Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins

Polychlorinated biphenyl's (PCBs) and dioxins are environmental pollutants. Calculated on a body weight basis, prenatally as well as postnatally through breast‐feeding, large amounts are transferred from mother to the child. Formula is free of these substances. Considering their potential developmental neurotoxicity, we investigated long‐term effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins on neurological and cognitive development. Methods. A group of 418 infants were followed from birth up to 6 years of age. Half of them were fully breast fed (BF) for at least 6 weeks. Prenatal PCB exposure was measured from cord and maternal blood. Postnatal exposure was reflected by PCB and dioxin levels in breast and formula milk and plasma PCB concentrations at 42 months of age. Both neurological and cognitive development were taken as outcome variables at 18, 42 months and at 6 years of age. At 18 and 42 months neurological condition was evaluated according to Hempel and Touwen and at 6 years of age according to Touwen. Condition was evaluated in terms of optimality. Separately, the fluency of movements was scored. Cognitive abilities were measured at 18 months by means of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, at 42 months of age by the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K‐ABC) and at 6 years of age by the McCarthy Scales. Results. At 18 months of age cognitive development was not affected by either pre‐ or postnatal exposure to the measured PCBs and dioxins. However, neurological examination showed an adverse effect of prenatal exposure to the measured pollutants on the neurological optimality score. At 42 months of age we found negative associations between prenatal PCB exposure and cognitive development. However, no effect was demonstrated of postnatal exposure to the measured pollutants. Neurological development was not affected by either pre‐ or postnatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins. At 6 years of age the preliminary results showed no evidence that cognitive and neurological development are affected by pre‐ and postnatal exposure to these pollutants. Despite a higher PCB exposure from breast milk we found at 18 months, 42 months of age, and at 6 years of age a beneficial effect of breast feeding on the quality of movements, in terms of fluency. Conclusion. These data support the evidence obtained from similar studies in the USA that prenatal exposure to PCBs may have subtle negative effects on early neurological and cognitive development of the child. Further studies are required to evaluate these findings in other parts of the world. Our studies showed consistently a beneficial effect of breast‐feeding on brain development from 18 months up to school age.
Differential Response of Root Morphology of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes under Different Phosphorus Conditions

Phosphorus (P) is the second most limiting macronutrient to plant growth and development after nitrogen. Either the soils are inherently deficient in P content or the soil P is not phyto-available due to immobilization of phosphate in soil, particularly acidic soil (Cordell et al., 2009; Wissuwa et al., 2005). Lack of plant available P constrains plant growth and reduced overall yield of rice (Cordell et al., 2009). P is the component of biomolecules like nucleic acid, phospholipids, etc. and is involved in major metabolic processes, of cells (Poirier et al., 2002). P deficiency affects overall plant growth and it has been assessed that 5.7 billion hectares of land worldwide are deficient in P (Batjes, 1997). Problem of P deficiency is usually overcome by the application of phosphatic fertilizers (Abel et al., 2002). However, application of large amount of phosphatic fertilizer lead to higher P fixation and immobilization in soil rendering it less available to plant owing to changes in soil texture and pH due to long term application of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 149-160 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Serum FGF21 Levels in Obese Korean Children and Adolescents

Background Serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has been suggested to be a possible biomarker for early detection of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in adults. However, few studies have investigated the correlation between FGF21 levels and metabolic parameters in children. This study sought to evaluate the relationship between FGF21 and metabolic parameters in obese Korean children and adolescents. Methods Fasting serum FGF21 and adiponectin levels as well as fasting insulin, glucose, transaminases, and lipid profiles were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 45 lean and 70 obese children aged 7–14 years. Independent t-test and multivariate correlation analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between FGF21 and metabolic parameters. Results Serum FGF21 was significantly higher in obese children than in lean children. Serum FGF21 levels were positively correlated with insulin resistance index homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) (r=0.355, P=0.004) and triglycerides (r=0.423, P<0.001) and were negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r=−0.412, P<0.001). After adjustment for body mass index, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and adiponectin, FGF21 levels showed a significant correlation with only HOMA-IR on multivariate linear regression analysis. Conclusion Serum FGF21 levels were higher in obese children and significantly correlated with HOMA-IR. Therefore, FGF21 could be a biomarker for obesity-induced insulin resistance in children and adolescents as indicated in adults.
Multivariate analysis to assess abscisic acid content association with different physiological and plant growth related traits of Petunia

