Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling and optimization of Candida rugosa nanobioconjugates catalysed synthesis of methyl oleate by response surface methodology

Esters, such as methyl oleate, are functionally important compounds in many industrial sectors, mainly as components for manufacturing of emulsifiers, detergents, intermediate stabilizers and wetting agents. Acid functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) by using a mixture of HNO3 and H2SO4 (1:3, v:v) was employed as the matrix for the adsorption of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) as nanobioconjugates (CRL-MWCNTs) for the production of methyl oleate. Structural information of the developed CRL-MWCNTs was confirmed using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy, which revealed a successful attachment of CRL onto the F-MWCNTs. Process parameters (reaction time, temperature and alcohol:acid molar ratio) were optimized for high percent conversion of methyl oleate. Structural analysis established that CRL was successfully attached to the surface of the F-MWCNTs. Under the optimized conditions, which were 13.87 h, 51 °C, molar ratio oleic acid:methanol (1:3.80), a high ester yield of 90.90% was attained. Also, under conditions of the shortest reaction time of 6 h, 47.07 °C and acid:methanol ratio of 1:2.54, the CRL-MWCNTs catalysed a 74.51% ester yield. Hence, we established that response surface methodology (RSM) can be a practical technique for the prediction of the conditions that favour the high yield production of methyl oleate. Under optimized conditions, the CRL-MWCNTs nanobioconjugates are potentially good and economical biocatalysts for the production of methyl oleate, as well as other types of commercially important fatty-acid methyl esters.
The mechanistic approach to membrane mass transport processes

Membrane mass transport processes generated by osmotic pressure ∆Π and hydraulic pressure ∆P can be conveniently described using thermodynamic Kedem-Katchalsky equations. These equations have been widely applied, in particular in studies of passive transport across biological membranes, including cell membranes. However, the interpretation of these equations is not entirely clear. For this reason certain new equations, called mechanistic equations, were recently derived [Kargol and Kargol, J. Biol. Phys. 26 (2000) 307] based on mechanical considerations. The new equations, an alternative to the Kedem-Katchalsky equations, have the form: J v = L p ∆P − L p σ∆Π j s = ω d ∆Π − (1 − σ) c L p ∆P These equations are entirely clear from a physical viewpoint. This applies to the parameters L p , σ, and ω d (where ω d is the parameter of diffusive solute permeation), as well as individual terms in the equations. They encompass four processes: filtration (L p ∆P), osmosis (L p σ∆Π), solute diffusion (ω d ∆Π) and solute convection ((1 − σ) c L p ∆P). The volume flux equation has a form identical to the corresponding Kedem-Katchalsky equation. The equations for the solute flux j s are significantly different. However, they can be transformed into each other using the expressions: ω d = (1 − σ) c L p and ω = ω d (1 + σ) The mechanistic equations and the Kedem-Katchalsky equations together form a clear and detailed research tool.
Effects of Suspended Sediment on Whole-Body Cortisol Stress Response of Two Southern Appalachian Minnows, Erimonax Monachus and Cyprinella Galactura

Abstract Total immunoreactive corticosteroid (IRC) levels (adjusted for fish mass; ng/g) were measured in whole-body homogenates of 2- and 8-months old Whitetail Shiners (Cyprinella galactura) and 4-months old federally threatened Spotfin Chubs (Erimonax monachus) exposed for 48 hours to varying suspended sediment concentrations (SSC; 0, 25, 50, 100, and 500 mg/L). Hydrophobic fractions were extracted from individual frozen fish after sonication and centrifugation of tissues. Extracts were resuspended in a buffer compatible with a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serially diluted concentrations of cortisol and extracts collected from unstressed fish were used to standardize the assay. Two-months old C. galactura had the highest resting level of whole-body IRC at 0 mg/L SSC. They also elicited the greatest response (three- to four-fold increase) when exposed to SSCs greater than 25 mg/L. Resting whole-body IRC levels were lowest in 8-months old C. galactura. For these fish IRC levels at 25, 50, and 100 mg/L SSC were similar to controls. Four-months old E. monachus showed a non-linear response with a possible threshold effect between 50 and 100 mg/L. At SSC greater than 100 mg/L E. monachus demonstrated a three-fold increase in whole-body IRC levels over control fish. Exposure to SSC levels greater than 100 mg/L caused a significant increase in IRC levels above baseline in both species and in all three life stages. This investigation shows that whole-body levels of IRC in young minnows increase dramatically upon exposure to SSCs greater than 25 mg/L. These data suggest that even moderate levels of suspended sediment (i.e., 100 mg/L) can severely stress young-of-year E. monachus. The imperilment of E. monachus may in part be due to stress imposed on young fish by elevated suspended sediment.
Abundance and flowering success patterns in a short‐term grazed grassland: early evidence of facilitation

