Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unveiling the Biocatalytic Aromatizing Activity of Monoamine Oxidases MAO-N and 6-HDNO: Development of Chemoenzymatic Cascades for the Synthesis of Pyrroles

A chemoenzymatic cascade process for the sustainable production of pyrroles has been developed. Pyrroles were synthesized by exploiting the previously unexplored aromatizing activity of monoamine oxidase enzymes (MAO-N and 6-HDNO). MAO-N/6-HDNO whole cell biocatalysts are able to convert 3-pyrrolines into pyrroles under mild conditions and in high yields. Moreover, MAO-N can work in combination with the ruthenium Grubbs catalyst, leading to the synthesis of pyrroles from diallylamines/-anilines in a one-pot cascade metathesis–aromatization sequence.
Insects in the City: Evaluating Pollination and Biological Control in Urban Neighborhoods

Cities are a dynamically shifting entity with environmental disturbances and social and economic forces that affect plants and arthropods. Although a decline in habitat quality generally reduces arthropod biodiversity along a rural-urban gradient, researchers have only recently examined community-level patterns within urban boundaries. In this dissertation, I examined plant-pollinator interactions and prey suppression from natural enemies in residential neighborhoods and urban agriculture. Pollinators and natural enemies are desirable for crop productivity and the potential to reduce insecticide application against herbivores. In chapter 1, I investigated pollination services in an array of potted garden plants. This study found that several efficient pollinators remain in cities. While these pollinators partitioned visits uniquely among different plant species, yield was similar in each species. In chapter 2, I evaluated patterns of floral community and attributes in neighborhoods. The greatest floral species richness occurred in ethnically diverse neighborhoods and areas with intermediate development intensity. Most plant species in Chicago, IL are non-native and perennial, but I identified that most pollinator visits were restricted to a sub-group of plants belonging to weedy and perennial species (Chapter 3). These modified visitation patterns influenced network characteristics. In the final two chapters of this dissertation I focused on predatory-prey interactions in brassica, a commonly cultivated plant family in urban agriculture. I investigated if the resource concentration hypothesis applies in the urban setting by comparing cabbageworm and aphid pests in three scales of food production. Additionally, I analyzed the influence of top-down herbivore control by natural enemies. I identified a diverse natural community in each agricultural scale, which was a stronger force at regulating herbivores (Chapter 4). Prey suppression was similar in each scale and across the urban landscape (Chapter 5). Most sentinel cabbage looper items were attacked by predators. By researching patterns in urban biodiversity within cities, I identified how fine scale variation in landscape and local factors mediate plant, pollinator, and natural enemies in densely populated areas. This information can be used to identify areas for extra resources and conservation priority.
Redescription of the largest ice bug, Namkungia magnus com. nov. (Grylloblattodea, Grylloblattidae) from Korea

The largest ice bug species, Namkungia magnus (Namkung, 1986) from Balgudeuk cave at Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, Korea is transferred from the genus Galloisiana and redescribed with setae and trichobothria patterns, and with mouthpart, basisternum and genital structure descriptions based on the morphological characters. This species resembles N. biyongensis (Namkung, 1974) by its large size (longer than 30 mm), eyeless condition, more than 47antennomeres, and 12 cercomeres but is distinguished by asymmetrical supra-anal plate of the bulging 9th abdominal tergite with truncate projection, 52 antennomeres, the cervical sclerite with nine setae (11 on right) on the lateral margin of the left, and copulatory sclerites of the genital structure.
Recherches d’écologie quantitative dans les écosystèmes coralliens de Polynésie

La P.remière expédition scientifique sur les édifices coralliens ne date que de 1930, il y a un peu plus de quarante ans. Ainsi débutèrent les recherches écologiques en ce domaine dans une région particulièrement bien choisie puisqu'il s'ag.issait de la grande barrière de corail, longeant sur 1 300 km les côtes du Queensland en Australie. Auparavant, il ne s'était guère agi que de recherches isolées, essentiellement faunistiques. Les récoltes de faunes exotiques au cours des grands voyages des xvnt" et x1x• siècJes n'avaient permis que la rédaction d'importantes mono­ graphies qui servent aujourd'hui encore d'ouvrages systématiques de l'éférence. ·
Original Article Effect of Malt Pretreatment on Phytate and Tannin Level of two Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) Cultivars

