Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beyond the affinity for protein kinase C: exploring 2-phenyl-3-hydroxypropyl pivalate analogues as C1 domain-targeting ligands

Over the past fifteen years, we reported the design and synthesis of different series of compounds targeting the C1 domain of protein kinase C (PKC) that were based on various templates. Out of the pivalate templates, 2-[4-(benzyloxy)phenyl]-3-hydroxypropyl pivalate (compound 1) emerged as the most potent and promising PKCα ligand, showing a Ki value of 0.7 μM. In the present contribution our efforts are aimed at better understanding which structural modifications of the pivalate template are allowed for its affinity to the C1 domain of PKC to be preserved or increased. To this aim, thirteen novel analogues of 1 were designed and their interaction with the target was evaluated in silico. Designed compounds were then prepared and fully characterized as well as their affinity for the α and δ isoforms of PKC evaluated. Additionally, in order to investigate the role of chirality in the ligand–target interaction, the pure enantiomers of the most interesting PKC ligands were prepared and their affinity for PKC isoforms was determined. Results from our study revealed that: i) the presence of the ester function seems to be essential for the ligand–target interaction; ii) only a few structural modifications at the ester group are allowed for the C1 domain affinity to be preserved; and iii) the [3H]PDBu replacement experiments showed that the C1 domain of PKC does not exhibit enantiopreference for the pure stereoisomers of tested compounds. Altogether our observations provide further insights into the ligand–target interactions of the PKC C1 domain and represent a step-forward in future development of more specific and effective PKC ligands.
Effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) inoculation on the performance of tomato nursery seedlings in vermiculite.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the responsiveness of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings to arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation in a soilless medium on the transplant production performance. The tomato variety RODADE was inoculated with BIOCULT mycorrhiza granules (consisting of both Glomus etunicatum & G. intraradices) and hydroponically grown on vermiculite for six weeks. Measurements on the tomato seedlings taken at 14, 28 and 42 days included shoot and root fresh weight and dry weight, leaf area, stem length, leaf area ratio (LAR), relative growth rate (RGR), unit leaf rate (ULR), mycorrhiza dependency (MD) and growth response to arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi root inoculation. AM fungi inoculated seedlings exhibited better transplant performance due to its higher shoot fresh weight (avg. 11.28 g plant -1 ), high shoot/root ratio (avg. 0.236), higher root biomass (avg. 2.17 g plant -1 ) higher RGR (7.34 mg g -1 day -1 ) and ULR 1.28 mg cm -1 day -1 ). AM inoculation resulted in 23.3% root colonization by the fungi in the vermiculite medium. The use of AM fungi appeared to provide benefits to the development of tomato seedling transplants in a soilless nursery condition and might be of particular interest under organic farming conditions. © 2010 Friends Science Publishers
AN OVERVIEW OF MICROWAVE IMAGING FOR BREAST TUMOR DETECTION

Microwave imaging (MWI) is a non-ionizing, non-invasive and an upcoming affordable medical imaging modality. Over the last few decades, MWI has invited active research towards biomedical imaging, with special focus on breast tumor detection. After long years of intense research and clinical trials, a breast tumour monitoring unit based on MWI is finally entering clinical imaging scenarios. In this manuscript, the vast literature in MWI to date has been consolidated, and an indetail study of the state-of-the-art for breast tumor detection has been presented. The hurdles faced during clinical trials are discussed, and their possible solutions and future directions for a fast transition into clinical imaging have been presented. It is hoped that this paper can serve as a guide for MWI researchers and practitioners, especially those new to the field to comprehend the potential of MWI as a viable imaging tool for breast imaging.
Adaptive Themes in the Evolution of the Bivalvia (Mollusca)

