Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tackling the Cell Wall of the Grape Berry

The cell wall (CW) is the dynamic border of plant cells. In grape berries, the CW decisively accounts for the difference between the pulp and skin cells, with direct consequences on the grape characteristics, wine quality and wine-making methods. The softening of mature berries results from the de- polymerisation and solubilisation of CW polymers. Modifications of grape pulp and skin CW provide the flexibility for cell expansion during fruit growth and to modulate the final texture. Wine making and berry processing methods are directly related with the absence, in white wines, or the presence, in red wines, of skin CW in the fermenting must. Anthocyanin extraction depends directly on skin yielding of the pigment upon CW degradation. During fruit growth and ripening, the cooperative action between different enzyme families is capital in CW metabolism. The sequencing and public availability of the Vitis genome allowed us to focus on individual pathways, to profile the expression pattern of isoforms associated with each tissue, developmental phase or stress response, anticipating the effects on berry (and wine) production and quality. Retrieving the sequences of genomic coding regions and the predicted enzymes that act on the Vitis, CW allows us for the first time to tackle the grape berry Cell Wall ome .
An N-Terminal Histidine Is the Primary Determinant of α Subunit-Dependent Cu2+ Sensitivity of αβ3γ2L GABAA Receptors

Copper (Cu2+) is a physiologically important cation and is released from nerve terminals. Cu2+ modulates GABAA receptor currents in an α subunit subtype-dependent manner; α1β3γ2L receptors are more sensitive to Cu2+ than α6β3γ2L receptors. We compared the effect of Cu2+ on αβ3γ2L receptors containing each of the six α subtypes and generated α1/α6 chimeras and mutants to determine the functional domain(s) and specific residues responsible for α subtype-dependent differences in Cu2+ sensitivity. Whole-cell GABAA receptor currents were obtained from L929 fibroblasts coexpressing wild-type, chimeric and mutant α subunits with β3 and γ2L subunits. Maximal Cu2+ inhibition of α1β3γ2L and α2β3γ2L receptor currents was larger (52.2 ± 3.0 and 59.0 ± 2.5%, respectively) than maximal inhibition of α3β3γ2L, α4β3γ2L, α5β3γ2L, and α6β3γ2L receptor currents (22.6 ± 3.1, 19.2 ± 3.4, 20.2 ± 4.8, and 21.2 ± 3.6%, respectively). Receptors containing chimeric constructs with α1 subtype N-terminal sequence between residues 127 and 232 were inhibited by Cu2+ to an extent similar to those with α1 subtypes, suggesting that this N-terminal region (127-232) contains a major determinant for high Cu2+ sensitivity. α1 subtype residues V134, R135, and H141 in a VRAECPMH motif (VQAECPMH in the α2 subtype) conferred higher Cu2+ sensitivity, and the H141 residue was the major determinant in the motif. The β3 subtype M2 domain residue H267, which is a major determinant of Zn2+ inhibition, and α6 subtype M2-M3 loop residue H273, which is responsible for the increased Zn2+ sensitivity of the α6 subtype, also seemed to contribute to Cu2+ inhibition. These data suggest that the N-terminal VR(Q)AECPMH motif in α1 and α2 subtypes is the major determinant of increased subtype-dependent inhibition by Cu2+, that residue H141 is the major determinant in that motif, and that Cu2+ may also interact with GABAA receptors at sites similar to or overlapping Zn2+ sites.
Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wild Indigenous Medicinal Ginger (Zingiber barbatum Wall.) from Myanmar

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) strongly depend on the plant species and are differently represented in specific taxa. VOCs have a degree of chemical diversity and also can serve as chemotaxonomic markers. Zingiber barbatum Wall. is a wild medicinal ginger plant endemic to Myanmar whose VOC composition has never been screened before. In this study, we screened the rhizome of Z. barbatum to identify the VOC composition by the application of gas chromatography combined with time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS). The resulting VOC profile of Z. barbatum showed that it consists mainly of monoterpenes (21%) and sesquiterpenes (30%). Intraspecific similarities and dissimilarities were found to exist between Z. barbatum genotypes in terms of VOC composition. Four accessions (ZO191, ZO223, ZO217, and the control accession ZO105) collected from the Shan State and Mandalay region of Myanmar were found to share a similar VOC profile, while two accessions (ZO64 and ZO160) collected from the Bago region were found to vary in their VOC profiles compared with the control accession. The two identified compounds, i.e., α-bergamotene and β-(E)-guaiene may serve as discriminative chemical markers for the characterization of Z. barbatum species collected in these three geographical regions of Myanmar. This study represents a first attempt to identify and describe the VOCs in the medicinal species Z. barbatum that have not been reported to date.
Effect of activity level on apparent heat increment in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

