Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnóstico e caracterização molecular do parvovírus canino em cães com gastroenterite da região oeste do Paraná

O parvovírus canino tipo 2 (CPV-2) é um dos principais enteropatógenos de cães, determinando alta morbidade e mortalidade em populações suscetíveis. Desde a sua emergência no final dos anos 70, o CPV-2 vem sofrendo mutações que conferiram vantagens adaptativas ao longo de sua evolução. Atualmente os três subtipos de CPV-2 circulantes são denominados CPV-2a, CPV-2b e CPV-2c. O presente estudo teve como objetivo diagnosticar e caracterizar os subtipos de CPV-2 em cães da região oeste do Paraná entre 2012 e 2016. Foram analisadas pela reação em cadeia pela polimerase (PCR), 93 amostras fecais de cães com gastroenterite. Destas, 78,5% (73/93) resultaram positivas para amplificação parcial do gene VP2. O sequenciamento e caracterização molecular de 41 amostras revelou cinco subtipos CPV-2b e 36 subtipos CPV-2c. O CPV-2c foi o subtipo predominante até 2015, sendo substituído pelo CPV-2b em 2016. Entre as amostras caracterizadas como CPV-2c, 13 foram idênticas à amostra referência de CPV-2c originalmente isolada na Itália e de outros países da Europa, América do Norte e América do Sul, incluindo o Brasil. Uma amostra apresentou a mutação Thr440Ala localizado no principal sítio antigênico da VP2. Quatro amostras apresentaram a mutação silenciosa no resíduo 447 e 18 amostras a mutação silenciosa no resíduo 500. O monitoramento constante dos subtipos de CPV-2 circulantes na população canina é necessário para subsidiar estudos epidemiológicos, de patogenicidade e de evolução do CPV-2 no Brasil.
Expanding the range of black grouse Tetrao tetrix in northern England through translocating wild males

Black grouse were once widespread in England, but have declined over the past 150 years due largely to habitat changes. In 1998, 773 males remained and following the instigation of conservation measures population size increased to 1029 in 2006, but population range remained similar. We hypothesized that range expansion was limited by the short dispersal ranges of males (up to 1 km) relative to females (up to 19 km), resulting in yearling females dispersing into areas without males. We tested this hypothesis by moving males to establish new leks and to stimulate range expansion. Three release sites were chosen beyond the southern edge of the male range, but were within the perceived dispersal distance of females, and where habitats were considered suitable and generalist predators were controlled. Between 2006 and 2010, 17 males were released at the first site, and a further 18 and 27 respectively at two sites between 2011 and 2014. Males were caught at night, fitted with radio-transmitters and hard released. In the first spring following translocation, 98% of males were observed displaying. Males displayed an average 3.6 km (range 0.6 to 27.1 km) from their release point. Leks were established at all sites, with 14 different leks occupied in spring 2015 contributing to the re-colonisation of seven 10 km grid squares. Mean annual survival in the first year following translocation was 0.77 (0.63–0.86, 95% CL) and was similar to that of birds measured in previous studies in the core northern England range. This suggests that under appropriate circumstances translocation can be a helpful conservation tool in stimulating range expansion.
Metabolic, Bioproductive and Reproductive Effects of Aquatic Exposure to Cadmium in Dish- A Review

Cadmium (Cd) exposure in fish is the result of aquatic pollution with heavy metals, which is mainly caused byanthropic interventions. Rarely, Cd mobilization from natural resources takes place. Bioaccumulation in tissues and organs is a property of this heavy metal, to generate various pathological effects and major risks due to biopropagation within the human food chain. Wehereby reviewed the main circumstances and levels of exposure to Cd in the aquatic environment, and effects on growth, development and reproduction induced by its bioaccumulation in fish, as well as the possible ramifications for food security in humans.
Parasitismo de una poblacion de la 'chinche verde' Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) por el parasitoide oofago Trissolcus basalis (Woll.) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

