Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parasitoid exploitation of the seasonal variation in host plant volatile emission for herbivore location

Volatile compounds from the apple, Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae), change considerably as the season progresses, and this is successfully exploited by the female codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), as it searches for oviposition sites. In this study, we investigated the effect of seasonal emissions of apple fruit volatiles on the host location behaviour of a parasitoid of the codling moth larvae, Hyssopus pallidus (Askew) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). In dual choice olfactory bioassays, the behaviour of the parasitoid in response to apple cues was observed over the complete 2003 growing season. Our results show that codling moth infested apples evoked a strong response from the parasitoid at the beginning of the season, until July. Then, attraction dropped drastically, increasing again at the beginning of August. At the end of the growing season, just prior to harvest, infested apples hardly evoked any behavioural response. Interestingly enough, mid‐season emissions of healthy apples were per se attractive to the parasitoid, and even preferred over volatiles from infested apples. Simultaneous volatile collections from healthy apples on twigs in the field were analysed throughout the season, showing that the overall quantity of headspace volatiles peaks at the beginning of June and mid‐August. The seasonal volatile emission is correlated with the behaviour of the parasitoid during the fruit ripening stage. The results are discussed in relation to the use of H. pallidus as a potential biocontrol agent, in order to enhance current integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
DOES LUNG RETENTION OF INHALED PARTICLES DEPEND ON THEIR GEOMETRIC DIAMETER?

with a bolus technique suggest that retained fractions in the airways are dependent on Experiments the geometric diameter of the particles. This view has been adopted by the International Commission on Radiological Protection ( ICRP ) in its new human respiratory tract model (HRTM ). The aim of the present study was to test this view by the use of an inhalation technique, in which particles with an aerodynamic diameter of about 6 mm are inhaled extremely ( 0.05 l/s ) and as a result, the particles are deposited mainly in small ciliated airways. N ine healthy subjects inhaled on one occasion monodisperse polystyrene particles ( geometric diameter 6.05 mm, aerodynamic diameter 6.2 mm ) and on In-labelled another occasion monodisperse T eon particles ( geometric diameter 4.47 mm, aerodynamic In-labelled diameter 6.5 mm ). Both particles were inhaled at 0.045 L/s and radioactivity in the body was measured after 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours as well as after 1, 2, and, f or some subjects, also 3 weeks. The retention in the lungs at 24 hours was slightly lower f or the T eon particles (47% ) than for the polystyrene particles ( 51% ). From earlier experimental data with di¡erent particle sizes as well as from predictions with theoretical lung models, this di¡erence is reasonably explained by the somewhat larger aerodynamic diameter of the T eon particles. Clearance of the 2 particle types between 1 day and 2 weeks was
Plectrabarbene, a New Abietane Diterpene from Plectranthus barbatus Aerial Parts

A new abietane diterpene namely plectrabarbene (2), together with two known compounds: sugiol (1) and 11,14-dihydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one (3) have been isolated from the aerial parts of Plectranthus barbatus Andr. (Labiatae). The structures of these compounds were determined by various spectral techniques (e.g., UV, IR, NMR, and FAB) and by comparison with the literature data. A molecular docking study of the isolated diterpenes (1–3) was performed with AChE to gain an insight into their AChE inhibition mechanism. The results of docking experiments revealed that the all tested compounds showed binding affinity at the active site of AchE in comparison to donepezil.
Investigation of biological activities of Colocasia gigantea Hook.f. leaves and PASS prediction, in silico molecular docking with ADME/T analysis of its isolated bioactive compounds

