Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Control of Leaf Morphology: A Partial View

The partial-shoot theory of the leaf was a controversial hypothesis revived by Arber and supported by her morphological and anatomical studies. This theory highlighted the parallels between leaves and shoots and contrasted with an alternative view that leaves, with their limited growth potential, are completely distinct from shoots. Pea morphological mutants with altered growth potential in their compound leaves are described. The unifoliata mutant has a limited growth potential relative to wild-type;cochleata, afila and insecatus have extended potentials. Characterization of theunifoliata mutation and gene expression patterns indicate that unifoliata is a common factor in pea compound leaf and floral shoot development, and so provides rudimentary support for the idea that some leaves have shoot-like characteristics. Tomato leaves are also considered to lend tentative support. The afila and insecatus leaf forms are described as bipinnate and weakly bipinnate, respectively. These and the tendril-less mutant are potential phenocopies of legume relatives, an idea based on Vavilov's law of homologous series of variation. Arber illustrated, but did not articulate in genetical terms, that morphological variation in structures within an individual plant can be interpreted as reiteration of design. Analogous with Vavilov's view, this can be considered a consequence of the same genetic programme in a different location.
Comparação de métodos na detecção de sementes de soja geneticamente modificada resistente ao glifosato

Due to the great importance of the trade business, there are significant world efforts in establishing GMO detection methods. Currently, bioassays that analyse seedling phenotype, the ELISA test and kits that enable specific transgene protein identification, and PCR to detect specific DNA sequences are frequently used. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of different methods to detect RR soybean. Genetically modified seed samples, tolerant to glyphosate and susceptible parental seeds were submitted to bioassays (pre-imbibed, imbibed and immersion in herbicide solutions and seedling spraying), the Kit trait test and PCR detection. Bioassays were shown to be more efficient, comparing the ratio cost/benefit. The seedling visual analysis is a very important parameter to be considered in GM soybean seeds detection.
Variation of aquatic insect assemblages among seasons and microhabitats in Hungarian second-order streams

The assemblages of aquatic insects are important members of water ecosystems. Based on former studies among the most important factors structuring the assemblages are numerous abiotic ones, such as the sort and the particle size of the substratum. Most of the sampling protocols, e.g. AQEM, determine microhabitats based on those. Nevertheless, we have no information yet about whether or not these different, precisely determined microhabitats have different assemblages. In this study we compared the aquatic insect assemblages of different microhabitat types in three seasons using ADONIS and linear discriminant analyses. We proved that seasonal changes of abiotic factors had a major role in structuring the assemblages. In spring and summer the assemblages differed significantly, however, in autumn no significant differences were found. We supposed that the variation among the assemblages was due to the abundance patterns of frequent species instead of the presence of rare or sparse species. The indicator species analyses also corroborated this suppososition while symmetrical indicator species were not found.
Characterization of microsatellite loci in the stick insects Bacillus rossius rossius, Bacillus rossius redtenbacheri and Bacillus whitei (Insecta: Phasmatodea).

Five microsatellite markers were obtained from a dinucleotide enriched genomic library of the stick insect Bacillus rossius rossius. The markers were tested in three species of Bacillus. All loci were polymorphic when tested across species. The number of alleles at each locus was low (maximum four alleles), but different allelic patters were observed among the species.
MATE CHOICE OCCURS ONLY IN SMALL CHORUSES OF PAINTED REED FROGS HYPEROLIUS MARMORATUS

ABSTRACT In two-choice discrimination experiments, females of Hyperolius marmoratus preferred the calls of lower frequency of the pair of stimuli. This preference was not shown in mating patterns observed in natural choruses, but is when females are phonotactically orienting in small choruses in an experimental enclosure. With an increase in chorus size, the mating pattern shifts from size-based, non-random (with some evidence of size-assortative) mating to random mating. This is the first time that frequency-based mate-choice by female anurans has been associated with chorus size, and hence with the sonic complexity of the acoustic environment.
Topological Indices of Some Chemical Structures Applied for the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients

Abstract The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, and has spread rapidly to nearly every part of the world. Unfortunately, no drug or vaccine has been accepted for the treatment of this pandemic. Researchers have established the efficacy of some existing antiviral drugs to control COVID-19 in vitro. Some of them are remdesivir (GS-5734), chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, theaflavin. Topological indices are mathematical interpretations of a molecule generated by an algorithm implemented to a given molecular representation. Topological indices are used to model different physicochemical properties and biological activities of chemical compounds. In this work, some degree-based and neighborhood degree sum-based topological indices are investigated for the aforesaid antiviral drugs using polynomial approach. The results obtained can aid in the design of new medicine for the treatment of COVID-19.
Immunotherapy of ovarian cancer with a monoclonal antibody specific for the extracellular domain of anti-Müllerian hormone receptor II

