along climatic gradients, and of whether an N-based model of R d can link these two variables. To address these issues, we studied N and R d in fully expanded needles of 10-year-old trees of 14 Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) populations of wide-ranging origin (43 ° to 60 °N), grown under common garden conditions. For 11 lowland populations (elevation < 200 m) from the contiguous part of the species range (48 ° to 60°N) grown at a field site in Kornik, western Poland (52 °N), there were greater needle %N in populations from increasing latitude of origin or decreasing mean annual temperature (r≥0.93, P<0.01). Similar %N and latitude of origin correlations were observed in another year at this site and in retrospective analyses of published data for different sets of Scots Pine populations grown in common gardens at 48°, 52 °C and 62 °N latitudes. Needle R d rates of the 11 lowland populations growing at Kornik and measured at a common temperature (20 °C) were greater, by as much as 50%, for more northerly than southerly populations. Mean R d rates were positively correlated to latitude of origin and to mean annual temperature (P < 0.05, r = 0.7 to 0 8). R d and needle %N were positively correlated (P<0.01, r=0.75), with one relationship fitting all data. Across the entire range from 1.15 to to 1.55 needle %N, R d increased from 4.5 to to 6.9 nmol g -1 s -1 . Mean needle %N and R d values for two montane southern populations (43 ° and 44 °N, elevation ≥ 885 m) growing in the same common garden at Kornik were consistent with the relationships between mean annual temperature, needle %N and R d observed for the more northerly populations but did not fit the latitudinal patterns. This suggests that temperature and/or associated climate variables are likely the driving force for observed genetic variation in Scots Pine needle %N and R d across latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Results of these common garden studies support the idea of a general relationship between needle dark respiration and N concentration, and indicate that there is intraspecific genetic variation in physiology that is selected by climate that persists in a common environment, resulting in higher needle %N and respiration in plants originating from colder habitats. Such patterns need to be better understood and quantified, and merit consideration in modelling of current and potential global change effects on plant function and global carbon cycles.
Identification of RNA binding proteins associated with differential splicing in neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Alternative splicing is a tightly regulated process that can be disrupted in cancer. Established cancer genes express splice isoforms with distinct properties and their differential expression is associated with tumour progression. Although prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) is effectively managed at early stage by therapies targeting the androgen receptor signaling axis, up to 30% of late stage prostate cancers progress to a treatment-resistant form of the disease called neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), for which there are few therapeutic options. It is histologically distinct from PCa, expresses a neuronal gene signature and is associated with poor survival (<1 year). We hypothesize that alternative splicing has an important role in driving transformation of PCa tumours towards the NEPC phenotype and we seek to identify regulators of aberrant alternative splicing. We integrated a number of bioinformatics tools to investigate alternative splicing in NEPC. Analyzing RNA-Seq data from a patient-derived xenograft model of neuroendocrine transdifferentiation, we compared splicing profiles between NEPC and PCa and identified a set of differentially spliced cassette exons. We found these cassette exons to code for protein segments containing DNA-binding domains, protein-binding regions and posttranslational modification sites. We discovered evolutionarily conserved motifs around intronic regions of the cassette exons and implicated them with RNA recognition motifs of tissue-specific RNA binding proteins. We corroborated our findings by analyzing RNA-Seq data from a patient-tumour cohort and found recurrent RNA binding proteins associated with cassette exon inclusion. Our integrated analysis suggests that splicing changes between PCa and NEPC are mediated by tissue-specific RNA binding proteins, which may be of therapeutic or diagnostic value.
Toxicity of Galactose for Certain of the Higher Plants

In the course of investigations upon the effect of sugars on the growth of certain higher plants, the sugar galactose was employed. In experiments with vetch (Vicia villosa) the plants grown in the presence of 2 per cent galactose showed very marked injury, the injury being especially manifest by a killing of the roots and accompanied by a reduction in the growth of tops. The results secured were the more surprising in view of the fact that lactose sugar employed coincidently influenced beneficially the growth of -the same plant. Certain experiments were therefore made to determine whether or not the effect of the galactose was consistent. Method of experimentation. -The plants were grown under sterile conditions on agar media containing Pfeffer's nutrient solution2 of one-half its normal strength. This solution is neutral in its reaction. The solution contained varying amounts of galactose sugar, the source of which is indicated in each case.