L'exercice a provoque une augmentation de l'accroissement apparent de chaleur chez des morues, Gadus morhua, de 50 a 55 cm. Lorsque ces poissons ont ete soumis a une ration equivalant a 2,5% de leur poids corporel (8°C) puis forces de nager a 20, 30 ou 40 cm.s -1 dans un respirometre de Brett, l'accroissement apparent de chaleur a dure environ 51, 83 et 101 h respectivement. Pour ces memes vitesses de nage, le niveau maximal de l'accroissement apparent de chaleur s'etablissait a environ 50, 87 et 116% au-dessus du taux normal de consommation d'oxygene, et la magnitude de cet accroissement etait d'environ 944, 1910 et 3149 mg d'oxygene.kg -1 . Ces taux de consommation d'oxygene equivalent respectivement a 8, 16 et 24% de l'energie ingeree.
NDT SLAM Respecting Visibility

This thesis is dedicated to improvements of existing NDT (Normal distribution transform) SLAM algorithm. The import of static structures from CAD drawings of the building, which the original algorithm exploits, lead to duplication of certain walls. The proposed solution is the use of visibility algorithms, known from computer graphics. Positive consequence of integration of visibility is an overall speedup of the algorithm. Another improvement of the previous implementation is the fusion of odometry data provided by the mobile robot, while taking into account their uncertainty. The motivation is to increase reliability and robustness mainly in long corridors. The thesis contains a description of used methods, their implementation and evaluation of experimental results, especially in comparison to the original algorithm.
Phylogenetic analysis of yeast in the rumen contents of cattle based on the 26S rDNA sequence

The composition of yeast communities in the rumen of cattle was investigated using comparative DNA sequence analysis of yeast 26S rDNA genes. 26S rDNA libraries were constructed from rumen fluid (FF), rumen solid (FS) and rumen epithelium (FE). A total of 97 clones, containing a partial 26S rDNA sequence of 0·6 kb length, were sequenced and subjected to an on-line similarity search. The 41 FF clones could be divided into five classes. The largest class was affiliated with Pezizomycotina class (85·4% of clones), and the remaining classes were related with the Urediniomycotina (2·4%), Hymenomycetes (4·9%), Ustilaginomycetes (4·9%) and Saccharomycotina (2·4%) classes. The 26 FE clones could be divided into three classes and the Saccharomycetes class (92·4% of clones) was the largest group. The remaining classes were related with either Pezizomycotina (3·8%) or Ustilaginomycetes (3·8%). The 30 FS clones were all affiliated with Saccharomycotina. Saccharomycotina were predominant in rumen epithelium and rumen solid while Pezizomycotina were predominant in rumen fluid. Yeast belonging to the Saccharomycotina class was predominant in the rumen as a whole (57%). One clone (FF34) had less than 90% similarity to any sequence in the database and was thus apparently unrelated to any previously described yeast.
Karyotype differentiation among Spondias species and the putative hybrid Umbu-cajá (Anacardiaceae)

