Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atlas morphology, scaling and locomotor behaviour in primates, rodents and relatives (Mammalia: Euarchontoglires)

The mammalian atlas, or first cervical vertebra, supports the weight of the head and enables complex movements of the head and neck via articulations with the cranium and axis (second cervical vertebra). Despite these ubiquitous functional roles, the morphology of the atlas varies widely among mammals, suggesting that its shape may be associated with allometry, ecology, behaviour or a combination of these factors. Here, we test the hypotheses that atlas shape is correlated with body size, head size and locomotor behaviour in Euarchontoglires, a diverse group of mammals including primates, rodents, lagomorphs, tree shrews and colugos. We use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to quantify the shape of the atlas vertebra in 64 species, and use a phylogenetic comparative framework to examine trends in atlas shape across a broad swath of the mammalian tree. Our results indicate that body size is associated with atlas morphology across euarchontogliran mammals, whereas head size and locomotion are not. Strong phylogenetic signal in atlas shape among all groups reiterates the importance of considering evolutionary non-independence of traits, and we further discuss integration of phylogenetic and shape data.
Impact of Sowing Interval on the Yield and Yield Contributing Traits of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under the Tropical Circumstance

Abstract The experiment was conducted to study the impact of sowing interval on the yield and yield contributing traits of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), under the tropical circumstance, during 2016, at the research area present near Faculty of Agriculture, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Science, Uthal, Balochistan. Experimental treatments were comprising three varieties of sesame, SV1 (TS-5), SV2 (TH-6) and SV3 (4002), and cultivated under different three sowing dates, at 15 days interval: S1 = 1st sowing (15 March 2016), S2 = 2nd sowing (1st April 2016) and S3 =3rd sowing (15 April 2016). The results of various observations, i.e. plant height at maturity (cm), 1000-seed weight (g), seed mass (t ha−1), yield index (%) rooting depth (cm) and root weight per plant was found to be significant both for the all the sowing dates and sesame genotypes. Non significant finding was observed in traits of biological yield per plant (g) and root-shoot ratio. Whereas interaction among all the treatment factors was non-significant. Maximum yield and yields contributing parameters was observed in S3 = 3rd sowing (15 April 2016) and sesame genotype SV1 (TS-5), followed by SV2 (TH-6), while minimum yield was noted in S3 = 3rd sowing (15 April 2016) and SV3 (4002) sesame genotypes. On the basis of the coastal agroclimatic condition of district Lasbela, it was concluded that maximum yield production was achieved from the sesame variety (TS-5), as compared to other two sesame (TH-6 and 4002) varieties. Sowing date of sesame at 15th April 2016 was more productive, as compared to the other sowing interval. Coastal climatic condition is feasible for sesame cultivation, especially for the sesame variety (TS-5).
Assessing Impact of Coordinated Comprehensive Regional Extension Publications: A Case Study of the Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management Working Group

In 2014, the Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management (SNIPM) Working Group published both print and electronic versions of IPM for Shrubs in Southeastern U.S. Nursery Production: Volume I. Five hundred print books (of 3000 copies) were distributed to commercial ornamental growers and extension educators in return for their participation in a follow-up survey. The survey was administered to determine the value of book contents, savings that growers realized from using the book, perceived value of the book had users been asked to pay for it, and demographic information. The survey response rate was 46.2%, with respondents from 18 states. Of 243 respondents, 194 (79.8%) had used the book. Entomology information was most used and most useful, followed by plant pathology, weed science, and cultural information. Collective savings attributed to book use totaled $408,832/year for the 194 nurseries that used the book. Applying the use rate (79.8%) identified in this survey, this represents $5.62million in savings per year for the 3000 printed books, of which 2394 are estimated to have been used. Savings varied by the type and size of operation. Larger operations had greater savings per year. Container growers saved $44.15/acre and field growers $28.37/acre. The price that growers were willing to pay for the book also varied by operation type and size. Extension educators and growers were willing to pay an average of $41.20, with an additional $0.063/acre for container growers and $0.126/acre for field growers. Return on investment for the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant funding for the project was $187.60 per dollar of funding. This survey demonstrates that collaborative efforts can produce high-value deliverables with significant regional and/or national impact.
The complete chloroplast genome of Sisymbrium irio

Abstract The complete chloroplast genome of Sisymbrium irio was determined. The length of the complete chloroplast genome is 154,001 bp. The whole chloroplast genome consists of 83,891 bp long single copy (LSC) and 17,630 bp small single copy (SSC) regions, separated by a pair of 26,240 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The S. irio chloroplast genome encodes 112 annotated known unique genes including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. The phylogenetic position of S. irio is sister to Brassiceae and Thlaspideae.
Pheromone-mediated mating disruption of Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Tunisian vineyards: Effect on insect population dynamics

