Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes LMG 10470 in Poultry Meat and its Control by the Bacteriocin Plantaricin UG 1

Growth of the Listeria monocytogenes LMG10470 (L. monocytogenes) pathogen were prevented by partially purified plantaricin UG1 within almost 2-3 days in uncooked and cooked poultry meat and dry mortadella samples of chicken and turkey. Inoculation of the experimental samples of cooked and uncooked meat and dry mortadella of chicken and turkey by the Lactobacillus plantarum UG1 Lact. plantarum UG1) cells producing the bacteriocin plantaricin UG1 resulted in inactivation of the all experimental L. monocytogenes cells within almost 3-4 days. By further storage of the treated samples, a slight resurgence of L. monocytogenes growth was observed in almost all poultry samples treated with plantaricin UG1, but was not observed in all poultry samples of cooked and uncooked meat and mortadella samples of chicken and turkey inoculated with the Lact. plantarum UG1 cells producing plantaricin UG1
Properties of soluble and immobilized Aspergillus niger β‐xylosidase

Aspergillus niger β‐xylosidase was characterized when in soluble form and when immobilized to alkylamine porous silica with glutaraldehyde and to alumina with titanium tetrachloride. Energies of activation averaged 13.4 KcaL/mol for the soluble enzyme, 9.0 Kcal/mol when immobilized to alumina, and 8.0 Kcal/mol when bound to silica. The highest activity of all forms of β‐xylosidase was found near pH 3. The soluble enzyme was highly stable at pH 4, where lowest rates of decay occurred, and temperature of 65°C and below. The decay rates of alumina‐bound β‐xylosidase and pH 4 and equivalent temperatures were approximately 10 times as high. Michaells constants were 0.200 and 0.262mM for o‐nitrophenyl‐β‐D‐xylopyranoside with soluble and alumina‐bound β‐xylosidase, respectively.
Job Resources, Work Engagement, and Hotel Employee Outcomes: A Time-Lagged Analysis

Abstract This study develops and tests a research model that investigates work engagement as a mediator of the effects of coworker and supervisor support on career satisfaction, service recovery performance, job performance, and creative performance. Data were obtained from frontline hotel employees with a time lag of one month and their immediate supervisors in Cameroon. The relationships were tested using LlSREL 8.30 through structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated a better fit for the fully mediated model when compared to the partially mediated model. The results further revealed that work engagement fully mediated the effects of coworker and supervisor support on the previously mentioned outcomes. Implications of the results and their future research directions are offered.
Variation in structure and diversity in Mediterranean grasslands related to trophic status and grazing intensity

The spatial organization of Mediterranean grassland in Spain is described, based on samples from 71 sites covering the existing variation in slope exposi- tion and inclination.The whole set can be regarded as representing a trophic gradient, along which gradual variation in soil, species composition, biomass, and coverage were quantified. Corresponding to other studies from varying habitats, maximal species richness, diver- sity, and heterogeneity were observed on moderately infertile sites. Maximum species richness, over 60 spe- cies, occurred on sites with biomass values from 150 - 350 g / m2. Species richness values are much higher and biomass values are much lower than those found in temperate grasslands. The decrease in diversity towards the most eutrophic communities is stronger than expected, but can be easily explained by the high grazing pressure here. The variation in diversity observed runs parallel with that in heterogeneity. Zones with a high species richness also have a high heterogeneity, meaning a low amount of dominance. Grazing is understood as a biotic form of disturbance. Differences in grazing pressure may modify the relation between richness and fertility. While the greatest grazing pressure coincides with the most eutrophic communities, decreasing progressively towards the oligotrophic ones, the trend predicted by the resource availability theory is maintained; species diversity will be maximal at inter- mediate levels of disturbance. Absence of grazing in the eutrophic communities would lead to an investment in the soil of the unconsumed organic matter.
Reviews

