Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Conditional KIBRA Knockout Mouse: Is Memory Affected?

Memory is a fundamental cognitive ability that enables humans to learn and remember information, providing meaning and context to daily events. Episodic memory, which refers to the encoding and retrieval of facts that occur at a specific time, is thought to have a heritability of approximately 50 percent (McClearn et al., 1997). A wholegenome association study in 2006 identified an association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the KIBRA gene and episodic memory (Passotiropoulos et al., 2006). This one genetic aspect of memory provided a promising target for memory-enhancing pharmaceuticals. Huentelman et al. (2009) used hydroxyfasudil to inhibit the RhoA/ROCK/Rac pathway in a mouse model. This pathway had been previously reported to be upstream of PKC-ζ, one of KIBRA’s binding partners. Using this pharmaceutical, Huentelman et al. (2009) observed spatial learning and working memory improvement in aged rats, suggesting a possible therapy to treat cognitive impairment such as that seen in Alzheimer’s disease, cushion the impact of aging on memory, or simply enhance learning and memory. However, the associations between KIBRA, memory, and this drug have not yet been elucidated. Very little detail is known about the pathways to which this gene contributes; however, research implicates that the cytoplasmic protein plays a structural role in neurons (Kremerskothen et al., 2003). Multiple studies examining the gene’s association with memory performance found consistent and age-independent results in healthy individuals (Passotiropoulos et al., 2006; Schaper, Kolsch, Popp, Wagner, and Jesseen, 2008); however, conflicting results when examining subjects with impaired memory suggest KIBRA’s effects are complex and may even be involved in Alzheimer’s disease (Rodriguez-Rodriguez et al., 2009; Corneveaux et al., 2008). The precise mechanisms through which KIBRA contributes to these pathways will only be understood through further research. Therefore, a conditional knockout of KIBRA in a mouse model should be created to better understand the role KIBRA plays in memory. This pathway, once elucidated, will confirm KIBRA’s association to memory and the drug hydroxyfasudil, as well as allow for the discovery and understanding of therapies that can potentially treat either non-disabling memory declines associated with healthy aging and impaired memory associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
An investigation on antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of four Inula helenium L. taxa

The antioxidant activities of methanol (ME), ethanol (EE), water (WE) and ethyl acetate (EAE) extracts of four Inula helenium L. taxa (I. helenium ssp. orygalis (Boiss.) Grierson, I. helenium ssp. pseudohelenium Grierson, I. helenium ssp. turcarasemosa Grierson and I. helenium ssp. vanensis Grierson) were investigated. The phosphomolybdenum assay, β-carotene–linoleate bleaching and DPPH radical scavenging activity were used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. The total phenolic contents determined by Folin-Ciocalteu assay of the extracts ranged from 4.18 to 102.91 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry extract. The extracts showed considerable effect on reducing the oxidation of β-carotene. The highest radical scavenging activity was obtained for ME of I. helenium ssp. orygalis in DPPH assay. ME, EE and EAE of four Inula helenium taxa showed significant antibacterial activity against 13 bacteria tested. WEs had no inhibitory effect against bacteria tested except for I. helenium ssp. orygalis. EE of I. helenium ssp. orygalis was only effective against C. albicans.
Effects of overprocessing on the nutritional quality of sunflower meal

