Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human CD8β, But Not Mouse CD8β, Can Be Expressed in the Absence of CD8α as a ββ Homodimer1

The T cell coreceptor CD8 exists on mature T cells as disulfide-linked homodimers of CD8α polypeptide chains and heterodimers of CD8α- and CD8β-chains. The function of the CD8α-chain for binding to MHC class I and associating with the tyrosine kinase p56lck was demonstrated with CD8αα homodimers. CD8αβ functions as a better coreceptor, but the actual function of CD8β is less clear. Addressing this issue has been hampered by the apparent inability of CD8β to be expressed without CD8α. This study demonstrates that human, but not mouse, CD8β can be expressed on the cell surface without CD8α in both transfected COS-7 cells and murine lymphocytes. By creating chimeric proteins, we show that the murine Ig domain of CD8β is responsible for the lack of expression of murine CD8ββ dimers. In contrast to CD8αα, CD8ββ is unable to bind MHC class I in a cell-cell adhesion assay. Detection of this form of CD8 should facilitate studies on the function of the CD8 β-chain and indicates that caution should be used when interpreting studies on CD8 function using chimeric protein with the murine CD8ββ Ig domain. In addition, we demonstrate that the Ig domains of CD8α are also involved in controlling the ability of CD8 to be expressed. Mutation of B- and F-strand cysteine residues in CD8α reduced the ability of the protein to fold properly and, therefore, to be expressed.
Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in tadpoles

Amphibian larvae are plastic in many traits. Can plasticity buffer population divergence, so that local adaptation is more common in non-plastic traits? I argue that this may be the case for adaptive plastic responses. Tadpoles of Rana arvalis are shown to alter their tail depth plastically as a response to predation risk; this is a truly adaptive response. Tail depths in the field (population and year mean values) fall between the phenotypes produced by raising tadpoles in the lab with and without predator cues. There is no clear evidence for population differentiation (i.e., genetically) in tail depth, as would be expected if the tadpoles were not able to adjust their phenotypes to the environmental condition by adaptive plasticity. On the contrary, should the plastic response not be a truly adaptive response but merely the result of a constraint, evolution may counter the plastic effect by pushing the trait in the opposite direction. Such a phenomenon is suggested for developmental rate: while predator presence causes tadpoles to develop slower (a non-adaptive consequence of an adaptive activity reduction), tadpoles from ponds that are "risky" had a higher developmental rate than tadpoles from comparatively "safe" ponds when raised under identical conditions. A study on allozyme variation across the study area suggests that the gene flow between sites is low enough to allow divergence in selected characters, but sufficient to prevent genetic drift. I show that taxa differ in what traits are plastically altered as an anti-predator response, and attempt to correlate overall plasticity to habitat variability. Data suggest that the variability within a population in the relative allocation to different defence strategies is small. Tadpoles of R. arvalis from sites where they occur in allopatry (on island Gotland) and in sympatry with Rana temporaria were raised in presence and absence of the congeneric. The fundamental food niche of the allopatric population seems not to have been altered after isolation on Gotland - interspecific competitive effects were as strong in both populations. However, the Gotlandian tadpoles tended to be more sensitive to competition in general. Tadpoles of frogs breeding in seaside pools were not more tolerant to saline conditions than those from inland sites. This may be due to a rarity of selection events combined with gene flow from inland sites. In sum, population divergence depends not only on gene flow and the strength of selection, but also on phenotypic plasticity and whether the plastic responses are adaptive or not. Since many amphibian populations are declining, translocations have been proposed and used as a tool in conservation. I discuss the pros and cons of this, with reference to plasticity and local adaptation.
Seasonal changes in the age structure of a land malacocenosis (Gastropoda), with notes on clustered distribution of selected species

ABSTRACT: Comparison of quantitative samples taken in consecutive seasons of the year in a forest malacocenosis in SW Poland revealed considerable changes in the snail density per unit area; the structure of the malacocenosis remained roughly constant throughout the year. Acicula polita (Hartm.), Columella edentula (Drap.), Discus perspectivus (Mühlf.), Alinda biplicata (Mont.) and Helicodonta obvoluta (O. F. Müll.) show aggregated distribution only during a part of the year.
Effects of light intensity on daily activity rhythm of juvenile sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka)