For many decades the evolutionary history of the Bivalvia remained in relative obscurity. Now, for the first time, it is being elucidated in some detail through a variety of scientific approaches. Ironically, the bivalve fossil record is yielding a better conceptual picture of evolution than are the records of other groups that have been studicd much more intensively over the years. The reaso� for this paradox is that the great diversity of living bivalves offers an excellent opportunity for direct study of many adaptive features that have homologies and analogies among extinct taxa. Because of the nature of the fossil record, it is largely from shell form that the adaptations of extinct taxa are inferred. No effort is made here to review comprehensively the functional morphology of the bivalve shell. An earlier study, based on Western Atlantic bivalves (Stanley 1970), provided a start in this direction, and additional contributions have appeared since its publication. My present goal is to distill from the evolutionary record of the Bivalvia, via functional morphology, certain basic adaptive tendencies and patterns that seem, at our present state of knowledge, to be most fundamentally characteristic of the evolution of this important class of mollusks. For the sake of brevity, only a few examples are offered by way of illustration. Many of the adaptive themes discussed characterize, to varying degrees, the evolution of other animal taxa as well. Relevant concepts of functional mor­ phology are introduced at the outset as background for later discussion.
Variation in body size, sexual dimorphism and age-specific survival in stoats,Mustela erminea(Mammalia: Carnivora), with fluctuating food supplies☆

Most hypotheses attempting to explain the evolution of pronounced sexual dimorphism in body size in the three species of weasels (Mustela erminea,M. frenata,M. nivalis) assume that sexual dimorphism is a long-term adaptation, associated with the different reproductive strategies of the two sexes. We here examine an auxiliary hypothesis which predicts that the degree of sexual dimorphism may also vary over the short-term, because when food is temporarily abundant, sexual selection should favour a greater growth rate of males than of females. This hypothesis concerns a phenotypic response which could introduce temporarily increased variation into an existing genotypic trait. We document the present size and sexual dimorphism of stoats introduced last century to New Zealand from Britain in relation to between-year variation in food supply in a single habitat (forests of southern beech,Nothofagussp.). Southern beech trees produce heavy crops of flowers and seed at 3–5 year intervals, which are associated with very variable supplies of important prey of stoats, including several species of seed-eating birds, litter-feeding insects, and feral house mice (Mus musculus). Alternative prey are scarce. Regressions of condylobasal length and head-body length on mouse population indices were significant in both sexes. Mean condylobasal length was larger in both male and female stoats born after a heavy seedfall compared with those born in non-seedfall years. However, the largest males born in years of heavy seedfall were removed by selective mortality before the age of 3 years, so the condylobasal lengths for old (≥3.0 yr) males converged on a common mean regardless of food supply in their birth year. Sexual dimorphism did not vary with food supplies (as reflected in seedfall records or mouse population indices) at any age. First-year survivorship, at least from the age of independence, was significantly negatively correlated with density of stoats in the summer of their birth year.
Exposure to New Emerging Bisphenols Among Young Children in Switzerland

Restrictions on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in consumer products led to its replacement by various bisphenol (BP) analogues, yet young children’s exposure to these analogues has been poorly characterized so far. This study aimed to characterize infants’ and toddlers’ exposure to BPA and 14 emerging BP analogues (i.e., bisphenol AF, bisphenol AP, bisphenol B, bisphenol BP, bisphenol C (BPC), bisphenol E, bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol G, bisphenol M (BPM), bisphenol P, bisphenol PH, bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol TMC, and bisphenol Z). We extracted infants’ and toddlers’ urine from diapers (n = 109) collected in Swiss daycare centers as a practical and noninvasive alternative approach to urinary biomonitoring. Bisphenols were present in 47% of the samples, with BPC and BPM being the most frequently detected (23% and 25% of all samples, respectively). The mean concentrations of urinary BPS and BPF were greater than that of BPA. This contrasts with data reported previously. Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed a significant and negative correlation between urinary BPM concentration and the population’s age. Our results provide a first characterization of infants’ and toddlers’ exposure to bisphenols in Switzerland. This knowledge can be used to support ongoing biomonitoring studies and to prioritize exposure reduction and prevention strategies.
The Mechanical Properties of Xylem Tissue from Tobacco Plants (Nicotiana tabacum‘Samsun’)☆

