Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genotypic variations of ten Indian cultivars of Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorom Schott. evident by chromosomal and RAPD markers

Detailed karyotype, genome size and RAPD marker analysis were employed to assess genetic diversity in Taro (Colocasia esculenta var antiquorom Schott.). Karyotype analysis revealed genotype specific chromosomal characteristics and structural alterations in chromosome with variations of ploidy from 2n = 2x = 28 (cv. Mothan, cv. Muktakeshi, cv. Sree Kiran, cv. Sree Pallavi, cv. Sunajhili) to 3n = 3x = 42 (cv. Banky, cv. DP-25, cv. Duradin, cv. H-3, cv. Telia) in the genome. Highly significant variations in the genomic length, volume and total form (TF) % were noted at variety level. Total genomic chromosome length varied from 46. 96μm in cv. Sree Kiran to 100. 49μm in cv. Duradin. Total genomic chromosome volume varied from 18. 22μm3 in cv. Sunajhili to 38. 22μm3 in cv. Duradin. Total form percentage was varied from 24.94% in cv. Sree Kiran to 39.04% in cv. H-3 confirming near metacentric to metacentric chromosomes in the karyotype. Significant variations in the 4C DNA content noted among the cultivars that ranged from 7.24 pg in cv. Sree Kiran to 18.24 pg in cv. Duradin; accordingly, genome size varied from ~7095 to 17875 Mbp. High genome size in all the triplod varieties with 3x = 42 chromosomes could be due to the presence of extra set of chromosomes in the genome or high amount of repetitive DNA. The variation in the genome size at the variety level might be attributed to loss or addition of highly repetitive sequences in the genome. Amplification of genomic DNA in 10 genotypes using Operon primers yielded 230 amplified DNA fragments, ranging in size from 200 to 2500bp out of which 79 bands were polymorphic. A total of 8 unique RAPD bands were observed among 10 taro genotypes that revealed primer wise polymorphism ranged from 16.66 to 47.36% with an average polymorphic percentage of 34.34%. Whereas, among the cultivars the polymorphic percentage varied from 3.70% between cv. DR-25 & cv. Duradin and cv. Telia & cv. H-3 to 41.94% between cv. Mothan & cv. Muktakeshi. Genetic similarity based on Jaccard’s coefficient varied from 0.54 to 0.96, indicating wide genetic variability among the varieties based on RAPD markers. Similarity measures and cluster analysis generally reflected the expected trends in relationships of diploid and triplod taro varieties. Dendrogram obtained from the genetic distances among the varieties could be useful for breeders to choose the diverse parents for breeding programme aimed at varietal improvement.
Energetic trade-off between maintenance costs and flight capacity in the sand cricket (Gryllus firmus)

Summary 1Energetic trade-offs are those compromises that appear when the energy budget of an individual's life history closely matches or exceeds the net available energy in the environment in a given moment. In these situations, two or more functions can compete and organisms face physiological decisions in order to survive and reproduce. 2In insects, one of the most costly investments is flight capacity, which increases dispersal capacity but is energetically expensive. Adult sand crickets (Gryllus firmus) can vary drastically in this capacity, being macropterous or micropterous depending on whether they exhibit flight-capable wings. However, this binary phenotype has a continuous subjacent determinant in the macropterous morph which is the mass of the muscles that power flight, the dorso-longitudinal muscles (DLM). 3Using respirometric measurements, we studied a potential trade-off between body parts, the mass of the DLM and energy metabolism (including both maximum and average metabolism). By recording the metabolic rate of c. 180 crickets and then dissecting and weighing their body parts, we took advantage of the correlational structure to infer associations between energetic and morphological variables. We found that the residual mass of the DLM shows a quadratic relationship with residual resting and average metabolism: at low DLM mass there is a negative relationship, which becomes positive at higher DLM mass. 4We suggest that this pattern of covariance is a consequence of the negative correlation between DLM mass and gonad mass, and the relative contribution of functional vs. non-functional DLM. Then, by using energetics and a combination of multivariate and correlational statistics we were able to show how two important life-history functions (i.e. Dispersal and fecundity) compete for the same resources in an insect species.
Optimal control of an enzyme reaction subject to enzyme deactivation. I. Batch process

