Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on the conservation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) germplasm

New procedures for medium and long term preservation of Ipomoea batatas germplasm were investigated. The first involves the use of liquid paraffin (LP) and liquid silicone (LS) overlay inducing slow growth of nodal segments of Papota, TIB-10 and CN-1367-2 genotypes. The plantlets under both oil treatments were very short with extremely reduced leaves and many axillary buds; the newly developed shoots also developed axillary buds. Expl&nts treated with LP were more affected by this shoot proliferation than others treated with LS. Papota showed up to 75% and 58.3% plantlets survivors after 12 month under LP and LS, respectively but no survival at 17 months; TIB-10 showed 58.3% and 16.7% survival and CN-1367-2 showed 41.7% and 50% survival after 17 months under LP and LS, respectively. The recovery of plantlets after the storage period was successful and LP was considered to be the most satisfactory treatment. The second procedure was based on the cryopreservation of root-tips obtained from in vitro cultured plantlets of Papota, TIB-10 and Brondal, using 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (v/v) as a cryoprotectant. Explants slowly frozen at 0.5°C.min"1 from 5°C to -20°C and allowed to stabilize at this temperature for 10 minutes before being plunged into LN (-196°C) showed up to 25% survival on the basis of the fluorescein diacetate viability assay. Additional research involving electrophoresis and in vitro root culture complemented the conservation studies. The results showed that an esterase isozyme electrophoresis procedure using roots grown in vitro could provide a method for the rapid identification of duplicates in sweet potato germplasm collections. Direct regeneration of shoots from roots growing on basal medium Mll-m without growth regulators or containing a low level of NAA could provide the basis for plant recovery from cryopreserved root-tips.
Butylglyceryl-modified polysaccharide nanoparticles for drug delivery to the brain

The limited access to the brain of a large number of therapeutic actives due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has led to intensive research toward the development of nanotechnology-based approaches. Polysaccharides such as chitosan, guar gum, pectin and pullulan have been selected as starting materials for this study due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, good drug carrier properties, and ease of chemical modification with short chain alkylglycerol-like moieties (expected to enhance drug permeability through the BBB). A series of butylglyceryl-modified polysaccharides were prepared and characterised using chromatographic, spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques prior to formulation into nanoparticles (NPs) by means of a selection of methods that include reverse emulsification, nanoprecipitation, and ionotropic gelation. Dynamic Light Scattering, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, Electrophoretic Mobility Measurements and Electron Microscopy were employed to characterise all NPs (overall size range 120–200 nm, and zeta potential values ranging from -27 to +39 mV). Modified pullulan (PUL-OX4) and guar gum (GG-OX4) NPs were found to be most stable at physiological pH (7.4), in contrast to chitosan (CS-OX4) NPs that demonstrated an increase in size as a result of aggregation. PUL-OX4 NPs (< 145 nm) had the highest Angiotensin II model peptide loading (8.46 %), while GG-OX4 NPs showed the highest loading degree with Doxorubicin (19.11 %) and Rhodamine B (3.78 %). Drug release studies demonstrated that PUL-OX4 NPs released fastest all the model actives tested, while GG-OX4 NPs were able to retain them for the longest period of time. The in vitro interactions of NPs with mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd3) were investigated using a Transwell permeability model, with results suggesting an increased model membrane permeability in the presence of the modified polysaccharide nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity of these NPs at physiologically-relevant concentrations was studied using MTT assays; all NPs were non-toxic at concentration below 2 mg/mL, however a decrease in cell viability was noticed at higher concentrations. PUL-OX4 nanoparticles were found to be the least toxic, having the lowest LC50 value (9.48 mg/mL; for comparison, CS-OX4 has 7.30 mg/mL). Haemolysis study demonstrated that at concentration below 12 mg/mL, all the NPs studied did not induce a haemolysis effect significantly when compared to PBS control, however an increase in the effect was observed at higher concentration. PUL-OX4 nanoparticles exhibited the highest LC30 value of 19.87 mg/mL while the lowest value was exhibited by CS-OX4 nanoparticles (13.95 mg/mL). Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry investigations confirmed that all modified polysaccharide NPs were successfully taken up by bEnd3 cells, becoming localised in the cytoplasm.
Deregulated Expression of 27KiP1 in Human Breast Cancers1

