Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phyto-Remediation Studies on Bacterial- Fungal Interaction in Stimulation, Growth and Amelioration of Physiological Condition of Citrus Crop

1 ABSTRACT: The availability of quality planting material effect of AMF and MHB on physical and physiological attributes of citrus rootstocks (Troyer citrange and Cleopatra mandarin) was studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bacterial inoculation like phosphorus solubilising bacteria (PSB) (Bacilus subtilis + B. megatherium), Azospirillum sp. and Providencia cultures on the growth and physiology of the symbiosis between Troyer citrange and Cleopatra mandarin and AM fungi Glomus intraradices. Troyer citrange co-inoculated with G. intraradices and PSB significantly gave the higher root colonization at 30, 60 and 120 days after inoculation (DAI). In the case of Cleopatra mandarin, the highest root colonization was found in seedlings co-inoculated with G. intraradices and Azospirillum at all the growth stages. Troyer citrange co-inoculated with G. intraradices and PSB gave significantly highest plant height at 210 DAI. In case of Cleopatra mandarin, significantly highest plant height was observed for seedlings co-inoculated with G. intraradices and Azospirillum at 210 DAI. Co-inoculation of G. intraradices and PSB recorded significantly highest stem diameter for Troyer citrange and Cleopatra mandarin at 210 DAI. The number of leaves was recorded significantly more for Troyer citrange and Cleopatra mandarin co-inoculated with G. intraradices and PSB at 210 DAI. The significantly maximum leaf area was exhibited by Troyer citrange co- inoculated with G. intraradices + helper bacteria PSB or Azospirillum or Providencia (4.13, 6.97 and 10.33 cm 2 ) at 60, 120 and 210 DAI, respectively. In case of Cleopatra mandarin, G. intraradices + PSB gave highest leaf area (13.66, 14.73 and 15.61 cm 2 ) at all the growth stages. At 60 DAI, Troyer citrange inoculated with mixed strains and PSB showed significantly highest relative water content (79.04%), while at 120 and 210 DAI, seedlings treated with G. intraradices and PSB showed significantly highest relative water content (86.09 and 88.19%, respectively). In case of Cleopatra mandarin significantly highest relative water content was found in seedlings co-inoculated with G. intraradices + PSB at all the growth stages (82.81, 87.56 and 89.18%, respectively). Chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll content was recorded more in G. intraradices + PSB treatment for Troyer citrange at 120 and 210 DAI. Total carotenoids were more in Troyer citrange seedlings inoculated with G. intraradices + PSB at 120 and 210 DAI. For Cleopatra mandarin, similarly co- inoculation of G. intraradices + PSB produced highest chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll at 120 and 210 DAI. Total carotenoids content was more in G. intraradices + PSB at 120 and 210 DAI, respectively. Total phenols were recorded significantly highest in G. intraradices + Azospirillum-inoculated Troyer citrange and Cleopatra mandarin.
Filtered spreading sequences for interference avoidance

Due to the scarcity of available spectrum, it may be convenient to overlay a DS-spread spectrum system on a band already sparsely occupied by narrowband users. The processing gain of the spread system serves to reduce the cross-interference between the spread and narrowband systems. However, much further isolation can be gained by passing the spreading sequence through a short FIR filter at the transmitter, before spreading. The authors investigate the benefit of doing this, and give numerical results for a specific system. <<ETX>>
Morphological and toxicological studies of Pseudo-nitzschia species from the central coast of Peru

Currently, there is little information on the genus Pseudo-nitzschia in Peruvian coastal waters available and some species have been misidentified. This is the first study of Pseudo-nitzschia species found in several blooms off the central coast of Peru. The cultures obtained and identiﬁed by scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of Pseudo-nitzschia subpacifica and P. pungens, the first record of P. subpacifica in Peruvian coastal waters. Neither P. subpacifica nor P. pungens cultures contained domoic acid (DA) in detectable amounts using HPLC–MS/MS. Our results suggest that Pseudo-nitzschia species are common off the central coast of Peru. The detection of non-toxic strains of Pseudo-nitzschia does not necessarily mean that other populations or strains of this genus in Peru cannot produce DA. Research is needed to evaluate other strains from different locations along the Peruvian coast and to explore whether environmental factors or genetic variability affect the production of DA.
Phylogeny of Lotus (Leguminosae: Loteae): partial incongruence between nrITS, nrETS and plastid markers and biogeographic implications