This paper is concerned with the study of an enzymatic system in a repeated batch process where the enzyme is subject to deactivation. The particular system studied was the enzymatic hydrolysis of Penicillin G to 6‐aminopenicillanic acid. Utilizing standard optimization techniques, pH and temperature control policies were determined that would maximize the product yield.
Study of the sexual maturity of female bluefin tuna : Purification and partial characterization of vitellogenin and its use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Plasma steroid levels of female bluefin tuna (BFT) Thunnus thynnus rose from c. 1.5 ng ml -1 during the quiescent -period (March) to c. 7 ng ml -1 during the ripening period (May). Testosterone (T) increased further to c. 8 ng ml -1 during the pre-spawning period (June) while 17β-oestradiol (E 2 ) began to decrease. In the post-spawning period (August) steroid levels decreased to <I ng ml -1 . Vitellogenin (Vtg) plasma levels seemed to follow changes in E 2 , showing an increase from the quiescent period to the ripening period of c. 18 mg ml 1 , decreasing slightly before spawning, and then decreasing after spawning, The Vtg content in plasma showed a good correlation both with the plasma levels of E 2 and T and with the percentage of vitellogenic oocytes at different periods of the reproductive cycle. Thus the ELISA could be taken as validated. Immunohistochemical staining of ovaries with anti BFT-Vtg serum demonstrated a high cross-reactivity with yolk proteins allowing the identification of vitellogenic oocytes.
Gastrosuillus laricinus is a recent derivative of Suillus grevillei : molecular evidence

Bruns, T. , J. W. Taylor, and T. J. White. 1991. Fungal molecular systematics. Annual Rev. Ecol. Syst. 22: 525-564. Gunderson, J. H. , H. Elwood, A. Ingold, K. Kindle, and M. L. Sogin. 1987. Phylogenetic relationships between Chlorophytes, Chrysophytes and Oomycetes. Proc. Natl. Acad. USA 84: 5823-5827. Innis, M. A. , and D. H. Gelfand. 1990. Optimization of PCRs. Pp. 3-12. In: PCR protocols: a guide to methods and applications. Eds., M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, and T. J. White. Academic Press, New York. Kusukawa, N. , T. Uemori, K. Asada, and I. Kato. 1990. Rapid, reliable protocol for direct sequencing of material amplified by the PCR. Biotechniques 9: 66-72. Kwok, S. , D. E. Kellogg, N. McKinney, D. Spasic, L. Goda, C. Levenson, and J. J. Sninsky. 1990. Effects of primer-template mismatches on the polymerase chain reaction: human immunodeficiency virus type 1 model studies. Nucl. Acids Res. 18: 999-1005. Meinkoth, J., and G. Wahl. 1984. Hybridization of nucleic acids immobilized on solid supports. Anal. Biochem. 138: 267-284. White, T. J., T. Bruns, S. Lee, and J. Taylor. 1990. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. Pp. 315322. In: PCR protocols: a guide to methods and applications. Eds., M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, and T. J. White. Academic Press, New York.
Expression and characterization of soluble forms of the extracellular domains of the β, γ and ε subunits of the human muscle acetylcholine receptor

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is a ligand‐gated ion channel found in muscles and neurons. Muscle AChR, formed by five homologous subunits (α2βγδ or α2βγε), is the major antigen in the autoimmune disease, myasthenia gravis (MG), in which pathogenic autoantibodies bind to, and inactivate, the AChR. The extracellular domain (ECD) of the human muscle α subunit has been heterologously expressed and extensively studied. Our aim was to obtain satisfactory amounts of the ECDs of the non‐α subunits of human muscle AChR for use as starting material for the determination of the 3D structure of the receptor ECDs and for the characterization of the specificities of antibodies in sera from patients with MG. We expressed the N‐terminal ECDs of the β (amino acids 1–221; β1–221), γ (amino acids 1–218; γ1–218), and ε (amino acids 1–219; ε1–219) subunits of human muscle AChR in the yeast, Pichia pastoris. β1–221 was expressed at ≈ 2 mg·L−1 culture, whereas γ1–218 and ε1–219 were expressed at 0.3–0.8 mg·L−1 culture. All three recombinant polypeptides were glycosylated and soluble; β1–221 was mainly in an apparently dimeric form, whereas γ1–218 and ε1–219 formed soluble oligomers. CD studies of β1–221 suggested that it has considerable β‐sheet secondary structure with a proportion of α‐helix. Conformation‐dependent mAbs against the ECDs of the β or γ subunits specifically recognized β1–221 or γ1–218, respectively, and polyclonal rabbit antiserum raised against purified β1–221 bound to 125I‐labeled α‐bungarotoxin‐labeled human AChR. Moreover, immobilization of each ECD on Sepharose beads and incubation of the ECD–Sepharose matrices with MG sera caused a significant reduction in the concentrations of autoantibodies in the sera, showing specific binding to the recombinant ECDs. These results suggest that the expressed proteins present some near‐native conformational features and are thus suitable for our purposes.
Noninherited sterility in irradiated Phthorimaea operculella females