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum‘Samsun’) have been grown with an antisense CAD (cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase) gene. This modifies lignin production, resulting in lignin with a greater aldehyde content which is easier to extract chemically. This lignin probably has a reduced crosslink density. The changed properties of the lignin affect the longitudinal tensile modulus of the xylem tissue (wood), reducing it by one third, from 2.8 GPa to 1.9 GPa. Tobacco xylem tissue cell walls are more sensitive to changes in the properties of the matrix than can be predicted using current cell wall mechanical models.
Contribution to the knowledge on the distribution of recent free-living freshwater ostracods (Podocopida, Ostracoda, Crustacea) in Slovenia

An updated checklist of Recent free-living freshwater ostracods (Podocopida, Ostracoda, Crustacea) from Slovenia together with new records is presented. The new checklist is based on both the records extracted from the literature and the sampling in the field carried out during the last decade. The present checklist comprises 61 species. However, the eastern part of Slovenia and the surface waters are underrepresented. It is expected that the number of species will increase in the future.
On Value Differences Experienced by Sector Switchers

This article examines experienced differences in values between employees in the public and private sector. To elucidate them, the authors interviewed 30 employees of the public sector previously employed in the private sector and 30 employees of the private sector previously employed in the public sector, all of them in the Netherlands. The major conclusion is that the values of profitability, competitiveness, and customer orientation have a greater influence on business decisions; in public organizations, values such as legitimacy, lawfulness, accountability, and impartiality play a larger role. However, great differences exist among the organizations within each sector.
Interactive effects of elevated CO2, N deposition and climate change on extracellular enzyme activity and soil density fractionation in a California annual grassland

Elevated CO2, N deposition and climate change can alter ecosystem‐level nutrient cycling both directly and indirectly. We explored the interactive effects of these environmental changes on extracellular enzyme activity and organic matter fractionation in soils of a California annual grassland. The activities of hydrolases (polysaccharide‐degrading enzymes and phosphatase) increased significantly in response to nitrate addition, which coincided with an increase in soluble C concentrations under ambient CO2. Water addition and elevated CO2 had negative but nonadditive effects on the activities of these enzymes. In contrast, water addition resulted in an increase in the activities of lignin‐degrading enzymes (phenol oxidase and peroxidase), and a decrease in the free light fraction (FLF) of soil organic matter. Independent of treatment effects, lignin content in the FLF was negatively correlated with the quantity of FLF across all samples. Lignin concentrations were lower in the aggregate‐occluded light fraction (OLF) than the FLF, and there was no correlation between percent lignin and OLF quantity, which was consistent with the protection of soil organic matter in aggregates. Elevated CO2 decreased the quantity of OLF and increased the OLF lignin concentration, however, which is consistent with increased degradation resulting from increased turnover of soil aggregates. Overall, these results suggest that the effects of N addition on hydrolase activity are offset by the interactive effects of water addition and elevated CO2, whereas water and elevated CO2 may cause an increase in the breakdown of soil organic matter as a result of their effects on lignin‐degrading enzymes and soil aggregation, respectively.
Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) Interference and Seed Production in Corn Silage and Grain1