1 Associational resistance is a grazing avoidance mechanism resulting from herbivores being less inclined to eat palatable plant species when these species grow in association with unpalatable species. Such facilitative interactions between plant species may have important consequences for patterns of relative abundance and reproduction in plant communities. 2 We studied the relationship between abundance and flowering success of palatable species and the cover of three unpalatable species (Senecio jacobaea, Iris pseudacorus and Lysimachia vulgaris) in a grassland where moderately intense grazing (0.17–0.42 grazers ha−1) had been ongoing for 3 years. Plots were selected so that there were no systematic differences in microenvironmental conditions associated with the level of cover of unpalatable species. 3 Several palatable species had a higher frequency, cover and/or flowering success when they grew in the neighbourhood of an unpalatable species. 4 Several species (both palatable and unpalatable) were significantly taller in the vicinity of a large unpalatable species, probably due to the combined effects of grazing avoidance and increased light competition. 5 These facilitative effects, however, have not yet resulted in a higher local species richness or plant community evenness. It is nevertheless likely that more pronounced effects will be seen if grazing is continued, because facilitative interactions between plant species induced by grazing have already led to a shift in patterns of abundance and flowering success.
Analyse macrofossile d'une palse subarctique (Québec nordique)

Plant and animal macrofossils (vascular plant, moss, fungus, bryozoan, cladoceran and coleoptera remains) were analyzed to reconstitute the development of a palsa peat located at the northwestern forest limit of subarctic Quebec (57°45′N., 76°15′W.) and to detect any black spruce (Picea mariana) remains older than the presumed time of arrival of the species in the study area (4560 BP), after the deglaciation. The oldest peat deposits were formed in a fen with many shallow pools between 5850 and 4500 BP. The flora was mainly composed of aquatic taxa (Ranunculus trichophyllus, Potamogeton spp., Hippuris vulgaris). Around 4500 BP, there was a shift from a very wet fen to a sedge fen with Potentilla palustris and Menyanthes trifoliata. From 3700 to 1950 BP, most plant remains were wood fragments of dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa). The formation of the palsa occurred after 1950 BP. The development of this peatland is similar to that of other palsa peatlands of subarctic Quebec, except that it is characterized .
La Cryoconservation de la laitance de la carpe, Cyprinus carpio

Summary Cryo-preservation of carp, Cyprinus carpio, sperm Deep-freezing trials of carp sperm were carried out by varying several factors such as the basic saline solution, the cryoprotectors added (glycerol, propanediol, ethylene glycol and DMSO), the media (Menezo-INRA B2, egg yolk, urea) and the deep-freezing and dilution rates. The success of deepfreezing was judged by the percentage of motile spermatozoa, intensity of motility, fertilizing ability and morphological integrity of the spermatozoa studied under the scanning electron microscope. DMSO was the best cryoprotector and the mineral composition of the dilution medium the least important factor, but there was noticeable improvement after organic compounds were added. The following mixture has been proposed: NaCl 100 mM + KC1100 mM, Tris 20 mM, pH 8: 37%, Menezo medium B2 INRA: 15%, urea 5%, DMSO: 10%, fresh sperm: 33%. Optimal deep-freezing rate was: 5°C/min from 2 to-7°C and 25°C/min from-7 to-70°C. In these conditions, about 70 to 80% of the spermatozoa were motile after thawing compared to fresh control sperm, but fertilizing ability was not more than 30 to 40% of that with fresh sperm. The percentage of spermatozoa considered intact was 66% after thawing as against 83% for fresh control sperm. The motility and fertilizing ability of deep-frozen sperm were significantly improved when the dilution rate at insemination was reduced from 1/100 to 1/2.
Testing Relevance of Twin Deficit for a Transition Economy Like Pakistan

