Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ex situ conservation of dwarf junipers (Juniperus hemisphaerica Presl, Juniperus nana Willd.) in Pollino National Park, southern Italy

Abstract Dwarf junipers (family Cupressaceae), dioecious and wind-pollinated coniferous shrubs with a low tolerance for shade and a slow growth rate, can be an important biological indicator of climate changes in a mountain environment at a Mediterranean latitude. In the southern Italian mountains they grow at altitudes above 1500 m a.s. l. in wide grazed clearings or over the timberline, and are characteristic of xeric communities, rich in flora and fauna. Nowadays, the conservation of these species is threatened because of the dynamism in the patterns of vegetation and the extremely scarce natural regeneration. This paper presents the initial results of ongoing nursery and laboratory experiments carried out on seed germination and vegetative propagation of autochthonous dwarf junipers (Juniperus hemisphaerica Presl, Juniperus nana Willd.) of the high-mountain areas of Pollino National Park (southern Italy) to promote ex situ conservation. Specific protocols were prepared to break seed dormancy and develop best practices for propagation using cuttings.
TGF‐β1‐induced expression of collagen type II and ACAN is regulated by 4E‐BP1, a repressor of translation

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)‐binding protein 1 (4E‐BP1) binds eIF4E and represses protein translation by displacing it from the mRNA. In this study, we investigated the influence of 4E‐BP1 translational apparatus on the regulation of transforming growth factor‐beta 1 (TGF‐β1)‐induced anabolic signaling in chondrocytes. The level of 4E‐BP1 expression was significantly higher in human OA cartilage than normal cartilage. TGF‐β1 increased total protein synthesis, including aggrecan (ACAN) and collagen type II (Col II), together with activation of Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. mTOR silencing significantly suppressed ACAN and Col II expressions through decreasing TGF‐β1‐induced phosphorylation of 4E‐BP1. On the contrary, 4E‐BP1 knockdown promoted total protein synthesis but suppressed Col II and ACAN expressions with decreased expression of Smad2/3 and Smad4 and increased expression of inhibitory Smad6 and Smad7. TGF‐β1 suppressed the interaction of 4E‐BP1 and eIF4E and subsequently enhanced protein synthesis. Furthermore, 4E‐BP1 regulated translation levels of inhibitory Smads, which decreased the accumulation of nuclear Smad2/3 complexes on the promoter of ACAN and Col II genes, subsequently affecting transcription of ACAN and Col II. These results demonstrated that TGF‐β1‐modulated phosphorylation of 4EBP1 plays a role in the expression of Col II and ACAN through differential alteration of Smad signaling pathway.
An Open-Source 7-DOF Wireless Human Arm Motion-Tracking System for Use in Robotics Research

To extend the choice of inertial motion-tracking systems freely available to researchers and educators, this paper presents an alternative open-source design of a wearable 7-DOF wireless human arm motion-tracking system. Unlike traditional inertial motion-capture systems, the presented system employs a hybrid combination of two inertial measurement units and one potentiometer for tracking a single arm. The sequence of three design phases described in the paper demonstrates how the general concept of a portable human arm motion-tracking system was transformed into an actual prototype, by employing a modular approach with independent wireless data transmission to a control PC for signal processing and visualization. Experimental results, together with an application case study on real-time robot-manipulator teleoperation, confirm the applicability of the developed arm motion-tracking system for facilitating robotics research. The presented arm-tracking system also has potential to be employed in mechatronic system design education and related research activities. The system CAD design models and program codes are publicly available online and can be used by robotics researchers and educators as a design platform to build their own arm-tracking solutions for research and educational purposes.
Spatio-temporal variability in ontogenetic guild structure of an intertidal fish assemblage in central Chile