Abstract The mating disruption technique using Checkmate® VMB-XL pheromone dispensers, in combination with imidacloprid-based insecticide treatments through drip irrigation, was tested against vine mealybug in Tunisian vineyards for the first time in the South Mediterranean area. The number of male vine mealybugs caught in traps of mating disruption (MD) plots was significantly lower than that of Non-MD plots, indicating that the application of Checkmate® VMB-XL significantly disrupted the male-female vine mealybug sexual communication. The cumulative effect of mating disruption on vine mealybug over time reached 120 days. Two months after Checkmate® VMB-XL application, the density of mealybug nymphs and adult females on grapevine basal leaves was significantly reduced in all MD plots. The obtained results provide evidence that the application of Checkmate® VMB-XL under Center-South Tunisian vineyard conditions proved to be very effective in confusing vine mealybug males and disrupting the mating process. The eventual future use of this technique in Integrated Pest Management programs in Tunisia is discussed herein.
Effect of Nitric Oxide on the Growth and Development of Arabidopsis thaliana

Besides the signaling function, nitric oxide can also serve as a source of nitrogen in plants. Fixation of nitric oxide seems to be mediated by non-symbiotic hemoglobins and thereby introducing it into the N-metabolic pathway. These new findings could be important for breeding to generate plants with improved growth.
Targeted Molecular Dynamics Simulations Suggest Direct Ligand Competition as a Plausible Efflux Inhibition Mechanism in the Multidrug Resistance Pump AcrB

We report computer simulation results using the Targeted Molecular Dynamics technique to explore possible transport mechanisms in the multidrug efflux pump AcrB for two substrates, ethidium bromide and a tetrahydropyridine derivative. These studies revealed structural elements, including specific α-helices, β-strands and flexible loops that define a physically plausible pathway for substrates to the extracellular environment. These calculation results can be used to plan future biophysical experiments and may suggest interesting drug design possibilities to address drug resistance due to AcrB function. Importance Addressing the issue of antimicrobial resistance mediated by efflux, this study presents possible binding sites and structures in the AcrB MDR pump that could be molecular targets for drugs. Targeted molecular dynamics simulations suggested that these sites and structures seem vital for a successful efflux. The AcrB is proposed to be divided into three distinct zones, with loops, sheets and helices mediating the passage of molecules from one zone to another. We also described possible capture sites on the outer part of the protein and access ways to its interior. Finally, we proposed that ligand competition for same pathways could be thought as an efflux inhibitory mechanism, thus assisting to conceive new ways of designing efflux pump inhibitors.
An intermittent control model predicts the triphasic muscles activity during hand reaching

There are numerous ways to reach for an apple hanging from a tree. Yet, our motor system uses a specific muscle activity pattern to generate reaching movements that have similar characteristics. For many decades, we know that this pattern features activity bursts and silent periods. We suggest that these bursts are a strong evidence against the common view that the brain continuously controls the commands to the muscles. Instead, we suggest a model that changes these commands in a discrete way. We use unsupervised machine learning to identify transitions in the state of the muscles, and show that fitting a discrete model to the kinematics of movement using only one parameter predicts the transitions in the state of the muscles. Such discrete controller suggests that the brain reduces the complexity of the motor control problem as well as the wear-and-tear of the muscles by sending commands to the muscles at sparse times. Identifying this discrete controller can be applied in the control of prostheses and physical human-robot interaction systems such as exoskeletons and assistive devices.
Study on the Effect of Asparagus Extracts on Promoting Metabolism of the Body

Abstract This study aims to analyze the effective ingredients of asparagus extracts and the changes of vitamins content in mice body after the intake of asparagus extracts, thus to conclude the effect of asparagus extracts on body metabolism during exercises. Extracts were made into different concentrations of solution and given to the mice by intragastric administration. The content of micro-elements and vitamin groups in the mice body before and after the drug administration were detected respectively and biochemical index parameter values before and after swimming were measured respectively. Results showed that, 20 min after the drug administration, the content of blood lactic acid of the mice in the swimming experiment group decreased significantly. Besides, the content of muscle glycogen decreased and correspondingly the content of hepatic glycogen increased significantly (experiment group one and two: p < 0.01; experiment group 3: p < 0.05). Thus the ethanol extract solution of asparagus can effectively improve body metabolism.
On the Atomic Carcinogenic Mechanism and Cure for Cancer: Ferrochemistry for Cause of Warburg Effect

