Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dreissenid mussels increase exposure of benthic and pelagic organisms to toxic microcystins

A novel ser of ecological relationships has recently emerged in western Lake Erie with the introduction of several non-indigenous and interdependent species. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (D. bugensis) were introduced to the Great Lakes ca. 1986, and have become the dominant benthic species in the western basin of Lake Erie (LEACH 1993). Following their introduction, two other species also invaded the Great Lakes, an amphipod, Echinogammarus ischnus (DERMOTI et al. 1998), and the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus QuDE et al. 1992). E. ischnus prefers living among clusters of Dreissena and feeds upon their feces and pseudofeces, among other items (GONZALES & DoWNING 1999). The round goby is a small, demersal fish, preferring Dreissena (RAY & CoRKUM 1997) and other benthic organisms, including E. ischnus, as food. These taxa also use the complex benthic habitat created by Dreissena colonies for refuge an d/ o r nesting sites OuoE et al. 1992).
Grey Relational Analysis Optimization of Input Parameters for Electrochemical Discharge Drilling of Silicon Carbide by Gunmetal Tool Electrode

Received: 4 March 2020 Accepted: 12 May 2020 The electrochemical discharge machining process (ECDM) is a hybrid advanced technology integrated with electrochemical and electro-discharge processes has used for the manufacturing of non-conducting along with conducting materials. The silicon carbide is non-conducting material which has widely used in various fields such as automobile, aviation, medical, nuclear reactor, and missile. The machining of silicon carbide is a challenging task by using non-conventional along with conventional machining processes due to its physical properties. The current research work shows the machining of Silicon carbide material by using fabricated ECDM machine setup with gunmetal tool material. The Taguchi L27 orthogonal array technique is applied for experimental work. The grey relational analysis optimization is applied for the investigation of optimum input factors for better output responses. The input process factors like electrolyte concentration, applied voltage, and rotation of tool and outcome results such as machined depth and the diameter of hole were checked after drilling of silicon carbide material. The experimental results indicate the electrolyte concentration is the leading factor for diameter of hole and depth of machined hole subsequent to voltage and tool rotation.
Evidence for personality conformity, not social niche specialization in social jays

We often use the phrase “Birds of a feather flock together” to describe similar people that spend time together. But, is this true for birds? We find that in a species that lives in social groups individual personalities are more similar to group mates than to non-group mates. We found no similarity between mate pairs in a solitary, monogamous species. This suggests that assortment by personality might be important for life in social groups.
Online H∞ control for completely unknown nonlinear systems via an identifier–critic-based ADP structure

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose an identifier–critic-based approximate dynamic programming (ADP) structure to online solve H∞ control problem of nonlinear continuous-time systems without knowing precise system dynamics, where the actor neural network (NN) that has been widely used in the standard ADP learning structure is avoided. We first use an identifier NN to approximate the completely unknown nonlinear system dynamics and disturbances. Then, another critic NN is proposed to approximate the solution of the induced optimal equation. The H∞ control pair is obtained by using the proposed identifier–critic ADP structure. A recently developed adaptation algorithm is used to online directly estimate the unknown NN weights simultaneously, where the convergence to the optimal solution can be rigorously guaranteed, and the stability of the closed-loop system is analysed. Thus, this new ADP scheme can improve the computational efficiency of H∞ control implementation. Finally, simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Water stress and CO2 concentration interactions affect carbon isotope signatures of leaf and phloem organic matter

