Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suitability of the MODIS-NDVI Time-Series for a Posteriori Evaluation of the Citrus Tristeza Virus Epidemic

The technological advances of remote sensing (RS) have allowed its use in a number of fields of application including plant disease depiction. In this study, an RS approach based on an 18-year (i.e., 2001–2018) time-series analysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and processed with TIMESAT free software, was applied in Sicily (insular Italy). The RS approach was carried out in four orchards infected by Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) at different temporal stages and characterized by heterogeneous conditions (e.g., elevation, location, plant age). The temporal analysis allowed the identification of specific metrics of the NDVI time-series at the selected sites during the study period. The most reliable parameter which was able to identify the temporal evolution of CTV syndrome and the impact of operational management practices was the “Base value” (i.e., average NDVI during the growing seasons, which reached R2 values up to 0.88), showing good relationships with “Peak value”, “Small integrated value” and “Amplitude”, with R2 values of 0.63, 0.70 and 0.75, respectively. The approach herein developed is valid to be transferred to regional agencies involved in and/or in charge of the management of plant diseases, especially if it is integrated with ground-based early detection methods or high-resolution RS approaches, in the case of quarantine plant pathogens requiring control measures at large-scale level.
Foraging and provisioning in Antarctic fur seals interannual variability in time-energy budgets

This study examined three competing hypotheses to explain how lactating Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) respond to changes in the level of resource availability. Antarctic fur seals have episodic bouts of suckling (1‐3 days), alternating with foraging trips (3‐10 days). Foraging time budgets varied significantly (p , .001) among 8 consecutive years at Bird Island, South Georgia. Foraging trip duration increased during periods of relative food shortage. Time spent ashore was more consistent among years than foraging trip duration but declined during a year of particularly low food availability. In 4 of the 8 years, there was a significant positive correlation between time spent ashore and foraging trip duration. In the other years, the relationship was close to statistical significance. Energy delivery to pups during suckling bouts followed an asymptotic power function. Energy gain during foraging trips was estimated from diving behavior, which suggested that the energy gain function was linear. Distance traveled during foraging trips was correlated with foraging trip duration, and long foraging trips were associated with reduced foraging intensity. There was support for the hypothesis that lactating Antarctic fur seals compensate for reduced resources by increasing the foraging trip duration rather than working harder and increasing their energy expenditure. However, there was most support for the hypothesis that lactating Antarctic fur seals adjust time spent ashore as well as foraging trip duration, possibly to maximize the delivery of food to their offspring. Lactation appears to impose constraints on provisioning of offspring that differ from those of seabirds foraging in the same environment and often on the same prey. Key words: Arctocephalus gazella, Antarctic fur seals, lactation, optimization, provisioning, time budgets. [Behav Ecol 10:198‐208 (1999)]
Chronic Effect of Fenitrothion on Health of Oreochromis niloticus and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers

Serious problems of pollution and health hazards accompanied the wide range of production and application of pesticides during the last few years had occurred. Ninety Oreochromis niloticus were exposed to 1/10 and 1/20 96 hrs LC50 to assess its chronic injurious effect on growth performance, biochemical analysis and histopathological alteration. The results revealed that a significant decrease in the final body weight, weight gain and body gain percentage and condition factor. The usual inhibition of Acetylcholine esterase (AChE) was detected that result in the detected behavioral changes. There was significant increase in superoxide dismutase enzyme activity (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine and urea levels with significant reduction in serum glutathione (GSH) level and total serum Immunoglobulon M (IgM). The detected histopathological alterations in liver, kidney and gills were related to the concentration and duration of exposure to Fenitrothion.
Phytoestrogens induce differential effects on both normal and malignant human breast cells in vitro.

AbstractObjective To explore the effect and pathway of phytoestrogens in vitro on the growth of both normal and malignant breast cells.Methods Normal breast MCF-10A cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells were incubated with 10 − 10–10 − 4 mol/l genistein, resveratrol, and quercetin (plasma concentrations in human: 10 nmol/l–10 μmol/l) for 48 h and were then extracted for a cell proliferation assay (MTT), and for a cell death assay (TUNEL) assay. The proteins involved in the proliferative and apoptotic pathways were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Additionally, a comparison with 17β-estradiol as well as an evaluation of the differential effects on estrogen receptors (ER) α and β were performed.Results MCF-7 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited at the concentrations greater than 10-4 mol/l for all three phytoestrogens and from 10 − 5 mol/l for resveratrol and quercetin. MCF-10A cell proliferation was significantly increased at the concentrations from 10 − 8 to 10 − 5 mol/l for genistein and resv.
Significant differences in outcrossing rate, self-incompatibility, and inbreeding depression between two widely hybridizing species of Geum

