Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth, feed intake and carcass characteristics of indigenous goats fed local resources in Tunisian arid land

Native genetic resource of goats is a pivotal source for meat and milk in southern Tunisia. Feeding is one of the most important activities of goat husbandry. Perceptions on the role of native feed resources for growth and carcass characteristics have not been well studied. Therefore, the present study was designed to help understand and to compare the influences of local forage resources (grass hay, dried olive leaves, Stipa tenacissima and oat hay) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of kids. The kids with the age of 4 months (average live bodyweight of 15 ± 58 kg) were selected for the study. The three study groups in the 90-day trial were as follows: Group C, where animals received oat hay only (control), Group OL, where animals received olive leaves (dried) + S. tenacissima and Group GH, where animals received grass hay. A daily allowance of commercially available concentrate (305 g DM/day) was offered to all groups (making about half of the total DM intake). At the end of the experiment, all animals were slaughtered. Statistical analysis showed that total DM intake was lower (P < 0.001) in C group (490.77 g) than the other two groups having similar DM intake (619.22 and 589.28 g for OL and GH, respectively). Average daily gain was comparable for the three groups (38.33, 40.71 g and 39.52, respectively, for C, OL and GH), with similar final liveweights. Cold carcass weight and carcass yield were not affected by diet treatment. Diet had no significant effect on individual organ weights and carcass composition. The use of the local forage resources evaluated in this trial could be used for the local goat population without loss of productivity when they make up about half of the diet along with a concentrate feed.
Circumscription and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Southern Hemisphere Family Seirococcaceae (Phaeophyceae)

The Seirococcaceae is a family of the Fucales thought to comprise endemic genera in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and possibly South Africa, and characterised by hapteroid holdfasts, 4-sided apical cells, a flat monopodial thallus, marginal or axial receptacles and oogonia containing one egg with a mesochiton collar. Six genera, Axillariella, Cystosphaera, Marginariella, Phyllospora, Scytothalia and Seirococcus, have been included in the Seirococcaceae, but characterisation of the family is based largely on Australasian taxa. The primary aims of this study were to evaluate critically the inclusion in the Seirococcaceae of two lesser known species, Cystosphaera jacquinotii from Antarctica and Axillariella constricta from South Africa and, in addition, to investigate possible phylogenetic relationships of the family
Mild phosphorus stress in barley and a related low-phosphorus-adapted barleygrass: Phosphorus fractions and phosphate absorption in relation to growth

Barleygrass (Hordeum leporinum) from Australian low-P (phosphorus) soils and commercial barley (H. vulgare) with high fertilizer requirements were grown in solution culture at 3 levels of P supply. The high-P-adapted barley produced more biomass at all levels of P supply and was more responsive to added P in terms of rate of tillering, rate of leaf production, final leaf size, and therefore total shoot weight compared to barleygrass. In both species root: shoot ratio decreased in response to improved tissue P status, even at P levels where total biomass did not respond to P supply. Removal of endosperm reserves of barley reduced total biomass to a greater extent than it altered phosphate absorption rate, thus increasing tissue P status and making plants less responsive to added P. Similarly, barleygrass had a slower growth rate but a comparable P absorption rate to that of barley. Thus barleygrass also accumulated tissue P and was unresponsive to added P. All phosphorus chemical fractions increased in response to improved tissue P status, but to differing extents (inorganic-P > nucleic acid-P > lipid-P > ester-P), suggesting that all P fractions (particularly inorganic P) serve, in part, a storage function. Both barleygrass and barley without endosperm had higher concentrations of all P fractions (particularly inorganic P) than did unaltered barley, but this was due entirely to their higher P status (due to slow growth) rather than to any major difference in P metabolism between species. We conclude that slow growth is more important than interspecific differences in P metabolism, P absorption, or efficiency of P utilization in explaining the success of barleygrass and other low-P-adapted species on infertile soils.
Desiccation resistance in Arcobacter butzleri

