Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Heme oxygenase-1 in the feto-maternal tolerance

Mammalian pregnancy is a parabiotic union of two genetically different individuals, the fetus and the mother. At the feto-maternal interface, inflammatory processes can occur due to an immune reaction against alloantigens. It is known that some degree of systemic or uterine inflammation is necessary for both normal implantation and pregnancy. However, if this inflammation becomes too excessive it can cause pregnancy complications such as abortion. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the enzyme responsible for the degradation of free heme, plays a key role in inflammatory processes. Viewing pregnancy mainly as an inflammatory process had led us to the idea that HO-1 may play an important role in pregnancy. Therefore, the main aim of this work was to analyze the role of HO-1 in the different processes related to pregnancy by means of functional studies employing in vivo as well as in vitro models. First, we could show that a specific up-regulation of HO-1 in abortion-prone animals by means of an adenoviral vector is able to reduce the abortion rate. This HO-1 up-regulation improved pregnancy outcome by up-regulating the Th2/Th1 cytokines ratio and protecting tissues from apoptosis, suggesting an important role of HO-1 in pregnancy. In a second part of the work, we aimed to analyze the role of HO-1 in placentation. For that, a trophoblast stem cell line capable of differentiate into trophoblast giant cells was used. Interestingly, a down-regulation of HO-1 by means of ZnPPIX led to diminished survival of the trophoblast stem cells. Furthermore, these cells were unable to differentiate into trophoblast giant cells in the absence of HO-1, strongly suggesting a crucial role of HO-1 in placentation. Finally, a closer look into the role of HO-1 in pregnancy was performed by using heme oxygenase-1 deficient mice (Hmox1-/mice). Interestingly, Hmox1-/females produce much less oocytes than wild type females. Analyses of the ovaries of both types of females showed differences in follicle development. Furthermore, when fertilized in vitro, a significant diminution in the fertilization rate of Hmox1-/oocytes when compared to Hmox1+/+ oocytes was found. Since the mating of Hmox1-/mice does not yield progeny, we also aimed to clarify whether this is due to problems in the female, in the male or in both. For this, different mating combinations of mice partially or totally deficient in Hmox1 were performed. The analysis of the pregnancy outcome showed that, the less HO-1 in the combination, the higher the fetal rejection.
Involvement of myosin V and associated proteins in protein trafficking and neuronal morphogenesis

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iii LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . xi CO-AUTHORSHIP STATEMENT. xii CHAPTER 1. 1 1.
Study on RAPD of Genus Fagopyrum Resources

50 accessions belonging to 11 Fagopyrum species (including 7 species in the big-achene-group buckwheat and 4 species in the small-achene-group buckwheat) were studied by means of 10 random primers and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The RAPD fingerprint and the phylogeny map of Fagopyrum species were established on the basis of RAPD. Result showed that there were much great differences between the big achene group and the small achene group on DNA level and among different buckwheat species. The differentiation of F. tataricum DNA was the biggest in big achene group, and the differentiation of buckwheat and other species in the big-achene-group was much. F.megaspartanium and F.pilus were very similar to common buckwheat and tartary buckwheat, respectively, this phenomenon supported that F.megaspartanium and F.pilus were ancestral species of common buckwheat and tartary buckwheat, respectively.
Importance of reproductive biology of a harvest lizard, Tupinambis merianae, for the management of commercial harvesting

Abstract Context. Management of the exploitation of resources requires biological information on exploited species. The skins of large reptiles have a commercial value as luxury leather items and Tupinambis lizards from southern South America have historically been exploited for this purpose. Argentina implemented management plans for Tupinambis lizards since 1988 that established a minimum capture size based on the width of dried skins, but this prescription has not been linked to local reproductive attributes of species. Aim. In this study, we aim to determine the reproductive parameters of Tupinambis merianae and evaluate which class sizes of individuals are susceptible to commercial trade in central Argentina to generate local and species-specific information to improve available management tools. Methods. We determined the relationship between the width of dried skins and live body sizes. We identified size at sexual maturity in males and females. Moreover, we determined status of reproductive individuals by body size and characterised gonadal development and seasonal reproductive events in central Argentina. We evaluated the relationship between female body size and clutch size. Key results. Reproduction of T. merianae in central Argentina is markedly seasonal, with both sexes concentrating their reproductive activities between October and December. Size at sexual maturity was smaller for males than females, and the percentage of reproductive females was lower than males. In both sexes, the frequency of reproductive individuals was low in smaller lizards, and bigger females had bigger clutch size. The width of dried skins was positively related to body size. Conclusions. Size at sexual maturity, and reproductive period, should be taken into account when management plans are designed to minimise any negative impacts of harvesting. Implications. In central Argentina, the breeding season coincides with hunting periods set by national legislation. The results of our study have prompted local authorities to impose hunting closures for part of December and to raise the minimum catch size. Further, we offer an equation that can be used as a monitoring tool for estimating snout to vent length of live animals from skins. Studies like ours should be replicated in different areas and extrapolated to other models.
Prevalence of pathogenic bacteria isolated from two selected salad vegetables and antibiogram profile of Klebsiella spp.