Investigation of δ13C of leaf and twig phloem water-soluble organic material (WSOM) is a promising approach for analysis of the effects of environmental factors on plant performance. In this study, orthogonal treatments of three CO2 concentrations (Ca) × five soil water contents (SWC) were conducted using Platycladus orientalis saplings to investigate the interaction of water stress and CO2 concentration on δ13C of leaf and twig phloem WSOM. Under the lowest SWC, the δ13C of leaf and twig phloem WSOM had the most positive values at any Ca and their values decreased as Ca increased. However, at improved soil water conditions, the greatest values of δ13C of leaf and twig phloem WSOM were mostly observed at C600. In addition, a more significant relationship between SWC and δ13C of twig phloem WSOM than that between SWC and δ13C of leaf WSOM demonstrated that δ13C of twig phloem WSOM is a more sensitive indicator of SWC. Twig phloem WSOM was generally 13C-depleted compared with leaf WSOM for potential post-photosynthetic fractionation, and the 13C discrimination from leaves to twig phloem was insensitive to the interaction between SWC and Ca. Clearly, interacting effects play a more important role in photosynthetic fractionation than in post-photosynthetic fractionation. Highlight The δ13C of leaf and twig phloem WSOM exhibited the most positive values at C400×35%–45% FC. Post-photosynthetic fractionation from leaf to twig was not be impacted by the interacting effects.
IL-11 is a therapeutic target in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains a progressive disease despite best medical management. We previously identified IL-11 as a critical factor for cardiovascular fibrosis and examine here its role in pulmonary fibrosis. IL-11 is consistently upregulated in IPF genomic datasets, which we confirmed by histology. Pulmonary fibroblasts stimulated with IL-11 transform into invasive myofibroblasts whereas fibroblasts from Il11ra deleted mice did not respond to pro-fibrotic stimuli. In the mouse, injection of recombinant Il-11 or fibroblast-specific expression of Il-11 caused pulmonary fibrosis. We then generated a neutralising IL-11 binding antibody that blocks lung fibroblast activation across species. In a mouse model of IPF, anti-IL-11 therapy attenuated lung fibrosis and specifically blocked Erk activation. These data prioritise IL-11 as an accessible drug target in IPF. One Sentence Summary Non-canonical IL-11 signalling is a central hallmark of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and represents a novel target for antibody therapies.
Phenotypic and Functional Mapping of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Harvested from Different Portions of the Human Arterial Tree

The human arterial wall contains progenitors and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) acting as a postnatal reservoir of stem cells during lifetime. They are nestled in distinct arterial zones close to blood support, that is, the intima and the media-adventitia vasa vaso- rum plexus, representing vascular stem cell niches. In previous studies, MSCs were successfully isolated from fresh and cadaveric human large- and middle-sized arteries; these cells have a mesenchymal phenotype, self-renewal ability, and tri-lineage plasticity with high endothelial and smooth muscle cell differentiation potential. Here we present an overview of human MSCs derived from the vascular wall (hVW-MSCs) of different anatomical sites focusing on their phenotypic expression, multilineage potency, and stemness properties based on the localization in the arterial tree. We describe the isolation protocols as well as immunophenotyping, functional, and ultrastructure methods used to investigate these cell properties. hVW-MSCs from distinct portions of the vascular tree exhibit distinct phenotypic expression, multilineage potency, and stemness properties. This observation may contribute to explain the regional differences seen in vascular dis -ease; moreover the different attitudes that hVW-MSCs exhibit in vascular differentiation should be taken in consideration whenever cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering strategies are attempted to replace tissues and organs. second-trimester immunophenotype but a heterogeneous
A Tritylodontid Synapsid from the Middle Jurassic of Siberia and the Taxonomy of Derived Tritylodontids

ABSTRACT Upper and lower tritylodontid postcanine teeth from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Itat Formation of the Berezovsk coal mine, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia, are referred to Stereognathus sp. The genus Stereognathus Charlesworth, 1855 (Polistodon He and Cai, 1984, Xenocretosuchus Tatarinov and Mashenko, 1999, and Montirictus Matsuoka et al., 2016, are new synonyms), is similar to Bocatherium and differs from all other tritylodontids in having an upper postcanine cusp formula of 2:2:2. It differs from Bocatherium in the quadrangular shape of the upper postcanine teeth. Stereognathus also differs from all other tritylodontids in having a more elaborate interlocking system in the upper postcanine teeth, each of which bears a mesial cingulum connecting cups B0, M0, and L0. Stereognathus shares with Bienotheroides single-rooted lower postcanine teeth, and these two genera are closely related. Discovery of Stereognathus in the Itat Formation underlines the similarity of the vertebrate assemblage from this stratigraphic unit to the British Bathonian vertebrate assemblages and the Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Ilek Formation in Siberia. The presence of Stereognathus during an ∼40 Ma time interval in Siberia suggests a long stasis in the evolution of the vertebrate faunas of this region.
Competition reverses the response of shrub seedling mortality and growth along a soil moisture gradient