Petunia is an important and beautiful ornamental flowering plant, grown throughout the world for its beauty and attraction. Different Petunia hybrids have been developed by petunia growing countries of the world. The prescribed study was conducted to investigate the association of abscisic acid with seed yield and its contributing traits of petunia line. Data for different physiological, morphological and petunia seed yield traits was recorded, analyzed and interpreted for final inferences. From results it was showed that the petunia lines IAGS-P8, IAGS-P9 and IAGS-P11 performed well for most of the studied traits. It was shown from multivariate analysis techniques that stomata conductance, chlorophyll b contents, seed area, chlorophyll a contents, flower fresh mass, flowers per plant, seed mass and abscisic acid contributed higher to seed yield per plant in petunia. The abscisic acid contents showed positive and significant association and contribution towards seed yield of petunia genotypes. It was suggested that selection on the basis of abscisic acid may be useful to develop good seed yield per plant and large number of flowers per plant in petunia under stressful environmental conditions.
Infection capacity of the pathogens Penicillium italicum and P. Expansum in orange during storage

Penicillium italicum and P. expansum are important pathogens causing decay in most fruits and vegetables. In this study, orange fruits were inoculated with these two species of fungus and stored 14 days with or without bagging, in a cold room for 11 days and 3 days at room temperature to determine the effect of bagging and infection capacities of both molds on oranges during storage. The results indicated that P. expansum can grow on orange peel with smaller colony diameter than P. italicum in bagged and unbagged fruits. Total soluble solids (TSS) and firmness were not affected by bag. Gas composition of the bags showed low oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentration after fourteen days of storage. Bagged fruits decreased decay caused by P. italicum and weight loss, and delayed changes in firmness, TSS and acidity compared with control fruits. The study suggests that bagging may be a promising option for controlling decay, maintaining fruit quality and extending shelf-life of oranges.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF SELECTED SCORZONERA SPECIES

Scorzonera species (Asteraceae) are mainly used as vegetables and medicinal plants in Europe and in Turkey. Current study is aimed to evaluate antioxidant capacities of Scorzonera species and characterize the phytochemical content of tested extracts to determine the responsible compounds. Superoxide anion scavenging method was used to determine antioxidant activities. Chemical composition of the tested extracts was also investigated by RP-HPLC method using phenolic acid and flavonoid standards. All extracts exhibited significant scavenger activity against superoxide anion radical. The highest inhibitory activity was observed with S. parviflora root extract with IC50=2.25 mg/mL value. Hyperoside and rutin were found to be in the extracts from the aerial parts and chlorogenic acid was detected in all the extracts investigated.
Effects of controlled water temperatures on oviposition in a lotic‐breeding and externally fertilizing salamander (Hynobius kimurae)

Warm or cool ambient temperatures during winter generate plasticity in the within‐year timing of oviposition or breeding phenology shifts through the use of a reaction norm in many riverine ectotherms, but within‐year timing of oviposition in Hynobius kimurae (Caudata: Hynobiidae) is predicted to be constant at different water temperatures of a mountain stream. To clarify this difference, by experimentally controlling water temperatures from fall to spring and thus changing durations of aquatic hibernation and dates of oviposition, we determined whether oviposition is more advanced when water temperatures increase earlier than usual or is more delayed when water temperatures increase later than usual. Oviposition was more delayed than usual with earlier exposure to high water temperatures during spring and was earlier than usual with exposing to higher water temperatures during hibernation. Days from submergence to oviposition were responsive to cumulative daily water temperatures from submergence to oviposition within a population. A rate of increase in days from submergence to oviposition was different between populations but was constant within a population even if minimal water temperatures varied each year. When running a program of a Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model for Bayesian computation to interpret confounding effects, neither different treatments nor different years statistically affected days from submergence to oviposition. These results suggest that a biological clock exits for days from submergence to oviposition in H. kimurae, which could allow survival in situations with either warmer or cooler environments.
Photoperiodic cues regulate phenological carry-over effects in an herbivorous insect