Abstract A 2-wk chick study was conducted to evaluate the effect of overprocessing on the in vivo nutritional quality and in vitro protein solubility in . 2% KOH of solvent-extracted sunflower meal (SFM) containing 36% protein. The SFM was autoclaved at 121 C and 105 kPa for 0, 30, 60, or 90 min in Experiment 1 and for 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 60 min in Experiment 2. Corn-SFM diets containing 22% protein were fed to chicks from 8 to 17 d of age. Chick performance decreased in both experiments as autoclaving time of the SFM increased. Linear regression analysis of performance on autoclaving time yielded the equations Y = 126.7 − . 32× (r2 = .94) for weight gain and Y = . 615 − . 001× (r2 = .80) for feed efficiency in Experiment 1. A precision-fed cockerel digestibility assay using cecectomized birds indicated that true digestibility of amino acids in SFM decreased as autoclaving time increased. The effect of autoclaving on digestibility was greatest for Lys, wherein Lys digestibility in SFM was 86, 54, 43, and 35% when SFM was autoclaved for 0, 30, 60, or 90 min, respectively. Protein solubility of SFM in . 2% KOH decreased from 64 to 51% as SFM was autoclaved from 0 to 60 min. The results indicated that protein solubility values of 60% or lower are indicative of overprocessing of SFM.
Lipoxygenase Pathway and Membrane Permeability and Composition during Storage of Potato Tubers (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Bintje and Desiree) in Different Conditions

: Potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Bintje and Desiree) were stored for 12 months under three different storage conditions: 4 °C, 20 °C with sprout inhibitor and 20 °C without sprout inhibitor. Independent of the storage conditions, our results show that the increase of membrane permeability, as revealed by electrolyte leakage, is not correlated with the lipid saturation status. Moreover, there is no simple correlation between cold sweetening and membrane permeability or lipid saturation status. During storage at 20 °C without sprout inhibitor, the increase in membrane permeability is inversely correlated to sucrose accumulation, but this is not the case when tubers were stored with sprout inhibitors. Lipoxygenase (LOX) is often proposed as responsible for peroxidative damage to membrane lipids. The gradual peroxidation resulting in double bond index decrease is regarded as a cause of senescence sweetening. Our results revealed that the role of LOX in aging and senescence of potato tubers is far from clear. LOX activity and gene expression are not correlated with the fatty acids composition of the membrane. Moreover, LOX activity and fatty acid hydroperoxide content are low in older tubers, whatever the storage conditions or the varieties. On the basis of our results, the correlation between sugar accumulation (low temperature and senescence sweetening) and peroxidative damage occurring during storage of potato tubers is discussed.
Isolation and molecular identification of a Serratia strain from domesticated tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) skin infectious site in Yunnan, China

In this study, a Serratia strain from an infectious skin site of domesticated tree shrew was isolated and the main characterization of the isolate using a variety of genotypic and phenotypic criteria was determined. The strain was finally identified as Serratia grimesii on the basis of its small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequence.
Effects of nestling condition on UV plumage traits in blue tits: an experimental approach

Intraspecific sexual and social communications are among the most important factors shaping costly color traits in birds. Condition capture models assume that only animals in superior condition can develop and maintain a colorful plumage. Although there is good evidence that carotenoid-based components of plumage colors show condition dependence, the situation is more controversial with the underlying UV-reflecting structural component. We conducted a brood size manipulation in blue tits (Parus caeruleus) to investigate condition-dependent effects on plumage coloration in male and female offspring. Carotenoid chroma and UV reflectance of the yellow breast plumage showed condition-dependent expression in male and female fledglings. However, only males that were raised in reduced broods had higher UV reflectance in the UV/blue tail feathers, whereas female tail coloration did not differ between treatments. Our data suggest that there is a sex-specific effect on the blue but not the yellow plumage and that this is related to differences in the signaling function of both plumage traits. Although sexual selection may already act on male nestlings to develop colorful tail feathers for the next breeding season, the UV/yellow breast feathers are molted during the postjuvenile molt, and their signaling value is likely to be important for both sexes during the extended postfledgling phase. Copyright 2007.
Objective on-line assessment of marbling: a brief review

Visual assessment remains the preferred method for evaluation of marbling in abattoirs. However, visual assessments are compromised by the disadvantages inherent in most systems of subjective evaluation. To that end, several objective measurement technologies have been developed and evaluated for on-line measurement of marbling. Several of these technologies are reviewed in this paper. Of the current suite of technologies, video image analysis and the Danish bioelectrical impedance device offer the most promise in terms of measurement accuracy and suitability for on-line use.
The Response of Archaeal Tetraether Membrane Lipids in Surface Soils to Temperature: A Potential Paleothermometer in Paleosols

Isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (iGDGTs), major membrane lipids in some Archaea, have been widely used to examine past archaeal activity and infer ancient paleotemperature in aquatic environments. However, it is still unclear whether soil thaumarchaeotal iGDGTs also record temperature, and how thaumarchaeotal iGDGTs in the different climatic zones respond to temperature. Here we investigated iGDGTs in soils along an altitudinal transect of Mt. Shennongjia in central China, and determined the response of thaumarchaeotal membrane lipids to temperature in soils from a typical subtropical region. The TEX86 proxy, reflecting the number of GDGT cyclopentyl moieties, in these soils is significantly correlated with mean annual air temperature (MAT) at a given site, apparently recording a temperature response by Thaumarchaeota that dominate in soils. However, the TEX86 values are similar both at Mt. Shennongjia where a warm and humid climate prevails and at Mt. Xiangpi where a cold and dry climate is predominant. This could result from the seasonality of thaumarchaeotal production in soils from cold and (or) dry regions, and a local calibration is required if the TEX86 proxy is to be applied to reconstruct paleoaltimetry or paleotemperature in paleosols from cold and (or) dry regions. The TEX86 for soils from Mt. Rungwe (Tanzania), Mt. Jianfengling (China) and another climatic transect generally follows the rising trend of TEX86 vs. MAT for Mt. Shennongjia, suggesting that the thaumarchaeotal iGDGTs in soils from subtropical and tropical regions respond to temperature similarly among sites. However, the different calibrations of TEX86 paleothermometer among sites also reveal factors other than MAT may affect the TEX86 values in soils.
Interspecific rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism in Globodera species, parasites of Solanaceous plants

Swnmary - The status of the Globodera species that are parasites of Solanaceous is still unclear due ta low morphological polymorphism. Two 21-mers oligonucleotide primers were used ta amplify the internai Transcribed Spacer (ITS). The amplified product was aproximately 1.2 Kb in the 26 Globodera populations examined. Thirty-one restriction enzymes were tested, of which twelve produced some fragment length polymorphism. These RFLP's were recorded, genetic distances were calculated, and a dendrogram was generated. Intraspecific polymorphism was low, but interspecific polymorphism allowed for easy species differ­ enciation. The four revealed clusters corresponded ta G. labacum group, G. roslOchiensis, G. paUida, and G. "mexicana ". These results confer a species status ta G. "mexieana" whose genetic identity was unclear and are discussed with regard to previous hybridisation and ta 2D electrophoresis. Further sequencing of the ITS was done to search for intraspecific polymorphism. These three G. rostochiensis sequences were compared to previously published sequences for five Helerodera populations and for Caeno­ rhabditis elegans.
Characterization of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Pine Litter

Using a novel pine needle agar, fifteen bacterial species were isolated from pine litter. These bacteria were able to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin and utilize the ortho-cleavage of the β-ketoadipate pathway to degrade protocatechuate or catechol. A different utilization array of aromatic hydrocarbons by these bacteria was also determined. This study provides the information on bacterial species living in pine litter and suggests that these bacteria have metabolic abilities to utilize aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin biodegradation.
Standardizationof pyridiniumcrosslinks, pyridinolineand deoxypyridinoline,for use as biochemicalmarkers of collagendegradation

