Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of eelgrass (Zostera marina) to an adjacent Olympia oyster restoration project

Recent restoration efforts for the native Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, are commonly motivated by potential return of oyster-associated ecosystem services, including increased water filtration. The potential impact of such restoration on another species of ecological concern, eelgrass, Zostera marina, is unclear, but has been hypothesized to be positive if oyster filter feeding increases light penetration to eelgrass. For two years after construction of an oyster restoration project, we assessed the response of adjacent eelgrass (impact) compared to control and reference eelgrass beds by monitoring changes in light intensity, eelgrass shoot density, biomass, leaf morphometrics, and epiphyte load. We observed lower light intensity consistently over time, including prior to restoration, near the constructed oyster bed relative to the control and one of the reference locations. We also observed minor variations between control and impact eelgrass morphology and density. However, the changes observed were not outside the range of natural variation expected in this system, based upon comparisons to reference eelgrass beds, nor were they detrimental. This limited impact to eelgrass may be due in part to the incorporation of a buffer distance between the restored oyster bed and the existing eelgrass bed, which may have dampened both positive and negative impacts. These findings provide evidence that Olympia oyster restoration and eelgrass conservation goals can be compatible and occur simultaneously.
Serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone and its expression in the remnant ovarian tissue of rats with experimentally induced ovarian remnant syndrome.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is synthesised in the Sertoli cells of the testes and granulosa cells of the ovary. As the ovaries seem to be the primary source of AMH, it may be used for determination of the presence or absence of ovaries or ovarian remnants in mammalians. The purpose of the present study was to compare the serum AMH concentration of rats with experimentally induced ovarian remnant syndrome and the expression of AMH in the ovarian tissue removed during ovariohysterectomy and remnant ovarian tissue. A total of eighteen Sprague Dawley rats were used in the study. Group I consisted of 6 rats that were gone through ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS) experimentally, group II consisted of 6 rats in which both ovaries were removed and group III consisted of 6 rats that were sham-operated. Median laparotomy was performed in the all groups under general anaesthesia. AMH mRNA expression was determined using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). AMH mRNA expression levels in group I were decreased on day 30 after surgery when compared to day 0 (P>0.05). Mean concentration of serum AMH on day 10 after surgery in group I, II and III were found 2.27±0.52 ng/ml, <0.312 ng/ml and 3.96±0.53 ng/ml, respectively (P<0.05). In conclusion, this finding suggests that evaluation of serum AMH concentration could be an useful method to determine the presence or absence of ovaries or ovarian remnants in the rat.
Institutional Determinants of Economic Performance in OECD Countries – An Institutions Climate Index

The Penn World Tables document dramatic differences in development among OECD countries. The per capita income gap between richest and poorest OECD countries was about 8 fold in 1970, and remains about 5 fold in 2000. Despite evidence in favor of convergence, such significant and persistent disparities are surprising. They raise interest in the determinants of the diversity of per capita income levels among the group of countries that is widely considered as “first world”, “advanced” and “industrialized. ”
A Drosophila Model of HPV E6-Induced Malignancy Reveals Essential Roles for Magi and the Insulin Receptor

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women worldwide. The causative agents of cervical cancers, high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs), cause cancer through the action of two oncoproteins, E6 and E7. The E6 oncoprotein cooperates with an E3 ubiquitin ligase (UBE3A) to target the p53 tumour suppressor and important polarity and junctional PDZ proteins for proteasomal degradation, activities that are believed to contribute towards malignancy.
Floral Structure and Development Reveal Presence of Petals in Phyllanthus L. (Phyllanthaceae)