Robert E. Harrist Jr., The Landscape of Words: Stone Inscriptions from Early and Medieval China Oskar Bätschmann, Giovanni Bellini Gunnar Heydenreich, Lucas Cranach the Elder: Painting Materials, Techniques and Workshop Practice; Bodo Brinkmann, ed., Cranach, exh. cat. ; Caroline Campbell, ed., Temptation in Eden: Lucas Cranach's “Adam and Eve,” exh. cat. T. J. Demos, The Exiles of Marcel Duchamp
Spanish Validation of the Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire

Abstract Self-consciousness development takes place mainly in adolescence because the brain undergoes certain structural changes that facilitate abstract thinking and metacognition, thus favoring the development of identity. Despite the importance of self-consciousness for mental health, there are no specific measurement instruments for Spanish adolescents. The objective of this study was to explore the dimensions of self-consciousness among Spanish adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and validate the Chinese Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire (ASC) in this population. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in accordance with previous validations of the ASC, using R Studio and the Lavaan package, to test its adequacy in a Spanish sample. Internal consistency and temporal stability were also tested, and evidence of validity was found. The results showed a good fit to the model eliminating four items with poor fit indices, CFI = . 90, TLI = . 89, RMSEA = . 078, 95% CI [. 076, . 080]. Higher self-consciousness was associated with greater self-esteem and lower depressive symptomatology. No significant gender differences were found. This study provides a valid measure to evaluate self-consciousness in Spanish adolescents. The relationship established between self-consciousness and anxiety and depression requires further study as self-consciousness is involved in the development and maintenance of adolescent psychopathology.
Developmental Anatomy of Lesions on ‘Sunburst’ Mandarin Leaves Initiated by Citrus Rust Mite Feeding

Upper surface leaf lesions on ‘Sunburst’ mandarin [( Citrus reticulata Blanco × ( C. paradisi Macf. × C. reticulate )] associated with feeding by the citrus rust mite [ Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashm.)] are more severe than those on other citrus cultivars. Development of leaf lesions on ‘Sunburst’ mandarin and two other cultivars were examined by light and electron microscopy. Damaged leaves treated with a fungicide confirmed that the anatomical changes on ‘Sunburst’ are an enhanced wound periderm response to feeding injury by rust mite and not the result of fungal
Bacterial response to a weak 2006 El Niño condition in an upwelling area of the Humboldt Current System

Abundance and production of the pelagic heterotrophic bacteria community were studied at northern Chile during winter and summer periods of 2006–2007 in relation to seasonal changes in physical and chemical variables, including the influence of a weak El Niño event. Bacterial abundance was estimated by flow cytometry and secondary bacterial production by protein synthesis after bacterial uptake of 14C-isoleucine. Bacterial biomass showed high values in the range of 2.84 at 96.6 µ g C l−1d−1 with a bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) of 37.4% in the summer of 2007, and 2.7% in the winter of 2006. High amounts of C (~1.2 to 1.8 g C m−2 d−1) were used for bacterial respiration in the upper 20 m. Environmental impact on bacterial abundance and BGE was reflected in a positive correlation with phytoplankton biomass (r2 > 0.40 P < 0.05), and a lack of correlation with temperature (P > 0.05). Seasonal differences in abundance and BGE were mainly attributed to an ‘abnormally’ warm winter of 2006, which caused a greater stratification of the water column—a weaker and much deeper oxycline. The oxycline is normally shallower (<20 m) in the zone because of the ascent of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) upon upwelling. Winter 2006 conditions indicated presence of a weak El Niño event. Bacteria abundance increased during this warming event, but their metabolic activity was drastically reduced, resulting in a very low BGE. Our study suggests that changes from a prevailing sub-oxic to a highly oxygenated water column could have impacted the bacterial community, thus reducing its productive capacity. Therefore, variation in vertical distribution of the OMZ forced by upwelling variability and the El Niño impact might play an important role in the dynamics of the microbial component in this highly productive upwelling system.
Carbon isotope discrimination by a sequence of Eucalyptus species along a subcontinental rainfall gradient in Australia