The collagen crosslinks, pyridmnoline and deoxypyridinoline, have been developed as urinary markers of bone resorption but, despite wide clinical application of the technique, comparatively little attention has been paid to the standardization of these compounds. In this study, pyridmnoline and deoxypyridinoline have been purified from bone and converted completely to monochloride trihydrochloride salts. In addition to mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, the purity of the isolated materials was assessed by microelemental analysis including the chloride counterions. These purified compounds were used to establish individual molar absorptivity values as primary standardization criteria for the two crosslinks. For pyridinoline in 0.1 mollL HC1, e at 295 nm was 5490 L mol’ cm’; in 50 mmol/L sodium phosphate, pH 7.5, #{128} at 325 urn was 5785. The corresponding values for deoxypyridinoline at acid and neutral pH were 5160 and 5290 L mol’ cm. The availability of standardization criteria for the crosslinks will allow more meaningful comparisons of clinical data between different laboratories.
Behaviour of two major bycatch species of tuna purse-seiners at FADs: oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculatus) and rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata)

Elagatis bipinnulata (Bennet, 1840) and Canthidermis maculatus (Bloch, 1786) are widely distributed species and are two of the main bycatch species of tuna purse seiner fisheries. To date, very little information is available of the biology and behaviour of those two species. The increasing importance of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) within the fishery has raised concern over the impacts of these devices on the pelagic ecology and populations of those bycatch species. In this study, acoustic telemetry was used to investigate the behavioural ecology of these two species around FADs. Three tuna purse seine FADs in the northern Mozambique channel were equipped with satellite linked acoustic receivers. Two E. bipinnulata and 13 C. maculatus were equipped with coded acoustic tags some of which had pressure sensors. The average Total Time of Association (TTA) with the FAD for E. bipinnulata was of 67 days and 21.5 days for C. maculatus. No departures lasting more than 24 hours were observed for both species. The diel pattern in vertical distribution of E. bipinnulata and C. maculatus where similar averaging 9.9 m (SD ± 11.7m) and 5.1 m (SD ± 9.2 m) during the night, 19.7 m (SD ± 14.1 m) and 10.1 m (SD ± 12.5 m) during the day, respectively. The high fidelity and limited vertical distribution of the two bycatch species studied confirms the high catchability by the FAD based purse seiner fishery.
Detection andcharacterization of secreted proteins from Piriformospora indicaduring Arabidopsis roots colonization

The basidiomycete P. indica is a root endophyte, which has a beneficial impact on host plants. P. indica promotes growth in colonized host plants and mediates biotic stress resistance as well as abiotic stress tolerance such as drought or salt stress (Waller et al., 2005; Baltruschat et al., 2008). The fungus has a broad host spectrum and non-host plants have not been identified so far. During the establishment of a compatible interaction, the fungus is able to actively suppress root immune responses of the host plant including the root oxidative burst, induction of defense genes and callose deposition. Especially JA signaling seems to be influenced by P. indica during the active suppression of host basal defense. The colonization pattern of P. indica can be mainly divided in an initial biotrophic and a later cell death-associated phase (Schafer et al., 2009; Jacobs et al., 2011). To reach compatibility with the host plant, P. indica is assumed to secrete a battery of effector proteins, especially during the biotrophic interaction phase. Effector proteins are secreted by pathogenic as well as beneficial microbes during plant colonization in order to suppress the plant innate immune system and to manipulate the host metabolism. Due to the broad host range which includes model plants like Arabidopsis, barley and tobacco, P. indica is an ideal model organism for the investigation of fungal derived effector proteins and their impact on plant innate immunity. The aim of this study was the identification and subsequent characterization of P. indica effector proteins. Therefore, the yeast signal sequence trap (YSST) was successfully applied. Eleven different secreted P. indica proteins could be isolated. Additionally, the P. indica effector candidate PIIN_00029 (PiALH43), which was previously identified (Khatabi, 2009), was included in this study. The in silico analyses revealed similarities of eight candidates to known or putative effector proteins identified in other biological systems. Furthermore, six of the candidates are probably associated with the cell membrane. The isolated effector candidates could be functioning in the adhesion of the fungus to the host surface or even in masking P. indica-derived MAMPs. In qPCR-based analyses, nine candidates showed the highest expression during biotrophic colonization (2 dai) of Arabidopsis roots in comparison to axenically grown P. indica or P. indica colonizing dead roots. Localization studies with GFP fusion proteins revealed a cytoplasmic expression pattern of the candidate PIIN_08513. This candidate was furthermore demonstrated to suppress MAMP-triggered oxidative burst upon transient overexpression in N. benthamiana leaves. The present work is a base for future studies on P. indica effectors and their impact on plant innate immunity and host metabolism. Functional studies on the RING E3 ligase PIIN_00029 (PiALH43) revealed that this enzyme had neither a proapoptotic nor antiapoptotic activity in yeast viability assays. Further, plant basal defense was not influenced in…
CorrelationbetweenCytotoxicandSuppressor Activitiesof HumanPulmonary AlveolarMacrophages1

