Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
As productive and slow as a stream can be—the metabolism of a Pampean stream

Abstract Stream metabolism at both ecosystem and functional-compartment scales was measured in a low-order Pampean stream (La Choza) over a 3-wk period to characterize metabolic rates and discern the contribution of each functional compartment (submerged macrophytes, benthos, floating macroalgae, water column, and hyporheic zone) to ecosystem metabolism. La Choza stream is an autotrophic ecosystem during low flows and has gross primary production rates of up to 22 g O2 m−2d−1, which are among the highest reported in the literature and set an upper bound on how productive streams can be in the absence of light and nutrient limitations. Floating macroalgae provided most of the primary production (30–90%), whereas the hyporheic zone provided most of the ecosystem respiration (40–80%). The differential effects of high flows on the different functional compartments depressed the production∶respiration ratio, suggesting a strong relationship between flow and metabolism. Thus, low flows enhanced primary production and led to diel dissolved O2 concentration oscillations between 0 and 25 g O2/m3. In contrast, high flow depressed primary production by an order of magnitude and increased ecosystem respiration. High production rates during the low-flow period and extreme physicochemical conditions (anoxia for 7–8 h on a daily basis) may be typical in this type of ecosystem during extended low-flow periods.
Nucleophilic Additions of 2-Furyllithium to Carbonyl Derivatives of L-Serine. Formal Synthesis of (2R,3R)-β-Hydroxy Aspartic Acid

The nucleophilic addition of 2-furyllithium to esters derived from L-serine is described. The obtained furyl ketone 5 is stereoselectively reduced (ds≥95%) with sodium borohydride to afford the corresponding syn aminoalcohol 12 in enantiomerically pure form. Compound 12 was further converted into valuable α-hydroxy-β-amino acids by means of the furan-to-acid equivalence.
Efeito da Duração do Período de Jejum Pré-Abate Sobre Rendimento de Carcaça e a Qualidade da Carne do Peito de Frangos de Corte

O objetivo de estudo foi o de avaliar o efeito do jejum de racao e agua antes do abate sobre o rendimento de carcaca e cortes, perda de peso vivo, conteudo do papo, intestino e moela, materia seca das fezes, bem como volume globular medio e proteina total plasmatica do soro. Foram utilizados 600 pintos machos da linhagem Ross, criados ate 42 dias de idade, quando foram submetidos a tres periodos de jejum (zero, quatro ou oito horas). A duracao do periodo de jejum afetou (p 0,05) do periodo de jejum sobre as demais variaveis estudadas.
POSTERIOR CAPSULE OF HALLER'S ORGAN IN THE LONE STAR TICK, AMBLYOMMA AMERICANUM (ACARI: IXODIDAE)

The complex external and internal structure of the capsule of Haller's organ in the Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Externally, the organ opening consists of a complex rectangular aperture. Internally, 2 distinct types of structures were observed: irregularly shaped elements and thin-walled setae. The variation, placement, and configuration of these structures are described.
Homogenization of lepidopteran communities in intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes

Landscape simplification and habitat fragmentation may cause severe declines of less mobile and habitat specialist species and lead to biotic homogenization of species communities, but large-scale empirical evidence on biotic homogenization remains sparse. We sampled butterfly and day-active geometrid moth communities within 134 differently fragmented landscapes in Finland situated in five geographical regions. Overall species richness was partitioned into alpha and beta diversity and butterflies were assigned a species-specific mobility rank and habitat specificity score based on published ecological trait classifications. Alpha and beta diversity of butterflies and geometrid moths decreased with increasing agricultural intensity, independently of geographical position. The responses were either linear or nonlinear with accelerating decrease of diversity when arable field cover exceeded 60%. Mobility rank and percentage generalists of butterfly communities increased linearly with increasing field cover. In landscapes with high agricultural intensity (>60% field coverage), the decrease in beta diversity of butterflies was strongly associated with an increasing proportion of habitat generalists and increasing average mobility in the butterfly communities. However, there was no such relationship in landscapes with low or moderate agricultural intensity. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that biotic homogenization caused by land-use change arises as a consequence of the loss of habitat specialists and poor dispersers in intensively cultivated landscapes with simplified landscape structure. Agri-environment schemes will therefore be inefficient in protecting high beta diversity unless they explicitly increase habitat availability and connectivity for habitat specialists and poor dispersers. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 British Ecological Society. (Less)
The fully resolved genome of Bacillus thuringiensis HER1410 reveals a cry-containing chromosome, two megaplasmids & an integrative plasmidial prophage