The relationship between trade defi cit and fi scal defi cit has remained an important topic in the last decades. The literature reveals many attempts to investigate the relationship between the two defi cits, while terminologies like Keynesian Proposition, Ricardian Equivalence, and Targeting Current Account Defi cit are used for the relationship between the two defi cits. The literature also highlights the possibility of unidirectional or bidirectional causality between these defi cits for different countries and different time spans. These four possibilities have inspired us to investigate these possibilities in the light of many control variables like unemployment, urbanization, money supply, foreign direct investment, and economic development in the case of Pakistan. The fi ndings of the study reveal that fi scal defi cit signifi cantly accelerates trade defi cit into both long term and short term; hence, it supports the Keynesian Proposition in Pakistan, while a bidirectional causality between fi scal defi cit and trade defi cit into both long term and short term was also observed. Moreover, the mean and variance of error term were also found to be structurally stable which confi rms the absence of structural break for the selected period in Pakistan. In the end, based on these fi ndings, this study has concluded that two possibilities prevail out of four on the relationship between fi scal and trade defi cits. The twin defi cit is relevant and it does prevail in a transition economy like Pakistan.
Comparative Study of Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils from Three Calligonum Species Growing-Wild in Tunisian Desert

Abstract The essential oils of three wild species of Calligonum (C. azel, C. arich and C. comosum) growing in the Tunisian desert were obtained by hydrodistillation and were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS in order to discern the differences and similarities between the chemical composition of the essential oils of these species. A total of 110 compounds, which accounted for 94.0 – 99.7 % of the total composition of the essential oils, have been identified. The main constituents were viridiflorol (9.6 %) in C. azel, hexadecanoic acid (20.1 %) in C. arich and 9-octadecenoic acid (19.8 %) in C. comosum. Based on their chemical composition, two chemotaxonomic groups may be established: C. azel on one hand, C. arich and C. comosum on the other hand.
Canopy development and hydraulic function in Eucalyptus tereticornis grown in drought in CO2-enriched atmospheres.

We report on the relationship between growth, partitioning of shoot biomass and hydraulic development of Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm. grown in glasshouses for six months. Close coordination of stem vascular capacity and shoot architecture is vital for survival of eucalypts, especially as developing trees are increasingly subjected to spasmodic droughts and rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Trees were exposed to constant soil moisture deficits in 45 L pots (30-50% below field capacity), while atmospheric CO2 was raised to 700 μL CO2 L-1 in matched glasshouses using a hierarchical, multi-factorial design. Enrichment with CO2 stimulated shoot growth rates for 12-15 weeks in well-watered trees but after six months of CO2 enrichment, shoot biomasses were not significantly heavier (30% stimulation) in ambient conditions. By contrast, constant drought arrested shoot growth after 20 weeks under ambient conditions, whereas elevated CO2 sustained growth in drought and ultimately doubled the shoot biomass relative to ambient conditions. These growth responses were achieved through an enhancement of lateral branching up to 8-fold due to CO2 enrichment. In spite of larger transpiring canopies, CO2 enrichment also improved the daytime water status of leaves of droughted trees. Stem xylem development was highly regulated, with vessels per unit area and cross sectional area of xylem vessels in stems correlated inversely across all treatments. Furthermore, vessel numbers related to the numbers of leaves on lateral branches, broadly supporting predictions arising from Pipe Model Theory that the area of conducting tissue should correlate with leaf area. Diminished water use of trees in drought coincided with a population of narrower xylem vessels, constraining hydraulic capacity of stems. Commensurate with the positive effects of elevated CO2 on growth, development and leaf water relations of droughted trees, the capacity for long-distance water transport also increased.
Does the differential cost of sons and daughters lead to sex ratio adjustment in great frigatebirds Fregataminor