The study was conducted to examine microbiological quality of raw salad vegetables of Jessore city of Bangladesh. Fourteen samples of two types of vegetables which are commonly used for salad eg. Tomato ( Lycopersicum esculentum ) and Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) were collected from different local markets of Jessore City and their bacteriological attributes were investigated using routine methods. All the vegetables were highly contaminated with coliforms and fecal coliforms. Range of Total Viable Count were 11x10 6 CFU/g to 20x10 7 CFU/g for tomato and 12x10 5 CFU/g to 24x10 7 CFU/g for cucumber, Total Coliform Count were 11x10 4 CFU/g to 2 x10 6 CFU/g for tomato and 10.2x10 3 CFU/g to 60x10 4 CFU/g for cucumber and Total Staphyllococcal Count were 11x10 4 CFU/g to 25x10 6 CFU/g for tomato and 10x10 4 CFU/g to 50x10 6 CFU/g for cucumber. Total coliforms were identified as Escherichia coli , Klebsiella spp. , Enterobacter spp. , Citrobacter spp. and Shigella spp. Antibiogram was conducted with twelve different antibiotics for some randomly selected pure colonies of Klebsiella spp. Multidrug resistance was observed in 90% isolates with resistance from two to six antibiotics. Hygienic practices should be followed in handling the vegetables in local markets and vegetables might have an important role as a source of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The Agriculturists 2015; 13(1) 9-17
Two New Species of Syncephalis from Taiwan, with a Key to the Syncephalis Species Found in Taiwan

Two new species of Syncephalis from Taiwan are described and illustrated. Syncephalis clavata differs from other taxa by the formation of branched merosporangia, a clavate sporangiophore apex, and larger, doliiform merospores. Syncephalis formosana is distinguished from other species by the production of branched merosporangia, the height of sporangiophores, the relatively large merospores, and the number of spores per merosporangium. These new taxa are compared with other species of Syncephalis. A key to the nine species of Syncephalis known in Taiwan is provided.
Electrophoretic karyotype difFerences between two subspecies of Fusarium acuminatum

Fusarium acuminatum subsp. acuminatum and F. acuminatum subsp. armeniacum were subjected to comparative karyotype analysis. DifFerences in chro? mosome numbers and sizes were observed between the two taxa. When the karyotypes were probed with the trichodiene synthase gene Tox5, hybridization sig- nals occurred only in strains of F. acuminatum subsp. armeniacum, indicating that this subspecies has the ge? netic potential to produce trichothecene type myco? toxins, while F. acuminatum subsp. acuminatum is ge? netically incapable of synthesizing these compounds. Molecular karyotypes of F. acuminatum subsp. ar? meniacum strains were very similar to those of F. spo- rotrichioides isolates suggesting a strong phylogenetic relationship between the two fungi.
Phylogeography of Littorina brevicula suggests postglacial colonization from south to north along the Japanese Archipelago

Littorina brevicula is one of the most common gastropods in the supralittoral zone around Japan. The northernmost population of this species is around Hokkaido and the determinant of this northern limit is likely seawater and air temperature. To reconstruct an evolutionary history of this species, we investigated genetic differentiation among 12 populations (three from Hokkaido, six from Honshu and three from Kyushu) using a mitochondrial DNA marker (partial sequence of the NADH dehydrogenase 6 gene). The haplotype network showed shallow genetic divergence within the species, suggesting a bottleneck followed by population expansion. One major haplotype that occurred in 70.5% of all individuals examined was the most frequent in every population sampled. A second major haplotype was abundant around Kyushu but not found in Hokkaido. This skewed haplotype distribution resulted in significant genetic differentiation along the north-south axis of Japan. The importance of the southern clade, which included the second major haplotype, was supported by population genetic analyses of datasets that excluded either the southern clade or the northern clades. The north-south differentiation remained when datasets that excluded the northern clades were used, but disappeared when datasets that excluded the southern clade were used. The combined evidence of shallow divergence and the north-south population structure suggests that the L. brevicula population around Japan once declined and then expanded and colonized northward. Although the time of population reduction and recolonization could not be precisely estimated, the observation that this species is absent further north in Japan suggests that it would have been unable to survive in northern Japan during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and therefore recolonization likely occurred after the LGM, probably from south
Two recently discovered species of Apiomorpha (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) feeding on eudesmid eucalypts in Western Australia reaffirm host conservatism in this gall-inducing scale insect genus