Premise of research. Phyllanthus is a pantropical genus and the largest in Phyllanthaceae with a wide diversity of habits and floral morphologies. The flowers are considered monochlamydeous, but some divergences are found in the literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the floral structure of Phyllanthus urinaria based on ontogenetic, structural, and vascular analyses. Methodology. Flowers and buds of P. urinaria were embedded in Paraplast and sectioned using a rotatory microtome for analysis under LM. SEM was performed for additional structural and ontogenetic data. Pivotal results. The primordia of the sepals are the first structures to be formed in a counterclockwise direction, followed by the petals, which arise in a clockwise direction. Nectaries are formed on the base of the corolla in the staminate and pistillate flowers; then, the two perianth whorls merge, fusing at the base of the adult flowers. The three stamens have filaments postgenitally fused and free anthers. The ovary has three carpels congenitally connate with two ovules hemitropous with one long nucellar beak per locule and styles partially fused. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate for the first time the petaliferous nature of the inner whorl of the perianth in Phyllanthus, based on ontogenetic and anatomical evidence. The presence of a perianth with sepals and petals is a possible synapomorphy of the clade formed by Phyllanthus sect. Emblica + Phyllanthus sect. Urinaria and Breynia, Glochidion, and Sauropus, now under Phyllanthus in the current phylogenetic circumscription of the tribe Phyllantheae.
Suitability of Quality Management Methods for Adhesive Bonding Processes

Due to its ability to join different materials, adhesive bonding has established as one of the most important joining techniques especially for lightweight applications. In addition, it offers further advantages as a planar load transfer. However, there are also some challenges that limit the application of adhesive bonding and one of these challenges is the quality assurance. Adhesive bonding is a special process as the quality of an adhesive bond cannot be determined by non-destructive testing. Although numerous testing methods have been applied in recent years, none has proven to be able to verify the conformity of adhesive bonds reliable. Therefore, it is essential to implement a quality management systems. Therefore, within this study, quality management methods are evaluated regarding their suitability to be used to implement a quality management system for adhesive bonding processes. Based on the evaluation, instructions for the implementation of a quality management systems are derived and a procedure for the introduction of a quality management systems for adhesive bonding processes is given.
Molecular studies of Wolbachia and sex-determination genes in Australian Bactrocera species : complementary approaches to improved fruit fly control

xiii Chapter 1 General Introduction 1 1.1 Biology of fruit flies 2 1.2 Fruit fly pest control strategies 6 1.3 Symbiotic bacteria in insects 10 1.4 Drosophila melanogaster somatic sex-determination pathway 16 1.5 The somatic sex-determination pathway in Tephritidae 24 1.6 Research scope and aims 29 1.7 Thesis structure 32 Chapter 2 Latitudinal cline in the incidence of Wolbachia endosymbionts in Australian tephritid fruit fly communities 33
Powdered barley sprouts: composition, functionality and polyphenol digestibility

This study was performed to evaluate the phytochemical composition, in vitro antioxidant capacity, antihyperglycaemic and anti-inflammatory activities, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion of 7-day-old freeze-dried barley sprouts (BS), one hybrid and one nonhybrid variety: ‘NS565’ (BSNS) and ‘Golozrni’ (BSG), respectively. BSNS expressed significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) content of total phenols, chlorophyll and carotenoids. Phenolic compounds were the most dominant bioactives in both BSNS and BSG (713.25 and 479.02 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW, respectively). BSNS possessed significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) antioxidant capacity, evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays, and reducing power (IC50DPPH = 0.54 mg mL−1; IC50ABTS = 0.79 mg mL−1; RP0.5 = 9.35 mg mL−1). Antihyperglycaemic and anti-inflammatory activities of BSNS (IC50AHgA = 1.43 mg mL−1; IC50AIA = 1.86 mg mL−1) were also significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than BSG (IC50AHgA = 1.97 mg mL−1; IC50AIA = 4.40 mg mL−1). In vitro simulation of gastrointestinal digestion showed higher release of phenolic compounds in intestinal fluid than in gastric fluid.
Physical composition of carcass, commercial cuts and meat characteristics of young bulls fed millet-based diets containing increased crude glycerin levels