Newly emerged females of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lep., Gelechiidae), were irradiated with various doses of gamma irradiation: 50, 100, 150 and 200 Gy. Inheritance of deleterious effects in the progeny of irradiated female parents was determined. Phthorimaea operculella females became completely sterile when they were exposed to 200 Gy. Therefore, inherited effects were examined in insects exposed to doses lower than 200 Gy. Developmental time and percentage mortality of F1 progeny were higher than the control, regardless of the dose. The sex ratio of F1 progeny was not distorted in favour of either male or female. When F1 individuals were crossed with unirradiated adults, their mating success, number of matings and number of eggs were similar to those of their irradiated female parents, but lower than the control. In contrast, when F1 males and females were mated together, the mating success, number of matings and number of eggs were lower than both their irradiated female parents and the control. The fertility of F1 progeny was higher than that of their irradiated female parents, at all tested crosses. The results showed that the inherited sterility phenomenon did not occur in P. operculella females at the extent known from irradiated males. When the sterile insect technique is used against P. operculella, released females should be completely sterile to prevent any increase in the feral population.
Shh signalling and the dynamic patterning of the vertebrateneural tube

The formation of the central nervous system depends on the patterned generation of different neuronal and glial cell types during embryogenesis. In ventral regions of the neural tube, the graded activity of the secreted molecule Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) controls the position along the dorsoventral axis at which different neuronal subtypes differentiate. Here, using chick and mouse embryos, we systematically and quantitatively documented the spatial and temporal expression patterns of the transcription factors that delineate the progenitor domains of these neurons. We investigated the coordination of the patterning activity of Shh with tissue growth and cell differentiation and discovered a high degree of conservation in pattern formation between mouse and chick. In addition, quanti"cation of the levels of Shh protein in vivo and downstream signalling activity using a mouse reporter of Gli activity con"rmed the non-linear relation between ligand concentration, levels of intracellular signalling and expression of the target genes in vivo. These data support a model in which progenitor cells respond to the cumulative amount of Gli activity. To advance our understanding of how cells transduce the Shh signal we investigated the vertebrate orthologs of Costal2, a component of the Hedgehog pathway in Drosophila. Using a gain of function assays in chick we con"rmed that one of the orthologs, the kinesin Kif7, is a negative regulator of the Shh signalling pathway, acting downstream of Smoothened. The inhibitory activity of Kif7 required only the N-terminal region containing the motor domain. By contrast, the kinesin Kif27, which appears equally similar to Costal2 as Kif7, was unable to inhibit Shh signalling. These data provided evidence that Kif7 was a novel component of the vertebrate Hh signalling and revealed a greater conservation between the Drosophila and vertebrate system than previous views suggested.
Nutritional Content of Artemia sp. Fed with Chaetoceros calcitrans and Skeletonema costatum