Abstract. Gall-inducing insects are relatively host-specific compared with their non-galling relatives. In Australia, there have been at least four origins of gall induction among eriococcid scale insects, with the most species-rich genus, Apiomorpha, inducing galls only on species of Eucalyptus. Here we describe two recently discovered species of Apiomorpha that induce galls on eudesmid eucalypts in Western Australia: Apiomorpha gongylocarpae, sp. nov., which is very similar morphologically to A. pomaphora, and A. jucundacrispi, sp. nov., the adult females of which induce an unusual gall covered in woody protrusions that, when older, have a knobbly appearance. Using molecular, morphological and host-association data, we show that these two species form a monophyletic group with the only other species of Apiomorpha that feed on eudesmid eucalypts (A. hilli and A. pomaphora). We place all four species of eudesmid-feeding Apiomorpha in the A. hilli species group, thus revising the current placement of A. pomaphora by removing it from the A. malleeacola species group. This study highlights additional faunal diversity endemic to Western Australia, with two of the four species being restricted to the globally recognised biodiversity hotspot of the South West Australia Floristic Region.
Modified Multi-population Genetic Algorithms for Parameter Identification of Yeast Fed-batch Cultivation

In this investigation two new modifications of standard multi-population genetic algorithm have been developed. Modifications differ from each other in the sequence of execution of main genetic operators selection, crossover and mutation. The main idea of both modifications is the operator selection to be executed between the operators crossover and mutation, or between mutation and crossover, respectively. Newly elaborated modifications of multi-population genetic algorithm s together with the standard one have been investigated for a parameter identification of yeast fed-batch cultivation . Obtained results have been compared and newly proposed modifications have been shown as accurate as the standard one multi-population genetic algorithms even proved to be faster . Normal 0 21 false false false BG X-NONE X-NONE
Pollination Biology Characters of Scutellaria baicalensis

Reproductive characteristics of Scutellaria baicalensis were studied by field observation, artificial pollination and laboratory tests. The results showed that corolla was purple or amaranth or blue color. Corolla tube was 0.5–1.2 cm wide,and 2.3–3.4 cm long,style was 2.3–3.5 cm long. The behind pair of anthers was 0.1–0.15 cm long while the front pair of anthers was 0.18–0.3 cm long. There were neither protruding stigmas nor contacting anthers. Pollen vigor was the strongest on the day of anthesis. At the beginning of anthesis,the vigor was 76.94%,and decreased rapidly to 54.06% three days later. Pollen-ovule ratio(P/O)ranged from 635 to 7 220. Natural nutlet setting rate was 56.74%. It was inferred that S. baicalensis belong to an entomophilous cross-pollinated plant based on the results of pollination observations and artificial pollination studies. The most freguently known pollinators of S. baicalensis were as follows:Anthophora deserticola Morawitz,Bombus(Bombus)ignitus Smith,Anthophora florae Smith and Bombus(Thoracobombus)opulentus Smith.
Fourth Generation of Closed-Population Honeybee Breeding 1. Comparison of Selected and Control Strains

SummaryThe offspring of 10 queen honeybees (Apis mellifera) were divided and kept in northern and southern Alberta, and in each location, selected and control groups were established. A new generation of queens was reared each year representing all 10 queen families in each of the four groups. The primary selection criterion was short-term colony gain at the beginning of nectar flow (Szabo, 1982). The new queens were mated in four geographically isolated locations with drones from their 10 colonies.Sixteen colony traits were recorded from the test colonies. Twelve characteristics differed between control and selected groups of the combined north and south apiaries. These were: fall colony weight, winter food consumption, number of Nosema spores per bee in the fall, colony population in May, capped worker and drone-brood area, colony population in June, brood viability, propolizing, pollen collection, disease resistance, and short-term gain. When data for the northern location were analysed separately, the.
The easternmost tropical Pacific. Part I: A climate review

The tropics are characterized by a variety of atmospheric and oceanic systems dominated by multi-scale interaction processes. This is Part I of a two-part review study on climate and climate variability of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Here, the mean fields of incoming short wave radiation, surface energy fluxes, sea surface temperature, sea level pressure, salinity, wind patterns at 10m height, wind stress curl, precipitation, and evaporation are analyzed and synthetized using available data including that from the last decade. Given the strong interaction between the ETP and Caribbean Sea-Atlantic Ocean, mean field discussions are presented for two different domains, a relatively large domain from 24° S - 36° N and between 129° W - 17° W, and a smaller domain embedding only the Caribbean Sea and the easternmost part of the ETP. Most results on the climate of these two regions can be used as the base line for climate change studies. Interannual variability of tropical cyclones is also investigated over the domain of the latter two basins in the smaller domain. The study is complemented with a short review of some low frequency modes, such as, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation. Such low-frequency modes are known to modulate regional systems, including tropical cyclone frequency.
Case report of a rare occurrence of multiple metachronous malignant neoplasm in a female patient