A cure for cancer is formulated by a new theory for cancer genesis by Ferrochemistry (Little Effect) and Laws of Ferrochemistry for disrupting the Kreb Cycle and accelerating the glycolysis due to enzymatic substitutions of primordial 12C, 14N, 16O, 24Mg, 31P, and 32S nuclides by less healthy nonprimordial 13C, 15N, 17O, 25Mg, 30P, 32P, and 33S nuclides. The nonprimordial nuclides fractionally fission to produce different QF and L continua for different enzymatic activity and biochemistry on the substrates for nuclear spins altering the chemical machinery and chemical operation of the cellular physicochemical chemistry for the origin of cancer. A theoretical cure for cancer (with few side effects) is discovered for killing these malfunctioning cancer cells of high nonprimordial isotopic concentrations by selectively energize these isotopes in strong static magnetic fields and many dynamic magnetic fields so as to selectively kill the cancer cells with minimal effects on normal cells.
Genetic diversity of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) populations in the Republic of Korea based on COI sequence

Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) has caused severe agricultural damage in Asian regions. To clarify genetic relationships among different populations of R. pedestris in Korea, 294 COI sequences were generated from 294 individual samples collected in 42 local regions. In total, 36 haplotypes were detected from the 294 COI sequences, and the genetic distances among the 42 local populations ranged from 0.00 % to 1.50 %. In the AMOVA results, a variability of more than 98 % was observed within populations, and the median joining (MJ) networks revealed that R. pedestris has expanded by crossing the nine geographical groups. Most of the samples shared one haplotype, H2; however, some samples obtained from the same regions displayed slight genetic differences. These results indicate that R. pedestris have undergone a series of genetic variations.
Crosstalk of TTC5 cofactor and the estrogen receptor in breast cancer

The estrogen receptor (ER) is a transcription factor that regulates a wide array of genes and whose activity is a determinant for the prognosis of diseases such as breast cancer. ER, through L-X-X-L-L (L=leucine, X=any amino acid) motifs, interacts with cofactors such as TTC5 (tetratricopeptide repeat domain 5) which is a 440 amino acid protein, predicted to have 6 TPR (tetratricopeptide repeat) motifs and 4 LXXLL motifs, which are known to mediate protein-protein interactions. TTC5 has been shown previously to interact with and regulate the glucocorticoid receptor, which belongs to the same family of nuclear hormone receptors as ER. Thus, this provided the basis for the investigation of the role of TTC5 in ER signalling. This investigation revealed that TTC5 interacts with estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) in MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells, and that ER transcriptional activity on an estrogen response element was regulated by different TPR and LXXLL motifs of TTC5 in a cellspecific manner. Partial knockdown of TTC5 via siRNA led to a decrease of proliferation in cells treated with 17b-estradiol (E2), raloxifene and tamoxifen, indicating a potential role for TTC5 in breast cancer progression and survival. Effects of TTC5 silencing on cyclin D1 makes this molecule a candidate for inhibiting cyclin D1 gene expression. In summary, this thesis uncovers TTC5 as a novel regulatory factor of ER function, and identifies effects of TTC5 on cell proliferation. These key findings enhance our understanding of ER signalling which, given its importance for diseases such as breast cancer, may have important clinical implications for instance through targeting of TTC5.
Universal temporal rate of DNA replication origin firing: A balance between origin activation and passivation

The time-dependent rate I(t) of origin firing per length of unreplicated DNA presents a universal bell shape in eukaryotes that has been interpreted as the result of a complex time-evolving interaction between origins and limiting firing factors. Here we show that a normal diffusion of replication fork components towards localized potential replication origins (p-oris) can more simply account for the I(t) universal bell shape, as a consequence of a competition between the origin firing time and the time needed to replicate DNA separating two neighboring p-oris. We predict the I(t) maximal value to be the product of the replication fork speed with the squared p-ori density. We show that this relation is robustly observed in simulations and in experimental data for several eukaryotes. Our work underlines that fork-component recycling and potential origins localization are sufficient spatial ingredients to explain the universality of DNA replication kinetics.
Micropropagation of two species of Micranthocereus (Cactaceae) with ornamental potential native to Bahia, Brazil