El uso de los recursos puede variar a traves de la ontogenia, afectando potencialmente las dinamicas comunitarias. Esto puede ser de particular importancia en especies que enfrentan alta variabilidad en las condiciones ambientales, especialmente en peces intermareales, los que alcanzan varios ordenes de magnitud en tamano corporal. Sin embargo, la influencia de los cambios ontogeneticos en la membresia gremial sobre la estructura espacio-temporal de los ensambles de peces permanece virtualmente desconocida. En este trabajo estudiamos la variabilidad espacio-temporal en la estructura de los gremios alimenticios ontogeneticos (OFG) de los ensambles de peces intermareales que ocurren en el intermareal rocoso de la costa de Chile central. Para esto realizamos analisis de componentes principales (PCA) y pruebas de aleatorizacion (pruebas R) de la composicion relativa de las OFG de estos ensambles, obtenidos de muestreos estacionales en diez pozas intermareales ubicadas en dos alturas de mareas en la zona intermareal en tres localidades entre los 33° y 34° S. En general, los PCA y pruebas R sugieren que la variabilidad espacial domina sobre la variabilidad temporal en la estructura de las OFG, debido principalmente a la alta representatividad de las especies omnivoras en las pozas altas del intermareal en dos de las tres localidades muestreadas. Sin embargo, cambios relacionados a la fenologia en la representacion de las clases de tamano de los peces (i.e. reclutamiento de carnivoros en primavera-verano) junto con diferencias ontogeneticas en la seleccion de habitat (e.g., seleccion por pozas del intermareal bajo por la OFG de carnivoros de gran tamano) contribuyeron a una diferenciacion espacial y temporal de la estructura de la OFG. Finalmente, la representacion relativa de cada OFG se correlaciono con la de sus especies dominantes, sin evidencia de una compensacion por densidad. Esto sugiere bajos niveles de redundancia funcional entre las especies en cada OFG, lo cual denota la vulnerabilidad del funcionamiento de estos ensambles a perturbaciones sesgadas en tamano corporal tales como la pesca.
Community Structure and Stability in Constant Environments

Analysis of natural populations of several species of Drosophila has revealed the existence of local coadapted gene pools that differ epistatically from other such gene pools (Vetukhiv 1954; Wallace and Vetukhiv 1955; Dobzhansky 1970). In these cases, frequencies of some alleles seem to be determined in part by the fitness they confer in association with specific alleles at other loci. A local population at gene-frequency equilibrium may be represented by a point on any one of several peaks in the gene frequency space or adaptive landscape (Wright 1932). But if alleles confer fitness independent of alleles at other loci, this more additively acting genetic system may be represented by a less complex adaptive landscape, with, in the completely additive case, a single peak to which a population will return if its gene frequencies are changed. Since in the more nonadditive case a population displaced from a peak may come to equilibrium at an adaptive peak other than that formerly occupied, a set of nonadditively interacting loci may be considered less stable than an additively interacting set, if we measure stability by the likelihood of return to a configuration from which the system is displaced (Lewontin 1969). Levins (1965, 1968) has argued that epistatically organized, coadapted sets of alleles are most likely to persist in constant environments in which selection pressures are unchanging, since the fitness conferred by specific combinations of alleles is unlikely to be high over a broad range of environmental conditions. This postulate remains largely unconfirmed by data, although some indirect evidence is provided by Watkins and Spangelo (1968). Although a satisfying ecological analogue to genetic fitness is obscure, a loose analogy of ecological with genetic systems suggests some interesting deductions. The processes of coevolution lead to varying levels of dependency among species. In highly coevolved relationships, one species may use another as a necessary resource; in some cases the relationship evolves to a point of obligate reciprocal utilization, as in the mutualistic associations between ants and plants (Janzen 1966), or orchids and their pollinators (van der Pijl and Dodson 1966). While data on the relative frequency of specialized coevolved relationships among species in different environments are nonexistent, a strikingly large number of cases is known from such communities as tropical wet forests and coral reefs, that are commonly (and perhaps mistakenly) thought of as occurring in relatively constant environments. Such cases as the flocks of formicariids and dendrocolaptids that
EVALUATION OF XANTHOPHYLLS EXTRACTED FROM TAGETES ERECTUS (MARIGOLD FLOWER) AND CAPSICUM SP. (RED PEPPER PAPRIKA) AS A PIGMENT FOR EGG-YOLKS COMPARE WITH SYNTHETIC PIGMENTS