We have reported previously that pulmonary alveolar macro phages (PAMs) from individuals with lung cancer and active chronic pulmonary diseases were cytotoxic to tumor cells in vitro, whereas PAMs from normal individuals or patients with acute pulmonary disorders were noncytotoxic. In the present study, we evaluated 20 PAM preparations for both suppressor and cytotoxic functions to determine if PAMs could function as suppressor cells and, if so, whether a correlation between the two functions exists. Cytotoxicity was assessed in a 60-hr cytotoxicity assay against [3H]proline-prelabeled human mela noma target cells. More than 20% cytotoxicity was considered to be significant. Suppressor activity was measured by determin ing whether admixing PAMs at various ratios with autologous or allogeneic mononuclear cells could suppress concanavalin Ainduced blastogenesis by T-lymphocytes. At least 50% suppres sion was considered to be significant. Of the 20 specimens evaluated, 13 were cytotoxic and 5 of these exhibited suppressor activity. None of the 7 noncytotoxic PAM preparations had suppressor activity. Suppression was nonspecific and not HLA restricted, since autologous and allogeneic mononuclear cells were inhibited to a similar extent. Suppression was probably not due to prostaglandin production by the PAMs since assays were performed under optimal conditions and required extremely high concentrations of prostaglandins. A significant correlation be tween suppressor and cytotoxic activity was found. Suppression was observed only with PAM specimens that were also highly cytotoxic to tumors, but not all cytotoxic PAM specimens were suppressive. Whether these actions reflect different levels of activation of PAMs or are the properties of different macrophage subsets remains to be clarified.
Experiments on the Mechanism of Silver Staining: II. Development

The effect of a series of photographic developers on the final silver-staining picture has been investigated. Ten common developers were used, but of these only hydroquinone, chloroquinol, pyrogallol, and p -aminophenol, were found to be of general use. The other developers were either so weak in their action that the final staining was light and incomplete, or so powerful that a differentiated nerve staining was not produced. For silver staining to be effected nuclei of reduced silver should be present in the section. These nuclei act as centres for the deposition of additional silver reduced by the developer; the additional silver may either be derived from that combined with the sections during impregnation or from the developing solution itself. Whether or ot the additional silver is deposited in such a way as to produce differentiated nerve staining depends on the properties of the developer and on the composition of the developing solution. The redox- and ‘bromide’-potentials, the sulphite and hydrogen n concentrations in the developing solution, and the protective action of the tissue components of the section all play a part in determining the final staining picture. A new glycine-containing physical developer and a gold thiocyanate physical developer are described.
A description of Pyrodinium bahamense (Dinophyceae) from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA

Abstract The primary focus of this paper is to provide a detailed description of Pyrodinium bahamense from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. Recent reports of saxitoxin production by P. bahamense from the Indian River lagoon has heightened interest in the similarities between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific forms of this species. Microscopic examinations of samples from the Indian River Lagoon using light and scanning electron microscopy suggest that the Atlantic form deserves the separate varietal designation of bahamense assigned to it in recent years, distinguishing it from the Indo-Pacific var. compressum. This conclusion was based on key morphological and dimensional characteristics.