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is the most prevalent and lethal form of ovarian cancer. The low five-year overall survival after EOC diagnosis indicates an urgent need for more effective ways to control this disease. Anti-Müllerian hormone receptor 2 (AMHR2) is an ovarian protein overexpressed in the majority of human EOCs. We have previously found that vaccination against the ovarian-specific extracellular domain of AMHR2 (AMHR2-ED) significantly inhibits growth of murine EOCs through an IgG-mediated mechanism that agonizes receptor signaling of a Bax/caspase-3 dependent proapoptotic cascade. To determine if a single monoclonal antibody (mAb) could inhibit growth of human EOC, we generated a panel of mAbs specific for recombinant human AMHR2-ED and characterized a candidate mAb for humanization and use in clinical trials. We found that our candidate 4D12G1 mAb is an IgG1 that shows high affinity antigen-specific binding to the 7-mer 20KTLGELL26 sequence of AMHR2-ED that facilitates induction of programmed cell death in EOC cells. Most importantly, the 4D12G1 mAb significantly inhibits growth of primary human EOCs in patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) by inducing direct apoptosis of EOC tumors. Our results support the view that a humanized 4D12G1 mAb may be a much needed and effective reagent for passive immunotherapy of human EOC.
Survival Rates of Black-Tailed Godwits Limosa limosa Breeding in the Netherlands Estimated from Ring Recoveries

The Netherlands holds internationally important numbers of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa, and reports of a substantial population decline have prompted concern. One way of narrowing the list of possible causes of this decline is to identify the demographic processes responsible. For this reason, we conducted a survival analysis for the period 1960 to 2000 based on dead recoveries of godwits. Although declining sample sizes and falling reporting rates reduced the precision of estimates in later years, we concluded that adult survival had dropped significantly in the late 1990s from 0.77 to 0.40. Data were too sparse to estimate juvenile survival in this period. Apart from this sharp drop, we found no evidence of long-term trends in either first-year or adult survival. We found no evidence for effects on survival estimates of shifts in the spatial distribution of recoveries or in the reported causes of death. These large-scale analyses of birds recovered dead complement more intensive mark-resighting studies at individual sites. Given the falling reporting rates of dead birds and consequent loss of precision of survival estimates, intensive mark-resighting programmes have an increasingly important role to play in the study of survival rates.
Aberrant epigenetic silencing of neuronatin is a frequent event in human osteosarcoma

The paternally imprinted neuronatin (NNAT) gene has been identified as a target of aberrant epigenetic silencing in diverse cancers, but no association with pediatric bone cancers has been reported to date. In screening childhood cancers, we identified aberrant CpG island hypermethylation in a majority of osteosarcoma (OS) samples and in 5 of 6 human OS cell lines studied but not in normal bone-derived tissue samples. CpG island hypermethylation was associated with transcriptional silencing in human OS cells, and silencing was reversible upon treatment with 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine. Expression of NNAT was detectable in osteoblasts and chondrocytes of human bone, supporting a potential role in bone homeostasis. Enforced expression of NNAT in human OS cells lacking endogenous expression resulted in significant reduction in colony formation and in vitro migration compared to nonexpressor control cells. We next analyzed the effect of NNAT expression on intracellular calcium homeostasis and found that was associated with an attenuated decay of calcium levels to baseline following ATP-induced release of calcium from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stores. Furthermore, NNAT expression was associated with increased cytotoxicity in OS cells from thapsigargin, an inhibitor of calcium reuptake into ER and an inducer of the ER stress response. These results suggest a possible tumor suppressor role for NNAT in human osteosarcoma. Additional study is needed ascertain sensitization to ER stress-associated apoptosis as a mechanism of NNAT-dependent cytotoxicity. In that case, epigenetic modification therapy to effect NNAT transcriptional derepression may represent a therapeutic strategy potentially of benefit to a majority of osteosarcoma patients.
Two new Mesozoa from California, Dicyemennea californica and Dicyemennea brevicephala (Dicyemidae)