Eight light-intensity treatments (natural light, continuous darkness, and 15, 30, 60, 125, 250 and 500 lx under LD 12:12 cycle) were used to investigate the effects of light intensity on the daily activity of 30.27±3.08 g sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka). Cyclic nocturnal activity patterns of behaviour were observed at different light intensities in the range of 15–500 lx under LD 12:12 cycle. And an ongoing nocturnal cycle persisted in DD cycle for up to 8 days, but longer feeding time and less marked rhythm occurred at continuous darkness. Under poor light conditions (I 278 lx). Less than 8.17% individuals kept actively feeding and the proportion was not decreased with the increase of light intensity.
Potencial de uso de agregados siderúrgicos e outras fontes de silício em quatro materiais de solo fase cerrado

Para suprir a demanda por fertilizantes silicatados, ha necessidade de investigar e identificar as fontes potenciais de Si disponivel. O objetivo foi avaliar materiais (fertilizantes/agregados siderurgicos) com alta concentracao em Si, atraves de metodos quimicos de incubacao de solo, para predizer a sua eficiencia agronomica e reatividade no solo. Foram feitos estudos de incubacao (com e sem balanceamento com CaCO3 e MgCO3) durante 90 dias, utilizando 4 solos sob vegetacao de cerrado (Latossolo Vermelho Distrofico-LVd, Latossolo Vermelho-amarelo distrofico-LVAd, Latossolo Vermelho Distroferrico-LVdf e Neossolo Quartzarenico ortico -RQo) com 12 materiais (Wollastonita, escoria de alto forno I e II, escoria de aco forno LD I, II, III e IV, escoria de P, escoria de aco forno AOD, escoria de aco forno eletrico, escoria de aco inox e argila silicatada) e testemunha. A Wollastonita foi usada com doses de 125, 250 e 500 kg ha-1 e os demais materiais na dose de 125 kg ha-1. Os teores de silicio em acido acetico foram maiores que os extraido com agua, superestimando o conteudo de Si nas fontes quando foi usado os carbonatos de Ca e Mg. Os agregados siderurgicos originados de alto forno que possuem maior teor de Si, sao mais soluveis em acido acetico e menos soluveis em agua em relacao aos demais materiais. A escoria de forno eletrico apresentou os maiores teores de silicio extraido em agua, forma mais soluvel, apresentando maior potencial de utilizacao para agricultura, embora sejam necessarios estudos com plantas.
FREQUENCY OF RAISED CRP IN ACUTE HEART FAILURE

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is also proven that it has role in long-term development of heart failure and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To analyze the CRP levels in patients presenting with acute heart failure and determine the frequency of patients with raised CRP levels. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Punjab Institute of Cardiology for a period of six months after approval from the hospital ethical committee. Three hundred and forty-five patients presenting with acute heart failure were taken. After Informed consent, their venous blood samples were drawn for measurement of CRP levels. All the data was collected on a predefined proforma. The data was entered and analyzed in SPSS Ver. 23.0. Results: The mean age of patients was 45.5 l ± 10.64 years. There were 192 (55.7%) males and 153(44-3%) females. The mean duration of heart failure was 6.46 ± 3.53 hours. The mean CRP in these cases was 6.27 ± 4.70 mg/L. There were 153(44.3%) patients who had raised CRP while 192(55.7%) patients had normal CRP levels. Conclusion: Increased CRP levels were seen in high number of cases and this may be established as significant risk factor for in hospital mortality. Particular attention should be given for prior management in presence of raised CRP.
Hydrolysis of cheesewhey proteinswith trypsin, chymotrypsinand carboxypeptidase A