Background Colocasia gigantea is locally named as kochu and also better known due to its various healing power. This research is to investigate the antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant possibilities of the methanol soluble extract of Colocasia gigantea. Methods Antidiarrheal investigation was performed by using in vivo castor oil induced diarrheal method where as in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant investigation have been implemented by disc diffusion and DPPH scavenging method respectively. Moreover, in silico studies were followed by molecular docking analysis of several secondary metabolites were appraised with Schrödinger-Maestro v 11.1. Results The induction of plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w, p.o), the castor oil mediated diarrhea has been minimized 19.05 % (p < 0.05) and 42.86 % (p < 0.001) respectively. The methanolic extract of C. gigantea showed mild sensitivity against almost all the tested strains but it shows high consistency of phenolic content and furthermore yielded 67.68 μg/mL of IC50 value in the DPPH test. The higher and lower binding affinity was shown in beta-amyrin and monoglyceryl stearic acid against the kappa-opioid receptor (PDB ID: 4DJH) with a docking score of -3.28 kcal/mol and -6.64 kcal/mol respectively. In the antimicrobial investigation, Penduletin and Beta-Amyrin showed the highest and lowest binding affinity against the selected receptors with the docking score of -8.27 kcal/mol and -1.66 kcal/mol respectively. Conclusion The results of our scientific research reflect that the methanol soluble extract of C. gigantea is safe which may provide possibilities of alleviation of diarrhea and as a potential wellspring of antioxidants which can be considered as an alternate source for exploration of new medicinal products.
Variation in sweetcorn kernel Zn concentration a reflection of source-sink dynamics influenced by kernel number.

Grain yield and mineral nutrient concentration in cereal crops are usually inversely correlated, undermining biofortification efforts. Sink size, expressed as kernel number per cob, was manipulated by controlling the time when the silks of sweetcorn (Zea mays) cv. Hybrix 5 and var. HiZeax 103146 were exposed to pollen. Twelve other varieties were manually pollinated to achieve maximum potential kernel number per cob, and kernel Zn concentration was correlated with kernel number and kernel mass. As kernel number increased, kernel Zn concentration decreased, with that decrease occurring to similar extents in both the embryo tissue and rest of the kernel. However, total kernel Zn accumulated per cob increased with increasing kernel number, as the small decreases in individual kernel Zn concentration were more than offset by increases in kernel number. When both kernel number and mass were considered, 90% of the variation in kernel Zn concentration was accounted for. Differential responses in assimilate and Zn distribution to sweetcorn cobs led to significant decreases in kernel Zn concentration with increasing kernel number. This suggests there will be challenges to achieving high kernel Zn concentrations in modern high-yielding sweetcorn varieties unless genotypes with higher Zn translocation rates into kernels can be identified.
Correlation between the Presence of Ubiquitin Conjugated Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor 1 and Postmortem Muscle Glycogen Metabolism

Recently, we have identified the ubiquitin conjugate, protein phosphatase inhibitor 1 (I1), from postmortem muscles. Since I1 is one of the important regulators of glycogen metabolism, the effect of this conjugate (Ub-I1) present in postmortem muscle on glycolysis was investigated. Two sample groups were distinguishable: those not containing Ub-I1 (I, n=5)and those containing Ub-I1 (II, n=27). Due to the enormous variation in ultimate pH at 48 h postmortem, the latter group was subcategorized into a IIa group showing lower or normal pH and a IIb group showing higher or dark, firm, dry meat pH. Postmortem glycolysis occurred rapidly and vigorously among group I samples. The rate and extent of postmortem glycolysis was typical in group IIa samples while it was slower and weaker in group IIb samples although they had similar glycolytic potential. This discrepancy between sample groups IIa and IIb corresponded to the Ub-I1 abundance. Thus, the relative Ub-I1 abundance appears to correlate with postmortem glycolysis.
Nodal peripheral T‐cell lymphomas correspond to distinct mature T‐cell populations