Predicting species responses to climate change involves understanding both the direct effects of environmental change, as well as indirect effects mediated by altered interspecific interactions. Indirect effects may be particularly important for understanding native species responses in systems invaded by highly competitive exotic species. For instance, Mediterranean climate regions are predicted to experience more frequent drought, and are increasingly invaded by exotic annual plants. For native shrubs in these regions, seedling establishment is episodic, and associated with high rainfall years. However, exotic annual plants also often increase in abundance with high rainfall, suggesting competition from exotic annual species could alter the relationship between rainfall and shrub seedling establishment. Theories such as the stress gradient hypothesis predict competition intensity should increase with resource supply, but there have been few evaluations of competitive interactions across experimental gradients of soil moisture availability. Here we examined how competition from an exotic annual influenced native shrub establishment, across an experimental soil moisture gradient. Seedlings of two native shrub species (Encelia californica and Eriogonum fasciculatum) were grown with and without an exotic grass competitor (Avena fatua) across eight water availability levels, and monitored for growth and survival. These species are common and abundant in the Mediterranean climate region of coastal Southern California, where climate change projections include long‐term drought for the coming decades. Without competition, shrub seedlings achieved higher growth and survival at high water availability levels. However, when grown in competition with the exotic grass, shrub seedlings had higher growth and/or survival under relatively dry conditions, suggesting competition can modify and even reverse species responses to changing rainfall patterns, compared to predictions made in the absence of competitors. The exotic grass strongly reduced soil nitrate and water availability when it was planted with the native shrub seedlings, and the exotic grass responded with positive but saturating growth with increasing levels of water addition. Synthesis. This experiment demonstrates that competition from invasive species can alter native species responses to climate change; consistent with ecological theories predicting a positive association between the supply of limiting resources and the intensity of competition.
Germinação de sementes inteiras e fracionadas de quinze matrizes de Eugenia pyriformis (uvaia)

Objetivou-se determinar a potencialidade da germinacao de sementes de uvaia inteira e fracionadas (bipartida e tetrapartida) de 15 diferentes matrizes, em estufa tipo BOD com 25oC, ausencia de luz e umidade relativa a 40%, visando a selecao das matrizes para reproducao em escala comercial. Foram avaliados a germinacao, indice de velocidade de germinacao, tempo medio de germinacao, velocidade media de germinacao, plântulas normais e anormais. A germinacao de sementes de uvaia ocorre em sementes inteiras (97%) e fracionadas bipartidas (73%) e tetrapartidas (62%), porem o percentual de germinacao e de plântulas normais e superior nas sementes inteiras nao justificando o fracionamento das sementes visando a sua otimizacao para producao de mudas. As melhores matrizes para a producao de mudas em escala comercial foram as de numero 2, 16, 29, 39 e 42.
Extended star-forming regions within galaxies in a dense proto-cluster core at z = 2.53†