Three experiments were accomplished to compare the efficacy of yellow and red xanthophylls extracted from Tagetes erectus and Capsicum sp. , with synthetic citranaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and ester of β-apo-8-carotenoic pigments at different concentrations to enhance the yellow color of chicken egg yolk. In each trial brown laying hens were placed in cages, and after seven days of feeding a sorghum-soybean diet without pigments treatments were assigned. Yolk eggs were classified with the Roche yolk color fan (RYCF) or Minolta refractometer. In the first experiment, 168 hens were randomly distributed to seven treatments ® with one control group, synthetic pigments, and natural xanthophylls. In the second and third experiments, 100 hens were assigned to four different treatments consisting in the same basal diet with addition of natural xanthophylls, and three combinations of apo-ester and citranaxantin. In all experiments, after four weeks of feeding these experimental diets, the color of 10 egg yolks per treatment was evaluated 10 different times every other day or twice a week. Results indicated that live performance was not affected by treatments, but the egg yolk color changed significantly according to the pigment added. Hens fed with diets with 7.5 ppm of yellow xanthophylls extracted from Tagetes and 4.0 ppm of red xanthophylls from Capsicum had yolk eggs classified as color 11.7 ± 0.1. Capsicum extract levels had linear effect over RYCF. Synthetic carotenoids gave a yolk color that varies from 13 to 14 in the highest concentration, and from 12 (5%) to 14 (43%) at the lowest concentration.
Problems in Modelling the Photosynthesis-Light Relationship for Phytoplankton

Is there a best model for the algal photosynthesis-light relationship? Jassby & Platt's (1976) verdict favouring the hyperbolic tangent model is reassessed, the theoretical basis of model fitting is discussed, and a warning is given against equating model parameters with real physiological efficiencies or rates. To avoid bias models should be fitted without transforming data and parameters estimated simultaneously and independently. Use of such a method shows that the fit of several models cannot be distinguished from that of the hyperbolic tangent. One of these models is that of Smith (1936) and Tailing (1957 a), and the continued use of this model when there is no photoinhibition is commended on the grounds of relative computational simplicity and wide usage.
The Importance of Drawing Meaningful Conclusions from Data: A Review of the Literature with Meta-Analytic Inquiry

Using correct statistical concepts is an important component when conducting quantitative research. Ideas such as power, effect size, and confidence intervals need to be addressed appropriately every time a research study is initiated. The intent of this review of the literature is to reacquaint faculty, practitioners, and graduate students with scholarly information pertaining to these important concepts to facilitate improved implementation of quantitative research designs. Practical cases are interwoven within the review to furnish examples of concept importance, and a meta-analysis of concept usage found in articles published in the NASPA Journal is provided as a measure for implications.
Coenzyme-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases in Candida guilliermondii Y4

Candida guilliermondii Y4 is capable of synthesizing two different alcohol dehydrogenases. ADH1 is constitutive on different carbon sources under shaking or settling conditions and its activity is prominent on gel electrophoresis. ADH2 is only synthesized under shaking condition. Two types of mutants were isolated using an allyl alcohol selection technique. ADH1-deficient mutants had 2.7% ADH activity of the wild type, while ADH2-deficient mutants had an ADH activity as high as that of the wild-type ADH activity. The alcohol dehydrogenases of the mutants differ from those of the wild type in their relative oxidation rates of alcohols. ADH1 appears to possess a functional role mainly in the production of ethanol from acetaldehyde, while ADH2 functions mainly in the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. However, both enzymes seem to be capable of carrying out the reverse reactions, since mutants lacking either of them still grew satisfactorily on different carbon sources. Key words: Candida guilliermondii, .
Morphological and molecular classifications of genus pholis

Abstract Morphological and molecular classifications were attempted in an effort to establish species‐specific classifications of three species of the genus Pholis in Korea; these species were subjected to morphological and molecular methodologies using body measurements, RFLP, RAPD, and phylogenetic trees using the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial 16S and 12S ribosomal DNAs, cytochrome c oxidase I, and cytochrome b. The data demonstrated that the three species of genus Pholis are distinct from each other, both morphologically and genetically.
Green Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Bio-Inspired Stimuli-Responsive Vesicles in Cancer Therapy Application