Sex allocation theory predicts that if benefits of producing sons and daughters differ and outweigh the costs of sex ratio adjustment, parents should produce more of the offspring that provide them with greater fitness. Potential benefits may be more likely to outweigh costs where sexual size dimorphism and, in birds, single-egg clutches exist. Great frigatebirds Fregata minor are seabirds in which females are larger than males and clutch size is one egg. In our study population, sexual size dimorphism develops primarily during the period of complete juvenile dependence on parental care, consistent with a higher cost of producing daughters than sons. Over the course of the 1998 breeding season there was a shift from early season prevalence of daughters to lateseason prevalence of sons. Variation in food availability at time of egg laying, as indexed by sea surface temperature (SST), was a strong predictor of offspring sex in 1998. In contrast, SST in 2003 was not a predictor of offspring sex, nor was there a seasonal shift in the hatching sex ratio, despite a seasonal shift in SST. Besides food availability, we tested two additional factors in 2003 that could explain sex ratio adjustment in relation to the cost of reproduction. Offspring sex in 2003 was not related to natural or experimentally induced variation in maternal body condition; pre-laying food supplements raised the body condition of females at the time of egg laying but did not affect offspring sex or egg mass. In addition, offspring sex was not predicted by the length of maternal telomere restriction fragments (TRFs), an index of age and possibly of reproductive experience. Broad confidence intervals on effect size suggest that undetected effects of maternal condition on offspring sex ratio could easily exist, but confidence intervals were narrower on the non-significant effects of SST and TRF length on offspring sex ratio. The cause of different seasonal patterns of hatching sex ratio and different SST effects in 1998 and 2003 is unclear.
Role of the Extreme Anterior Domain Organizer in Craniofacial Development

Craniofacial development is an intricate process, involving cranial neural crest (NC) and anterior facial tissue. NC migration is regulated by multiple mechanisms and activity of one or more organizer regions. Work presented here explores the role of the EAD, an organizer of craniofacial development in Xenopus, and its reciprocal signaling with cranial NC. The EAD later contributes to the mouth, nostrils, and anterior pituitary. EAD function involves the KininKallikrein pathway that was shown for the first time to be necessary for mouth formation. Facial transplants demonstrate that EAD-localized Kinin-Kallikrein function is required for migration of first arch cranial NC into the face. After migration, cranial NC signals back to the EAD to regulate mouth opening via the Wnt/PCP pathway. This pathway is associated with a process consistent with convergent extension of the EAD, whereby a wide and short epithelial mass narrows and lengthens, and cells and nuclei undergo stereotypical changes. The resultant EAD is a bilayered epithelium that later splits to form the mouth opening. Identification of the EAD as a NC organizer, reciprocal interaction of EAD and NC, and convergent extension associated with mouth formation has not previously been described during craniofacial development. Face formation is widely conserved, so findings in frog are likely relevant to amniotes and will provide insight into causes of craniofacial deformities.
Genetics of Ustilago violacea. II. Polymorphism of Color and Nutritional Requirements of Sporidia from Natural Populations

Teliospores of Ustilago violacea were collected in the field or from herbarium specimens of caryophyllaceous species to detect polymorphism for sporidial colony color and sporidial nutritional requirement. Thirty-two collections were obtained. The germinating spores from each collection produced either uniformly white, pink, yellow, or pumpkin colonies or bisectored colonies with one of the six combinations of these colors. Both mating types from each collection were either prototrophic, thiamin requiring, or casamino acids dependent; or the mating types differed in their nutritional requirements. Nutritional polymorphism does not appear to account for polymorphism of pathogenicity (physiological races) in this species.
Current and potential distribution of Myotis simus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