Assessment of carcass and meat characteristics of Nellore young bulls finished in feedlot with crude glycerin levels (0, 60, 120, and 240 g kg-1 dry matter) in millet-based diets. Twenty-eight young bulls with mean age of 18 months and average weight of 357 ± 23.56 kg were used. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and seven replicates. It was observed that the physical composition and edible portion of the carcass were not affected by crude glycerin levels in the diets. However, the increased dietary crude glycerin level raised the weights of the forequarters (kg and % of cold carcass weight), but not that of the pistol cut and short ribs. Among the commercial cuts prepared to marketing of the pistol cut, only the weight of the rump cap (% cold carcass weight) was changed, decreasing linearly with increasing dietary crude glycerin levels. Additionally, meat characteristics remained unaltered by the increased levels of crude glycerin. It was concluded that inclusion of up to 240 g kg-1 of crude glycerin in millet grain-based diets for Nellore young bulls finished in feedlot does not alter the main carcass and meat characteristics or affect their economic value.
Prevalence of different alleles of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene with respect to the genetic risk for Hepatitis B virus infection in healthy north Indian population

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in various human immunogenes have been shown to be responsible for resistant or susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). It has been shown by many studies that various polymorphism in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene have direct effect on various disease manifesto including HBV, HIV, HCV and several neurological disease. The allele e2 has been observed as a disease susceptible allele for HBV infection, whereas it confirms resistance to HCV infection. The aim of this study was to find out the different polymorphic variant of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene in our healthy population. Seventy-four healthy volunteers were included in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted and PCR was performed with two different systems and the result was analyzed for different banding pattern of the gene to find out the respective alleles. Allele e2 was found to be the dominant allele in both male and female of our healthy population, which is not a good sign regarding HBV-infection.
Putative RFLP Analysis Between HSVd-sycv and Closely Related Variants

Yellow corky vein is a prevalent disease among navel oranges in the Fars province of Iran. Previously we showed that a variant of Hop stunt viroid (HSVd-sycv) was associated with the disease. It was closely related to citrus variant of HSVd from Japan (HSVd-cit8) and with 93.7% homology with lime yellow corky vein variant of HSVd (HSVd– lycv). In this study, putative RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) analysis using Vector NTI program (version 9.0.0) showed that some restriction enzymes could cut HSVd-sycv but not HSVd-lycv. On the other hand, M.Ngo BIX and FauI which could cut HSVd-lycv at positions of nt 53 and 97, respectively, could not cut HSVdsycv. Likewise, some restriction enzymes could cut HSVd-cit8 but could not cut HSVd-sycv. Therefore these variants can be recognized by these restriction enzymes.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells: How Can we Realize their Therapeutic Potential in Cancer Therapy?

Mesenchymal stem cells home to the tumour stroma from the bone marrow, influencing early tumour development and metastasis. Mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to be promising vehicles for cancer therapy due to this tropism for tumour sites, their immunoprivileged status, easy extraction from bone marrow and facile transfection. Mesenchymal stem cells have been used to deliver gene therapy in the form of cytokines or adenovirus and as part of prodrug strategies. However, in order for these agents to be tested in clinical trials, the biology of mesenchymal stem cells must be further investigated. At present there is variation between research groups surrounding mesenchymal stem cell isolation and characterisation methods, as well as in how the cells are delivered to in vivo models, making studies hard to compare. Research examining the attraction of mesenchymal stem cells to tumours has found that the cells home towards a wide range of growth factors, cytokines and proteases. Once part of the tumour stroma, mesenchymal stem cells may have both pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects, increasing tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastasis and decreasing immune activation in some systems, and in others, reducing tumour cell proliferation and development of metastases. Understanding more precisely which subsets of mesenchymal stem cells support or undermine the development of the tumour at various timepoints will enable an effective clinical trial strategy for mesenchymal stem cell-based cancer therapies to be developed and replicated with different cancers and treatment sites.
The changing face of rhizobial systematics