Bacillus thuringiensis is the most used biopesticide in agriculture. Its entomopathogenic capacity stems from the possession of plasmid-borne insecticidal crystal genes (cry), traditionally used as discriminant taxonomic feature for that species. As such, crystal and plasmid identification are key to the characterization of this species. To date, about 600 B. thuringiensis genomes have been reported, but less than 5% have been resolved, while the other draft genomes are incomplete, precluding plasmid delineation. Here we present the complete genome of Bacillus thuringiensis HER1410, a strain closely related to B. thuringiensis entomocidus and a known host for a variety of Bacillus phages. The combination of short and long-reads techniques allowed fully resolving the genome and delineation of three plasmids. This enabled the accurate detection of an unusual location of a unique cry gene, cry1Ba4, located in a genomic island near the chromosome replication origin. Two megaplasmids, pLUSID1 and pLUSID2 could be delineated: pLUSID1 (368kb), a likely conjugative plasmid involved in virulence, and pLUSID2 potentially related to the sporulation process. A smaller plasmidial prophage pLUSID3, with a dual lifestyle whose integration within the chromosome, causes the disruption of a flagellar key component. Finally, phylogenetic analysis located this strain within a clade comprising members from the B. thuringiensis serovar thuringiensis and other serovars and with B.cereus s. s. This highlights the intermingled taxonomy of B. cereus sensu lato group, where genomics alone does not support the present taxonomy between B. cereus s. s. and B. thuringiensis as species designation currently relies solely on the presence of entomocidal genes. Importance Bacillus cereus group species have been extensively studied due to their economical and clinical relevance. This importance originally set the basis for B. cereus group members classification which are commonly based on phenotypical criteria. Sequencing era has shed light about genomic characterization of these species, showing their chromosomal genomic similarity and highlighting the role of mobile genetic elements, especially megaplasmids, in the classification and characterization of this group. However, only the 5% of the sequenced B. thuringiensis genomes have been fully resolved. Thus, here we addressed efficiently the study B. thuringiensis HER1410 genomic features by the use of a combination of short and long-reads sequencing. This methodology resulted in the high-quality assembly, which led to the identification of an uncommon location of a cry gene close to the chromosomal origin, as well as three fully resolved extrachromosomal elements, two megaplasmids and an integrative plasmidial prophage.
Altered regulation of tomato and tobacco pigmentation genes caused by the delila gene of Antirrhinum

Summary Delila (del), a regulatory gene of Antirrhinum, alters anthocyanin pigmentation when introduced into two Solanaceous species. In tomato, pigmentation in vegetative tissues is strongly increased while in tobacco, intensification of pigment is restricted to flowers. Although del transcripts are ubiquitous in the transgenic plants, transcript levels of host anthocyanin biosynthetic genes are only increased in pigmented regions. Constructs carrying the maize transposon Ac, inserted at the 3′ end of the 35S promoter prior to the start of translation of the del gene, give variegated leaves in tomato, suggesting that del acts cell-autonomously and that it may be used as a phenotypic marker. In Arabidopsis, del has no strong phenotypic effects, suggesting that del may not be able to function effectively in all plant hosts.
GmPAP12 Is Required for Nodule Development and Nitrogen Fixation Under Phosphorus Starvation in Soybean