Protein complexes composed of cyclins and cyclin-de- pendent kinases control the orderly progression of mamma- han cells through the cell cycle. The p27�' protein belongs to a family of cyclin-dependent kinase-inhibitory proteins that are negative regulators of cell cycle progression and have been proposed as candidate tumor suppressor genes. However, the p27KiPI gene is only rarely mutated in human primary breast carcinomas and breast cancer cell lines. To further address the role of p27�' in the development of human tumors, we determined by Western blot analysis the levels of expression of the p27�' protein in a series of human cancer cell lines and found that this protein is ex- pressed at high levels in many of these cell lines, even during exponential growth. The levels of �27K�1 were significantly associated with the levels of cyclins Dl and E. In contrast to the high level of p27KiPl in breast cancer cell lines, three cell lines established from normal mammary epithelium ex- pressed low levels of this protein. Cell synchronization stud- ies demonstrated deregulation of the expression of p27�' throughout the cell cycle in two breast cancer cell lines but normal regulation in a normal mammary epithelial cell line. Immunohistochemical studies on p27Kexpression in 52 primary human breast cancers indicated that this protein was also expressed at relatively high levels in 44% of the tumor samples, but it was barely detectable or undetectable in the remaining 56% of the samples. Additional studies are required to determine why some breast cancer cells express
Structural characterization of meningococcal vaccine antigen NadA and of its transcriptional regulator NadR in ligand-bound and free forms.

Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (MenB) is the cause of the invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). Bexsero is the first genome-derived vaccine against MenB. Neisserial adhesin A (NadA) is one of the three protein antigens included in Bexsero. The main aim of this work was to obtain detailed insights into the structure of vaccine NadA variant 3 (NadAv3) and into the molecular mechanisms governing its transcriptional regulation by NadR (Neisseria adhesin A Regulator). A deep understanding of nadA expression is important for understanding the contribution of NadA to vaccine-induced protection against meningococcal disease. NadA expression is regulated by the ligand-responsive transcriptional repressor NadR. The functional, biochemical and high-resolution structural characterization of NadR is presented in the first part of the thesis (Part One). These studies provide detailed insights into how small molecule ligands, such as hydroxyphenylacetate derivatives, found in relevant host niches, modulate the structure and activity of NadR, by ‘conformational selection’ of inactive forms. In the second part of the thesis (Part Two), strategies involving both protein engineering and crystal manipulation to increase the likelihood of solving the crystal structure of NadAv3 are described. The first approach was the rational design of new constructs of NadAv3, based on the recently solved crystal structure of a close sequence variant (NadAv5). Then, a comprehensive set of biochemical, biophysical and structural techniques were applied to investigate all the generated NadAv3 constructs. The well-characterized trimeric NadAv3 constructs represented a set of high quality reagents which were validated as probes for functional studies and as a platform for continued attempts for protein crystallization. Mutagenesis studies and screenings to identify a new crystal form of NadAv3 were performed to improve crystal quality; structure determination is ongoing. The atomic resolution structure of NadAv3 will help to understand its biological role as both an adhesin and a vaccine antigen.
Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes

Identifying where animals come from during population recovery can help to understand the impacts of disturbance events and regimes on species distributions and genetic diversity. Alternative recovery processes for animal populations affected by fire include external recolonization, nucleated recovery from refuges, or in situ survival and population growth. We used simulations to develop hypotheses about ecological and genetic patterns corresponding to these alternative models. We tested these hypotheses in a study of the recovery of two small mammals, the Australian bush rat and the agile antechinus, after a large (>50,000 ha), severe wildfire. The abundance of both species was severely reduced by fire and recovered to near or above pre-fire levels within two generations, yet we rejected a hypothesis of recovery by external recolonization. While the agile antechinus showed genetic evidence for far greater dispersal capacity than the bush rat, neither species showed gradients in abundance or genetic diversity with distance from unburnt forest during population recovery. Population recovery was driven by local-scale processes. However, the mechanisms differed between species, resulting from the spatial impacts of fire on habitat suitability. Agile antechinus populations recovered through population growth from in situ survivors. The bush rat followed a model of nucleated recovery, involving local recolonization from micro-refuges in topographic drainage lines. Nucleated recovery by the bush rat was associated with changes in dispersal, and fine-scale patterns of genetic admixture. We identified increased dispersal by females during recovery, contrasting with male-biased dispersal in unburnt forest. Such flexibility in dispersal can potentially increase recovery rates compared to expectations based on dispersal behavior within undisturbed populations. Our study shows how the initial distribution of survivors, determined by fire effects on resource distribution, determines the subsequent scaling of population recovery patterns, and the sensitivity of population distribution and genetic diversity to changing disturbance regimes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Clustering of bumblebee subgenera based on interspecific genetic relationships/Hymenoptera, Apidae: Bombus and Psithyrus

Enzyme gene differentiation was studied in 21 Bombus and five Psithyrus species from northern Europe. With the exception of the species pair Subterraneobombus subterraneus and S. distinguendus, all species can be distinguished from each other on the basis of the eleven loci examined. Species-specific staining patterns of two enzymes in Pyrobombus lapponicus (Fabricius) and P. monticola (Smith) from sympatric populations confirm the specific status of the two forms. Four algorithms were used to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree from the electrophoretic data: UPGMA, Fitch-Margoliash, Wagner parsimony and restricted maximum likelihood methods. The reliability of the UPGMA tree was evaluated by estimating variances of the branch lengths and branching points. The main results are: (1) Psithyrus species form a single cluster, supporting the monophyletic origin of the group. (2) The species of the conventional subgenera cluster together, except in the subgenus Pyrobombus. (3) The clustering of the genus Bombus does not follow the division into sections Odontobombus and Anodontobombus. The results support the previous suggestion that the subgenus Bombus is divergent from the other subgenera and indicate a phyletic relationship of the subgenera Alpigenobombus, Alpinobombus and Kallobombus with the subgenera of the section Odontobombus. Further studies are required to establish statistical significance of the emerging patterns.
Effects of different sources of forage in high-concentrate diets on fermentation parameters, ruminal biohydrogenation and microbiota in Nellore feedlot steers

SUMMARY Modifying the extent of fatty acid (FA) biohydrogenation (BH) in the rumen through diet formulation is an effective strategy for changing the content of unsaturated FAs (USFAs) in meat. The present study investigated the effects of different sources of forage in high-concentrate diets on intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation, ruminal BH, duodenal flow of FAs and rumen microbiota in Nellore steers. Intake of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was higher in animals fed with maize silage (MS) than in those fed with sugar cane (SC) and sugar cane bagasse (SB). Higher digestibility of dry matter and NDF was found in animals fed with MS than in those fed with the other diets. In addition, higher crude protein digestibility was observed in animals fed with sugar cane bagasse than in those fed with SC. Non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) digestibility was higher in animals fed with sugar cane than in those fed with the other diets. Intake of total and individual FAs such as C18 : 1 cis-9, C18 : 2, and C18 : 3 was similar between animals fed with MS and SB, but decreased in animals fed with SC. Diets containing MS and SB showed higher total digestibility of saturated FAs (SFAs) and USFAs, respectively and total FAs and ruminal BH of C18 : 1 and USFA. Intestinal digestibility of overall FAs did not differ among treatments, except for C18 : 3, which increased in animals fed with SC and SB. The profile of FAs in duodenal digesta and faecal outputs did not differ among treatments. However, the flow of NDF was higher in animals fed with SC than in those fed with MS and SB. Animals fed with SB showed higher values of pH than those fed with MS and SC. Animals fed with SC showed lower values of ammonia-nitrogen. Protozoan counts were only influenced by diet for species that belonged to the genera Dasytricha and Isotricha. Populations of fibrolytic bacteria (Ruminococus flavefaciens, Ruminococus albus and Fibrobacter succinogenes) were similar among diets. Populations of Selenomonas ruminantium increased 2·5 and 5 times in animals fed with MS when compared with those fed with SC and SB, respectively. The use of MS increased intake and digestibility of NDF, and the use of SC decreased ruminal BH of total USFA without changing the flow of FAs to the duodenum. Thus, different sources of forage in high-concentrate diets do not modify the duodenal flow of USFA or fibrolytic bacteria. This must be taken into account when formulating diets to modulate ruminal upsets without altering intake.
Blue and red LED lighting effects on plant biomass, stomatal conductance, and metabolite content in nine tomato genotypes