It is a rare case of a 53 year old female patient with three different malignancies occurring metachronously; papillary carcinoma of the thyroid followed by malignant phyllodes tumor of her left breast and finally acute myeloid leukaemia. As the patient in the report had received postoperative local ionising radiation treatment seven years prior to her development of acute myeloid leukaemia, the role of the exposure to ionising radiation as the causative mechanism in the development of this malignancy cannot be completely ruled out. This case report suggests that patients who have had a first cancer successfully treated are at higher risk of developing a second or even a third subsequent cancer; therefore, long term regular followup is essential for successfully treated cancer patients for the early diagnosis of the development of subsequent malignancies and their effective treatment.
Organic and inorganic nitrogenous losses by microbivorous nematodes in soil

To examine the relationship between primary and secondary decomposers and N mineralization in soil, amino acid-N, NH'-N, and population dynamics were measured in a soil microcosm system employing: (a) bacteria, and (b) bacteria + microbivorous nematodes. Appreciable amino acid-N (19 [tg amino acid-N/g soil) was detected in the presence of nematodes at day 5 of the experiment. However, after 35 d the nitrogenous waste products of the nematodes shifted to primarily NH? -N because of food stress and a shift in the nematode population structure. More N was mineralized in the system containing nematodes and bacteria than in the system containing bacteria alone.
Caracterização do papel de Stub1/CHIP no controle da estabilidade da proteína prion celular

The cellular prion protein (PrP) is a glycoprotein bound to cell membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. A conversion of PrP to its misfolded and infectious isoform (PrP) is responsible for the development of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases. Despite intensive research and the fact that PrP is conserved across different species, a consensus about its physiological function has not yet been reached. Recently, our group identified the interaction between PrP and Stub1 (STIP1 homology and U-Box containing protein 1), also called CHIP (C-terminus of HSC70-interacting protein) through yeast twohybrid screen, a cytoplasmic co-chaperone which presents as ubiquitin E3-ligase activity. Stub1/CHIP acts screening proteins to their folding or degradation. Nevertheless, the biological function of this interaction was not yet elucidated. The first objective of this work was to confirm the interaction between PrP and Stub1/CHIP through pull-down and co-immunopreciptation assays. This interaction was confirmed in assays from super expressed proteins, through transfection of HEK293T cells with plasmids expressing PrP and Stub1/CHIP, and from endogenous proteins assays, through mouse brain and olfactory epithelium sampling, corroborating the data from yeast-two-hybrid screen. The second part of this study aimed to characterize the interaction between Stub1/CHIP and PrP. We focused on the involvement of Stub1/CHIP in the stability/degradation of PrP, assuming that Stub1/CHIP would participate in PrP quality control. In this way, degradation and ubiquitination assays were performed in cells transfected with plasmids expressing PrP and Stub1/CHIP. Our results indicate that Stub1/CHIP is involved in the degradation of PrP. This work indicates an important role of Stub1/CHIP in the stability/degradation of PrP, which could become a target for therapeutic strategies in the study of the TSEs.
New morphological data for the larva of Allothrombium neapolitanum Oudemans, 1910 (Acari: Prostigmata: Trombidiidae)

Abstract The larva of Allothrombium neapolitanum Oudemans, 1910 is redescribed. This species, previously only known from Italy and Switzerland, is recorded for the first time from Iran. This paper presents new morphological data to augment the descriptions of A. neapolitanum. The distribution of Allothrombium larvae is summarised. Host records of larval Allothrombium mites, whenever known, are also given.
Plant community resilience in the face of fire: experimental evidence from a semi‐arid shrubland

Fil: Lipoma, Maria Lucrecia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biologica y Ecologica; Argentina
Review: Roles of Microenvironment and Mechanical Forces in Cell and Tissue Remodeling

This article provides a brief review of current research in cellular and tissue biomechanics, with an emphasis on the roles of the extracellular matrix and external forces on cell and tissue remodeling. In this rapidly developing interdisciplinary field, molecular biology, biochemistry, material science, biomedical engineering, and clinical medicine are integrated to understand intracellular signal transduction, gene regulation, tissue remodeling, and functional restoration or regeneration of injured or degenerated tissues and organs. Analysis of the responses to various types of externally applied force over a range of magnitude scales has helped to elucidate how cells sense external forces and respond to microenvironments from the single cell to tissue levels, from the micro to marco scales, and from two dimensions to three dimensions.
Significant predictors of problem-solving appraisal.

Cette etude vise a mettre en evidence les variables les plus predictives intervenant dans l'evaluation des resolutions de probleme. Elle est realisee aupres de 206 etudiants enquetes sur certaines dimensions de leur personnalite. Le traitement des donnees sur l'analyse de regression multiple permet de degager 2 variables principales intervenant dans ce processus d'evaluation de capacites de resolution de problemes