1. The 13C/12C discrimination (Δ) by a series of co-occurring and replacement Eucalyptus species was measured across an eightfold decrease in rainfall. As Δ is a measure of the stomatal limitation on photosynthesis, it should provide a subcontinental scale measure of water-limited plant physiological performance. 2. Leaf Δ of five of 13 species decreased with decreasing rainfall, seven exhibited no trend, and one increased. Wood Δ decreased in eight species, showed no trend in four, and increased in one species. 3. Species replacements were marked by a shift in Δ reflecting greater stomatal limitation on carbon assimilation. 4. Wood Δ was less variable than leaf Δ. 5. There was a non-linear response of the multispecies average leaf and wood Δ to decreasing total annual rainfall. This response reflected the spatial pattern of the sensitivities of Δ to decreasing rainfall of the individual species. It was not the result of a proposed emergent behaviour where the trend in the multispecies average differed from that of the individual species. 6. Patterns of Δ across the distributions of species (reflecting increasing stomatal limitation on assimilation) did not provide a simple measure of the physiological limits of the distribution of eucalypts in north-western Australia.
Voltage-dependent anion channels (VDAC) in the plasma membrane induce apoptosis

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is essential for proper development and functioning of the body systems. During development, apoptosis plays a central role to sculpt the embryo, and in adults, to maintain tissue homeostasis by eliminating redundant, damaged or effete cells. Therefore, a tight regulation of this process is essential. Cell shrinkage associated efflux of K+ and Cl– through plasma membrane ion channels is an early event of apoptosis. However, little is known about these fluxes. The aim of this thesis was to investigate ion channels in the plasma membrane of neurons undergoing apoptosis. We studied differentiated (the mouse hippocampal cell line HT22, the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-MC, and rat primary hippocampal neurons) and undifferentiated (rat primary cortical neural stem cells cNSCs) cells with the patch-clamp technique. All cell types displayed a low electrical activity under control conditions. However, during apoptosis in differentiated neurons, we found an activation of a voltage-dependent anion channel. The conductance of the channel is 400 pS, the voltage dependence of the opening is bell shaped with respect to membrane voltage with a maximum open probability at 0 mV, and the Cl− to cation selectivity is >5:1. These biophysical properties remind about the voltage-dependent anion channel normally found in the outer mitochondrial membrane (VDACmt). Hence, we call our apoptosis-inducing plasma membrane channel VDACpl. The molecular identity of the channel was corroborated with the specific labelling of different anti-VDAC antibodies. Block of this channel either with antibodies or with sucrose prevented apoptosis, suggesting a critical role for VDACpl in the apoptotic process. VDACpl is a NADH (-ferricyanide) reductase in control cells. We found that the enzymatic activity is altered while the VDACpl channel is activated during apoptosis. Surprisingly, in cNSCs we did not find any activation of VDACpl, no VDACpl-specific labelling, no enzymatic activity, and no prevention of apoptosis with VDACpl-blocking strategies. Instead, we found an activation of a voltage-independent 37 pS ion channel, and that the Cl– channel blocker DIDS prevented apoptosis in cNSCs. Our finding that activation of VDACpl is critical for apoptosis in differentiated neurons hopefully can lead to new strategies in the treatment of several diseases related to apoptosis.
The psychological coping, learning potential and career preferences profiles of operational force military candidates

The aim of this study was to profile the psychological coping, learning potential and career-related interests of 251 candidates for operational force military selection for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) – 26 of whom were successful in the selection. Data on their sense of meaning, learning potential and career-related interest were gathered using standardised measures supplemented with open-ended responses. The data were analysed to compare the profiles of the successful candidates against those not selected. The selected group showed significantly higher mean scores on meaningfulness and learning potential, and lower scores for career-related interest in law and medicine. Findings suggest that psychological coping, learning potential and career-related preference information can be used to refine the selection of operational force military candidates.
A nonsense (c.3978G>A) abnormal spindle-like, microcephaly associated (ASPM) gene mutation is a major cause of primary microcephaly in Pashtoon ethnic group of Pakistan