En areas de estudio sitas en los partidos de Berisso y La Plata, y durante los periodos de actividad 198 1-82 hasta 1984-85, se estimo: el numero de huevos/rrf/semana, depositados por una poblacion de N. viridula; el porcentaje de parasitismo por T.basalis (a intervalos aproximadamente quincenales); el porcentaje de emergencia de parasitoides y la relacion de sexos. En cada periodo de actividad los huevos depositados por 3 generaciones de N. viridula son parasitados. Durante aproximadamente la primera mitad de la primera generacion el tiempo de desarrollo del huevo es de 14 - 16 dias debido a las temperaturas relativamente bajas, y el porcentaje de parasitismo es 40% -50%. Luego, a pesar de que el tiempo en que el huevo esta expuesto se reduce por aumento de la temperatura, el parasitismo asciende a 70% - 90%, disminuyendo parcialmente hacia el final de la ultima generacion El parasitismo causa la muerte del hospedador a pesar de que no siempre se produce la emergencia del parasitoide. El porcentaje de emergencia (no correlacionado con el porcentaje de parasitismo) fluctua alrededor del 67%. La muerte del parasitoide, en casi el 60% de los casos, ocurre en el estado de pupa, y la relacion de sexos fluctua alrededor del promedio; 81,3% de hembras - 18,7% de machos.
Distribuição espaço-temporal de Micropogonias furnieri (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) em um estuário tropical no sudeste do Brasil

The whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri, is a commercially very important marine fish along its occurrence area that uses estuaries early in its life. In order to describe the time-space distribution of M. furnieri in Guanabara Bay, southeastern Brazil, bottom otter trawlings were carried out every fifteen days between July 2005 and June 2007. The monthly variation of the relative abundance of M. furnieri was checked from catch per unit of effort (CPUE), and the size structure of the caught species, in time and space, was analyzed from histograms with length (TL) classes with an interval of 0.5 cm. The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to test the hypothesis that sampling points were occupied by groups of equal mean of TL. The whitemouth croaker was present in all sampling sites throughout the year and juveniles were the most abundant population stratum. Statistically significant differences (p<0,05) in length classes between different sampling sites were found. While smaller individuals had a higher frequency in the upper and middle estuary, and some sampling sites at the lower estuary, larger individuals were mainly found in the lower estuary. Recruitment peaks occurred in late Fall, Winter and Spring, indicating a long period of reproduction. Guanabara Bay has an important role as marine nursery and growth area for M. furnieri, with the physiography of the estuary being one of the most relevant factors in the space distribution of the species.
Agronomic biofortification of cereals with zinc: a review

Zinc (Zn) still represents an important health problem in developing countries, caused mainly by inadequate dietary intake. A large consumption of cereal‐based foods with small concentrations and low bioavailability of Zn is the major reason behind this problem. Modern cultivars of cereals have inherently very small concentrations of Zn and cannot meet the human need for Zn. Today, up to 50% of wheat‐cultivated soil globally is considered poor in bioavailable Zn. Agricultural strategies that are used to improve the nutritional value of crop plants are known as biofortification strategies. They include genetic biofortification, which is based on classical plant breeding and genetic engineering for larger nutrient concentrations, and greater agronomic biofortification, which is based on optimized fertilizer applications. This review focuses on agronomic biofortification with Zn, which has proved to be very effective for wheat and also other cereal crops including rice. Molecular and genetic research into Zn uptake, transport and grain deposition in cereals are critically important for identifying ‘bottlenecks’ in the biofortification of food crops with Zn. Transgenic plants with large Zn concentrations in seeds are often tested under controlled laboratory or glasshouse conditions with sufficient available Zn in the growth medium for the entire growth period. However, they might not always show the same performance under ‘real‐world’ conditions with limited chemical availability of Zn and various stress factors such as drought. What purpose can an upgraded transport and storage system serve if the amount of goods to be transported and stored is limited anyway? Given the fact that the Zn concentrations required to achieve a measurable impact on human health are well above those required to avoid any loss of yield from Zn deficiency, providing crop plants with sufficient Zn through the soil and foliar fertilizer strategy under field conditions is critically important for biofortification efforts.
Conservation science and policy applications of the marine vessel Automatic Identification System (AIS)—a review