Nodulation process in legume plants is essential for biological nitrogen fixation during which process a large amount of phosphorus (P) is required. Under P deficiency, nodule formation is greatly affected, and induction of purple acid phosphatases (PAPs) is an adaptive strategy for nodules to acquire more P. However, regulation roles of PAPs in nodules remain largely understood. In this study, by transcriptome sequencing technology, five PAP genes were found to be differentially expressed, which led to the greatly increased acid phosphatase (APase) and phytase activities in soybean mature nodules under P starvation conditions; and among the five PAP genes, GmPAP12 had the highest transcript level, and RT-PCR indicated expression of GmPAP12 was gradually increasing during nodule development. GUS activity driven by GmPAP12 promoter was also significantly induced in low phosphorus conditions. Further functional analysis showed that under low phosphorus stress, overexpression of GmPAP12 resulted in higher nodule number, fresh weight, and nitrogenase activity as well as the APase activity than those of control plant nodules, whereas the growth performance and APase activity of nodules on hairy roots were greatly lower when GmPAP12 was suppressed, indicating that GmPAP12 may promote P utilization in soybean nodules under low P stress, which thus played an important role in nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation. Moreover, P1BS elements were found in the promoter of GmPAP12, and yeast one-hybrid experiment further proved the binding of P1BS by transcription factor GmPHR1 in the promoter of GmPAP12. At last, overexpression and suppression of GmPHR1 in nodules indeed caused highly increased and decreased expression of GmPAP12, respectively, indicating that GmPAP12 is regulated by GmPHR1 in soybean nodules. Taken together, these data suggested that GmPAP12 was a novel soybean PAP involved in the P utilization and metabolism in soybean root nodules and played an important role in the growth and development of root nodules and biological nitrogen fixation.
Typical and atypical language brain organization based on intrinsic connectivity and multitask functional asymmetries

Based on the joint investigation in 287 healthy volunteers (150 Left-Handers (LH)) of language task-induced asymmetries and intrinsic connectivity strength of the sentence-processing supramodal network, we show that individuals with atypical rightward language lateralization (N = 30, 25 LH) do not rely on an organization that simply mirrors that of typical leftward lateralized individuals. Actually, the resting-state organization in the atypicals showed that their sentence processing was underpinned by left and right networks both wired for language processing and highly interacting by strong interhemispheric intrinsic connectivity and larger corpus callosum volume. Such a loose hemispheric specialization for language permits the hosting of language in either the left and/or right hemisphere as assessed by a very high incidence of dissociations across various language task-induced asymmetries in this group.
The nutritional and chemical evaluation of Chia seeds

The chia plants are found in a group of annuals in the genera Salvia and Hyptis of the family Labiatae. Species of chia have been under cultivation for centuries in Mexico. Seeds from three Salvia and two Hyptis sources were collected and chemically analyzed for protein, oil, fiber, ash, moisture, and amino acids. The protein ranged in concentration from 19.0 to 26.5%, oil from 15.9 to 34.1%, fiber (ADF) from 22.1 to 33.4%, and total dietary fiber (TDF) from 47.1 to 59.8%. Threonine was the first limiting amino acid in chia seed, while lysine and leucine were the other limiting amino acids.
Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Dairy Cow Feces Exhibiting Promising Probiotic Properties and in vitro Antibacterial Activity Against Foodborne Pathogens in Cattle

Bovine enteric bacterial pathogens are a major cause of health decline in agricultural cattle populations. The identification of host-derived microbiota with probiotic characteristics is key for the development of treatments utilizing pathogen displacement and recolonization by commensal flora. In this study, intestinal microbiota in fecal samples from four Holstein dairy cows were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene next-generation sequencing, leading to the identification of three Lactobacillus isolates (Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus salivarius). By taking advantage of the preferential growth in acidified culture media, bacterial characteristics examination, and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rRNA genes, the three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were successfully isolated. The three LAB isolates possess the prerequisite growth tolerances for probiotic functionality, as well as exhibit effective antimicrobial potency against enteric bacterial pathogens of cattle, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, and Salmonella species (Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, and Salmonella Dublin). Moreover, the LAB isolates showed significant adhesion to cattle intestine, implying greater survivability potential due to their species specificity when administered in the same host species. The LAB isolates were sensitive to most antibiotics with notable resistances of L. gasseri to streptomycin and L. salivarius to kanamycin. Genes attributed to specific antibiotic resistances demonstrated a low risk of lateral transfer in a conjugation study. Our in vitro results demonstrate the promising probiotic characteristics of these newly identified Lactobacillus strains and their considerable potential to serve as probiotics feed supplements for cows.
Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