At z ∼ 2, star formation activity is thought to be high even in high-density environments such as galaxy clusters and proto-clusters. One of the critical but outstanding issues is if the structural growth of star-forming galaxies can differ depending on their surrounding environments. In order to investigate how galaxies grow their structures and what physical processes are involved in the evolution of galaxies, one requires spatially resolved images of not only stellar components but also star-forming regions within galaxies. We conducted (Adaptive Optics) AO-assisted imaging observations for star-forming galaxies in a dense proto-cluster core at z = 2.53 with IRCS and AO188 mounted on the Subaru Telescope. A combination of AO and narrow-band filters allows us to obtain resolved maps of Hα-emitting regions with an angular resolution of ${0{^{\prime\prime}_{. }}1}$–${0{^{\prime\prime}_{. }}2}$, which corresponds to ∼1 kpc at z ∼ 2.5. Based on stacking analyses, we compare radial profiles of star-forming regions and stellar components and find that the star-forming region of a sub-sample with log (M*/$M_\odot$) ∼ 10–11 is more extended than the stellar component, indicating the inside-out growth of the structure. This trend is similar to the one for star-forming galaxies in general fields at z = 2–2.5 obtained with the same observational technique. Our results suggest that the structural evolution of star-forming galaxies at z = 2–2.5 is mainly driven by internal secular processes irrespective of surrounding environments.
Inheritance of resistance to Fusarium ear rot in popcorn

To date, no studies on the inheritance of Fusarium spp. ear rot resistance in popcorn are available. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the additive-dominance model to estimate the genetic components of variance, heritability and the inheritance pattern in a diallel for popcorn, by Hayman’s approach. The experiment was carried out in two environments, using eight parent lines. The following traits were measured: grain yield (GY), popping expansion (PE), incidence of ears infected by Fusarium (FusIE), total number of kernels infected by fungi (FunIK) and total number of kernels infected by Fusarium spp. (FusIK). The results indicated that the incidence of FusIK (Fusarium-infected kernels), FunIK (fungus-infected kernels), and FusIE (Fusarium-infected ears) is controlled by dominant genes. Parent L77 had a high number of favorable alleles for all resistance-related traits, as well as for PE. The strategy recommended for reduction of FunIK, FusIK, and FusIE consists of exploiting hetorosis using inbred lines with favorable alleles.
Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from Daucus carota L. subsp. carota, growing in Uzbekistan

The study describes the component composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from different part of wild carrot (Daucus carota L. subsp. carota, family Apiaceae), growing in Uzbekistan. The essential oils from fruits and aerial parts enriched with oxygenated sesquiterpenes (70.0-88.0%), with high content of carotol (68.3-78.3%). The extracted from fruits essential oils possess expressed activity against opportunistic pathogenic fungus of Candida albicans.
Antileishmanial activity of extracts from Libidibia ferrea: development of in vitro and in vivo tests

Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is difficult due to the scarce number of drugs able to eliminate completely the intracellular form of the parasite. In the present study, the aim was to evaluate: i) phytochemical properties of extracts from Libidibia ferrea; ii) antileishmanial activity of extracts from L. ferrea against promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis; iii) the effects of topical treatment using hydrogel containing active extract of L. ferrea on golden hamsters infected with L. (L.) amazonensis. Extracts from leaves, branches and fruits of L. ferrea were obtained with hexane and methanol and were tested by in vitro assays in promastigotes and murine macrophages J774 experimentally infected with amastigotes of Leishmania. Groups of hamsters with CL received topical treatment with a formulation of extract (10%) hydrogels, 50 mg.day-1 for 40 days. In vitro activity of FrMeOH (methanolic extract from fruits without seeds) resulted in significant reduction of viable promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis (IC50 of 15.4 μg.mL -1) and demonstrated inhibition potential of amastigote forms of L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (V.) guyanensis and low cytotoxicity in macrophages. The overall data of topical treatment with extract hydrogels (GelFrMeOH) showed that lesion sizes were significantly reduced (42.78%), with low parasite burden by RT-qPCR and culture analysis by microscopy examination, and with histopathological findings such as lower inflammatory cell infiltration 40 days after treatment. Chemical analysis demonstrated FrMeOH contains high levels of phenolic compounds. The results indicate a possible alternative therapy for CL using phytotherapics.
Micropropagation of Meconopsis befonicifolia Franch. from Immature Seeds