Lotus comprises ca. 130 species of herbs, semishrubs and shrubs native to the Old World, including important pasture crops and a model legume, L. japonicus. Earlier nrITS-based phylogenies were incongruent with all taxonomic classifications of the genus. In particular, members of the former genus Dorycnium were unexpectedly placed near species of L. sect. Lotus. The primary goal of the present study is to explore whether the unexpected placement of members of sect. Lotus and the former genus Dorycnium in earlier phylogenetic studies resulted from (1) insufficient taxon sampling and/or (2) the use of only one DNA marker. The rooting of the Lotus phylogeny, its major clades and basic biogeographic patterns are also discussed. This is the first global phylogenetic study of Lotus that uses both plastid and nuclear markers. The nrITS region was analyzed in 155 ingroup specimens representing 98 species of Lotus. Sequences of nrITS, nrETS, psbA-trnH spacer and rps16 intron were analyzed for 70 ingroup specimens representing 54 species. The placement of the segregate genera Dorycnium and Tetragonolobus in the synonymy of Lotus was confirmed. Analyses of plastid data strongly supported a basal split of Lotus into two clades, one comprising species of sect. Lotus plus those traditionally placed in Dorycnium and the other including the rest of the species. The former clade has a centre of species diversity in Europe and N Asia, and the latter in Macaronesia, Africa and S Asia. Only the "Southern" clade is resolved in analyses of nrITS and nrETS data. Trees inferred from plastid, nrITS and nrETS data shared the occurrence of several smaller clades corresponding to traditionally recognized infrageneric taxa or species groups as well as the occurrence of some well-supported clades that differ from traditional taxonomic concepts. Several instances of incongruence were documented between nuclear and plastid markers and between the two nuclear markers, possibly resulting from reticulate evolution. The extant geographic patterns of Lotus are likely biased by at least one round of area fragmentation followed by expansion coupled with extensive speciation associated with the complex history of the Mediterranean biome.
Grapes for the Desert: Salt Stress Signaling in Vitis

Salinity does not only stress plants but also the biologists who sincerely try to discriminate its tangled elements. Adaptation to salinity is not provided by one single 'master-switch', but must have evolved from tuning the cross-talk of different regulatory circuits. A model for salt adaptation is developed, where efficient quenching of JA-signaling determines whether grapevine cells recognise the early stress signals as salinity related or defense-related.
Studies on the inhibition of viral entry of flaviviruses

Dengue virus serotypes 1-4 (DENV1-4) cause serious febrile illness in humans, including Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and Dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Presence of avid neutralizing antibodies during clinical illness is critical in the outcome of clinical disease and severity of manifestations. Presently there are no specific antiflaviviral therapeutic agents or an effective vaccine available for clinical use. In the current study, the possibilities of using the DENV envelope protein domain III (Ed3), as it possesses receptor binding activity, as a possible competitor to whole virus for entry into host cell receptor was explored. As the Carboxy terminal stem anchor region contributes the maximum to post trimeric conformational rearrangement of the envelope protein leading to fusion of the virus membrane to the host, a key event in successful infection, the binding pocket of two of the helices were targeted with specific peptides but with limited success. Following the successful prevention (>90%) of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and to a lesser extent of DENV infection with a single polyclonal serum from mice raised against the envelope protein domain III of WNV, another flavivirus, a mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) 9F12 was found to be neutralizing all four serotypes of DENV at relatively low concentrations of the mAb. The antibody bound to soluble recombinant Ed3 from DENV 1-4 and also to the whole virus. These findings led to the extensive characterization of the antibody for the binding kinetics, possible epitopes along with the nucleotide sequence and generation of a recombinant single chain fragment variable (scFv) engineered to avoid the murine components but to retain the immunologic characteristics of the antibody in this study. I Ravikumar Rajamanonmani ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
Nivel óptimo de fósforo disponible aparente en gallinas Leghorn blanca de la línea Hy-line W36 durante el primer ciclo de producción Optimum level of apparent available phosphorus for Leghorn white hens (Hy-line W36) during the first laying cycle