Artemia sp. is a natural food with high protein content, especially amino acid. Nowadays, Indonesia still relies on import for its supply. Hence, the utilization of local Artemia sp. as an alternative to the imported product is recommended as it contains more protein and less expensive. The advantages of local Artemia sp. is its better crystal quality as it is still fresh. It also provides better income for salt farmers because waste water from salt farm can be used to culture Artemia sp. This research is aimed at determining the quality of locally-produced Artemia sp. , by evaluation of its essential amino acid and fatty acid profiles after treatments. Our results indicated that Artemia sp. cysts with good quality were produced after 8 hours and Artemia sp. reaches a hatching rate of 1,320,000 cysts (95%) after 27 hours. We also found an indication that the best feed concentration was a mix of 60% Chaetoceros calcitrans with 40% Skeletonema costatum. Fatty acid profile analyses showed that the highest SAFA (12.86%) and PUFA (29.91%) were gained after feeding with Chaetoceros calcitrans, whereas the highest HUFA (4.93%) was gained after feeding with Skeletonemacostatum. Essential amino acid profile analyses revealed the highest content of amino acid (18912.62 ppm) was after feeding with a combination of Chaetoceros calcitrans and Skeletonema costatum. Finally, the proper water quality during research was at 25-30 °C of temperature, 30-31 ppt of salinity, pH 7.8-8.9, and DO was at 3.0-4.4 mg/L.
Experimental Culture of Young Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax

Abstract There is a large demand for rainbow smelt as a bait and food fish, and culture of the species has economic potential. In 1979, we began experiments to define optimum conditions for incubation of eggs and growth of larvae and juveniles. Hatching success was 40–80% in fresh and brackish water, but zero in full-strength seawater. The timing of hatching was determined for incubation temperatures of 6 to 20°C. Larvae fed most successfully in full-strength seawater on the cultured marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Eyed eggs were also stocked in two ponds, one newly constructed and one with a well-established food base. Larval fish raised exclusively with natural foods (primarily cyclopoid copepods, chironomids, and Chaoborus sp.) reached 44 mm total length within 6 months in the newly constructed freshwater pond, and 83 mm in the established pond; rates of 0.22 and 0.41 mm/day, respectively. Rainbow smelt in the latter pond reached commercial baitfish size before the first winter of life. Fish in t.
The Effect of Decreasing Temperature on Arthropod Diversity and Abundance in Horse Dung Decomposition Communities of Southeastern Massachusetts

Dung from large mammalian herbivores provides a concentrated food resource, rich in bacteria, nitrogen, and many forms of carbon that support a diverse community of arthropods. Detrital communities, while essential to nutrient cycling, are poorly studied. From July 2010 to October 2010, we sampled these arthropod assemblages using pitfall traps baited with horse dung at five sites southeast of Boston, MA. A total of 396 samples were collected, resulting in 10,299 arthropod specimens. We found a highly diverse group of arthropods dominated by Coleoptera () and Diptera () and noted the absence of hymenopterans, a group that was dominant in previous studies on these communities. The community had a high level of evenness (0.93 Shannon evenness) and lacked a dominant species, with no one species obtaining more than 7% relative abundance. Species accumulation curves indicate near maximum diversity was reached for each site and the study as a whole (93% maximum calculated Shannon Diversity). A strong effect of seasonality was also observed on the community, as shown by a strong shift in community at the end of August. The community sampled displayed a high similarity to previous studies, indicating a cosmopolitan distribution as well as an opportunistic community.
Broad distribution of Coolia monotis and restricted distribution of Coolia cf. canariensis (Dinophyceae) on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract: The genus Coolia, which contains potentially toxic epibenthic dinoflagellate species, was studied throughout 17 sampling sites on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the summers of 2010–2012. Cells from natural samples were isolated into culture, and the strains were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy in order to study and measure the morphological traits. A detailed compilation of previously compiled Coolia measurements was used for comparisons. To gain insight into the taxonomy of the strains, two regions of the nuclear-encoded rDNA were used as markers to infer phylogenetic relationships: the large subunit (LSU) and the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 plus the 5.8S region of the gene (ITS). Two species were found within the study area: Coolia monotis, which was widely distributed throughout the entire area, and Coolia cf. canariensis, which was found at only one sampling site. The observed morphology of the clonal cultures was supported by their accepted taxonomical descriptions in concordance with the phylogenetic analysis of both LSU and ITS regions. This study provided evidence of the limited geographic distribution of Coolia cf. canariensis in the studied area.
Tissue cultures of Artemisia annua: Organogenesis and artemisinin production