Spondias L. comprises at least nine Neotropical species, including the widely cultivated S. monbim and S. tuberosa. Umbu-caja, a putative hybrid between these two species, is also grown. In this paper, the karyotypes of five Spondias species and Umbu-caja were analysed for evidence of this hybridization. Chromosome banding with chromomycin A3 and the distribution of 5S and 45S rDNA sites were used to characterize the plants, also genomic in situ hybridization using nuclear DNA from both putative parents and the hybrid as probes. All material presented the same chromosome number (2n = 32) and morphology, but differed in the number and distribution of bands. Spondias monbim and S. tuberosa, the supposed relatives of Umbu-caja, displayed similar banding patterns, with five to six chromosome pairs having terminal bands, whereas Umbu-caja exhibited bands on both members of nine chromosome pairs. The three other species, S. venulosa, S. cytherea and S. purpurea, showed less closely related karyotypes, with bands in 12–18 chromosome pairs. In situ hybridization with 5S and 45S rDNA probes revealed one site of each probe per haploid chromosome complement in all material. However, in S. tuberosa, the location of 5S rDNA was different from the other species and found no counterpart in Umbu-caja. Several tests with total DNA from S. mombin and S. tuberosa against metaphase chromosomes of Umbu-caja failed to differentiate the individual genomes in the hybrid. From the chromosome banding and the distribution of rDNA sites, as well as from the genomic in situ hybridization, it seems clear that Umbu-caja is related closely to S. monbim and S. tuberosa, but it is karyotypically homozygous and distinct from theses other species. Karyotypically, the three other investigated species were related less closely to Umbu-caja. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 155, 541–547.
The influence of yellow lupin intercropped with spring triticale on predatory carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Intercropping may have a positive effect on the abundance and activity of carabid beetles and therefore their response to intercropping yellow lupin with spring triticale was studied for a period of three years (2001-2003). Carabids were most numerous in yellow lupin monoculture and in the intercrop with the highest proportion of lupin. Important differences between the experimental treatments were found, but they were mostly non-significant because of the great variation between samples. It is supposed that the positive effect of lupin on carabid beetles was due to the shelter it provides. During the three-year study 59 species of carabid beetles were recorded. The most abundant species in each treatment was Pseudoophonus rufipes. Irrespective of the experimental treatment, this species was caught in the greatest numbers towards the end of each growing season. This was probably because of the greater soil coverage provided by the larger lupin plants at the end of the season.
Calibration and validation of a simplified process- based model for the prediction of the carbon balance of Scottish Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) plantations

There is increasing recognition that forestry provides a low cost and robust means of climate change abatement through carbon sequestration and substitution. However, current understanding of forest ecosystem carbon exchange and forest-atmosphere interactions are often inadequately characterized by existing empirical growth models with resulting poor representation for regional extrapolations. In this paper, we describe the parameterisation and independent validation, against both eddy covariance and forest growth experimental data, of a process-oriented model 3PGN to provide assess- ments of carbon sequestration of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carriere) plantations across Scotland. In compari- son with eddy covariance measurements, the model predicted all of the major annual carbon fluxes, i.e., gross primary production (PG), net ecosystem production (PE), and ecosystem respiration (RE), with biases lower than 10%. At a monthly time step, only PG and PE were accurately estimated, whereas RE was not. At longer time scales (i.e., several decades), the model reliably represented the major patterns of the carbon balance. Soil type was identified as the important factor influ- encing site productivity; fertilization practices did not alter long-term site nutritional status. The analyses also highlighted the potential impact of carbon loss from carbon-rich soils, which can result in differences between optimal rotation length for carbon sequestration and for timber production.
Répartition du genre Corbicula Megerle von Mühlfeld (Bivalvia : Corbiculidae) en France à l'aube du XXIe siècle

Corbicula fluminea a ete decouvert pour la premiere fois en France en 1980 dans l'estuaire de la Dordogne. Depuis cette date, ce bivalve a colonise un grand nombre de cours d'eau appartenant aux quatre grands bassins hydrographiques de la Garonne, du Rhone, de la Loire et de la Seine ainsi que la partie francaise du bassin Rhenan. Les canaux ont joue un role preponderant dans la propagation des Corbicula comme ce fut le cas pour Dreissena polymorpha au cours du XIXe siecle.
Regulation of Autoimmunity and Inflammation by microRNAs and Environmental Factors