A system for micropropagation of Meconopsis betonicifolia Franch. was developed. Strength of Murashige and Skoog salts, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and cytokinin were varied to determine optimal treatments. Seedlings were used as explant material after root removal. One-third-strength Murashige and Skoog media produced greater survival than the same medium at full strength. Two or 5 mg 1−1 benzyladenine, kinetin or isopentenyladenine combined with 0.2 mg 1−1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic accid induced the formation of multiple meristems and multiple shoots in Meconopsis. In the second subculture, explants originally cultured on benzyladenine or kinetin containing medium produced more multiple meristems and shoots than those originally cultured on isopentenyladenine containing media.
Serum Levels of Interleukin-2 and Interleukin-2 Soluble Receptor in Patients with Vitiligo

Background: Vitiligo is a common skin disorder characterized by macular depigmentation of the skin. Although the etiopathogenesis of the disease is still unclear, several studies have shown that within the cascade of pathogenesis of vitiligo, cytokines play an important role. Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate serum concentrations of interleukin- IL-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 soluble receptor (IL-2 sR) in patients with vitiligo and healthy subjects and also to asses a possible association between these cytokines and duration of the disease. were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay techniques. Results: Both IL-2 (median 22.600 pg/ml, range 20.900-76.100) and IL-2sR (median 76.100 pg/ml, range 15.700-183.800) in the patient group were significantly higher when compared with that of the normal controls. When the serum cytokine level in vitiligo group were compared to total disease duration (Spearman correlation ρ ), serum IL-2 was negatively ( ρ = -0.000573, P = 0.9980) and IL-2 sR was positively ( ρ =0.241, P = 0.2797) correlated with total disease duration, but it is of borderline significance. Conclusions: Our results showed hight serum levels of IL-2 and IL2 sR among vitiligo patients which may highligth a functional role of these cytokines in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Impact of Virucide; Carrageenan in Suppression of Potato Virus Y in Potato Plants

Background: Potato plants are usually subjected to numerous diseases caused by viruses. Potato virus Y belongs to a group of potyvirus that causes serious diseases to potato plants and is mainly responsible for the majority of losses caused in potato production. Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the potential effect of carrageenan (virucide) which was extracted from red algae (Acanthophora specifira) in an induction of systemic acquired immunity for bio-control of PVY infection in potato plants. Methods: Potato tubers (Solanium tuberoisum cv. spounta) were obtained. The virus isolate was obtained and maintained on Datura metel plant. Specimens of the red alga Acanthophora specifira were collected from El Shoaiba coast, the eastern part of Saudi Arabia; Red Sea. The tested material carrageenan was extracted from the selected seaweeds species as antiviral agents. The infectious sap was prepared and inoculated on the primary and free potato leaves. The tested plants were sub-classified into 5 groups; 2 healthy groups (control group and virucidetreated group), 3 PVY infected plants groups (one without virucide, PVY infected plants either before or after virucide). Reduction in the disease severity was recorded and inhibition in PVY infectivity as a result of periodical treatment of foliar potato plants with virucide (carrageenan) was assessed in pre and post-treatment groups. Results: PVY infection resulted in significant decrease in shoot length, leave an area and fresh and dry weight of shoots. Improvement of morphological characters of periodically-treated foliar with virucide (carrageenan) was observed. Chlorophyll and carotenoids contents were increased in PVY infected foliar potato plants treated with virucide (carrageenan). Biochemical markers as indicators for systemic acquired resistance were detected via significantly increased total proteins, phenol compounds, free proline (PO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and superoxide dismatase (SOD) enzyme activities. As well as expressed proteins of induced potato plants were determined using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The results indicated that newly expressed proteins were produced and a difference in number and density of bands in foliar treatment plants with virucide (carrageenan) were compared with healthy ones. Conclusion: It has been suggested that the induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) was successfully achieved; it also protected potato plants against PVY infection.