Phosphorus (P) is an important mineral for the hen metabolism. An experiment was conducted with 200 Leghorn Hy-line® W36 hens to find the optimum biological level (OBL) and the optimum economical level (OEL) of apparent available phosphorus (aP). Four levels of aP were used: (0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 %) during six periods of eight weeks each. The analyzed variables were: feed intake (FI), egg mass (EM), feed conversion (FC), egg weight (EW), and specific gravity (SG). Period affected (P 0.05) on EW as effect of aP level. The BOL for maximum EM, minimum FC, and maximum SG were 0.18 %, 0.18 % and 0.23 %, respectively. The EOL for maximum profits was 0.18 % and is sensitive to variations in the prices of egg and monocalcium phosphate. In conclusion, for an optimum egg production hens need less than 0.25 % of apparent available phosphorus in diets for the first laying production cycle.
Inhibition Of Bovine Mastitis Pathogens By Bacteriocins Produced By Bacillus Spp Isolated From Rastrineobola Argentea (Omena)

Bacteriocins offer an advantage over antibiotics in that they target very specific organisms and they are generally regarded as safe for humans. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify bacteriocin-producing Bacillus species from Rastrineobola argentea (Omena) and to screen their bacteriocins for their potential as antimicrobial agents against bovine mastitis pathogens. A total of 300 R. argentea samples were randomly purchased from retailers in Gikomba market-Nairobi. To identify isolated bacteria, colonies were assessed using morphological, biochemical techniques and the API KIT. Further, crude bacteriocins produced by some of the isolates were tested for their antimicrobial activity against the bovine mastitis pathogens Escherichia coli ATCC- 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-25923 by well diffusion method. The physicochemical characteristics of the crude bacteriocins produced were also assessed. The study identified Bacillus mycoides, subtilis, pumilus and lentus as the most predominant species. Among these, Bacillus subtilis and pumilus were found to produce crude bacteriocins with antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, the bovine mastitis pathogens. The crude bacteriocins produced were found to be fully or partially inactivated in the presence of proteolytic enzymes like trypsin and had a lipid moiety since their activity reduced in presence of lipase enzyme. In contrast, their antimicrobial activity was not affected by temperature treatment of up to 100°C or in presence of ions like copper or iron but there was slight reduction in activity with zinc ions. Their activity was optimal at neutral and alkaline pH but reduced significantly at acidic pH. The bacteriocins produced by these Bacillus species have desirable characteristics that make these isolates attractive candidates with potential application for prevention of bovine mastitis pathogens.
Polymorphic Status of PRKAA2 Gene in Pakistani Buffaloes

This study was designed to find single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in coding and non-coding region of PRKAA2 gene in Nili-Ravi and Kundi buffaloes. The PRKAA2 gene (AMPKα2) of 100 animals from both buffalo breeds were sequenced for SNPs identification. A total number of 43 inter and intra-generic SNPs were found. Out of which 17 SNPs were detected among buffalo breeds (intra-generic). All SNPs were intronic and may have a role in gene regulation and splicing patterns. These SNPs might be associated with commercially important production traits. This is the first study to identify novel SNPs that are linked to energy metabolism and production traits of buffalo. © 2016 Friends Science Publishers
Relationships between water chemistry and herbicide efficacy of Eurasian watermilfoil management in Wisconsin lakes