Tolerance is crucial for maintaining immunological balance and avoid autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and the inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (UC). In Study I, we have investigated the regulatory role of a class of noncoding RNAs, the miRNAs, during thymocyte development of the where central tolerance is established. We used the non-obese diabetic mouse (NOD) which is spontaneously developing T1D and have been described to have defects in the T cell maturation. By studying the apoptosis response of NOD lymphocytes (which activates similar cell-cycle checkpoints and apoptosis pathways as during thymocyte maturation) we showed differential expression of the miRNA-34a/b/c gene family, miR-125 and miR-155 in the DNA damage response between NOD and wild-type mice. We believe that these differentially expressed miRNAs may contribute to defect p53 expression in NOD thymocytes after DNA damage, which we also demonstrated in this study. In Study II, we studied the importance of global canonical miRNA regulation in the NOD mice for the development of T1D development by deleting Dicer1 (an enzyme needed for miRNA maturation) early in thymocyte development. We showed that these NOD.Lck-Cre Dicer KO mice had phenotype alterations including markedly decreased amount of αβ CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the secondary lymph nodes but not a similarly large decrease in nTregs. No difference in diabetes incidence between female NOD.Lck-Cre Dicer KO mice and control littermates could be found as a result of these phenotypic changes but surprisingly a significant increase in the male mice diabetes incidence. In Study III, we investigated whether the maternal intestinal microbiota is an environmental factor influencing T1D development in the offspring. By modulating the intestinal gut microbiota with antibiotics during pregnancy of NOD mice we showed decreased diversity and a persistent modulation of the intestinal microbial pattern in the offspring. Possibly resulting in the immunological alterations of CD8+ and CD4+CD25+ T cell frequencies in the mesenteric lymph nodes respectively Peyer’s patches, which we demonstrated. The diabetes incidence seems to have increased in the offspring to treated mothers at 20 weeks of age but the effect was not persistent. In study IV, the relationship between the global intestinal microbiota and the immune system was investigated in the dextran sulfate sodium induced UC mouse model. We demonstrated changes in the colonic intestinal microbiota pattern and immunological alterations of different populations of T cells, dendritic cells and natural killer cells after UC induction.
QTL mapping of adult‐plant resistance to stripe rust in a ‘Lumai 21 × Jingshuang 16’ wheat population

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating fungal disease in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Chinese wheat cultivars ‘Lumai 21’ and ‘Jingshuang 16’ show moderate levels of adult-plant resistance (APR) to stripe rust in the field, and they showed a mean maximum disease severity (MDS) ranging from 24 to 56.7% and 26 to 59%, respectively, across different environments. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to stripe rust in an F3 population of 199 lines derived from ‘Lumai 21’ × ‘Jingshuang 16’. The F3 lines were evaluated for MDS in Qingshui, Gansu province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, in the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 cropping seasons. Five QTL for APR were detected on chromosomes 2B (2 QTL), 2DS, 4DL and 5DS based on mean MDS in each environment and averaged values from all three environments. These QTL were designated QYr.caas-2BS.2, QYr.caas-2BL.2, QYr.caas-2DS.2, QYr.caas-4DL.2 and QYr.caas-5DS, respectively. QYr.caas-2DS.2 and QYr.caas-5DS were detected in all three environments, explaining 2.3–18.2% and 5.1–18.0% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. In addition, QYr.caas-2BS.2 and QYr.caas-2BL.2 colocated with QTL for powdery mildew resistance reported in a previous study. These APR genes and their linked molecular markers are potentially useful for improving stripe rust and powdery mildew resistances in wheat breeding.
Dormancy, Storage, and Regrowth of Encapsulated Shoot Tips of Cotton (Gossypium barbadense L. cv. ‘Termez’)

Due to the recalcitrant character of cotton in vitro culture as well as the lack of somatic embryogenesis in most cotton cultivars, its shoot tips were used for producing synthetic seeds. Cotton seeds were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing B5 vitamins and 30 g/l sucrose. Explants were prepared from seedling shoots and placed on three dormant treatment media: 0.6 mg/l abscisic acid (ABA), 150 g/l sucrose and 6 g/l polyethyleneglycol (PEG). Treated and control shoots were encapsulated in calcium alginate and after storage at 4°C for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days, were regrown on MS medium containing B5 vitamins, 30 g/l sucrose, and 0.5 mg/l gibberellic acid (GA3). After 60 days in storage, PEG-treated shoots showed the highest regrowth rate (88.8%) while non-treated shoots did not show any regrowth. In non-storage conditions, shoots in control and sucrose treatments showed more growth than shoots treated with ABA and PEG. All samples treated for 60 days showed less growth than samples treated for 15 days. The shoots that developed from different treatments as well as control shoots were rooted on MS medium containing B5 vitamins, 0.5 mg/l 1-naphthaleneacetic acid and 30 g/l sucrose, with a 71.2-97.7% rooting percentage. Although the levels of rooting differed in each treatment, in most cases they were not significantly affected by storage period or the type of dormancy treatment. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revision of the Stenodemini with a Review of the Included Genera (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae)