Summary The seeds of two cultivars of Sudanese sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), namely Wad Ahmed and Tabat, were germinated for 4 days to obtain 1-, 2- and 4-day-old malts. Sorghum malt (5% and 10%) was added to sorghum flour. The mixtures were incubated at 30 °C with shaking for 30, 60, 90 and 120 min. Malting loss was very slight for both cultivars and for all incubation periods. Phytic acid and tannin contents were assayed for all treatments. The results revealed that phytate and tannin contents were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced when sorghum flour was pretreated with malt. When a mixture containing 10%, 4-day-old malt and sorghum flour was incubated for 120 min, it significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced phytate and tannin contents by 92% and 98%, respectively, for Wad Ahmed cultivar, while for Tabat they were reduced by 93% and 96%, respectively. The rate of reduction of phytate and tannin content increased with incubation time and malt age and concentration.
Some Kinetic Properties and Inhibition of Glutathione S-Transferase from a Hybridized Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Glutathione S-transferase enzymes (GSTs) play central roles in phase II detoxification of both xenobiotics and endogenous compounds in almost all living organisms. The enzyme was extracted and partially purified from wheat leaves through a procedure including ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by dialysis and gel filtration chromatography. These procedures yielded a 7.14-fold purification with 71% recovery. Optimum activity conditions-pH, temperature and ionic strength-of the enzyme were determined. Its some kinetic properties such as Vmax, KM, and kcat were calculated for GSH and CDNB substrates. The kcat/KM values of the enzyme were 603.5 for GSH and 385.3 for CDNB. The native molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 52 kDa based on its mobility in gel filtration column.
Human identification & forensic analyses of degraded or low level DNA

DNA-based human identification is employed in varying situations, such as disaster victim identification, relationship testing and forensic analyses. When DNA is of low quality and/or quantity, standard methods for DNA profiling may not suffice. The research described in this thesis is aimed at the development of additional or alternative methods to extract information from a person’s DNA. The explored methods include: optimised sampling, the use of smaller and/or other types of DNA markers, increased analysis sensitivity, DNA repair, and combining marker sets. These studies have been performed to get closer to the answer regarding the question: “To whom belongs this body? ”
Acute Myositis of the Tibialis Anterior Muscle after Performance of 108 Prostrations

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) can be caused by novel or unaccustomed exercise resulting in a temporary decrease in muscle function, increased muscle soreness and swelling, and an increase in muscle proteins in blood. A 38-year-old female presented with a 2-week history of bilateral lower leg pain and swelling that developed suddenly after performing 108 prostrations. Fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral symmetric high signal intensity of the tibialis anterior muscles. Our patient was diagnosed with acute myositis and treated with naproxen. History of physical exertion and acute onset of typical clinical findings of myositis were key elements in the diagnosis. Acute myositis related to exercise is a common and self-limiting condition which fully resolves after 2 to 3 weeks. However, other causes of myositis should be excluded in patients with atypical clinical features. (J Rheum Dis 2016;23:382-385)
Two-stage mean-risk stochastic mixed integer optimization model for location-allocation problems under uncertain environment

The problem of the optimal location-allocation of processing factory and distribution center for supply chain networks under uncertain transportation cost and customer demand are studied. We establish a two-stage mean-risk stochastic 0-1 mixed integer optimization model, by considering the uncertainty and the risk measure of the supply chain. Given the complexity of the model this paper proposes a modified hybrid binary particle swarm optimization algorithm (MHB-PSO) to solve the resulting model, yielding the optimal location and maximal expected return of the supply chain simultaneously. A case study of a bread supply chain in Shanghai is then presented to investigate the specific influence of uncertainties on the food factory and distribution center location. Moreover, we compare the MHB-PSO with hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm and hybrid genetic algorithm, to validate the proposed algorithm based on the computational time and the convergence rate.
Habitat-correlated seed germination and morphology in populations of Phillyrea angustifolia L. (Oleaceae)

Abstract The broad aim of this work was to study intraspecific variation of seed germination in Phillyrea angustifolia L. (Oleaceae), a species with a hard (water-permeable) endocarp. Germination of seeds from six different wild populations was correlated with traits related either to seed morphology or to environmental parameters. Germination of naked seeds (seeds without endocarp) at the optimum germination conditions was similar among populations and individuals, but great differences could be detected regarding the germination of seeds with endocarp both at inter- and intra-populational levels. Differences among populations could be related to climatic parameters and to morphometric variables of seeds with endocarp. A higher germination was associated with populations growing in habitats with more severe summer (higher temperature, lower precipitation and a longer drought period) and producing elongated seeds (lower Feret ratio and roundness). Moreover, seeds from eight different individuals within a population were tested independently, and great differences regarding the germination of seeds with endocarp could be detected among individuals. Our results suggest that the morphological variation found in P. angustifolia endocarp is both under strong maternal genetic control as well as influenced by environmental factors, as indicated by the high variability among individuals within one population and the significant correlation between climate variables and seed germination among populations. Finally, it is emphasized that standardization of plant propagation protocols should take into account the degree of intraspecific variation of Mediterranean species.
Survivorship of male and female Bactrocera dorsalis in the field and the effect of male annihilation technique