Studies were conducted during a 2-yr period measuring corn silage and grain yield and velvetleaf seed production in response to velvetleaf density. Velvetleaf densities of 0, 2, 5, 10, and 21 plants/m2 were established in conventionally tilled corn. The percent corn yield reduction in response to velvetleaf density was similar for both years despite differences in total corn yield. Corn grain and silage yield responded differently to velvetleaf interference. Although both were adversely affected, silage yield reductions were twice that of grain at the low velvetleaf densities. A hyperbolic yield model predicted a maximum yield loss for corn silage and grain of 36 and 37% with incremental losses of 7 and 3%, respectively, as velvetleaf density increased. Velvetleaf seed production ranged from 2,256 to 4,844 seed/m2 from the lowest to the highest density. This study demonstrates that corn silage yield is more sensitive than corn grain yield to velvetleaf interference, as well as how crop value plays an important role in determining economic thresholds. Finally, this research confirms the prolific nature of velvetleaf and shows that even at low densities, velvetleaf seed production could affect weed control decisions for many seasons to come. Nomenclature: Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti Medicus #3 ABUTH; corn, Zea mays L. ‘Pioneer 3140’. Additional index words: Economic threshold, weed competition, weed interference, yield loss. Abbreviations: ET, economic threshold.
Aves, Micropygia schomburgkii (Schomburgk, 1848), Veniliornis mixtus (Boddaert, 1783), Culicivora caudacuta (Vieillot, 1818) and Coryphaspiza melanotis (Temminck, 1822): Documented records in the southern Espinhaço Range, Minas Gerais, Brazil

We present new records of four open-habitat birds in the southern Espinhaco Range, state of Minas Gerais, also known as the Quadrilatero Ferrifero. Three of these species ( Micropygia schomburgkii , Veniliornis mixtus and Coryphaspiza melanotis ) are inedit occurrences for the region and two are globally threatened ( C. melanotis and Culicivora caudacuta ), what draws attention for the preservation of native open-habitats within the Quadrilatero Ferrifero region.
Could Trichogramma species be provided with old UV-killed Ephestia kuehniella eggs during mass rearing programs?

Four Trichogramma species, namely Trichogramma oleae Voegele et Pointel, Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal, Trichogramma evanescens Westwood and Trichogramma bourarachae Pintureau et Babault, collected in a pomegranate orchard in Tunisia, were assessed in order to determine the impact of the different provided Ephestia kuehniella Zeller egg qualities (ranging from freshly laid to four-day-old hosts) on both their fecundity and survivorship. It appeared that UV-killed eggs stored during four days at room temperature (25 °C and 50% RH) were suitable for the development of T. oleae and T. bourarachae. Also, a combination of fecundity and preimaginal survivorship data showed that all egg qualities were to be presented to T. bourarachae, while it was advisable to provide T. oleae only with three and four-day-old eggs, T. evanescens with fresh and one-day-old eggs and finally T. cacoeciae with only fresh eggs.
Effect of rumination on reduction of particle size of rumen digesta by cattle

Two Hereford steers, fitted with cannulas in the oesophagus and rumen, were given four forage diets in either the chopped or ground and pelleted form. Collections from the oesophageal fistula were made of boluses regurgitated during rumination of the chopped diets. Diets were given at 95% of voluntary feed consumption at intervals of 2 h. Rumination of the chopped diets required 28-36000 chews/day compared to values of 3-10 000 chews/day for the pelleted forms. The weight of material regurgitated during rumination averaged 786 g, of which 493 g was swallowed before chewing commenced. Fractionation of particulate DM by wet sieving showed that the material retained in the mouth for chewing contained 41% more large particulate matter than did regurgitated material. Approximately 70% of large particles in the mouth were comminuted to small particles during one cycle of rumination. Comminution per chew was positively related to the amount of large particulate matter retained in the mouth for chewing and negatively to the number of chews/cycle. Rumination accounted for approximately 85% of comminution of large particles which entered the rumen. Measurements of digestion of dietary materials from nylon bags and rates of outflow of small particles and water from the rumen were used in conjunction with intake and chewing measurements to predict the rumen content of large particles.
Biodiversity of statistical correlation between fungal population and physico chemical parameters of soil fungi from sugarcane field of Dharma puri District, Tamilnadu, India