To maximise their fitness, organisms need to synchronise their phenology with the seasonal variation in environmental conditions. Most phenological traits are affected by environmental abiotic cues such as photoperiod, temperature and rainfall. When individuals with complex life cycles fail to match one of the stages with the favourable environment, the negative conditions experienced may lead to carry-over effects and, thus, influence fitness in subsequent stages. In the winter moth, an herbivorous insect with an annual life cycle, timing of egg-hatching in spring is strongly influenced by temperature and varies from year to year. To investigate whether the phenological variation in egg-hatching date affects subsequent stages, we analysed data on egg-hatching date and adult catching date (considered here to be a proxy for adult eclosion date) from our long-term study (1994–2014). Furthermore, we experimentally manipulated the photoperiod experienced by newly hatched larvae and recorded the phenology of their subsequent life cycle stages. In the long-term field study, we found that the timing of winter moth egg-hatching in spring varied strongly from year to year. Interestingly, however, the timing of adult eclosion date in winter showed little inter-annual variation. In line with these findings, our experimental data showed that the winter moth shortened the duration of their pupal development when they experienced a late spring photoperiod as a larva, and prolonged pupal development when experiencing early spring photoperiod. The effects of the larval photoperiodic treatments persisted during egg development in the following generation. The results show that a phenological shift that occurs during an early life stage is partially compensated during subsequent stages and suggest that the mechanism underlying this compensation is mediated by photoperiod. Winter moths regulated their phenology in such a way that the variation in the egg-hatching stage was not carried over to the next life cycle stages. This has strong effects on fitness as it (1) ensures the synchronisation of adult eclosion during the mating period and (2) is likely to reduce potentially negative fitness consequences of phenological mismatches in egg-hatching in the following generation. Overall, these findings stress the importance of understanding phenological carry-over effects to forecast the impact of global change in species with complex life cycles. A plain language summary is available for this article.
Growth and mortality rates of prokaryotes in the hypolimnion of a deep freshwater lake (Lake Biwa, Japan)

Abstract The presence of pico-sized cyanobacteria (genus Synechococcus) in hypolimnetic waters has been reported, and investigators have suggested that Synechococcus contribute more to ecological processes in the hypolimnion than previously hypothesized; however, the ecological role of Synechococcus in food webs and/or matter cycling in the hypolimnion remains unknown. To address this issue, we assessed protistan grazing and the virus-mediated mortality of Synechococcus in the oxygenated hypolimnion of a large freshwater lake (Lake Biwa, Japan) during the stratification period. In addition, we compared the carbon flux through mortality of Synechococcus to that of heterotrophic bacteria to evaluate the role of Synechococcus in ecological processes within a hypolimnetic ecosystem. Our results suggest that the biomass of Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria in the hypolimnion was removed primarily by protistan grazing. The abundance of Synechococcus was highest in August, when the average Synechococcus:bacteria carbon biomass and daily grazing loss ratios were 10.8% and 11.0%, respectively. Thus, the Synechococcus biomass is likely an important seasonal component of the carbon flux in the hypolimnetic microbial loop. Our results provide the first data on carbon flux through the mortality of both Synechococcus and bacteria in a hypolimnetic ecosystem.
WHEAT GENOMICS: CHALLENGES AND ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

The precise origin of the wheat plant as we know it today is not known. Wheat evolved from wild grasses, probably somewhere in the Near East. A very likely place of origin is the area known in early historical times as the Fertile Crescent - a region with rich soils in the upper reaches of the Tigris- Euphrates drainage basin. Wheat is one of the universal cereals of old world agriculture. Wheat has a complex polyploid large genome in the cereal crops. Efforts on wheat genome mapping using DNA markers started after formation of the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI) in 1990. How- ever, the progress in developing saturated map was slow because of large genome size of wheat, poly- ploid nature, high proportion of repetitive DNA and lack of sufficient polymorphism. For large-ge- nome species, including crops such as wheat full-genome sequences may not be available in the near future. Therefore, it is necessary to devise alternative strategies to access genomes of wheat and its relatives on a large scale and thus ensure continued advances in the biology of wheat. In this paper, the availability of abundant, high-throughput sequence based markers which is the key for detailed ge- nome-wide trait analysis has been reviewed.
A new species of freshwater snail Tchangmargarya (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) endemic to a vanished small lake in Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT Habitat loss poses a grave threat to endemic species with narrow distributions. Some species become extinct even before scientific identification due to habitat destruction. Here, a probable example is reported based on some recent and subfossil shells from an almost disappeared wetland lake in Yunnan Province, China. A new ornamented freshwater snail species, Tchangmargarya ziyi n. sp. , is recognised and described based on morphological comparison with the other Tchangmargarya species. The subfossil specimens of the new species show a great similarity to Tchangmargrya yangtsunghaiensis (Tchang & Tsi, 1949), indicating their potentially close relationship. The discovery of the new species demonstrates that the plateau lakes of Yunnan, even the small ones, have a high biodiversity and endemism. Furthermore, it enriches the knowledge of the distribution of Tchangmargarya and provides further evidence that the Liangwang Mountains are a significant biogeographic barrier to three endemic viviparid genera (Margarya, Anularya and Tchangmargarya) of Yunnan. Since the only known habitat of this species has been mostly landfilled due to the construction of a golf course and villas, this species possibly has already gone extinct. In order to implement conservation measures more efficiently, more comprehensive surveys should be conducted in all plateau lakes of Yunnan, including those that might seem insignificant.
Evidence of clandestine harvest and failure of conservation policies for Argopecten purpuratus in the Rinconada Marine Reserve (Chile)