The continued development of maritime transportation around the world, and increased recognition of the direct and indirect impacts of vessel activities to marine resources, has prompted interest in better understanding vessel operations and their effects on the environment. Such an understanding has been facilitated by Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), a mandatory vessel communication and navigational safety system that was adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2000 for use in collision avoidance, coastal surveillance, and traffic management. AIS is an effective tool for accomplishing navigational safety goals, and by doing so, can provide critical pre-emptive maritime safety benefits, but also provides a data opportunity with which to understand and help mitigate the impacts of maritime traffic on the marine environment and wildlife. However, AIS was not designed with research or conservation planning in mind, leading to significant challenges in fully benefiting from use of the data for these purposes. We review present experiences using AIS data for strategic conservation applications, and then focus on efforts to ensure archived and real-time AIS data for key variables reflect the best available science (of known limitations and biases). We finish with a suite of recommendations for users of the data and for policy makers.
Yar Tsa Gunbu [ Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung et al.]: the Issue of its Sustainability

Any resource of immense value and key relevance to rural livelihood as the main cash source, invariably runs the risk of being overexploited, more so when it remains a common property resource. The current harvest pressure on caterpillar fungus, Yar tsa Gunbu ( Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung et al. ) serves, as a prime example. The ever-increasing demand for the commodity in the international markets and concomitantly its ever-increasing price, hovering at present at US$ 20,000 per kg, have resulted in not just its rampant exploitation, but also in the degradation of the very habitat, thus endangering its future. The present study conducted across nine broad landscapes in 110 villages and 2511 harvesters within Pithoragarh district, Central Himalaya, highlights the socio-economic changes brought forth by the harvesting of the 'green gold' and discusses the prospects of future availability of the species. The study also provides suggestions for evolving sound mechanisms to lessen the pressure on the species.
Entedononecremnus funiculatus1: Parasitoid of Aleurodicus sp.2 at Tamaulipas and Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract. The eulophid Entedononecremnus funiculatus Myartseva was found parasitizing whiteflies Aleurodicus sp. associated with Malvaviscus arboreus L. and Psidium guajava L. Herewith, the parasitoid was first recorded for the state of Veracruz, México.
Stomatal functioning and abscisic acid (ABA) regulation in plants developed in different air humidity regimes

I Sammendrag . III Acknowledgements . V List of papers . VI Abbreviations . VII 1. General introduction . 1 1.1. Greenhouse production. 1 1.2. Stomatal regulation of water loss . 2 1.3. Mechanisms behind stomatal closure . 4 1.4. ABA regulation . 4 1.4.1. ABA biosynthesis . 5 1.4.2. ABA inactivation . 6 1.5. Less responsive stomata in high RH . 7 1.5. 1. Ca 2+ levels in high RH . 7 1.5. 2. Stomatal anatomy. 8 1.5. 3. Plants contain less ABA in high RH . 9 1.6. Avoiding malfunctioning stomata in high RH . 10 1.7. Critical stages for stomatal functioning . 11 1.8. Stomatal density . 11 2. Aim of the present study . 13 3. Materials and methods . 14 4. Main results and discussion . 15 4.1. Malfunctioning stomata in high RH . 15 4.2. Effect of RH on ABA levels . 17 4.3. ABA regulation . 19 4.3. 1. Rosa x hybrida . 19 4.3. 2. A. thaliana . 19 4.4. Importance of ABA in stomatal development . 21 4.5. Stomatal apertures during development . 22 4.6. Causes for the less functioning stomata . 23 4.7. Stomatal signaling . 24 5. Conclusions and further perspectives . 25
On the integration of ecological and physiological variables in polar bear toxicology research: a systematic review