This work presents a method for adding value to cheese whey residues by whey proteins hydrolysis, using trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase A as catalysts. Sweet cheese whey was dialyzed and filtered in kaolin. Lactose and protein contents were analyzed after each step. The activities of bovine pancreas trypsin and chymotrypsin were measured at different pHs and temperatures. The optimal pH for the hydrolysis of whey proteins was 9.0 for both enzymes. Optima temperatures were 60oC for trypsin, and 50oC for chymotrypsin. Trypsin exhibited typical Michaelis-Menten behavior, but chymotrypsin did not. Electrophoretic analysis showed that neither trypsin nor chymotrypsin alone hydrolyzed whey proteins in less than three hours. Hydrolysis rates of -lactalbumin by trypsin, and of bovine serum albumin by chymotrypsin were low. When these enzymes were combined, however, all protein fractions were attacked and rates of hydrolysis were enhanced by one order of magnitude. The addition of carboxypeptidase A to the others enzymes did not improve the process yield.
Sowing period of forage sorghum in two places of the state of Minas Gerais

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of sowing of sorghum cultivars in two locations in the State of Minas Gerais in the severity of Colletotrichum graminicola and yield of dry matter. The experiments were conducted in a randomized block design in a factorial 5 x 5 x 2, with four replications and five cultivars, five sowing dates and two locations. The first plantings were made ​​early in the second half of October, the second, third, fourth and fifth were 15, 30, 45 and 60 days after the first. The cultivars SHS500 and Volumax show greater tolerance to anthracnose regardless and city of Francisco Sa, MG and Jaiba, MG. The delay in sowing date increases the severity of Colletotrichum graminicola of sorghum, depending on the cultivar and location. The dry matter yield of sorghum is affected by sowing date and city of Francisco Sa, MG and Jaiba, MG.
Just as real as it seems : meanings and practices arising from consumption of counterfeit fashion goods

Consumers actively interpret the meanings in advertisements, brands, retail settings and consumption goods, incorporating them into particular lifestyles and identity projects. Consumption meanings are important for consumers not only because they support identity projects but also because they help consumers to experience social realities that are mediated by particular historical, political and economic processes. Fully aware of the risk in illegally acquiring counterfeits, consumers still use them to mediate social expectations and their desire for idealised consumption goods that are sometimes not available in local markets. Previous research has demonstrated that consumers of counterfeits use these products together with genuine items as vehicles for self-expression. For further theoretical development, this research adopts a Consumer Culture Theory approach in order to investigate consumers’ social experiences with counterfeit goods and to better understand the meaning creation processes arising from consumption of these goods. Using a Grounded Theory approach, this work analyses how materiality and risk intersect and influence counterfeit consumption meanings and practices. An emerging market, Brazil, was chosen as the research context based on its large market and easy access to counterfeit goods. This research offers two key theoretical contributions. First it demonstrates that the motivation for consuming counterfeits is consumers’ desire for fashion, not necessarily for luxury only. In putting together their fashion ensembles, consumers consider a wide range of fashion products: originals, imitations and counterfeits. By evidencing this practice, the research demonstrates that consumers’ goals for acquiring and using counterfeits may be achieved through non-luxury products, and even through nonbranded imitations. Second, the research identifies that processes of materialisation and consumers’ risk management practices converge into four strategies: 1) authenticating actions; 2) creating constellations; 3) constant monitoring; and 4) developing competencies. The findings describe how consumers implement these strategies in shaping their social identity and experiences around consumption of counterfeit goods.
Disturbance impacts on non-native plant colonization in black spruce forests of interior Alaska