A collection of nine tomato genotypes was chosen based on their diversity, phylogeny, availability of genome information, and agronomic traits. The objective of the study was to characterize the effect of red and blue LED (light-emitting diode) lighting on physiological, morphological, developmental, and chemical parameters. Two LED light treatments were imposed: (1): 100% red and (2): 88% red/12% blue (peak emission at 662 and 456 nm for red and blue light, respectively). The combination of blue and red LED lighting increased total dry matter in seven of the nine genotypes compared to red. Upward or downward leaf curling was observed in all genotypes in the 100% red treatment. Stomatal conductance was not affected much by additional blue light, but blue light increased chlorophyll and flavonol contents in three genotypes. The exposure of tomato plants to a combination of red and blue LEDs alleviated leaf morphological abnormalities and enhanced plant biomass, and variably affected stomatal conductance and secondary metabolism compared to red light alone.
The present status of the fishery for tilapia in Lake Victoria (Uganda)

The commercial fisheries of Lake Victoria are presently dominated by three species: the stocked Lates niloticus and Oreochromis niloticus, and the endemic cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea. The three comprise at least 90% of the commercial catch while the rest of the endemic species mostly occur as by-catch (incidental catch) except in localised areas. Apart from being a major source of food, the three species especially the Nile perch represent the usually recognized main forms of predation, As they exert a "top-down" effect on production, they are important in the trophic dynamics of the Lake Victoria ecosystem. However, another form of predation which is usually unrecognized in the lake productivity mechanisms is one due to fishing mortality. Fishermen essentially behave as predatory elements in the ecosystem. This is manifested in ways that paral1el the effect of fish as predators e.g. some fishermen are habitat restricted and specialised in catching particular species or sizes, others are opportunistic and switch to whatever species (prey) are available which may depend on season, etc. There are also indirect factors that influence fishing mortality as a form of predation e.g. availability on the market of different gears, thefts of nets and of fish from nets, civil strife, market demand etc. The fatter are essentially socioeconomic factors. Application of the principles of fisheries management requires "a data base from which effective options can be generated. It is considered that one of the fundamental requirements for such a data base is information on the spatial distribution of the species fishery. This can be combined with information on landings which can eventually be incorporated into a programme of stock monitoring. The aim of this paper is to highlight information on the Tilapia fishery that may benefit fisheries management.
Sensory quality of tilapia hamburger (oreochromis niloticus) with addition of soybean residue (okara)

This paper intends to develop and evaluate the sensory quality of tilapia hamburgers with addition of okara flour, aiming to develop a product of good protein quality, rich in fiber, low cost and easy access to the population. Okara flour was added at different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%) to hamburgers and then these were subjected to analysis of acceptability (9-point hedonic scale). The averages for all evaluated parameters varied between 5.02 and 7.5, within the range of "indifferent" to "liked moderately". The highest means were found for formulations with 10 and 15% of okara, indicating the okara amount that provides better sensory quality of the product. These results confirm the tendency to seek products with higher nutritional value, and tilapia hamburger with added okara as an alternative to market, aiming at making fish and soybean increasingly present in the eating habits of the population.
Prevalence and some virulence genes of Escherichia coli O157 isolated from chicken meats and giblets