Our knowledge of the DICYEMIDAE (MESOZOA) is almost entirely embodied in several excellent works on the European species. Those of the Pacific Ocean have been neglected and are unknown except for the work of Dr. Wm. Morton Wheeler (1897), who named three species found at San Diego, California, but did not describe or figure them, and that of Nouvel and Nakao (1938) who described a few species of Dicyemna from Japan. During the summers of 1937 and 1939 and in December of 1938 I examined the kidneys of several octopi from the littoral zone in the Laguna Beach area and of one from the San Francisco Bay area. All the octopi examined except those a centimeter or less in length, were richly infected. The two most abundant species are herein described.
The soil fauna community in pure and mixed stands of beech and spruce of different age: trophic structure and structuring forces

Scheu, S. , Albers, D. , Alphei, J., Buryn, R. , Klages, U. , Migge, S. , Platner, C. andSalamon, J.-A. 2003. The soil fauna community in pure and mixed stands of beechand spruce of different age: trophic structure and structuring forces. – Oikos 101:225–238.This study investigates the response of the soil fauna community to replacement ofbeech by spruce or by mixed stands of beech and spruce. Stands of different age wereinvestigated in a factorial design with the factors tree species (beech and spruce) andstand age (30 and 120 years). The input of leaf/needle litter did not differ signiﬁcantlybetween the study sites. By contrast, the amount of organic matter in upper soillayers (L/F, H/Ah) of spruce forests strongly exceeded that of beech forests particu-larly in mature stands. The increase in organic matter in spruce stands was notassociated by an increase in the amount of microbial biomass. Biomass of eight(bacterivorous, fungivorous and omnivorous nematodes, enchytraeids, earthworms,isopodes, mycetophilid and cecidomyiid Diptera) of the twelve microbi-detritivoroussoil animal groups studied was signiﬁcantly increased in beech forests; only that ofone group (elaterid beetles) was increased in spruce forests and three groups did notrespond signiﬁcantly (collembolans, oribatid mites, sciarid Diptera). This indicatesthat in the forests studied neither habitat space (amount of organic matter in L/FandH/Ah layers) nor the amount of microbial biomass controlled microbi-detritivores.Rather, the quality of litter materials and the concentration of microbial biomasstherein appeared to be most important. Herbivores and predators also were favouredby beech: the biomass of one (rhizophagous nematodes) of the three herbivorousgroups studied were signiﬁcantly increased in beech stands and none in spruce stands;the biomass of four (predatory nematodes, centipedes, carabid and cantharid beetles)of the seven carnivorous groups studied were increased in beech stands, none inspruce stands. Generally, the biomass ratio between prey and predators was at aminimum in mature beech and mixed stands indicating more intense top-downcontrol in these forests. Overall, the study documents that replacement of beech byspruce strongly alters the soil food web. Mixed stands were more similar to sprucestands in respect to the biomass of soil animal groups but predator–prey interactionsappeared to be more similar in mature beech and mixed stands. Differences betweentree species usually were more pronounced in 120 compared to 30 years old standsindicating that the development of stand characteristics is slow.
Effect of different temperature, initial pH and substrate composition on biohydrogen production from food waste in batch fermentation

The aim of this study was to establish the optimum operating parameters for biohydrogen production from food waste. Batch fermentation was conducted using a 150 mL serum vial incubated in anaerobic condition. Heat-treated Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) sludge was used as the seed culture for biohydrogen production. Biohydrogen production was performed at different temperatures (35, 40, 50, 55 and 60°C), initial pH (5, 6, 7 and 8) and various compositions of sludge to substrate (10:90, 20:80, 30:70 and 40:60% (v/v)). The highest biohydrogen yield was 593 mL H2 g-1 carbohydrate for the experiment conducted at a temperature of 55°C, initial pH 7 and composition of sludge to substrate at 30:70% (v/v). The biohydrogen production from the waste was accompanied by the production of organic acids and the ratio of Hac/HBu was 0.87. Treatment efficiency as shown by Total Carbohydrate (TC), Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Volatile Solids (TVS) reduction were 38, 25 and 18%, respectively.
OCCURRENCE OF TRANSGLUTAMINASE IN GREY MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) MUSCLE AND IT'S EFFECT ON MINCED FISH PRODUCT

The gel strength of the minced fish product made from the unwashed mullet mince was found higher than that of the washed product. Transglutaminase (TGase) was found in the water soluble fraction of mullet muscle. It's optimal temperature was at 30C to 35C and the optimal pH was 7.5 to 7.7, Increased setting time at 30C, increased the gel strength of the minced fish product produced from the unwashed mullet mince. p-Chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB), an inhibitor to TGase was added to the mullet mince up to 2.0 mM, the mince was set at 35C and then heated to 85C. The gel strength of the product was inversely correlated to the PCMB concentration, Y 1 = - 0.45X 1 + 1.66 (r = 0.95). Studies of setting of the mullet mince at temperatures ranging 20 to 60C indicated that maximal gel strength was obtained at 35C, coinciding with the optimal temperature of TGase. Meat from 21.5 month-old grey mullet produced a minced product of higher gel strength than those produced from younger fish, although the muscle TGase activities were not significantly different.
The utilization of an intertidal salt marsh creek by larval and juvenile fishes: Abundance, diversity and temporal variation