ABSTRACT Frater P, Mikulyuk A, Barton M, Nault M, Wagner K, Hauxwell J, Kujawa E. 2017. Relationships between water chemistry and herbicide efficacy of Eurasian watermilfoil management in Wisconsin lakes. Lake Reserve Manage. 33:1–7. Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) is an invasive aquatic plant with the potential to disrupt native aquatic plant communities, decrease property values, and affect recreational uses of lakes. Much time, effort, and money is put forth every year to combat the spread of this invader. We examined the long-term efficacy of EWM management using herbicide and derived an empirical equation to quantify long-term treatment success for the lakes in this study. We found that lakes with lower pH (<7.5), conductivity (<0.1 mS/cm), and total dissolved solids (TDS <0.1 g/L) exhibited more successful long-term management. Our results suggested that lake water chemistry may play a role in long-term herbicide management success of EWM.
Phylogenetic diversity of bulbil-forming lichenicolous fungi in Cantharellales including a new genus and species

Abstract Lichenicolous species are widely distributed in the Basidiomycota, and many are known to produce sclerotia or bulbils with few additional structures to permit taxonomic placement. The Cantharellales include many of these species and we here describe a new species that grows over Cladonia rangiferina and forms yellow-orange, initially immersed bulbils similar to Burgella flavoparmeliae Diederich & Lawrey, a familiar species in the order. We obtained sequences of nuLSU representing an isolated culture and herbarium specimen of the species, and initial searches in GenBank indicated it was a member of the Cantharellales. We inferred its phylogenetic placement in the order using an existing dataset that included all known lichenicolous species. Our results indicate that it is not closely related to any described lichenicolous species or to any other described bulbilliferous species in the order. Based on these results, we are now establishing a new genus and species, Neoburgoa freyi, in the Hydnaceae sensu Hibbett et al. (2014). We also introduce the new name Adamflakia for the genus Bulbilla as the latter coincides with the technical term ‘bulbilla' used in previous descriptions of bulbil-forming species and is therefore not validly published following the ICN (Art. 20.2); Adamflakia applanata comb. nov. is proposed.
Development of serum-free media for primary culture of human articular chondrocytes

Human articular chondrocytes (HAC) were cultivated as a monolayer in a serum-free medium for primary culture (SFM-P). An optimized SFM-P provides 95% proliferation rate of that obtainable from primary and secondary chondrocyte cultures grown in a control medium with serum. The gradual decrease in the amounts of synthesized glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen was improved by coating the culture dishes with type IV collagen and fibronectin. A significant improvement in the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan mRNA could be achieved. In addition, the monolayer cultures showed better synthesis of the extracellular matrices than alginate-bead cultures in SFM-P.
Ecophysiological limits to aerobic metabolism in hypoxia determine epibenthic distributions and energy sequestration in the northeast Pacific ocean

Expansion of oxygen deficient waters (hypoxia) in the northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) will have marked impacts on marine life. The response of the resident communities will be a function of their ecophysiological constraints in low oxygen, although this remains untested in the NEP due to a lack of integrative studies. Here, we combine in situ surveys and lab‐based respirometry experiments were conducted on three indicator species (spot prawn Pandalus platyceros, slender sole Lyopsetta exilis, squat lobster Munida quadrispina) of seasonally hypoxic systems in the NEP to test if metabolic constraints determine distributions and energy sequestration in a hypoxic setting. These experiments were integrated with a global review of critical oxygen levels ( O2crit ; lower threshold of aerobic metabolism) for crustaceans to determine if O2crit ‐based hypoxia thresholds are different among ocean basins. Our results show that species‐specific differences in O2crit and standard metabolic rates (1) determine the lowest environmental oxygen ([O2]env) at which in situ populations occur, (2) result in disproportionate shifts in distributions among co‐occurring species during summer hypoxia expansion events, and (3) characterize shifts in megafaunal community respiration rates due to marked spatio‐temporal variability in [O2]env. Our results show that O2crit ‐based hypoxia thresholds are significantly lower in the East Pacific Ocean relative to other major ocean basins, which suggests that the physiological response of local fauna to deoxygenation can be determined by the natural variability and oxygen exposure in a region. In order to establish realistic predictions on the biological consequences of marine deoxygenation, we suggest integrating metabolism‐based traits to calculate hypoxia thresholds for marine ecosystems.
Effect of Incubation Temperature on Repair of Heat-Injured Listeria in Milk.