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iii DEDICATION. iv LIST OF TABLES . viii LIST OF FIGURES . ix 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 What is an invasive plant? 2 1.2 Principles of biological invasions and black spruce forest ecology. 2 1.2. 1 Resource competition . 3 1.2. 2 Community diversity . 4 1.2. 3 Propagule pressure . 6 1.3 General objectives . 7 2 EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE AND FORESTRY MANAGEMENT ON INVASIVE PLANT COLONIZATION . 8 2.
Snakes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Ecology seeks to understand the processes that control the abundance and distribution of organisms and how they interact with one another in a changing environment. Evolutionary biology provides a unifying conceptual framework for all of biology, including the characteristics of organisms and biological diversity. Taken together, ecology and evolutionary biology form a fundamental, broad, diverse and interdisciplinary area of scientific inquiry. Study in both areas is necessary for understanding the complex biological issues of today, including fighting diseases, understanding of the responses of life and humankind to Earth's changing environment and learning how species develop, thrive and decline. Also, ecology and evolutionary biology are working toward solving some of the world's most demanding problems, including sustainability and the future of life on earth, human health and welfare and wise stewardship of our planet. Students majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO) apply scientific approaches to issues in ecology and evolution, with an emphasis on critical evaluation of the literature, generating and testing hypotheses, designing and carrying out experiments to test predictions and articulating, in oral or written form, the results of investigations.
The Value of Larval Connectivity Information in the Static Optimization of Marine Reserve Design

Marine reserve design often involves a tradeoff between meeting conservation goals (persistence of fished populations) and minimizing economic costs (lost fishing grounds). Optimization tools such as Marxan navigate that tradeoff by finding reserve configurations that minimize economic costs while protecting some minimum fraction of fish habitat. However, typical Marxan implementations do not account for patterns of larval connectivity among reserves, a factor known to be the key to population dynamics. We show how connectivity information (self‐recruitment and network centrality) can be incorporated into the optimization. We then used a spatially explicit population model to compare the performance of reserves designed using habitat information alone or including connectivity. Incorporating connectivity information improved reserve performance for some species but not others. We conclude that including connectivity information can improve reserve design algorithms, but it is essential to evaluate species’ population dynamics to determine which species will benefit from a given reserve network.
Antiferromagnetism, superconductivity, pseudogap and their interplay with the Mott transition

After more than thirty years since the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates, their properties still lack a complete theoretical understanding. In this work, we will argue that the key role to decipher the phase diagram of these compounds lies in the physics of the Mott transition, combined with the effect of short-range order correlations. By the use of Cellular Dynamical Mean-Field Theory with the Hybridisation Expansion Continuous-Time Quantum Monte Carlo as the impurity solver, we begin examining the two-dimensional Hubbard model. The comparative analysis at half-filling of the properties of the antiferromagnetic and normal state reveals a detectable, sharp crossover in the condensation energy linked to the underlying Mott transition. Upon doping the system, the study of several parametric regimes in the presence of d−wave superconductivity reveals the role of the pseudogap to correlated metal transition, hidden under the superconducting dome. The Widom line is a line of crossovers that emerges at hightemperature from this transition. This supercritical behaviour not only determines the shape of this dome but also the maxima of Tc at optimal doping as well as the driving mechanism that allows the superconductivity to occur. Furthermore, it explains how the condensation energy can change from potential-energy driven to kinetic-energy driven upon a reduction in doping. The first-order transition affects the superconducting properties, providing an organising principle for the whole phase diagram. Additionally, we investigate a more realistic model for the cuprates that includes three orbitals per unit cell, the Emery model. We compute the finite temperature behaviour of the metal to charge-transfer insulator transition driven by the interaction and of the pseudogap to correlated metal transition driven by increasing the hole carrier concentration. The features of the superconducting and normal states confirm the Hubbard model scenario, despite the large differences in microscopic details, such as the presence of oxygen and the different band structure.
On Monocarpus (Monocarpaceae, Marchantiopsida), an isolated salt-pan complex thalloid liverwort

Abstract. The phylogenetic placement of Monocarpus sphaerocarpus D.J.Carr (Monocarpaceae), a member of the complex thalloid liverworts with highly specialised morphology, presumably related to its saltpan habitat, has been determined on the basis of molecular data. Within the complex thalloid liverworts, Monocarpus resolves as sister to the Sphaerocarpales clade. A new line drawing of Monocarpus is provided, as are the first colour photographs of living plants. Detailed ornamentation of the spores of Monocarpus collections from Australia and South Africa, as revealed by scanning electron micrography, is reported, and some of the morphological features that unite and separate Monocarpus and the Sphaerocarpales s.str. are discussed.
Structural studies of calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II activation