In the last years, there is a growing interest in the application of nanoscaled materials in cancer therapy because of their unique physico-chemical properties. However, the dark side of their usability is limited by their possible toxic behaviour and accumulation in living organisms. Starting from this assumption, the search for a green alternative to produce nanoparticles (NPs) or the discovery of green molecules, is a challenge in order to obtain safe materials. In particular, gold (Au NPs) and silver (Ag NPs) NPs are particularly suitable because of their unique physico-chemical properties, in particular plasmonic behaviour that makes them useful as active anticancer agents. These NPs can be obtained by green approaches, alternative to conventional chemical methods, owing to the use of phytochemicals, carbohydrates, and other biomolecules present in plants, fungi, and bacteria, reducing toxic effects. In addition, we analysed the use of green and stimuli-responsive polymeric bio-inspired nanovesicles, mainly used in drug delivery applications that have revolutionised the way of drugs supply. Finally, we reported the last examples on the use of metallic and Au NPs as self-propelling systems as new concept of nanorobot, which are able to respond and move towards specific physical or chemical stimuli in biological entities.
Involvement of blueberry peroxidase in the mechanisms of anthocyanin degradation in blueberry juice

ABSTRACT: Addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2) to blueberry juice changed the red coloration toward brown. Addition of ascorbic acid prevented the formation of brown polymers. An extract of peroxidase (POD) prepared from blueberry fruits was able to oxidize CG into the corresponding o-quinone but only in the presence of H2 O2. The chlorogenoquinone plays a dominant role in anthocyanin degradation. We demonstrated that peroxidase extract in the absence of CG showed a weak degradation activity toward blueberry anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-glucoside, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside. Nevertheless, addition of CG increased anthocyanin degradation, leading to formation of brown polymers. Therefore, blueberry POD could participate in the development of browning during blueberry-juice storage.
Nonylphenol‐induced cytosolic Ca2+ elevation and death in renal tubular cells

Nonylphenol is an environmental endocrine disrupter. The effect of nonylphenol on intracellular free Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]i) and viability in Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells was explored. Nonylphenol increased [Ca2+]i in a concentration‐dependent manner (EC50∼0.8 μM). Nonylphenol‐induced Mn2+ entry demonstrated Ca2+ influx and removal of extracellular Ca2+ partly decreased the [Ca2+]i rise. The [Ca2+]i rise was inhibited by the protein kinase C activator, phorbol 13‐myristate acetate (PMA) but not by L‐type Ca2+ channel blockers. In Ca2+‐free medium, nonylphenol‐induced [Ca2+]i rise was partly inhibited by pretreatment with 1 μM thapsigargin (an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump inhibitor). Conversely, nonylphenol pretreatment abolished thapsigargin‐induced Ca2+ release. Nonylphenol‐induced Ca2+ release was unaltered by inhibition of phospholipase C. At concentrations of 5–100 μM, nonylphenol killed cells in a concentration‐dependent manner. The cytotoxic effect of 100 μM nonylphenol was not affected by preventing [Ca2+]i rises with BAPTA/AM. Collectively, this study shows that nonylphenol induced [Ca2+]i increase in MDCK cells via evoking Ca2+ entry through protein kinase C‐regulated Ca2+ channels, and releasing Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum and other stores in a phospholipase C‐independent manner. Nonylphenol also killed cells in a Ca2+‐independent fashion. Drug Dev Res, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bryoid Layer Response to Soil Disturbance by Fuel Reduction Treatments in a Dry Conifer Forest