Abstract Myotis simus is apparently restricted to tropical and subtropical South American lowlands, with a possible disjunction isolating northern and southern populations. Twenty-eight museum and literature records were assembled and analysed in the context of a taxonomic review of South American species of Myotis. In order to model the distribution of M. simus, to reveal putative areas of occurrence and environmental constraints to its distribution, as well as to test the previously proposed hypothesis of disjunct distribution, Maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) was implemented on the information retrieved from the sampling localities, using nine environmental variables. Two regions with increased probability values were revealed in the Amazon and Paraná basins, connected by a bottleneck in southeastern Bolivia, which provides further support for the previously proposed hypothesis of disjunctive distribution. The predicted distribution for M. simus was strongly associated with the drainage basins, precipitations of the driest quarter, mean temperatures of the warmest quarter and altitude. The Andean eastern slopes and the Guyana, Paraná and Central Brazilian plateaus delimit the geographical distribution of M. simus, and the confirmed records document its presence in both terra firme and floodplain areas in lowland forest and savanna formations across South America.
Buccal and Somatic Infraciliature of Lagynus elegans (Engelmann, 1862) Quennersted, 1867 (Ciliophora, Prostomatea): Remarks on its Systematic Position

The somatic and buccal infraciliature of Lagynus elegans are described, and aspects of its division and conjugation are reported. Its somatic infraciliature is made up of 37–46 meridianal kineties composed of isolated kinetosomes that have thick and long kinetodesmal fibers. In the anterior zone of the cell, the circumoral infraciliature can be observed: it is composed of short, slightly oblique kinetal segments, which are formed of three kinetosomes each. The brosse of this species consists of 3 or 4 groups that possess 4 to 6 ciliated kinetosomes each; these kinetosomes lack kinetodesmal fibers. On the apical pole of the cell, surrounding the oral opening, a crown of nematodesmata is observed; these nematodesmata are connected to each other by a fibrillar structure. Taking into account these features, we propose that this genus be transferred from the order Prostomatida to a new family, Lagynidae, of the order Prorodontida.
Hypolipidaemic and antioxidant activity of diallyl disulphide in rats

The efficacy of diallyl disulphide (DADS), a constituent of garlic oil, as a hypolipidaemic and antioxidant agent was evaluated in rats. In normolipidaemic rats DADS, at doses ranging from 10 to 50 mg kg−1, decreased plasma triglyceride without affecting cholesterolaemia and fast-or noradrenaline-induced lipolysis. DADS proved effective in reducing fructose-induced hypertriglyceridaemia and dietary hypercholesterolaemia in rats, in the latter model DADS significantly raised both the HDL cholesterol and the HDL/VLDL + LDL cholesterol ratio. DADS proved ineffective on triton induced hyperlipidaemia. To gain insight into the antioxidant effect of DADS, hepatic and cardiac antioxidant enzyme activity and glutathione content were studied in rats fed on a high diet and DADS. The antioxidant enzyme activity was significantly enhanced whereas glutathione content was markedly restored in rats fed on a high fat diet simultaneously with DADS. Thus, it appears that DADS exert antioxidant protection by activating the associated antioxidant enzymes.
Genetic variation within and among North Atlantic and Baltic populations of the benthic alga Phycodrys rubens (Rhodophyta)

Genetic variation was examined within and among North Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic populations of the benthic red alga Phycodrys rubens using allozymes and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. On western and eastern North Atlantic coasts distinct allozyme types were found, with the exception of western Newfoundland where East and West Atlantic types co-occur. Along the European coasts, two genetic groups were distinguished by fixed allelic differences: an outer oceanic group and a North Sea/Baltic group. The two genetic types co-occur in the Skagerrak and Kattegat region. Reproductive isolation between the two types is suggested by the lack of hybrids in the overlap zones, and they may therefore represent sibling species. Unexpectedly an analysis of RAPD variation was unable to recover the two cryptic species identified using allozymes. Within-population RAPD variation was similar to or greater than between-population variation. The lack of structure in the RAPD data cannot be attributed solely to technical artefacts of the method but appears to reflect real biological variability. Within-population genomic polymorphisms caused by frequent mutational events are discussed, as are high amounts of genetic drift and possible disruptive selection brought about by stressed habitats. Finally, Baltic and extra-Baltic salinity ecotypes are known to exist in P, rubens. However, no correlation between ecotypic variation and allozyme groups was detected.