Cell signaling utilizes the frequency of calcium stimuli to produce diverse physiological outcomes. From fertilization of oocytes and cardiac facilitation, to muscle contraction and action potential firing, periodic fluctuations in calcium levels play a key role in determining cell fate. During my thesis work, I studied a protein signaling complex that responds to the frequency of calcium stimuli: calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). The CaMKII holoenzyme is a dodecameric kinase assembly that activates and autophosphorylates in a manner dependent on the frequency of calcium stimuli. Its best-studied role is in the post-synaptic neuron, where it responds to calcium pulse frequencies to initiate changes important for Long Term Potentiation.My work investigated the activation mechanism of CaMKII, with the goal of understanding the enzyme's cooperative response to calcium-saturated calmodulin. This work elucidates the mechanism for CaMKII activation; by demonstrating that CaMKII is not a simple `coincidence detector' as previously postulated, by showing that CaMKII is cooperatively activated by calcium-saturated calmodulin, and by demonstrating that cooperative activation is mediated by the inter-subunit `capture' of regulatory segments. This work demonstrates that the cooperative response of CaMKII can by modulated by the length of the linker region where splice-form deletions and insertions occur. Similar modifications have been shown to shift the frequency-dependent activation of the enzyme, suggesting that our proposed mechanism enables the enzyme to tune its frequency response depending on developmental or tissue-specific expression. In addition, analysis of interactions exhibited by a peptide inhibitor of CaMKII revealed docking sites which other proteins, such as the NMDA-receptor, may utilize in order to localize and affect the frequency response of the CaMKII. Finally, I investigated the exchange of CaMKII subunits between holoenzyme complexes, and discuss the implications of such a process in prolonging the response to calcium stimuli beyond the lifespan of individual protein subunits.
Azadirachta indica leaf extract induces resistance in barley against leaf stripe disease

Abstract Aqueous extract of leaves of neem ( Azadirachta indica Juss.), provided control of leaf stripe pathogen ( Drechslera graminea ) on barley that was as effective as the fungicide bavistin (carbendazim). The treated leaves exhibited significantly high activity of enzymes phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL) alongwith rapid and distinct accumulation of fungitoxic phenolic compounds. The population of most phylloplane mycoflora species remained unaltered except for a few species which were inhibited by the leaf extract. Germination of spores of D. graminea was not significantly inhibited by neem extract. The results support the hypothesis that neem extract may act indirectly by inducing plant defence reactions and it may be useful in integrated management of leaf stripe disease of barley.
Karakterisasi Bio-Optik Karang Keras Menggunakan Teknologi Hiperspektral

All matter reflects, absorbs, penetrates and emits electromagnetic radiation in a unique way. The unique characteristics of a matter are called spectral characteristics. The aim of this study is to explore the spectral reflectance characteristics of various coral features, focusing on hard coral. There are many hard coral species found in tropical waters such as in Indonesia which have around 460 species. By identifying the spectral reflectance of hard coral species, it is expected that they can be used as references in discriminating hard coral species. In the waters of Barrang Lompo island of Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, reflectance data was collected by using a hyperspectral radiometer to test the hypothesis that there is a difference in spectral reflectance characteristics of hard coral species (9 species) namely Acropora hyacinthus, Porites meyeri, Montipora sp. , Acropora abrolhosensis, Acropora donei, Acropora formosa, Porites sp. , Symphillia recta and Porites lobata. The result of variance analysis (ANOVA) of spectral reflectance amongst 9 hard coral species show that the value of spectral reflectance measurements in all wavelenght is significantly different from one species to the others. The clusters analysis defined high similarity in those coral. Discriminant analysis show that 471.73nm, 502.31nm, 562.92nm, and 676.76nm are able to clearly discriminate of hard coral. Keywords: spectral characteristics, hard coral, hyperspectral