Seagrass meadows are declining globally. In Indonesia, 75% loss has been reported in the last 5 years. The decrease of the seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of Enhalus acoroides in the seedling phase, which has not previously been studied. To achieve these aims, a laboratory experiment of combined temperature and nutrient treatments was conducted using recently-germinated seedlings of E. acoroides. The results showed that the seedlings were tolerant to an extended exposure to the current ambient maximum temperature. Under higher temperature treatment, the seedlings were observed to increase in aboveground size traits (e.g., number of leaves, leaf length, biomass, and leaf area), as well as in belowground traits, such as root length. The results in this study also showed that the initial seed size matters for morphological responses. On the contrary, nutrient responses of seedlings were practically absent, suggesting they could rely on internal reserves. Interaction between both factors was limited, with the exception of low temperature and high nutrient treatment, in which the AG:BG ratio and leaf elongation rate increased. Fluorescence parameters were not influenced by any of the water treatments. The results in this study suggest that E. acoroides seedlings rely energetically in the reserves within the seedling and that increasing temperature might result in faster seedling development, although no interactions with other organisms were tested. This is of importance when studying the resilience capacity of this species and when restoration attempts are planned, as a faster root development would provide a faster stabilization in the sediment and the survival of the whole plant.
Respostas da Tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) à Atratividade e Palatabilidade de Ingredientes Utilizados na Alimentação de Peixes

The response of Nile tilapia to the attraction and palatability of 14 ingredients was evaluated. The two-choice method was used, comparing each pelleted ingredient to a control diet. It was utilized Four aquaria (750 liters) containing in each one three fingerlings and two feed containers at the right and left corner, being recorded the elapsed time between the lay of the ingredient and the arrive of the fingerlings to feed containers, visiting frequency to the feed containers, amount of ingested pellets and ejections frequency. The treatments were compared by non-parametric method of Kruskal-Wallis and the comparison of the ingredients for the variable set using "Grouping Analysis" and "Principal Components Analysis". The numbers of ingested pellets (at morning and at afternoon) and the visiting frequency to feed containers (at afternoon) were considered the most discriminatory variables. The ingredients were classified as it follows: a) low attraction and palatability = wheat meal, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, cassava meal, cassava scrapings, sunflower meal and corn meal), b) medium attraction and palatability = sugar-cane yeast and corn gluten meal and c) high attraction and palatability = integral lyophilized egg, silk worm meal, fish meal, meat meal, shrimp meal. The frequency of ejected pellets and time spent to approach of the feed (at morning and at afternoon) were considered the least discriminatory variables. The behavior response of fishes changes according to the presented ingredient. The attraction and palatability extent must be studied considering combinations of variables.
Proline Metabolism in Tumor Growth and Metastatic Progression