In the present scenario where we need to feed enormous population of estimated five billion, legume-rhizobium association has gained importance. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is an important attribute of symbiotic association of legume host with rhizobia. To achieve maximum BNF out of any legume-rhizobium association it is necessary to properly characterize and identify rhizobia before they are made commercially available for field application. Bacterial taxonomy is in the evolutionary phase with the advent and use of molecular tools in the characterization and identification of the isolates. Nowadays polyphasic approach is most reliable in classifying microorganisms. This has led to the reorganization of the already described species of rhizobia as also identification of new species from the nodules of already explored and large number of yet unexplored legume plants. We discuss here the evolutionary systematics of the group Rhizobia.
Morphogenesis, biomass and nutritive value of Panicum maximum under different shade levels and fertilizer nitrogen rates

Panicum maximum is important for cattle production in tropical regions, and it responds well to nitrogen (N) fertilization. Many cultivars have exhibited potential for use in silvopastoral systems, although there is limited information on how different levels of N can influence plant growth and nutritive value under shading. Morphogenetic and structural traits, biomass production and nutritive value of two P. maximum cultivars (Tanzânia and Massai) were investigated under three shading levels (0, 37 and 58%) and four N rates (0, 50, 100 and 150 mg N dm−3). Plants were grown in pots under shade. Leaf and stem elongation rate and leaf blade length increased with shading and in response to N. Tiller density was reduced with shading, but showed a linear increase fashion with N under full sun and moderate shading. Under intense shading, the tillering showed a quadratic response to N. Plant biomass production increased linearly with N under full sun and moderate shade, but it increased quadratically under intense shade. Crude protein (CP) content increased with shade and N and was greater for Tanzânia than Massai under shade. Contents of NDF and ADF were greater for Massai than Tanzânia. Acid detergent insoluble protein was reduced in Tanzânia under shade, but it increased for Massai. It is suggested that the positive shading effect on CP content may not result in increased nutritional value. Although N fertilization was important for increasing biomass production under full sun and moderate shade, it should be avoided under intense shading.
Evaluating alternative mowing regimes for conservation management of Central European mesic hay meadows: A field experiment

Abstract Conservation status of hay meadows highly depends on their management. The main goal of this study was to assess the efficiency of different mowing regimes in maintenance of plant species richness and diversity of mesic hay meadows. The field experiment was carried out on a species rich, mesic hay meadow in Western Hungary. We evaluated the effects of four alternative types of management on the plant community after 7 years of continuous treatment: (1) mowing twice a year, typical traditional management, (2) mowing once a year in May, most practised currently by local farmers, (3) mowing once a year in September, often proposed for conservation management and (4) abandonment of mowing. Traditional mowing resulted in significantly higher number and higher diversity of vascular plant species than other mowing regimes. Mowing twice a year was the only efficient way to control the spread of the invasive Solidago gigantea, and mowing in September was more successful in it than mowing in May. We conclude that the traditional mowing regime is the most suitable to maintain botanical diversity of mesic hay meadows; however, other regimes should also be considered if certain priority species are targeted by conservation.
Biological costs and benefits of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance can impair bacterial growth or competitive ability in the absence of antibiotics, frequently referred to as a ‘costs’ of resistance. Theory and experiments emphasize the importance of such effects for the distribution of resistance in pathogenic populations. However, recent work shows that costs of resistance are highly variable depending on environmental factors such as nutrient supply and population structure, as well as genetic factors including the mechanism of resistance and genetic background. Here we suggest that such variation can be better understood by distinguishing between the effects of resistance mechanisms on individual traits such as growth rate or yield (‘trait effects’), and effects on genotype frequencies over time (‘selective effects’). We first give a brief overview of the biological basis of costs of resistance and how trait effects may translate to selective effects in different environmental conditions. We then review empirical evidence of genetic and environmental variation of both types of effects and how such variation may be understood by combining molecular microbiological information with concepts from evolution and ecology. Ultimately, disentangling different types of costs may permit the identification of interventions that maximize the cost of resistance and therefore accelerate its decline.
Mechanism of flavin cofactor binding to flavodoxins: the role of aromatic residues and the aromatic gate