The two target cactus species in this study, Micranthocereus flaviflorus subsp. densiflorus (Buining and Brederoo) P.J.Braun and Esteves and Micranthocereus. polyanthus subsp. alvinii M. Machado and Hofacker, are endemic to the state of Bahia and have ornamental value. Therefore, this work proposed to establish M. flaviflorus in vitro, as well as to micropropagate both species. The temperature regimes 25°C and 30°C and the alternating temperatures of 15 to 25°C were tested for in vitro germination of M. flaviflorus seeds, which achieved higher germination rates at 25°C. Regarding nutrient media, the lower water potentials of MS and MS/2 media, when compared to agar, allowed the germination of M. flaviflorus seeds. Furthermore, the test of plant growth regulators for in vitro multiplication consisted of regulator concentrations in a factorial arrangement (2x4): Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (0 and 1.34 μmol L-1) and Kinetin (KIN) (0, 6.74, 20.22 and 40.44 μmol L-1) in MS/2 media. Shoots of different lengths derived from in vitro propagation were removed from explants and directly planted in plastic cups for survival appraisal. In the in vitro propagation of the studied species, the association of the highest KIN concentration (40.44 μmol L-1) to 1.34 μmol L-1 of NAA significantly reduced the number of shoots per explant. The use of 1.34 μmol L-1 of NAA without cytokinin is suggested for in vitro multiplication in both species. Shoot size was determinant for survival during acclimatization, and so, the usage of shoots at least 0.6 and 1.5 cm long for M. flaviflorus and M. polyanthus, respectively, is recommended for ex vitro establishment. Key words: Acclimatization, Brazilian flora, Cactaceae, conservation.
The “Extended Brown” Plumage Color Mutant of Blue-Breasted Quail (Coturnix chinensis) is Associated with a Mutation in the Melanocortin 1-Receptor Gene (MC1R)

The mutant plumage color “extended brown (EB)” of the blue-breasted quail was genetically investigated. Mating experiments revealed that the EB plumage is controlled by an autosomal, incompletely dominant allele, for which we propose the symbol Eb. The EB plumage is characterized by dark brown color, and homozygotes for this mutation generally showed darker pigmentation than the heterozygotes. DNA sequencing and PCR-RFLP analyses of the EB mutants showed a rigid association between the EB plumage and a G-to-A nucleotide substitution at position 274 in the melanocortin 1-receptor gene (MC1R), clearly indicating that MC1R is the candidate gene for the EB plumage color in the blue-breasted quail.
Investigation of male Golden-winged Warbler plumage traits as sexually selected ornaments

Substantial evidence has now demonstrated that fertilization competition selects for the most effective status-signaling and female-stimulating ornaments and that females measurably benefit from choosing males with the most elaborate ornaments. Studying sexually selected traits begins with characterizing ornaments and identifying signaling functions. In this study, I characterized ornamentation of the carotenoid-based crown plumage, melanin-based throat plumage, and structurally derived tail white plumage of breeding male Golden-winged Warblers in the Appalachian Mountains. I tested for geographic and age-based variation of plumage traits and investigated their quality indicating and behavioral signaling functions. I found a latitudinal gradient of variation in crown and throat coloration and regional differences in body condition, with the southern birds showing less ornamentation and lower body condition. Plumage traits were not indicative of body condition but older birds displayed more white on their tails and co-variation of crown and throat coloration. Males with less-ornamented crowns were more aggressive to simulated territorial intrusions while males with greater tail white ornamentation provisioned nestlings more often. My study has demonstrated that there is measurable variation and signaling potential in male Golden-winged Warbler plumage traits, thus suggesting these ornaments are sexually selected traits.
Efecto de toldillos tratados industrial o manualmente con insecticidas de larga duración, en el control vectorial de la leishmaniasis cutánea en la Región Subandina de Colombia

The effects of long lasting insecticide treated bednet (LLNs) on Lutzomyia longiflocosa, a presumed main vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Colombia were evaluated. Controlled experiments were earned out using tunnel. WHO cones, and the Skovmand device, modified for sandflies. In this bioassays, four washed (standard and traditional) and unwashed LLNs. treated in factory (alphacypermethrin and deltamethrin, two doses) or by the do it yourself method (lambdacyhalothrin) were evaluated. Deltametluin and lambdacyhalothrin LLNs were evaluated in experimental huts. These LLNs were evaluated in an intervention trial in 21 rural settlements on the sub-Andean region of Huila department dining two years, hi the controlled experiments, the four LLNs caused high mortality (>80%) up to 20 standard washes. The traditional washed caused high mortality, but up to 10 washes. The LLNs produced the following effects on L. Jovgiflocosa'. knock down, initancy. inhibition of passing through the net and feeding inhibition. Lambdacyhalothrin and deltametluin LLNs produced the best results. The experimental huts caused high mortality, passing through the net and landing inhibition and induced exophily. The protective effect of both LLNs was high (70-90%). For the intervention trial, both LLNs caused a significantly reduction (70% approximately) in the indoors abundance of L. Jovgiflocosa up to two years post-intervention. The percentage of fully-fed females was also reduced. The high efficacy and effectiveness of LLNs against L. Jovgiflocosa was demonstrated in different scales. Therefore, the use of LLNs may have strong impact in the control of CL along the sub-Andean region.