Primary microcephaly (MCPH) is an autosomal-recessive congenital disorder characterized by smaller-than-normal brain size and mental retardation. MCPH is genetically heterogeneous with six known loci: MCPH1 to MCPH7. The abnormal spindle-like, microcephaly associated (ASPM) gene at MCPH5 locus, which accounts for 37 to 54% of MCPH, appears to be the most common cause of microcephaly. More than 50% of the MCPH families genetically analyzed in Pakistan were mapped to MCPH5 locus including both families in this study. On mutation screening of ASPM gene by PCR amplification and direct DNA sequencing, a common c.3978G>A transition was identified in exon 17 of ASPM gene to be responsible for diseased phenotype in both families. This change results to the substitution of an amino acid residue at position 1326 from tryptophan to a stop codon (p.Trp1326Stop). The same mutation was also identified in several other families of Pakistani origin. Since the disease is both clinically and genetically heterogeneous, the diagnosis of MCPH1–7 is based on clinical findings; brain imaging that shows reduced brain volume with grossly normal architecture, family history consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance and molecular genetic testing when available. The mapping of large number of families to MCPH5 locus and identification of a common mutation, that is, c. 3978A>G of ASPM gene will enable us to formulate future strategies to control and prevent the disease by genetic counseling, prenatal/postnatal diagnosis and carrier testing. Key words: Primary microcephaly (MCPH), abnormal spindle-like, microcephaly associated (ASPM) mutations, microcephaly, Pakistani families.
Oxygen consumption of fecal pellets of doliolids (Tunicata, Thaliacea) and planktonic copepods (Crustacea, Copepoda)

Zooplankton fecal pellets are a major component of the carbon cycle in the ocean. The goal of our study was to quantify oxygen consumption rates of fecal pellets of doliolids and copepods during initial degradation of fecal pellets in the water column. Fecal pellets were collected from gonozooids of the doliolid Dolioletta gegenbauri and adult females of the calanoid copepod Eucalanus pileatus feeding on the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, and the phytoflagellate Isochrysis galbana, and the latter on T. weissflogii only. Oxygen consumption of fecal pellets was quantified by applying non-invasive optical sensors, keeping the pellets continuously suspended in their experimental vessels. Oxygen consumption rates of pellets of doliolids and copepods ranged between 4 and 16 and 1 and 5 nmol O2 mL 21 h, respectively. Average oxygen consumption rates were 212 pmol O2 h 21 for a doliolid pellet (range of 80–329 pmol O2 h ), and 101 pmol O2 h 21 for a copepod pellet (range of 50–211 pmol O2 pellet 21 h). Variations in oxygen consumption were closely related to the type of pellets, and the abundance of pellet-associated heterotrophic prokaryotes. Average numbers of heterotrophic prokaryotes per doliolid pellet reached values of up to 3 10, whereas prokaryotic numbers per copepod pellet approached 8 10. Average cell volumes of pellet-associated heterotrophic prokaryotes were enhanced by a
The effect of amylose:amylopectin ratio in dietary starch on growth performance and gut morphology in broiler chickens.

Starch is the main source of available energy in poultry diets. It is the predominant reserve carbohydrate found in plants and is the main component of the endosperm in cereal grains (EVERS et al., 1974). It is composed of two types of glucose polymers, amylose and amylopectin. Common cereal starches are approximately similar in composition with a range of 0.15 to 0.35 of the total starch being amylose. Variation in the proportion of amylose in the cereal starch can occur for two reasons: Crop growth and husbandry variables can affect the relative proportions of the two polymers. HRUBY (2005) reported a range of 0.17 to 0.29 in amylose content of the starch in 60 maize samples that were entering the commercial animal feed sector. Secondly, the proportion of amylose and amylopectin in the starch is controlled by allelic expression. Cultivars or many cereal types have been developed that are either completely composed of amylopectin (described as ‘waxy’ cultivars) or have a higher amylose content in the starch content. Small amounts of waxy cereal cultivars are grown because they are beneficial for ‘wet-milling’ processes of starch extraction and high amylose cultivars have particular thermal pasting characteristics for human food preparation (GRAYBOSCH, 1998). Although these cultivars are unlikely to be used in any significant proportions in the animal feed sector, some samples may be used that do not meet human food quality characteristics. The nutritional significance of variation in the amylose and amylopectin content of dietary starch is unclear and different approaches have given contradictory results. PIRGOZLIEV at al. (2000) demonstrated that there was a positive relationship between increasing amylose content and broiler chicken performance in a study of 12 different animal feed wheat cultivar samples that had only phenotypic, but relatively small, differences in their amylose and amylopectin content of the starch. Conversely, a number of studies have shown that full and part-waxy cereal cultivar samples, with relatively large differences in the amylase and amylopectin contents of the starch, gave improved growth performance compared to
New Material of Seggeurius amourensis (Paenungulata, Hyracoidea), Including a Partial Skull with Intact Basicranium