Ecotoxicology evolved as a scientific field as awareness of the unintended effects of anthropogenic pollutants in biota increased. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are often the focus of Arctic contaminant exposure studies because they are apex predators with high contaminant loads. While early studies focused on describing and quantifying pollutants, present-day polar bear toxicological papers often incorporate ecological variables. This systematic literature review investigates the ecological and physiological variables that have been integrated in such studies. The systematic literature search resulted in 207 papers, published 1970-2016. Representation of each of the 19 polar bear subpopulations varied from 0 to 72 papers, with East Greenland, Barents Sea, Southern Beaufort Sea, and Lancaster Sound being the most published with > 30 papers each. Samples were collected between 1881 and 2015, primarily from harvested bears (66%); most from the 1990s and 2000s. Adipose tissue, liver, and blood were the most .
L-Serine decreases basal Ca2+ in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells

L-serine decreases mean arterial pressure (MAP) in both normotensive and hypertensive rats. However, the molecular mechanism is not clear. Therefore, we examined the effect of L-serine on intracellular calcium (Ca2+) in cultured aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) isolated from normotensive and hypertensive rat models. Ca2+ fluorescence intensity was studied by using confocal imaging. L-serine evoked a concentration dependent (5-30 μM) decrease in basal Ca2+ fluorescence intensity in normotensive rat models. This decrease in basal Ca2+ fluorescence intensity level was also profound in hypertensive rat models despite the fact that basal Ca2+ fluorescence intensity was higher in these models compared to the normotensive rats. We also observed L-serine (20-30 μM) decreases nuclear Ca2+ fluorescence intensity in both the rat models. In presence of a neutral amino acid transporter inhibitor, 2-amino-2-norbornanecarboxylic acid (BCH), L-serine did not have any effect on basal Ca2+ fluorescence intensity in VSMC of either rat models, suggesting the inhibition of amino acid transporter blocked the entry of L-serine in to the cell to have an effect. Hence this data indicates the possible role of L-serine in regulation of intracellular Ca2+ in these rat models.
Disinfestation of insect pests in stored agricultural materials using microwave and radio frequency heating: A review

ABSTRACT This article provides a comprehensive review of the disinfestation of insects in stored agricultural materials using radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) heating. It covers RF and MW disinfestation principles; measurement methods and effects of the operating parameters on dielectric properties; comparison between RF and MW and their effect on the mortality of different insects, quality of the host materials after disinfestation, and heating uniformity; and disinfestation economics. This review shows that RF and MW disinfestation are useful without affecting the quality of the host materials. However, RF heating is being preferred over MW heating for its higher selective heating characteristic.
Análisis de rentabilidad de la producción de leche de acuerdo con la variación de la fuente de carbohidrato utilizada en el suplemento de vacas holstein

In Latin America, Colombia is the fourth largest milk producer. The high cost of food supplies can limit the profitability of this activity. The price of corn as an energy ingredient widely demanded by the food sector and biofuel production is one of the factors that most influences food costs. This work aimed to evaluate the profitability of milk production according to the carbohydrate source used in the supplementation of grazing Holstein cows. Treatment 1 (T1) included corn (Zea mays) as the main source of energy (in the supplement); in Treatments 2, 3, and 4, approximately 50% of the total digestible nutrients (TDN) provided by corn were guaranteed by sorghum (Sorghum vulgare, T2), cassava (Manihot esculenta, T3), and citrus pulp (Citrus sp., T4). Although there were no statistical differences among treatments regarding milk production and compositional quality (p > 0.05), the inclusion of cassava improved the income from milk sales by positively affecting the base price of the product (grams of protein and fat produced). In addition, the inclusion of cassava reduced the cost associated with supplementation and the total cost of production of a liter of milk, which ultimately improved the profitability indicators evaluated. It was the treatment that included citrus pulp that registered lower profitability, due to its lower availability and higher acquisition costs.
Analysis of the uncharacterized La-related protein, Slr1p from Schizosaccharomyces pombe