The desiccation resistance of A. butzleri was studied. Two, 3 and 4 of the strains did not resist desiccation for more than 2, 12 and 36 h, respectively. Two strains resisted desiccation for > 48 h. A. butzleri seems to be more resistant to desiccation than the classical enteropathogenic Campylobacter species.
Ozkumur 1..11

addition to current diagnostic tools used in the clinic. types. With the ability to further analyze the molecular characteristics of CTCs, this CTC-iChip could be a promising giving a broader picture of an individual's cancer status and also allowing the device to be used for more cancer ones, thus − CTCs but also the EpCAM + therefore process large volumes of patient blood to obtain not just EpCAM related antigens. The CTC-iChip can − of mesenchymal and stem cell markers as well as typical prostate cancer One such demonstration with 15 CTCs from a prostate cancer patient reveals marked heterogeneity in the expression also demonstrated that CTCs isolated using the iChip could be analyzed on the single-cell level. et al. Ozkumur delivering both positive and negative news at once. −− primary tumor tissue from these patients, suggesting that the microfluidic device can be used for clinical diagnoses cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma. The isolated CTCs showed similar morphology when compared with CTCs from patients with metastatic breast − ''negative mode'' of their device, the authors were able to capture EpCAM gene fusion in lung cancer. Using the EML4-ALK RNA for molecular analysis, in one example, detecting the CTCs, they confirmed that the cells were viable and had high-quality + After successfully separating out the EpCAM mode'' of their device using whole blood from patients with prostate, lung, breast, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. then be interrogated using standard clinical protocols, such as immunocytochemistry. The authors tested the ''positive clinical samples using a series of debulking, inertial focusing, and magnetic separation steps. The sorted CTCs could cancer cells in − and EpCAM + engineered an automated platform, called the ''CTC-iChip,'' that captured both EpCAM et al. detectable in cancers with low EpCAM expression, like triple-negative breast cancer or melanoma. Ozkumur CTCs in cancer patient's blood; however, these cells are not always + been developed to enumerate EpCAM cells found in the bloodstream have long defined the typical CTC. Many sorting technologies have + EpCAM molecule (EpCAM). rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that are either positive or negative for the surface antigen epithelial cell adhesion Ozkumur and colleagues. These authors have developed a multistage microfluidic device that is capable of sorting patients will soon desire both the positive and the negative outcomes together, according to the latest study by Usually people want the good news first, to help cope with the bad news that inevitably follows. However, Positive and Negative Outcomes
PRODUCTION OF MUCILAGE BY THE ADRIATIC EPIPELIC DIATOM CYLINDROTHECA CLOSTERIUM (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) UNDER NUTRIENT LIMITATION

The carbon partitioning of the epipelic diatom Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehrenberg) Reiman and Lewin isolated from the Adriatic Sea was studied in the laboratory under varying scenarios of nutrient limitation. Total number of cells, photosynthesis measured at 695 μmol photons·m−2·s−1 irradiance (P695‐μmol), chlorophyll (a+c) content, respiration, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), total particulate carbohydrate (TPC), and dissolved carbohydrate were evaluated under nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies in culture. The highest total number of cells was found in the control, whereas the nitrogen‐limited treatment showed the lowest value. During the transition phase of growth, photosynthesis in the nitrogen‐limited treatment was 3‐fold lower than in the phosphorus‐limited treatment and 4‐fold lower than in the control. Differences in respiration rates and chlorophyll (a+c) content were even more marked. Dissolved carbohydrate remained the same in all the treatments, whereas during the transition and stationary phase, EPS presented the highest values under phosphorus limitation and the lowest in the control treatment. The production of EPS was closely linked to the periods of carbon assimilation (transition phase) in the nutrient depleted treatments, especially in the phosphorus‐limited treatment. These results point out the relevance of the nutrient imbalance (nitrogen or phosphorus) in the production of EPS by the benthic or resuspended diatoms and suggest that these diatoms play an important role in nutrient‐unbalanced systems like sediments or marine snow.
False alleles derived from microbial DNA pose a potential source of error in microsatellite genotyping of DNA from faeces