Seeds of Artemisia annua obtained from different locations Europe(P1), Michigan USA (P2), Washington USA (P3), Hoechst India (P4) and Lucknow (P5) were germinated and grown in an experimental field station. The plants were harvested during the early flowering stage and analysed for artemisinin and arteannuin‐B. Plants from Europe produced the highest level of artemisinin (6.50 mg% fresh weight (F.‐W.)) and those from Lucknow produced the highest level of arteannuin‐B (21.42 mg% F.W.). Callus initiation and growth was achieved on Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with BA (1 ppm) + NAA (1 ppm) from the five plant types. The European variety gave multiple shoots in BA (0.1 ppm) + IAA (1 ppm) medium and root formation in NAA (1 ppm) + Kn (0.1 ppm) medium. Artemisinin and atreannuin‐B were detected in cultures of the European variety with complete differentiation (0.95 mg% F.W. and 6.57 mg% F.W. respectively).
Hatchery tank enrichment affects cortisol levels and shelter-seeking in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Stocking programs using hatchery-reared salmon are often implemented for augmenting natural populations. However, survival of these fish is often low compared with wild conspecifics, possibly because of genetic, physiological, and behavioural deficiencies. Here, we compared presmolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from three different environmental treatments (barren environment, plastic tube enrichment, and plastic shredding enrichment) with regard to plasma cortisol levels, shelter-seeking behaviour, and fin deterioration. Basal plasma cortisol levels were higher in barren-reared fish, indicating higher stress levels, while no differences were found in acute cortisol response after a 30 min confinement test. Shelter-seeking was higher in salmon reared in enriched tanks when tested alone, but not when tested in small groups. Barren-reared fish had higher levels of fin deterioration over winter, potentially owing to higher aggression levels. These results suggest that enrichment can reduce the impact of stressors experienced in the hatchery and thus increase fish welfare. Tank enrichment may also be used to produce salmon better adapted for the more complex environment encountered after release.
Decreased Triglyceride and Cholesterol Levels in Serum, Liver and Breast Muscle in Broiler by the Supplementation of Dietary Codonopsis lanceolata Root

Effects of the dietary supplementation of Codonopsis lanceolata root on triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the serum, liver, breast muscle and bile in male Cobb×Cobb chicks were investigated. The chicks (15-42 days old) were fed diets supplemented with 0, 0.25 and 0.5% Codonopsis lanceolata root. No differences were observed in body weight, feed conversion ratio, gall bladder weight or abdominal fat deposition among the control group and the two treatment groups. Liver weights were higher in chicks fed a 0.5% Codonopsis lanceolata diet than in those fed the control diet (p<0.05). However, serum levels of both glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were not different among the three groups. Broiler chicks fed either 0.25% or 0.5% dietary Codonopsis lanceolata root showed decreased serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to the control group (p<0.05). Supplementation with either 0.25% or 0.5% dietary Codonopsis lanceolata root decreased the triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in liver and breast muscle compared to the control group (p<0.05). Biliary cholesterol increased by 15% in chicks fed 0.5% dietary Codonopsis lanceolata root, suggesting that the biliary excretion of cholesterol had been elevated by dietary Codonopsis lanceolata root (p<0.05). In conclusion, these results indicate that dietary Codonopsis lanceolata root can decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the serum, liver and breast muscle of broilers. (Asian- Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2004. Vol 17, No. 4 : 511-513)
Identification of reference genes for qRT-PCR studies of gene expression in giant cells and syncytia induced in Arabidopsis thaliana by Meloidogyne incognita and Heterodera schachtii

Sedentary plant-parasitic nematodes, such as cyst and root-knot nematodes, induce feeding structures in the host root that undergo extensive changes in the gene expression. This phenomenon has previously been studied by gene chip analysis and qRT-PCR. Housekeeping genes are often used routinely as internal references for relative qRT-PCR analyses. However, due to the strong influence of nematode infection on host cell metabolism and physiology, expression of housekeeping genes may be altered considerably, thus limiting reliability of qRT-PCR analyses. Therefore, in the present work we tested UBQ10, ACT2, EF1a, UBP22 and 18S rRNA as potential candidates for relative qRT-PCR studies of gene expression in nematode infection sites in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. Among the tested candidates only UBP22 and 18S rRNA were stably expressed and, therefore, are reliable reference genes for studying cyst and root-knot nematode infections.