Abstract We investigated the response of the bryoid layer, bryophyte and lichen communities on the soil surface, three years after fuel reduction treatment (logging and burning) in the central Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Both treatment and control areas had been decimated by spruce budworm and drought before the fuel reduction treatments. Treatments reduced overstory and understory woody vegetation, litter, and coarse woody debris and disturbed the soil surface. In the untreated stands minor local disturbances had created bare mineral soil over about 1% of the ground area, about half of that was from burrowing rodents. Fuel reduction treatments disturbed an additional 23% of the ground area, beyond the 1% disturbed in untreated sites. Over half of the recently disturbed treatment areas had been colonized by pioneering short mosses. Bare soil from rodent disturbances covered about 10 times more area in treated sites than in untreated sites, increasing from 0.4% to 5.5% cover. The bryoid layer responded to the treatments by changes in species composition, rather than species richness. Treated areas had more cover of small acrocarpous pioneer bryophytes (i.e., Funaria hygrometrica, Ceratodon purpureus, and especially Bryum caespiticium), whereas cover of larger pleurocarps, such as Brachythecium and Rhytidiadelphus was reduced by soil disturbance. We infer that pioneer bryophytes perform a valuable ecosystem service in these dry forests by rapidly colonizing and stabilizing the soil surface, reducing its vulnerability to erosion by wind and water.
Climatic oscillations and tuna catch rates in the Indian Ocean: a wavelet approach to time series analysis

We analysed the influence of climatic oscillations [based on the Indian Oscillation Index (IOI)] on monthly catch rates of two tropical tuna species in the equatorial Indian Ocean. We carried out wavelet analysis, an efficient method of time series analysis to study non-stationary data. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE) of bigeye tuna was computed from Japanese longline statistics from 1955 to 2002 in the equatorial Indian Ocean and CPUE of yellowfin tuna was derived from industrial purse seine statistics from 1984 to 2003 in the Western Indian Ocean. Wavelet analyses allowed us to quantify both the pattern of variability in the time series and non-stationary associations between tuna and climatic signals. Phase analyses were carried out to investigate dependency between the two signals. We reported strong associations between tuna and climate series for the 4- and 5-yr periodic modes, i.e. the periodic band of the El Nino Southern Oscillation signal propagation in the Indian Ocean. These associations were non-stationary, evidenced from 1970 to 1990 for bigeye, and from 1984 to 1991 and then from 1993 to 2001 for yellowfin. Warm episodes (low negative IOI values) matched increases of longline catch rates of bigeye during the 1970–1990 time frame, whereas the strong 1997–1998 warm event matched a decrease of purse seine catch rates of yellowfin. We discussed these results in terms of changes in catchability for purse seine and longline.
Assessment of 10-nm Particle Number (PN) Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) for Future Regulations

The particle number (PN) emissions of vehicles equipped with particulate filters are low. However, there are technologies that can have high PN levels, especially below the currently lower regulated particle size of 23 nm. Sub-23-nm particles are also considered at least as dangerous as the larger ultrafine particles. For this reason, the European Union (EU) is planning to regulate particles down to 10 nm. In this study we compared prototype portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) and reference laboratory systems measuring from 10 nm. The tests included cycles and constant speeds, using vehicles fuelled with diesel, gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The results showed that the PEMS were within ±40% of the reference systems connected to the tailpipe and the dilution tunnel. Based on the positive findings and the detection efficiencies of the prototype instruments, a proposal for the technical specifications for the future regulation was drafted.
Antidiabetic Effects of Flavan-3-ols and Their Microbial Metabolites

Diet is one of the pillars in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus. Particularly, eating patterns characterized by a high consumption of foods such as fruits or vegetables and beverages such as coffee and tea could influence the development and progression of type 2 diabetes. Flavonoids, whose intake has been inversely associated with numerous negative health outcomes in the last few years, are a common constituent of these food items. Therefore, they could contribute to the observed positive effects of certain dietary habits in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Of all the different flavonoid subclasses, flavan-3-ols are consumed the most in the European region. However, a large proportion of the ingested flavan-3-ols is not absorbed. Therefore, the flavan-3-ols enter the large intestine where they become available to the colonic bacteria and are metabolized by the microbiota. For this reason, in addition to the parent compounds, the colonic metabolites of flavan-3-ols could take part in the prevention and management of diabetes. The aim of this review is to present the available literature on the effect of both the parent flavan-3-ol compounds found in different food sources as well as the specific microbial metabolites of diabetes in order to better understand their potential role in the prevention and treatment of the disease.