Male annihilation technique (MAT) is a key component of management of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae), because of the ‘strong’ attraction of males to the lure methyl eugenol. The optimal application density for MAT has not been investigated for this economically important pest species. We tested the effect of two levels of MAT application density compared to a no‐MAT control on the daily survivorship of male and female B. dorsalis estimated by mark‐release‐recapture (MRR) using a 1‐km2 passive sampling network. Estimated daily survivorship from two separate MRR trials under control (no MAT) conditions was 0.751 for males and 0.948 for females. Male survivorship was similar under control (no MAT) and high application density (256 spots km−2; daily survivorship 0.704). However, estimated male survivorship was significantly lower under the low application density (100 spots km−2; daily survivorship 0.211). A similar pattern was observed in estimated female survivorship, with a significant reduction in survivorship under the low rate compared with control and high application density (low‐density estimated survivorship 0.652, high density 0.881). The results suggest that a lower application density may be more effective against B. dorsalis than the high application density. A lower application density for effective MAT would benefit growers and the public with respect to management of B. dorsalis through reduced labor and material costs, limiting potential environmental impacts, and increased logistical simplicity finding application sites in urban environments.
Competitive inhibition of phytic acid on enzymatic browning of chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume)

The inhibitory effects of phytic acid (PA) on the browning of fresh-cut chestnuts and the associated mechanisms of PA on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities were investigated. The enzymatic browning of chestnut surfaces and interiors was suppressed by soaking shelled and sliced chestnuts in a PA solution. The specific activities of PPO and POD extracted from chestnuts declined due to inhibition by PA. PA was determined to be a competitive inhibitor of both PPO and POD by Lineweaver-Burk plots. The binding modes of PA with PPO and POD were analysed by AutoDock 4.2.
Fish and Invertebrate Flow‐Biology Relationships to Support the Determination of Ecological Flows for North Carolina

A method was developed to characterize fish and invertebrate responses to flow alteration in the state of North Carolina. This method involved using 80th percentile linear quantile regressions to relate six flow metrics to the diversity of riffle‐run fish and benthic Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) richness. All twelve flow‐biology relationships were found to be significant, with both benthos and fish showing negative responses to ecodeficits and reductions in flow. The responses of benthic richness to reduced flows were consistent and generally greater than that of fish diversity. However, the riffle‐run fish guild showed the greatest reductions in diversity in response to summer ecodeficits. The directional consistency and differential seasonal sensitivities of fish and invertebrates to reductions in flow highlight the need to consider seasonality when managing flows. In addition, all relationships were linear, and therefore do not provide clear thresholds to support ecological flow determinations and flow prescriptions to prevent the degradation of fish and invertebrate communities in North Carolina rivers and streams. A method of setting ecological flows based on the magnitude of change in biological condition that is acceptable to society is explored.
Deconvolution of membrane currents for low-crosstalk high-resolution membrane capacitance measurements

Many cellular activities involving cell membrane manifest through changes in membrane capacitance. The accuracy and precision of cell membrane capacitance measurement is limited by the measuring system, which distorts membrane current responses used for analysis of impedance parameters. We developed a practical deconvolution procedure for reconstruction of the time course of membrane current and applied it to current responses recorded at step voltage changes by the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. In contrast to the recorded current responses, the reconstructed current responses could be exactly described by adequate impedance models of the recorded circuit. Deconvolution of membrane currents improved the performance of the square-wave method of high-resolution membrane capacitance recording by providing higher accuracy in a wider range of cell sizes and by eliminating cross-talk errors in parameter estimates. This allowed resolving instabilities in the recording conditions arising from parasitic capacitance and seal resistance variation. Complex tests on hardware models, on simulated data sets, and on living cells confirmed reliability of the deconvolution method for membrane capacitance recording. The aptitude of the method was demonstrated in isolated cardiac myocytes by recording spontaneous vesicular events, by discerning formation of a fusion pore, and by revealing artefacts due to unstable seal resistance.
Firewood collected after a catastrophic wind event: the bark beetle (Scolytinae) and woodborer (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) community present over a 3‐year period

An EF 3 tornado created a 63‐km path through urban and forested areas of western Massachusetts, U.S.A. , on 1 June 2011. We collected ash, birch, maple, oak and pine logs from the tornado blowdown, once per year, over a 3‐year period and split these into firewood sized pieces. Firewood was then placed into rearing barrels and insects were collected for 1 year. An estimated 38 121 beetles from 42 species of Buprestidae, Cerambycidae and Curculionidae: Scolytinae were reared from firewood over the 3‐year period. The most abundant species collected included Hylesinus aculeatus Say (85% of total), Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford) (3.9%) and Monarthrum mali (Fitch) (3.6%). The largest abundance of insects was found from ash in 2012 and 2014, and from maple in 2013. Species richness was highest in oak in 2012 and 2013, and in birch and pine in 2014. Four species of exotic xyleborines [Cyclorhipidion pelliculosum (Eichhoff), X. attenuatus, Xyleborinus saxesenii and Xylosandrus germanus (Bladford)] were reared out of every firewood genus and accounted for a large proportion of the Scolytinae captured. Potential new host associations include the Cerambycidae Astylopsis macula (Say) in red pine, the Scolytinae Gnathotrichus materiarius (Fitch) in hardwoods, and M. mali, X. attenuatus and X. saxesenii in ash. Firewood harvested from a large scale disturbance in northeastern hardwood forests produced large numbers of insects, even 3 years after the disturbance.
PARÁSITOS SANGUÍNEOS DE MALARIA Y GÉNEROS RELACIONADOS (ORDEN: HAEMOSPORIDA) EN AVES DE MÉXICO: RECOMENDACIONES METODOLÓGICAS PARA CAMPO Y LABORATORIO