The utilization of an intertidal salt marsh creek in South Carolina during January 1977 was determined by sampling every third ebb tide for 13 days. All fishes leaving the creek during that period were captured in a channel net. This procedure produced a time-series of samples which permitted analysis of the fish community occupying the intertidal creek at all times of day and night.A total of 14,730 larval, juvenile, and adult fishes comprising at least 22 species in 16 families were collected. The most common larval and juvenile fishes wereLeiostomus xanthurus, Mugil spp. ,Myrophis punctatus leptocephali,Lagodon rhomboides, Paralichthys spp. , andMicropogon undulatus. Catch sizes for all species varied widely between samples. No diurnal-nocturnal pattern in catches was evident forL. xanthurus, Mugil spp. ,L. rhomboides andM. undulatus. M. punctatus was taken in large numbers only when the flood tide occurred during the day, while moreParalichthys spp. larvae were taken in late afternoon-evening flood tide samples. The most common invertebrate,Palaemonetes pugio, was taken in large quantities only in late afternoon-night flood tide samples.Three diversity indices were computed for each sample. Values for all indices varied widely between successive samples.The results emphasize a high degree of utilization of the intertidal creek habitat by larval and juvenile fishes. The diurnal-nocturnal activity patterns of some species, and the wide variation in catch size of the other species can permit use of the intertidal salt marsh habitat with reduced competition for available space and energy.
Quantitative Clinical Pharmacology Input to SARS‐CoV‐2 Therapeutics Should Be Based on Robust Data

With impressive speed Garcia-Cremades et al[1] have modelled the association between hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and viral load, merging literature in vitro data and data from a recently published clinical study (which as of April 11 2020 is under investigation by the publisher[2]). Whilst the authors are to be commended on bringing quantitative clinical pharmacology insight to this health emergency, caution is required on interpreting their results.
Quantifying Flow-Dependent Changes in Subyearling Fall Chinook Salmon Rearing Habitat Using Two-Dimensional Spatially Explicit Modeling

Abstract We used an analysis based on a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the amount of rearing habitat and stranding area for subyearling fall chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River at steady-state flows ranging from 1,416 to 11,328 m3/s. High-resolution river channel bathymetry was used in conjunction with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model to estimate water velocities, depths, and lateral slopes throughout our 33-km study area. To relate the probability of fish presence in nearshore habitats to measures of physical habitat, we developed a logistic regression model from point electrofishing data. We only considered variables that were compatible with a GIS and therefore excluded other variables known to be important to juvenile salmonids. Water velocity and lateral slope were the only two variables included in our final model. The amount of available rearing habitat generally decreased as flow increased, with the greatest decreases occurring b.
Cast, compaction, vibro-compaction or extrusion: processing methods for optimizing the mechanical strength of raw earth-based materials

In the last few years, raw earth construction has recovered much consideration due to its low environmental impact, its local character and its recyclability. However the strength of this material is really fluctuating as a consequence of soil’s variability and the different methods that are used in vernacular earth construction. The aim of this study is to identify the mechanisms that increase the strength of this material. The optimization of the processing method of raw earth’s blocks is sought in order to get better strengths systematically for different sorts of soils. All of these soils are extracted from the same region, Brittany, in order to insist on the local character of this material. For three sorts of soils from Brittany this study will focus on four different processing methods: casting, compaction, vibro-compaction and extrusion. These soils will be mixed with water only or water and Sodium-hexametaphosphate which acts as a dispersant. The rheological behaviour of each soil will be adapted to the different processing methods. The fact that, for earth-based materials, the compressive strength at the dry state depends on its dry density will be shown. Thus it will be displayed that the processing method, and the use of dispersant that allows to reduce the water content during the processing, can be efficient to enhance the dry density and consequently the compressive strength of all of the selected soils. Those strategies are also efficient to improve the process robustness for ensuring high levels of compressive strength and dry density for raw earth construction. This study highlights that some of these methods could be used soon at a semi-industrial scale, to produce a structural material that needs to achieve compliance with modern standards without hydraulic binders.