Microsatellite genotyping of wild animals using DNA extracted from noninvasive samples such as faeces is a powerful means to identify individuals within a population and examine aspects of genetic social structure, such as relatedness and paternity. However, the use of the low quantities of poor quality DNA typically obtained from noninvasive samples can result in genotyping errors. Here we report the first instance of artefactural ‘alleles’ resulting from specific co-amplification of microorganismal DNA present in the total DNA derived from faeces.
Polyfunctional Thiols in Fresh and Aged Belgian Special Beers: Fate of Hop S-Cysteine Conjugates

Odorant polyfunctional thiols such as 4-sulfanyl-4-methylpentan-2-one, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3SHol), and 3-sulfanyl-3-methylbutan-1ol (3S3MBol) were shown to be strongly degraded in Belgian special beers after 1 year of aging. Yet, during the first 3 months, they also appeared to be synthesized in the bottle, even in the absence of yeast. Fresh filtered lager beer was spiked with nonvolatile S-cysteine conjugates of 3SHol, 3S3MBol, and 3-methylbut-2-en-1-thiol (MBT) before aging (1 to 3 months at 20°C or 5 days at 40 or 60°C). Thiol-specific para-hydroxymercuribenzoic acid extracts were analyzed by a GC-pulsed flame photometric detector, and HPLC-electrospray ionization/MS/MS was used to quantify the undegraded cysteinylated precursors. S-Cysteine conjugates were chemically degraded in the beer, releasing their corresponding thiols. The conversions were low (<1%) but could explain the trace amounts of 3SHol and 3S3MBol produced in beer during the first months of storage. On the other hand, chemical degradation of Cys-MBT in beer (although reaching up to 33%) proved not to be efficient enough to release significant amounts of the skunky off-flavor. In this case, photooxidative degradation of isohumulone most probably remains the major synthesis pathway. Complementary analyses are now needed to determine how other beer constituents, such as dicarbonyls, might participate in cysteine adduct degradation.
Genomic Analysis and Identification of Catabolic Pathways for Aromatic Compounds in Corynebacterium glutamicum

The catabolism of aromatic compounds in Corynebacterium glutamicum was investigated by genome data mining and by experimental analysis. Results indicated that C. glutamicum assimilated different aromatic compounds such as phenol, p-cresol, benzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, vanillate, vanillin, resorcinol, 3,5-dihydroxytoluene and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate. Genome data indicated, and enzyme assays confirmed; the existence of multiple ring-cleavage pathways for the catabolism of central aromatic intermediates; the protocatechuate and catechol branches of the β-ketoadipate pathway, two similar hydroxyquinol pathways and the gentisate pathway. Two putative hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenase genes (ncg11113 and ncg12951) were cloned and functionally identified in Escherichia coli. The genes encoding enzymes for the conversion of phenol, benzoate, 3-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate and vanillate in the central β-ketoadipate pathways were mapped on the chromosome of C. glutamicum. A unique 30-kb (approximately 1% of the entire genome) catabolic island that channels the degradation of various aromatic compounds was mapped to position 2525-2555 kb of the genome. The global analysis and characterization of aromatic degradation pathways provided new insights into the metabolic ability of C. glutamicum in addition to its well-known ability to produce various amino acids and vitamins.
Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of Strontium-resistant Environmental Isolates of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Sphingomonas paucimobilis

Strontium resistance was investigated in strains isolated from the river Kızılırmak which has been affected by industrial and agricultural heavy metal pollution from the surrounding facilities and domestic effluents from the city Kırıkkale, Turkey. Strontium-resistant isolates with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 2000 mg L−1 were isolated and identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens and Sphingomonas paucimobilis. Both isolates were shown to be resistant to other heavy metals like aluminum, lithium, barium, nickel and resistance to the antibiotics like aztreonam and pefloxacin. Plasmid DNA analysis, transformation and curing results revealed that the strontium resistance ability of both isolates was chromosome-encoded. Outer membrane and total protein isolation results descriptively showed that not only membrane porins but also other proteins were effective in the strontium resistance in Pseudomonas fluorescens and Sphingomonas paucimobilis.
Purification, properties and heat inactivation of pectin methylesterase from apple (cv Golden Delicious).