Peripheral T‐cell lymphomas (PTCL) have not been successfully correlated with specific developmental stages of reactive T‐cells. Mature T‐cells pass through distinct stages upon antigen encounter. Naïve T‐cells are CD45RA+/CD45R0−/CD27+/CCR7+. After antigen contact they replace CD45RA expression with CD45R0. The mature T‐cells differentiate to central memory cells, which retain CD27 and CCR7, or to effector memory cells, which lose expression of both molecules depending on the strength of the antigen interaction. In this study, we evaluated lymph node biopsies from eight PTCL—not otherwise specified (PTCL‐NOS), seven angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphomas (AILT), and 15 anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL). Detection of tumour cells with antibodies that recognize specific rearranged T‐cell receptor Vβ segments allowed us to investigate the expression of various differentiation‐associated molecules. Results were analysed by hierarchical cluster analysis. All AILT and ALCL showed a homogeneous effector cell phenotype (CD45RA−/CD45R0+/CD27−), but differed in the cytotoxic and activation markers expressed. Several (5/8) PTCL‐NOS clustered together; these cases all exhibited a CD4+ central memory cell phenotype (CD45RA−/CD45R0+/CD27+) and four expressed the lymph node homing receptor CCR7. In conclusion, AILT and ALCL tumour cells correspond to different subsets of effector cells, while a subset of PTCL‐NOS correlates with a non‐effector T‐cell population. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Refinement and validation of the IDIOM score for predicting the risk of gastrointestinal cancer in iron deficiency anaemia

Objective To refine and validate a model for predicting the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer in iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and to develop an app to facilitate use in clinical practice. Design Three elements: (1) analysis of a dataset of 2390 cases of IDA to validate the predictive value of age, sex, blood haemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV) and iron studies on the probability of underlying GI cancer; (2) a pilot study of the benefit of adding faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) into the model; and (3) development of an app based on the model. Results Age, sex and Hb were all strong, independent predictors of the risk of GI cancer, with ORs (95% CI) of 1.05 per year (1.03 to 1.07, p<0.00001), 2.86 for men (2.03 to 4.06, p<0.00001) and 1.03 for each g/L reduction in Hb (1.01 to 1.04, p<0.0001) respectively. An association with MCV was also revealed, with an OR of 1.03 for each fl reduction (1.01 to 1.05, p<0.02). The model was confirmed to be robust by an internal validation exercise. In the pilot study of high-risk cases, FIT was also predictive of GI cancer (OR 6.6, 95% CI 1.6 to 51.8), but the sensitivity was low at 23.5% (95% CI 6.8% to 49.9%). An app based on the model was developed. Conclusion This predictive model may help rationalise the use of investigational resources in IDA, by fast-tracking high-risk cases and, with appropriate safeguards, avoiding invasive investigation altogether in those at ultra-low predicted risk.
Investigating parameters of growth equations

Two differential forms of growth equations, called the power decline, or PD form, and the exponential decline, or ED form, generate classic growth equations (such as the logistic, Chapman–Richards, Korf) and many other integral forms. Having a full range of these integral solutions allows us to classify them, establish requirements to their parameters, and relate these parameters and initial values (starting age and tree size). Comparisons with data confirm theoretical results. Some applications of the results are discussed.
The Aerodynamics and Energy Cost Assessment of an Able-Bodied Cyclist and Amputated Models by Computer Fluid Dynamics

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the drag and energy cost of three cyclists assessed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and analytical procedures. Materials and methods: A transradial (Tr) and transtibial (Tt) were compared to a full-body cyclist at different speeds. An elite male cyclist with 65 kg of mass and 1.72 m of height volunteered for this research with his competition cloths, helmet and bicycle with 5 kg of mass. A 3D model of the bicycle and cyclist in the upright position was obtained for numerical simulations. Upon that, two more models were created, simulating elbow and knee-disarticulated athletes. Numerical simulations by computational fluid dynamics and analytical procedures were computed to assess drag and energy cost, respectively. Results: One-Way ANOVA presented no significant differences between cyclists for drag (F = 0.041; p = 0.960; η2 = 0.002) and energy cost (F = 0.42; p = 0.908; η2 = 0.002). Linear regression presented a very high adjustment for absolute drag values between able-bodied and Tr (R2 = 1.000; Ra2 = 1.000; SEE = 0.200) and Tt (R2 = 1.00; Ra2 = 1.000; SEE = 0.160). The linear regression for energy cost presented a very high adjustment for absolute values between able-bodied and Tr (R2 = 1.000; Ra2 = 1.000; SEE = 0.570) and Tt (R2 = 1.00; Ra2 = 1.00; SEE = 0.778). Conclusions: This study suggests that drag and energy cost was lower in the able-bodied, followed by the Tr and Tt cyclists.
Indirect positive effects of a parasitic plant on host pollination and seed dispersal