The study of Argopecten purpuratus reproduction, post-larval settlement, stock size, and population size structure and shell growth was undertaken in the 2000s in the Rinconada marine reserve (Chile) to evaluate the effectiveness of scallop recruitment and self-sustainability. The results highlight strong seasonal and inter-annual variations of environmental conditions and scallop gonadosomatic index, spat collection, benthic distribution, total abundance and population size structure. The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞ = 120.12 mm and K = 0.9681; commercial size would be reached in about 17.2 months in the bay. Substrate availability, meteorological conditions, hydrodynamics and illegal harvesting explain spatial and temporal variations in scallop distribution and abundance. Recruitment strength depends on one main cohort from year to year. While recruitment made up 81% and 94% of total abundances in May 2002 and May 2003, respectively, there were no overall density-dependent relationships between stock size and recruitment. Spawning asynchrony in the bay supports the hypothesis that multiple gamete releases form part of a reproductive strategy in response to environmental variability. The massive disappearance of large-sized scallops during the study periods was direct evidence of overfishing owing to clandestine harvesting within the marine reserve. The failure of current legislation, strategies and policies for scallop conservation requires new regulations to restore scallop stock size, maintain its reproductive performance and limit illegal harvesting in the Rinconada. A scenario allowing harvesting regulated by stock-dependent fishing quotas would more efficiently ensure stock recovery and self-sustainability. The modalities of this new policy are discussed.
A cross sectional study on Salmonella in apparently healthy sheep and goats slaughtered at Elfora and Luna export abattoirs, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2015 and March 2016 on apparently healthy slaughtered sheep and goats, and clean knife at Luna and Elfora export abattoirs located at Modjo and Bishoftu towns to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella in sheep and goats, to assess the hygienic condition of flaying knife, and to isolate and identify the prevalent Salmonella sub-species. A total of 525 samples consisting of cecum (n=122), liver (n=122), mesenteric lymph nodes (n=122), abdominal muscle (n=122) from 44 sheep and 78 goats and 37 pooled knife samples were collected. The samples were examined for the presence of Salmonella following the conventional techniques of ISO standard and using OMNILOG bacterial identification system, GEN III microplate for confirmation and sub species identification. From the total of 122 animals examined, 21 (17.21%) were positive of which 12 (9.83%) were sheep and 9 (7.38%) were goats, and none of the samples from pooled knife swabs were positive for Salmonella. Statistically significant difference (P=0.04) in the prevalence of Salmonella was observed between the two species. The frequency of isolation was 10 (3.89%) and 11 (4.10%) from Luna and Elfora abattoirs, respectively. As a result, there was no significant difference (P =0.884) in the prevalence of Salmonella isolation between the two abattoirs. Of the total 488 tissue samples examined from apparently healthy slaughtered sheep and goat, 21 (4.3%) samples were Salmonella positive. Salmonella was isolated from 6.56% mesenteric lymph nodes, 5.73% cecum, 4.09% liver and 0.82% abdominal muscle samples. However, there was no significant difference between tissues (P=0.13). From the 21 isolated Salmonella species, 20 of them were confirmed to be the pathogenic Salmonella enterica subspp. enterica and 1 isolate was the non-pathogenic Salmonella enterica subspp. salamae. The results of this study showed the potential risk of sheep and goats as sources of pathogen for humans in the study area. These findings stressed the need for implementation of preventing close contact of offal and carcass during evisceration. Key words: Elfora, goats, knife, luna, prevalence, Salmonella, sheep, sub species.
Changes in biological properties and antioxidant capacity of an agricultural soil amended with sewage sludge

ABSTRACT The effects of applying sewage sludge (SS) to agricultural soil (at low rate of 22.5, LRS, and at high rate of 45 t ha−1 dry basis, HRS) were monitored over a 120-d experimental period. Total organic carbon (TOC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), alkali-soluble phenols, basal respiration, specific enzyme activity, dehydrogenase activity (DH-ase), metabolic potential (MP) and FDA-hydrolytic activity (FDA) were strongly increased by both rates of SS applications. In the SS amended soil, about 70% of the organic C added with the material remained at the end of the experiment. Basal respiration increased with increasing SS doses. The specific enzyme activity and the MP indicate an increase in the enzyme activity in soil. The addition of SS led to higher values than the control of all the tested parameters up to the end of the experimental period. The antioxidant capacity (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, TEAC) was influenced by SS addition only when applied at HRS. After 120 days only HRS value of TEAC (5.13 mM g−1) was higher than control (4.09 mM g−1). The pattern of TEAC did not enable any link to be established between antioxidant capacity and both alkali-soluble phenols and basal respiration in soil.