Pectin methylesterase from apple (cv Golden Delicious) was extracted and purified by affinity chromatography on a CNBr-Sepharose®-PMEI column. A single pectin methylesterase peak was observed. Isoelectric points were higher than 9. Kinetic parameters of the enzyme were determined as Km = 0.098 mg ml−1 and Vmax = 3.86 µmol min−1 ml−1 of enzyme. The optimum pH of the enzyme was above 7.5 and its optimum temperature was 63 °C. The purified PME required the presence of NaCl for optimum activity, and the sodium chloride optimum concentration increased with decreasing pH (from 0.13 M at pH 7 to 0.75 M at pH 4). The heat stability of purified PME was investigated without and with glycerol (50%), and thermal resistance parameters (D and Z values) were calculated showing that glycerol improved the heat resistance of apple PME. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry
Endocrine and paracrine regulation of zebrafish spermatogenesis : The Sertoli cell perspective

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) either selfrenew or differentiate into spermatogonia that further develop into spermatozoa. Self-renewal occurs when residing in a specific micro-environment (niche) while displacement from the niche would tip the signalling balance towards differentiation. Considering the cystic type of spermatogenesis in fish, the SSC candidates are single type A undifferentiated (Aund) spermatogonia, enveloped by mostly one niche-forming Sertoli cell. When going through a self-renewal cell cycle, the resulting new single type Aund spermatogonium would have to recruit another Sertoli cell to expand the niche space, while a differentiating germ cell cyle would result in a pair of spermatogonia that remain in contact with their cyst-forming Sertoli cells. In zebrafish, thyroid hormone stimulates the proliferation of Sertoli cells and of type Aund spermatogonia, involving Igf3, a new member of the Igf family. In cystic spermatogenesis, type Aund spermatogonia usually do not leave the niche, so that supposedly the signalling in the niche changes when switching from self-renewal to differentiation. Recombinant zebrafish (rz) Fsh downregulated Sertoli cell anti-mullerian hormone (amh) mRNA levels, and rzAmh inhibited differentiation of type Aund spermatogonia as well as Fsh-stimulated steroidogenesis. Thus, for Fsh to efficiently stimulate testis functions, Amh bioactivity should be dampened. We also discovered that Fsh increased Sertoli cell Igf3 gene and protein expression; rzIgf3 stimulated spermatogonial proliferation and Fsh-stimulated spermatogenesis was significantly impaired by inhibiting Igf receptor signaling. We propose that in zebrafish, Fsh is the major regulator of testis functions and, supported by other endocrine systems (e.g. thyroid hormone), regulates Leydig cell steroidogenesis as well as Sertoli cell number and growth factor production to promote spermatogenesis.
Morphology and pollen viability of Lolium multiflorum Lam.