ABSTRACT Seggeurius is the basal-most hyracoid known to date, and one of the earliest known fossil afrotherians. This taxon has a dramatic importance in mammalian phylogeny, but until now it was known from dental remains only. Here we describe previously unpublished material of Seggeurius, including some mandibular and maxillary fragments, and a braincase. This study is the first to thoroughly describe and discuss the morphology of the ear region and osseous inner ear of a Paleogene hyracoid. It allows a reappraisal of some important characters that are often used in cladistic analyses of Paenungulata. In particular, it seems that in stem hyracoids the orbit is located caudally, the eustachian sac is absent or reduced, the course of the internal carotid artery is intrabullar and medial, and a deep epitympanic sinus, a basisphenoid contribution to the bulla, and the stapedial artery are present. The cochlear canal is rather flattened, and the secondary common crus was rapidly lost. A cladistic analysis of stem placental mammals highlights three derived traits shared by Seggeurius and stem sirenians (the tuber-shaped postglenoid process, the squared and massive mastoid apophysis of the petrosal, and the presence of a swelling on the septum metacochleare) and supports molecular analysis that hypothesizes a Hyracoidea-Sirenia sister-group relationship. This study demonstrates how useful the petrosal and labyrinthine characters of fossils can be for mammalian phylogenetic inference.
The Hair-Diet 13C and 15N Fractionation in Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus Based on a Control Diet Study

Understanding the 13C and 15N enrichments between primate diet and hair is necessary for reconstructing primate diets and ecology. However, dietary lipids need to be controlled for in order to accurately estimate the hair 13C and 15N enrichment factors (ϵ*). We report diet-hair 13C and 15N enrichment factors for vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) based on a controlled diet study in captivity. The vervet monkeys were fed a standard monkey chow exclusively. The 13Cϵ*hair-diet and 15Nϵ*hair-diet values for male adults were 2.8‰ and 2.9‰, respectively; those for lactating females were 2.4‰ and 2.2‰, respectively. The isotope enrichment between hair from infant (ca. 3 months of age) and hair from its mother were 13Cϵ*hair(infant-mother) and 15Nϵ* and 15Nϵ* hair(infant-mother) were 0.7‰ and 1.8‰, respectively.
GLOBAL GENETIC STRUCTURE OF SWORDFISH (XIPHIAS GLADIUS) AS REVEALED BY MICROSATELLITE DNA MARKERS

SUMMARY In the present study the potential of microsatellites to describe the global genetic structure of the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and to allow assigning individuals to stocks was assessed. A total number of 2,026 individuals were genotyped for four highly polymorphic microsatellite markers from the Mediterranean, North and South Atlantic, southeast Indian and southwest Pacific. In previous studies analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation have revealed strong population structuring of swordfish around the globe. Despite the great usefulness of mtDNA, this marker cannot address efficiently the complicated patterns of migration of the swordfish, which are encountered in mixed fisheries situations. A very strong population structure with highly significant divergence between the samples has been shown by microsatellites, in congruence with previous results. Significantly lower allelic diversity has been observed in the Mediterranean samples, again in agreement with mtDNA findings. A high potential of assigning individuals to stocks has been found in the case of Mediterranean versus Atlantic fish, and a small degree of diffusion of Mediterranean individuals to the Atlantic and vice versa has been detected. More information, by including additional markers will be needed to achieve individual assignment between the other pairs of neighbouring stocks that show a smaller level of genetic divergence. RESUME