The molecular basis for the mechanism of the binding of riboflavin-based cofactors to flavoproteins is not well understood. In this thesis, a model is proposed for the binding of flavin cofactors to the Desulfovibrio vulgaris flavodoxin. In the presence of inorganic phosphate, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) binds to the flavodoxin in two ways; phosphate-first, where the 5′-phosphate group makes the initial contact with the flavodoxin, and ring-first, where contact is initiated by the isoalloxazine ring. Riboflavin, which lacks the 5′-phosphate group of FMN, can only bind via the ring-first mechanism. In the absence of inorganic phosphate, FMN can only bind via the phosphate-first mechanism and riboflavin binds very weakly. Thus a phosphate molecule, either the 5′-phosphate group of FMN or inorganic phosphate, is required for ring-first binding to occur. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies, the environment of several residues changes upon phosphate binding. In particular, the side chain of Trp60 in the ring-binding site, is experiencing different environments in the presence of phosphate. More time is spent in the alternate environments as the phosphate concentration increases. This suggested a role for Trp60 in the communication between the phosphateand ring-binding subsites, and that Trp60 was involved in an “aromatic gate” similar to one observed in the Anabaena apoflavodoxin (Genzor et al., 1996).
Bioprospecting for bioactive polysaccharides from marine algae endemic to South Africa

Fucoidan is a marine-derived sulphated polysaccharide with useful properties ideal for food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The polysaccharide consists largely of L-fucose, has a highly heterogeneous structure and is of diverse origin. In this study different extraction methods were assessed for effect on fucoidan heterogeneity from Ecklonia maxima, Laminaria pallida and Splachnidium rugosum. Extraction methods employed hot water, hydrochloric acid or calcium chloride. Extracts were assessed for fucoidan yield and purity by colorimetric assays. The highest fucoidan yield was obtained with the hot water method as seen by highest L-fucose content. Splachnidium rugosum extracts contained ~5 times more L-fucose (265 ± 49.2 μg/mL) than Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida extracts. The salt method yielded extracts free of contaminants, however L-fucose content in all extracts was >20 times lower. Acid extraction yielded the highest levels of uronic acid contamination and liberated sulphate from the fucoidan polysaccharide. The fucose-to-sulphate ratio for Ecklonia maxima was approximately 1:5, whilst the ratios for Splachnidium rugosum and Laminaria pallida were approximately 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. The acid and salt method removed all traces of protein contaminants, while the hot water method retained very low levels of protein (<40 μg/mL). The extraction method used to isolate fucoidan was a determining factor in yield and purity. Chemical compositional analyses of hot water extracts were assessed by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. Splachnidium rugosum and Laminaria pallida extracts consisted largely of L-fucose, while Ecklonia maxima fucoidan was characterized by an abundance of glucose. Other neutral sugars present at low amounts were galactose, mannose, rhamnose, xylose and fructose. The L-fucose ratio in crude and purified fucoidan extracts was highest in Splachnidium rugosum (79-98%) which was comparable to the ratio determined for the commercial Fucus vesiculosus control (86%).
Effect of Sodium Chloride, pH and Temperature on Growth of Shigella flexneri.

A systematic study of the effect of sodium chloride (0.5, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0%), pH (7.5, 6.5, 5.5), and temperature (37, 28, 19, 10°C) on growth of Shigella flexneri is reported for the first time, using a factorial design. Experiments were done using Brain-Heart Infusion media inoculated to contain 1 × 103 cfu/ml and incubated on rotary shakers (150 rpm). Growth curves were plotted from the experimental data by means of the Gompertz equation, and growth rates, lag times, generation times, and maximum populations were derived for all variable combinations. Results indicated that the three variables interact to affect the growth of S. flexneri , and combinations of low temperature, low pH, and high sodium chloride contents are strongly inhibitory.