Abstract Escherichia coli O157 related foodborne illnesses continue to be one of the most important global public health problems in the world. This study aims to determine E. coli O157 prevalence in 375 chicken meat parts and giblets. The samples were collected randomly from several supermarkets and butchers in Diyarbakir, a city in southeast Turkey. They were analyzed and confirmed using the immunomagnetic separation (IMS), Vitek® 2 microbial identification system and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. This study also aims to detect the presence of fliCH7, eaeA, stx1, stx2 and hlyA genes by using PCR. The overall E. coli O157 prevalence in chicken meat parts and giblets was 1.3%. All of the E. coli O157 isolates carried rfbEO157 and eaeA genes; but not any fliCH7 and hlyA genes. The E. coli O157 isolates obtained from drumstick and breast meat carried either stx1 or stx2 genes, which were related to important virulence factors of the disease.
Species richness of cuckoo bumblebees is determined by the geographical range area of the host bumblebee

The geographical range area of host hypothesis predicts that regionally widespread host species are able to support higher local parasite species richness. In this study, we investigated the macro‐ecological patterns in cuckoo bumblebee species richness in relation to the geographical range area of their bumblebee hosts (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombini). The cuckoo bumblebees live in naturally fragmented environments composed of host bumblebee colonies upon which they are exclusively dependent. We collected data on all 11 known cuckoo bumblebee species that are classified as parasites (obligate workerless social parasites) – and all 69 known bumblebee species in Europe. Whereas some bumblebee hosts harbour several cuckoo bumblebee species, most are cuckoo free (78%). Bumblebees with a large geographical range area hosted more cuckoo bumblebee species than host species with a narrow range area. The geographical range area of cuckoo bumblebee species increased with increasing combined range area of all hosts, but it was smaller than combined range area of all hosts. We found support for the hypothesis that the geographical range area of the host bumblebee species has an effect on the species richness of cuckoo bumblebees. If the range area of the host bumblebee species decreases, cuckoo bumblebees may become vulnerable to extinction.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE Can Global Warming Strengthen the East Asian Summer Monsoon?

The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) tends to be intensiﬁed in a global-warming scenario, with a weakened linkage with El Nin˜o–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but how the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) responds is still an open question. This study investigates the responses of the EASM from observations, theoretical, and modelingperspectives. Observationaland theoreticalevidencedemonstratesthat,in contrast to the dramatic global-warming trend within the past 50 years, the regional-mean EASM rainfall is basically dominated by considerable interannual-to-decadal ﬂuctuations, concurrent with enhanced precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and over southern Japan and suppressed rainfall amount over the South China and Philippine Seas. From 1958 through 2008, the EASM circulation exhibits a southward shift in its major components (the subtropical westerly jet stream, the western Paciﬁc Ocean subtropical high,thesubtropicalmei-yu–baiu–changmafront,andthetropicalmonsoontrough). Suchasouthwardshiftis very likely or in part due to the meridional asymmetric warming with the most prominent surface warming in the midhigh latitudes (45 8 –60 8 N), which induces a weakened meridional thermal contrast over eastern Asia. AnothernotablefeatureistheenhancedENSO–EASMrelationshipwithinthepast50years,whichisopposite to the ISM. Fourteen state-of-the-art coupled models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that the EASM strength does not respond with any pronounced trend to the global-warming ‘‘A1B’’ forcing scenario (with an atmospheric CO 2 concentration of 720 ppm) but shows interannual-to-decadal variations in the twenty-ﬁrst century (2000–99). These results indicate that the primary response of the EASM to a warming climate may be a position change instead of an intensity change, and such position change may lead to spatial coexistence of ﬂoods and droughts over eastern Asia as has been observed in the past 50 years.