Heat-injured Listeria species were examined for their ability to repair in pasteurized whole and 2% (fat) bovine milk. Listeria monocytogenes F5069 (serotype 4B) and F5027 (serotype 1/2a) and Listeria innocua CWD139 were heated at 55°C. After 20 min, 99% of the surviving population was injured as determined by their inability to grow in the presence of 4% NaCl. Bacterial cells were immediately suspended in sterile milk at a concentration of 102 to 103 per ml and incubated at 4, 10, 26 and 37°C. For all of the Listeria tested, repair at 4°C was initiated between days 8 and 10 and was complete between days 16 and 19; at 10°C, repair began immediately and was complete in 4 d; at 26 and 37°C, repair was complete by 13 and 9 h, respectively. The kinetics of repair were similar in whole and 2% (fat) milk. The relationship between the time required for repair and increasing temperature was nonlinear and indicated that repair of heat-injured Listeria in milk is highly sensitive to minor increases in temperature. Current Listeria detection techniques are not adequate for the detection of injured organisms. The public health consequences associated with failure to detect injured L. monocytogenes which subsequently repair in milk may be significant.
Developing a Teacher Identity: TAs' Perspectives about Learning to Teach Inquiry-Based Biology Labs.

Becoming a teacher involves a continual process of identity development and negotiation. Expectations and norms for particular pedagogies impact and inform this development. In inquirybased classes, instructors are expected to act as learning facilitators rather than information providers. For novice inquiry instructors, developing a teacher identity may be fraught with contradictions. Inquiry-based learning approaches have been widely adopted in university biology laboratory courses. Teaching assistants (TAs) teach the majority of these labs. Despite TAs’ importance in university science instruction, we know little about their teacher identity development. This study analyzes interviews and written reflections to explore how teaching science as inquiry figures into TAs’ teacher identity formation. Through five case studies, the study characterizes the trajectories of TAs who made or did not make inquiry teaching practices their own. Most TAs made progress toward developing an inquiry-oriented teacher identity by shifting their focus to student learning. These TAs came to see their students as doing science rather than simply participating in a lab class. Findings also highlight beliefs that conflict with inquiry practices in order to inform strategies to support TAs' changing conceptions about science teaching and the development of inquiry teacher identities.
Size-related mortality during overwintering in cavity-nesting ant colonies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The ongoing process of climate change will result in higher temperatures during winter and therefore might increase the survival of overwintering invertebrates. However, the process may also lead to a reduction in snow cover and expose overwintering invertebrates to lower temperatures, which could result in higher mortality. During a field experiment, I investigated the effects of a reduction in snow cover on the survival of the ant Temnothorax crassispinus, which overwinters in nests located on the ground. Ant colonies differed in the survival rate of the workers in the experimental (from which snow cover was removed) and control group. In the control group, the survival rate was unrelated to colony size. However, in the experimental group, from which snow was removed after each heavy snowfall, worker survival was lower in small colonies. Such colony size related mortality may affect the fusion of colonies before winter.
Grazing and fertilization influence plant species richness via direct and indirect pathways in an alpine meadow of the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Grazing and fertilization influence plant species richness through multiple pathways, but the exact pathways and their relative contributions are unclear. Here, we report on a 3-year field experiment on an alpine meadow in which we manipulated grazing and fertilization simultaneously to assess their direct and indirect effects on plant species richness. Results indicated that both grazing and fertilization significantly influenced plant species richness via above- and belowground pathways. Specifically, the direct effect of grazing (-0.30, effect size) on species richness was negative, mainly due to selective feeding. This was comparable, in magnitude, to a positive indirect effect of grazing (0.36) on species richness, due to decreased aboveground biomass and increased belowground biomass. The direct effect of fertilization (-0.34) on species richness was negative, which was attributed to the changes of soil pH and available nitrogen; this effect was double the indirect effect (-0.16), which largely stemmed from the increased aboveground biomass rather than changes in belowground biomass. No significant interaction of grazing and fertilization on species richness was observed, but the effect of fertilization on species richness was masked by the effect of grazing in the combined treatment. It was concluded that moderate nitrogen addition (<51.0 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) could increase local pasture productivity while also sustaining species richness stability.