La is a ubiquitous RNA-binding phosphoprotein found in nearly all eukaryotes. La binds to nascent polymerase III transcripts via their UUU-3 'OH motif and protects these RNAs from 3'exonucleolytic digestion. La also exhibits RNA chaperone activity, is involved in intracellular trafficking, and stimulates the translation of certain subsets of mRNA via unknown mechanisms. Structurally, all La proteins harbour an N-terminal La module consisting of a La motif (LAM) and an RNA recognition motif. The LAM displays a high degree of conservation, not only among genuine La proteins but also in La-related proteins (LARPs) of which 4 families have been identified: LARP 1, 4, 6 and 7. Although they fulfill important cellular functions, LARPs are generally poorly understood. In an effort to characterize LARPs in greater detail, a simple LARP from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Slrlp, was chosen as an ideal candidate to study. From an evolutionary perspective, we propose that Slr 1 p constitutes an ancestor to LARPs in higher eukaryotes, and therefore, characterization of its function may provide insight into the divergent roles of its extended relatives. We performed RNA chaperone assays, electromobility shift assays, localization studies via indirect immunofluorescence, as well as co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to determine Slrl p associated factors. Taken together, our results suggest that Slrl p is an RNA chaperone, it associates with fatty acid synthase as well as translation initiation factors in the cytoplasm, and that it binds to RNAs in a UUU'3-0H independent manner.
Comprehensive Discovery of Fungal Gene Clusters: Unexpected Co-work Reflected at the Genomic Level

Fungal genes which are involved in pathways synthesizing secondary metabolites are often found to be physically clustered on chromosomes. These genes are of major interest due to toxic properties of their products like mycotoxins and/or pharmaceutical applications like penicillin. In this thesis an efficient in silico method to explore genomes for new clusters was developed as experimental techniques to find these are difficult or don’t exist at all. Using the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum is was shown that the integration of 3 independent evidences - particular compositions of gene functions, co-expression, and the presence of common putative promoter motifs in promoters of neighboring genes – are efficient in determination of new clusters. Among the 24 found clusters with at least 2 evidences are all known mycotoxin clusters of this species. The procedures are general and may present a new paradigm for the discovery of functional modules based on locally clustered genes in fungal genomes.
Combination of quaternary ammonia and glutaraldehyde as a disinfectant against enveloped and non‐enveloped viruses

SUMMARY Infectious bursal disease is a highly infectious immunosuppressive disease of chickens endemic in many poultry‐producing areas around the world. The non‐enveloped virus that causes the disease, infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), is highly stable and resistant to inactivation by common disinfectants. Avian influenza viruses (AIV), on the other hand, are highly vulnerable to most disinfectants due to their phospholipid envelope, but still pose a major threat to the poultry industry, as the outbreaks in 2015 in the United States have shown. Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of disinfectants against both IBDV and AIV but failed to take into consideration factors that would affect the disinfectant efficacy once used in the field, such as organic material. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a commercial combination of quaternary ammonia and glutaraldehyde as a disinfectant against IBDV and AIV in the presence of organic material commonly found in the commercial poultry industry: fecal matter alone, feathers/dust mixed with feces, and bedding material mixed with feces. After a 10‐minute disinfectant contact time, each surface was swabbed and virus isolation attempted in embryonated specific‐pathogen‐free (SPF) chicken eggs. The non‐enveloped very virulent (vv) IBDV was reisolated from spiked feces and shavings treated with the disinfectant. This was confirmed by RT‐PCR detection of the virus. In contrast, no viral isolate or RT‐PCR product was obtained from the samples collected from spiked feathers/dust treated with the disinfectant. Finally, no low pathogenic (LP) AI was re‐isolated from the samples treated with the disinfectant indicating that, under laboratory conditions, the combination of quaternary ammonia and glutaraldehyde was partially and completely effective in the inactivation of vvIBDV and LPAI, respectively. Not only the viral envelope, but also the presence of organic matter plays an important role in the viral resistance to disinfectants.