Cancer cells show a formidable capacity to survive under stringent conditions, to elude mechanisms of control, such as apoptosis, and to resist therapy. Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to support uncontrolled proliferation and metastatic progression. Phenotypic and functional heterogeneity are hallmarks of cancer cells, which endow them with aggressiveness, metastatic capacity, and resistance to therapy. This heterogeneity is regulated by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli including those from the tumor microenvironment. Increasing evidence points to a key role for the metabolism of non-essential amino acids in this complex scenario. Here we discuss the impact of proline metabolism in cancer development and progression, with particular emphasis on the enzymes involved in proline synthesis and catabolism, which are linked to pathways of energy, redox, and anaplerosis. In particular, we emphasize how proline availability influences collagen synthesis and maturation and the acquisition of cancer cell plasticity and heterogeneity. Specifically, we propose a model whereby proline availability generates a cycle based on collagen synthesis and degradation, which, in turn, influences the epigenetic landscape and tumor heterogeneity. Therapeutic strategies targeting this metabolic-epigenetic axis hold great promise for the treatment of metastatic cancers.
RNA-Seq Analyses Reveal That Endothelial Activation and Fibrosis Are Induced Early and Progressively by Besnoitia besnoiti Host Cell Invasion and Proliferation

The pathogenesis of bovine besnoitiosis and the molecular bases that govern disease progression remain to be elucidated. Thus, we have employed an in vitro model of infection based on primary bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), target cells during the acute infection. Host-parasite interactions were investigated by RNA-Seq at two post-infection (pi) time points: 12 hpi, when tachyzoites have already invaded host cells, and 32 hpi, when tachyzoites have replicated for at least two generations. Additionally, the gene expression profile of B. besnoiti tachyzoites was studied at both pi time points. Up to 446 differentially expressed B. taurus genes (DEGs) were found in BAEC between both pi time points: 249 DEGs were up-regulated and 197 DEGs were down-regulated at 32 hpi. Upregulation of different genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, leukocyte adhesion molecules predominantly at 12 hpi implies an activation of endothelial cells, whilst upregulation of genes involved in angiogenesis and extracellular matrix organization was detected at both time points. NF-κB and TNF-α signaling pathways appeared to be mainly modulated upon infection, coordinating the expression of several effector proteins with proinflammatory and pro-fibrotic phenotypes. These mediators are thought to be responsible for macrophage recruitment setting the basis for chronic inflammation and fibrosis characteristic of chronic besnoitiosis. Angiogenesis regulation also predominated, and this multistep process was evidenced by the upregulation of markers involved in both early (e.g., growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases) and late steps (e.g., integrins and vasohibin). Besnoitia besnoiti ortholog genes present in other Toxoplasmatinae members and involved in the lytic cycle have shown to be differentially expressed among the two time points studied, with a higher expression at 32 hpi (e.g., ROP40, ROP5B, MIC1, MIC10). This study gives molecular clues on B. besnoiti- BAECs interaction and shows the progression of type II endothelial cell activation upon parasite invasion and proliferation.
A Spontaneous Centric Fusion Heterozygote in the Tropical Grasshopper, Valanga Nigrocornis (Burmeister)

SUMMARYIn the grasshopper Valanga nigricornis a fusion between two telocentric autosomes, M8 and M9, is described which reduces significantly the chiasma frequencies of both the large and the medium members of the chromosome complement. This reduction was observed relative to both the normal spermatocytes within the single mutant individual as well as those in normal individuals from the same population sample. The meiotic behaviour of the fusion trivalent results in 50 per cent balanced gametes due to the random nature of its orientation at first metaphase of meiosis.
The role of the perennial stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, as a reservoir of beneficial natural enemies

SUMMARY A wide range of natural enemies, including predators, parasites and entomophagous fungi were observed to feed on the stinging nettle aphid, Microlophium carnosum, populations of which increased rapidly in late April and early May. Patches of stinging nettles thus served as an important alternate feeding site for some beneficial natural enemies before pest aphids appeared on cultivated plants. Anthocoridae, Miridae and Coccinellidae were the most abundant specific predators sampled on nettles; only the Coccinellidae appeared to disperse over a defined period to other habitats. The hymenopterous parasites Aphidius ervi and Ephedrus lacertosus parasitized up to 10% of M. carnosum populations in June: two species of the fungus Entomophthora occurred spasmodically. Cutting patches of nettles in May or June had the most striking effect on the species and numbers of Coccinellidae. Cutting in mid-June might increase the numbers and impact of natural enemies on nearby pest infestations.