Parasitic plants often have a strong fitness-impact on their plant hosts through increased host mortality and reduced or complete suppression of reproduction. Tristerix corymbosus (Loranthaceae) is a hemiparasitic mistletoe that infects a wide range of host species along its distribution range. Among such species, Rhaphithamnus spinosus (Verbenaceae) is a frequent host with a flowering and fruiting season partially synchronized with mistletoe reproductive phenology. As parasitized hosts have, in principle, a larger flower display and fruit crop size than non-parasitized hosts, we examined whether host and parasite reproductive synchrony make infected hosts more attractive for pollinators and seed dispersers than uninfected hosts. Our results showed that pollinator visit rates did not differ between parasitized and non-parasitized hosts. Conversely, seed rain was higher in parasitized than non-parasitized individuals. The number of seeds fallen under non-parasitized plants was spatially associated with crop size, while parasitized plants did not show such association. Finally, the number of seedlings of R. spinosus was significantly larger near parasitized than non-parasitized hosts. Our results suggest that the presence of the mistletoe might be responsible of the higher reproductive success showed by the parasitized fraction of R. spinosus. This effect, however, seems to be related to seed dispersal processes rather than pollination effects.
Dominance Hierarchy and Mating Behavior of the Formosan Squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus thaiwanensis

Dominant-subordinate relationships in the Formosan squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus thaiwanensis , were studied in the woods of Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan from April 1982 to May 1985. Home ranges of adults overlapped, but the extent of overlap was less among females than among males. The mean number of squirrels with overlapping home ranges was 12.6 among males and 2.3 among females in the winter-spring season, and 8.7 among males and 1.6 among females in the autumn-winter season. When a squirrel encountered another, chasing occurred only once in three times; indifference was exhibited in most cases of proximity between individuals. A dominance hierarchy was apparent at a feeding stand in the study site. This hierarchy included both sexes and was correlated with age. The dominance hierarchy detected among males at the feeding stand reappeared in mating bouts. In a mating bout, nine-seventeen males assembled near an estrous female and four-eleven males successively mated in accordance with their rank. Compared to northern species in which dominant males guard the estrous female against lower-ranked males, in the Formosan squirrel, successfully mated males guarded the female for less than 70 min from the other males regardless of their rank. However, high ranking males mated with more females per year than low ranking males. This difference among species may relate to the number of males assembled for mating and the frequencies of mating bouts.
Venous Thromboembolism in Lymphoma: Risk Stratification and Antithrombotic Prophylaxis

Lymphoma is listed among the neoplasias with a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Risk factors for VTE appear to differ from risk factors in solid tumors. We review the literature of the last 20 years for reports identifying these risk factors in cohorts consisting exclusively of lymphoma patients. We selected 25 publications. The most frequent studies were analyses of retrospective single-center cohorts. We also included two reports of pooled analyses of clinical trials, two meta-analyses, two analyses of patient registries, and three analyses of population-based databases. The VTE risk is the highest upfront during the first two months after lymphoma diagnosis and decreases over time. This upfront risk may be related to tumor burden and the start of chemotherapy as contributing factors. Factors consistently reported as VTE risk factors are aggressive histology, a performance status ECOG ≥ 2 leading to increased immobility, more extensive disease, and localization to particular sites, such as central nervous system (CNS) and mediastinal mass. Association between laboratory values that are part of risk assessment models in solid tumors and VTE risk in lymphomas are very inconsistent. Recently, VTE risk scores for lymphoma were developed that need further validation, before they can be used for risk stratification and primary prophylaxis. Knowledge of VTE risk factors in lymphomas may help in the evaluation of the individual risk-benefit ratio of prophylaxis and help to design prospective studies on primary prophylaxis in lymphoma.
Reduction of Sulfur Compounds through Genetic Improvement of Native Saccharomyces cerevisiae Useful for Organic and Sulfite-Free Wine