O estudo e a caracterizacao do grao de polen sao fundamentais para diferentes areas, em especial, para a taxonomia, o melhoramento genetico, a filogenia e a paleobotânica. Para genotipos de Lolium multiflorum Lam. , naturalizados no Brasil, cultivares introduzidas ou populacoes de melhoramento, diploides e poliploides, nao existem relatos sobre a caracterizacao morfopolinica. Nesse trabalho foram analisados dez gentotipos de azevem anual (L. multiflorum). A viabilidade dos graos de polen foi verificada por coloracao com os corantes carmim propionico e Alexander e a morfologia por meio da tecnica de acetolise, sendo obtidas medidas do eixo polar (P), do diâmetro equatorial (E), e da espessura da exina, e analise dos graos de polen por microscopia eletronica de varredura (MEV). Todos os genotipos avaliados apresentaram alta taxa de viabilidade polinica (>89%) para os dois corantes utilizados. Houve diferenca entre os genotipos para os caracteres quantitativos eixo polar, diâmetro equatorial na vista equatorial, exina, endoexina, ectoexina e razao P/E. Os graos de polen foram caracterizados como pequenos, monoaperturados, com abertura nao proeminente e com âmbito circular. As diferencas morfometricas entre os graos-de-polen podem auxiliar na distincao entre os mesmos e, posteriormente, serem utilizadas para comparacao entre os niveis de ploidia, auxiliando, assim, nos programas de melhoramento da especie.
Optimised nitrogen fertiliser management achieved higher diversity of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi and high-yielding maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract. The integrated soil–crop system management (ISSM) approach can potentially mitigate the loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, ensuring crop yield with lower nitrogen (N) fertiliser input and minimised environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that overuse of N fertiliser could reduce the biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and that ISSM could help to maintain higher AMF biodiversity than the conventionally managed system in maize (Zea mays L.). The AMF community composition under three different treatments (conventionally managed, N-optimised and non-N-fertilised fields) was assessed by using both spore-based morphological taxonomy and DNA-based T-RFLP fingerprinting approaches. Maize roots in intensively managed fields formed functioning mycorrhizal symbioses even when a high rate of N fertiliser was applied. AMF diversity was higher under optimised N input, whereas AMF richness decreased when more N fertiliser was used. The N-optimised farms had AMF communities similar to those in the conventionally managed fields. The ISSM approach is recommended for sustaining crop yields without incurring continuing environmental costs and for maintaining AMF communities in intensively managed agro-ecosystems, especially in rapidly developing countries.
Coexpression of α-sarcomeric actin, α-smooth muscle actin and desmin during myogenesis in rat and mouse embryos I. Skeletal muscle

Abstract Expression of vimentin, desmin, α-sarcomeric and α-smooth muscle actins in embryonic tissues of rat and mice was examined using an immunohistochemical approach. The results showed a similarity in the expression of desmin and α-actin isoforms (α-sr and α-sm) in skeletal muscle cells during murine feto-embryonic development. In the two species, coexpression of α-sr and α-sm actins has been observed in cardiomyoblasts, myotomal myoblasts and myotubes. The intensity of α-sm actin expression decreased during the terminal steps of myogenesis and disappeared completely in mature cardiomyocytes and myofibres. Desmin was expressed in all prefusion myoblasts (type 1 and 2 myoblasts), myotubes, and in myofibres. The appearance of desmin in myoblasts of somites preceded by a few hours the expression of the α-actins (α-sr and α-sm). Our study on vimentin expression, limited to rat embryos, revealed that somite premyoblasts expressed only vimentin, type 1 myoblasts expressed vimentin and desmin, and type 2 myoblasts (rhabdomyoblasts) expressed desmin and α-actins (α-sr and α-sm). Our study demonstrates the resemblance between feto-embryonic myogenesis and myogenic neoplastic differentiation: desmin appears before the α-actins in embryonic myoblasts, and can be considered as a marker of an initial step in myogenic differentiation, α-sm actin, considered as a striated muscle cell feto-embryonic actin, is expressed transiently in skeletal myoblasts and cardiomyoblasts during development and reappears during neoplastic transformation of skeletal muscle.
Effect of temperature and feeding on conditioning of Ostrea chilensis Philippi, 1845 reproductors.

Adult oysters of Ostrea chilensis Philippi 1845, collected from the Quempilen River estuary, Ancud, Chile, were subjected to different temperature (14,17 and 20°C) and feeding treatments (daily rations of dry weight algae equivalent to 0.75% and 1.5% mean dry flesh wt) to measure their influence on gonad maturation. Males spawned under all these experimental conditions, after 25-27 conditioning days, while females spawned only at the same time at the higher temperatures (17 and 20°C). At high food ration (1.5%), the incubation period lasted for 29 days at 20°C, and 44 days at 17°C. At half food ration (0.75%), however, the incubation period was 24 days at 20°C and lasted for more than 54 days at 17°C, longer than under the natural estuary conditions. Larger larvae and better settlement were obtained from oysters kept at 17°C and high food ration (1.5%).