Malaria parasites and related genera (order: Haemosporida) in birds from Mexico: methodological recommendations for the field and laboratory. – Parasites from the order Haemosporida (phylum: Apicomplexa) are transmitted by blood-sucking insects (order Diptera) and infect a wide array of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Four genera of these parasites have been reported in birds: Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Fallisia, and Leucocytozoon. Most studies on this group of parasites have been conducted in North America and Europe. In the Neotropical region studies are still scarce but have recently increased. In Mexico, our literature survey reveals the existence of 17 published studies. However, in many of these studies we detected shortcomings in the correct preparation of blood smears, such as lack of fixing in methanol and inadequate staining, which makes parasite identification difficult and renders blood smears useless as material for museum collections. Furthermore, we find similar mistakes in more recent unpublished studies (conference presentations, theses). Here we make methodological recommendations for the correct preparation and processing of blood smears both in the field and the laboratory. Our aim is to provide practical help to ornithologists and parasitologists interested in working with this group of parasites, in order to obtain high quality material that can subsequently be deposited at museum collections.
Identification of QTL and candidate genes for plant density tolerance in maize

Though demand for grain continues to rise, the amount of available agricultural land is unlikely to change in the near future. To continue to increase crop yields to meet these growing demands, it is suggested that improving yield will need to be achieved by increasing yield on a per-unit basis. This can be achieved by raising plant density while retaining current ‘per plant’ yields. Furthermore, a portion of historical yield increases have been suggested as resulting from increased plant density tolerance (Duvick 2005).
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Doripenem Colistin Combination on Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumanii Isolates by E-test Agar Dilution and Ultrastrastructural Methods

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii (A.baumannii) is a serious nosocomial pathogen and a threat for hospitalized patients especially in intensive care units (ICUs). Infections caused by the bacteria are difficult to treat owing to the frequent development of resistant strains which are mostly multidrug resistant (MDR). Emerging resistance to carbapenems is an alarming issue. As treatment options are limited so the discovery of new therapies, including combination therapy, is required. Doripenem is a new carbapenem, which is more stable against carbapenemases. Colistin remains a last line treatment for MDR A.baumannii and its combined use with cabapenems may present a possible strategy for treatment of serious bacterial infections. Objective: In this study we evaluated the efficacy and antibacterial activity of doripenem monotherapy versus doripenem combination therapy with colistin against carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates in vitro. Methodology: Thirty two carbapenem non-susceptible A. baumannii clinical isolates were identified and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination were done by using VITEK2 compact system (bioMerieux, France). Phenotypic detection of MBLs was assessed using MBL E-test strips. Synergy testing was performed by agar dilution E-test method using doripenem E-test strips and colistin at 1/2 MIC values. Morphological changes were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: All 32 A. baaumannii isolates were resistant to carbapenems including doripenem and 23/32 (72%) were resistant to colistin. The colistin doripenem combination displayed synergy in (27/32; 84%) among carbapenem resistant isolates while antagonism was detected in 5/32 (16%). Metallo-f-lactamase (MBL) production was detected in 24 isolates (75%); however the MBL status did not affect the synergistic activity of the combination therapy. Electron microscopy on selected isolates showed major morphological changes after exposure of A. baumannii to doripenem and colistin combination confirming synergy between the 2 drugs. Conclusion: This study confirms the superiority of doripenem colistin combination at 1/2 MIC over doripenem or colistin monotherapy in both carbapenem resistant and carbapenem colistin resistant A. baumanni isolates. This combination could be a life-saving alternative for treatment of serious infections that improves the clinical outcome of critically ill patients in ICU. This should be further examined in clinical studies.
Cranial morphology of European passerine bird families (Aves, Passeriformes)

Abstract The subject of this study focuses on the cranial morphology of 24 native European passerine bird families. In addition to the discussion of taxonomical questions regarding to the examination of beak, orbit, cranium and mandible, the author aims to provide guidance to the determination of raptors’ prey remains. Most of the studied bird families are well-distinguishable using the knowledge on the mentioned osteological traits except some less-specialised families.