Sulfites and sulfides are produced by yeasts in different amounts depending on different factors, including growth medium and specific strain variability. In natural must, some strains can produce an excess of sulfur compounds that confer unpleasant smells, inhibit malolactic fermentation and lead to health concerns for consumers. In organic wines and in sulfite-free wines the necessity to limit or avoid the presence of sulfide and sulfite requires the use of selected yeast strains that are low producers of sulfur compounds, with good fermentative and aromatic aptitudes. In the present study, exploiting the sexual mass-mating spores’ recombination of a native Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain previously isolated from grape, three new S. cerevisiae strains were selected. They were characterized by low sulfide and sulfite production and favorable aromatic imprinting. This approach, that occurs spontaneously also in nature, allowed us to obtain new native S. cerevisiae strains with desired characteristics that could be proposed as new starters for organic and sulfite-free wine production, able to control sulfur compound production and to valorize specific wine types.
A FULLY EMBEDDED TETRIS GAME APPLICATION IN VHDL

In this paper, a Tetris game code which runs on an FPGA development and education board is synthesized. To this end, an original Tetris game code that works solely on the FPGA board is designed in VHDL hardware description language. The novelty of this design lies in the fact that the Tetris code does not use any SRAM modules for storage unlike other embedded Tetris implementations published to date. What is more, the code uses a tile-mapped scheme in which the code groups certain pixels as a tile. Thus, a 1-bit register is enough for the current value of all the pixels that fall in the tile which improves the speed of the code and simplifies the design procedure. The code is written using VHDL hardware description language. Though Altera DE0 development and education board is used for the implementation, thanks to the usage of only the standard VHDL functions, the code can run on any other FPGA boards.
Lecanora sabinae, a new lichen species from the Canary Islands

Lecanora sabinae sp. nov. from the Canary Islands (El Hierro and La Gomera) is characterized chiefly by its greenish thallus with abundant pruinose apothecia ranging in colour from light yellow to almost black. It contains usnic acid, zeorin, and an unknown chemical product SAB-1, is by preference lignicolous and lives in association with the conifer Juniperus phoenicea.
An improved simulation of mesoscale dispersion of airborne cedar pollen using a flowering-time map

A model that simulates emission and dispersion of pollen of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) was developed and tested for the Tohoku district of Japan. To take into account the effect of altitude and local climate on flowering time, a flowering-time map was tested. The observed variation in the number of pollen grains was high in Yamagata City and relatively small in the southern cities. Sakata, facing the Sea of Japan, shows an individual pattern with two large peaks. Simulation without a flowering-time map predicted unobserved large peaks at the beginning and end of the cedar pollen season and tended to overestimate peaks in general. Simulation with a flowering-time map closely reproduced the changes in the number of airborne pollen grains with time at the beginning and end of the season and simulated the general variation in airborne pollen number well.
Indigenous Bacillus paramycoides and Alcaligenes faecalis: potential solution for the bioremediation of wastewaters

Farmers near towns and cities are using wide range of untreated wastewaters for crop irrigation in Pakistan due to severe freshwater shortage. The present study aimed to treat different types of wastewater including domestic, hospital, textile, pharmaceutical and mixed wastewaters using indigenous bacterial isolates to remove contaminants and render these wastewaters safer for irrigation. 37 bacterial strains were isolated from the 5 wastewater samples collected from different sites in Lahore, Pakistan. Under optimum growth conditions, the isolates D6, D7 and P1 showed maximum decolourisation potential of 96, 96, 93 %, respectively against hospital wastewater. GCMS analysis of the untreated hospital wastewater confirmed the presence of pharmaceutic pollutants i.e. Phenol, Salicylic acid, Caffeine, Naproxen, Octadecene and Diazepam. These organic compounds were biodegraded into derivate Ticlopidine in the case of isolate D6, derivatives Tetradecene and Griseofulvin in the case of isolate D7, and derivatives Lidocaine and Butalbital in the case of isolate P1. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to identify these isolates. Isolates D6 and D7 showed 100 and 99.86 % homology to Bacillus paramycoides, a novel strain from Bacillus cereus group (Liu et al., 2017). Isolate P1 showed 97.47 % homology to Alcaligenes faecalis. These strains therefore could represent a low-cost and low-tech alternative to bioremediate complex wastewaters prior to irrigation to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 - clean water and sanitation in Pakistan.