A B S T R A C T Soil is a complex ecosystem delimited by physico- chemical parameters that hold enormous number of living organisms. This study deals with the monthly variation in soil fungal population of traditional sugarcane field in Dharmapuri District, Tamilnadu viz., Palakkodu and Harur. The fungi in sugarcane field soil samples were recorded by both direct examination and plating method. In the direct examination method totally 76 different species belonged to 32 genera were isolated. Among them 5 species were Ascomycetes, 68 species were deuteromycetes and 3 species were phycomycetes. They were isolated by using PDA medium and identified by using standard manual. The dominant species were Aspergillus conicus, A. flavus, A. rugulosus followed by Fusarium semitectum, F. solani, Ceratocystis paradoxa, Trichoderma sp, Penicillium sp and Curvularia sp from the sugarcane field soil of palakkodu in various months where as in Harur soi l the dominant species were Aspergillus awamori, A. funiculosus, A. sydowi, Cladosporium sp, Hypocrea virens and Setosphaeria rostrata respectively. The six morphologically different isolates represented by sterile mycelia were isolated by plating method.
Inhibitory effects of the extracts of Garcinia species on human low-density lipoprotein peroxidation and platelet aggregation in relation to their total phenolic contents

Twenty-two methanol extracts from different parts of nine Garcinia species were investigated for their ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) peroxidation and their total phenolic contents (TPC). The antioxidant activity of the extracts was examined using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay with human LDL as the oxidation substrate and their antiplatelet activity in human whole blood was determined by using an electrical impedance method. The TPC of the extracts were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteau method. Among all samples studied, the leaf extract ofGarcinia eugenifolia Wall showed the highest inhibitory activity on LDL peroxidation with IC50 value of 12.5 µg/ml. The twig extract of Garcinia mangostana Linn. was the most effective sample against platelet aggregation caused by arachidonic acid (AA) with IC50value of 15.6 µg/ml. The TPC of the extracts varied from 4.4 to 62.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents per g (mg GAE/g). The Pearson correlation analysis revealed that TPC showed moderate positive correlations with antioxidant (r = 0.30, p < 0.05) and antiplatelet activities (AA-induced, r = 0.62, p < 0.05; ADP-induced, r = 0.42, p < 0.05; collagen-induced, r = 0.54, p < 0.05). Thus, it was concluded that the antioxidant and antiplatelet activities of theGarcinia extracts could partly be due to their total phenolic contents. Key words: Garcinia species, low-density lipoprotein, LDL antioxidant activity, antiplatelet activity, total phenolic contents.
GENETIC DIVERSITY AND CLASSIFICATION OF MAIZE LANDRACES FROM CHINA'S SICHUAN BASIN BASED ON AGRONOMIC TRAITS, QUALITY TRAITS, COMBINING ABILITY AND SSR MARKERS

Twenty-two maize landraces representing all the ecosystems in the Sichuan Basin were analyzed based on agronomic traits, quality traits, combining ability and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Of the 22 landraces, Dazhaibaogu, Dahuang and Yuzuibaogu exhibited the best agronomic performance, while Nuoyumi, Rongzhaiyumi and Dadudu had the highest oil, protein and starch content, respectively. Thirteen of the landraces with medium to late maturity ratings were used in a combining ability study with five testers. General combining ability (GCA) effects for grain yield per plant were significantly different among the 13 landraces: five (Hanyuanhongbaogu, Dabaimaya, Xuesi, Dahuang and Dazhaibaogu) had the highest GCA ef- fects. Based on the specific combing ability (SCA) effects for grain yield per plant, the 13 landraces were divided into three preliminary heterotic groups. A total of 220 individu- als from the 22 landraces were fingerprinted with 41 SSR markers to determine the genetic diversity. The number of polymorphic bands, percentage of polymorphic bands, ge- netic diversity, effective number of alleles and Shannon's information index of the 22 landraces were 211, 74.18%, 0.27, 1.47 and 0.40, respectively. The 22 landraces were classed into three groups based on SSR markers. The re- sults indicated that clustering of landraces was associated with the ecological environment from which the landraces originated. In this study, Dazhaibaogu, Dahuang, Yuzuibaogu, Xuesi and Dabaimaya were the landraces de- termined to have the most promising characteristics for fur- ther use in a maize breeding program.