Abstract An argument is made for the monophyly of the tribe Stenodemini China 1943 based on a character discussion treating the pretarsus, metepisternal scent efferent system, external cuticular ultrastructure, male and female genitalia, metafemoral trichobothria, and external morphology of head and pronotum. As a result, a proposal is presented to subsume Pithanini Douglas and Scott 1865 with Stenodemini. A cladistic analysis of the nominate stenodemine genera based on 54 characters is conducted. The revised Stenodemini includes 32 genera. The following junior subjective generic synonyms are proposed: Notostiropsis Poppius 1914 = Ebutius Distant 1909; Penacoris Cavalho and Rosas 1966 = Stenodema Laporte 1832; and Trigonotyliscus Carvalho 1975 = Trigonotylus Fieber 1858. A lectotype is designated for Ebutius bellus Distant 1909. Chaetomiris Bliven 1973 is treated as a nomen dubium. A key to the genera and a diagnosis of each recognized genus of the reconstituted Stenodemini are presented. A list of the included species, with a summary of their distributions based on faunal regions is given for each genus. Selected photomicrographs, scanning micrographs, and illustrations of structural features of stenodemine genera are provided.
Review of Control Techniques in Intertied AC- DC Hybrid Power System

Today, conventional power system is evolving to smartgrids, where intertied hybrid power system may additionally make the distribution more effective with high penetration of renewable sources. Intertied hybrid system with combination of ac and dc source along with load is the most economic solution for future power. Power sharing and adequate voltage/frequency control are the most widely recognized functions of ac and dc hybrid power system (HPS). For such intertied hybrid power system, power management strategies are one of the most critical operation aspects. This paper presents an overview of power management strategies for an intertied hybrid power system, which includes centralized and decentralized control techniques. Finally, discussion and recommendations of power management strategies for the further research are presented.
Contrasting the realized and fundamental niche of the arboreal walking performance of neotropical rodents

Evaluation of the fundamental niche under controlled conditions can provide relevant information about physiological, evolutionary, and ecological aspects of an organism, without the influence of external factors. We investigated how allometric, phylogenetic, and adaptive components contribute to arboreal walking performance by 7 sigmodontine rodents of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). We captured the rodents in the field and evaluated their performances by measuring stride length, stride frequency, and velocity on 5 horizontal supports: flat board and cylindrical plastic tubes with diameters of 5.0, 3.5, 2.5, and 2.0 cm. Arboreal rodents exhibited higher velocities than terrestrial species by increasing stride frequency and decreasing stride length on supports with smaller diameters. However, terrestrial species decreased both stride frequency and stride length or tended to maintain stride length and vary stride frequency. Our results reveal a strong association between realized arboreal walking performances (as inferred by proportion of arboreal captures) and stride length and frequency. However, performance metrics were weakly related to body mass and exhibited no phylogenetic effects. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that dynamically stable arboreal walking is facilitated by increased velocity. Arboreal walking performance is likely related to ecological factors rather than phylogenetic constraints.
Le benchmarking de la reconnaissance d’entités nommées pour le français (Benchmarking for French NER)

Cet article présente une tâche du benchmarking de la reconnaissance de l’entité nommée (REN) pour le français. Nous entrainons et évaluons plusieurs algorithmes d’étiquetage de séquence, et nous améliorons les résultats de REN avec une approche fondée sur l’utilisation de l’apprentissage semi-supervisé et du reclassement. Nous obtenons jusqu’à 77.95%, améliorant ainsi le résultat de plus de 34 points par rapport du résultat de base du modèle.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellites in the tropical plant-ant Cataulacus mckeyi (Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Eleven microsatellite loci were isolated from the plant-ant Cataulacus mckeyi (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae) and their polymorphism was characterized. High levels of within-population variation were observed at most loci, with number of alleles ranging from one to 16, and heterozygosity from 0 to 0.929 per population sample. Cross-species amplification of these loci was also tested in four other species of the ant genus Cataulacus.