Geum urbanum and Geum rivale are two widely hybridizing perennial herbs. Estimation of the breeding systems of these taxa using nuclear microsatellite markers scored in mother–progeny arrays demonstrated that, in pure populations, G. urbanum is predominantly selfing (outcrossing rate, t = 0.058 to 0.177), whereas G. rivale is predominantly outcrossing (t = 0.686–0.775). Theory suggests that hybridization between inbreeding and outcrossing species can potentially generate novel inbreeding lineages. However, the establishment of such lineages may be restricted either by self-incompatibility loci or deleterious recessive alleles derived from the outcrossing parent. To assess the likelihood that hybridization between G. urbanum and G. rivale will generate novel inbreeding lineages, self-incompatibility and inbreeding depression were investigated in the two taxa. Seed set in the absence of pollinators, and after controlled self- and cross-pollination, was measured to study self-incompatibility. Inbreeding depression was measured by estimating the relative fitness of offspring from controlled self-and crosspollinations. Geum urbanum was fully self-compatible [self-compatibility index (SCI) = 1] and bagged flowers showed full seed set. By contrast, only 3% of bagged flowers set seed in G. rivale and controlled self-pollinations showed a 60–80% reduction in seed set compared to controlled outcross pollinations (SCI = 0.28). There was no evidence for inbreeding depression in G. urbanum, although significant, albeit low levels of inbreeding depression were detected in one of two G. rivale populations ( d= 0.33). The implication of these results is that if genetic material from G. rivale was incorporated into a hybrid with a selfing morphology, the establishment of this selfing lineage could be compromised by self-incompatibility and inbreeding depression. The wider implications of these results for evolution in hybrid swarms between G. urbanum and G. rivale are discussed. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101, 977–990. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: breeding system – common garden experiment – Geum rivale – Geum urbanum – mating system – MLTR.
Short- and Long-Term Transcriptomic Responses of Escherichia coli to Biocides: a Systems Analysis

Antiseptics and disinfectant products are of great importance to control and eliminate pathogens, especially in settings such as hospitals and the food industry. Such products are widely distributed and frequently poorly regulated. Occasional outbreaks have been associated with microbes resistant to such compounds, and researchers have indicated potential cross-resistance with antibiotics. Despite that, there are many gaps in knowledge about the bacterial stress response and the mechanisms of microbial resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants. We investigated the stress response of the bacterium Escherichia coli to 10 common disinfectant and antiseptic chemicals to shed light on the potential mechanisms of tolerance to such compounds. ABSTRACT The mechanisms of the bacterial response to biocides are poorly understood, despite their broad application. To identify the genetic basis and pathways implicated in the biocide stress response, we exposed Escherichia coli populations to 10 ubiquitous biocides. By comparing the transcriptional responses between a short-term exposure (30 min) and a long-term exposure (8 to 12 h) to biocide stress, we established the common gene and pathway clusters that are implicated in general and biocide-specific stress responses. Our analysis revealed a temporal choreography, starting from the upregulation of chaperones to the subsequent repression of motility and chemotaxis pathways and the induction of an anaerobic pool of enzymes and biofilm regulators. A systematic analysis of the transcriptional data identified a zur-regulated gene cluster to be highly active in the stress response against sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid, presenting a link between the biocide stress response and zinc homeostasis. Susceptibility assays with knockout mutants further validated our findings and provide clear targets for downstream investigation of the implicated mechanisms of action. IMPORTANCE Antiseptics and disinfectant products are of great importance to control and eliminate pathogens, especially in settings such as hospitals and the food industry. Such products are widely distributed and frequently poorly regulated. Occasional outbreaks have been associated with microbes resistant to such compounds, and researchers have indicated potential cross-resistance with antibiotics. Despite that, there are many gaps in knowledge about the bacterial stress response and the mechanisms of microbial resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants. We investigated the stress response of the bacterium Escherichia coli to 10 common disinfectant and antiseptic chemicals to shed light on the potential mechanisms of tolerance to such compounds.
Virus Evolution: Insights from an Experimental Approach

Viruses represent a serious problem faced by human and veterinary medicine and agronomy. New viruses are constantly emerging while old ones evolve and challenge the latest advances in antiviral pharmaceutics, thus generating tremendous social alarm, sanitary problems, and economical losses. However, they constitute very powerful tools for experimental evolution. These two faces of virology are tightly related because future antiviral treatments shall be rationally designed by considering evolutionary principles. Evidence indicates that the evolution of viruses is determined mainly by key features such as their small genomes, enormous population sizes, and short generation times, and at least for RNA viruses, large selection coefficients, antagonistic epistasis, and high mutation rates. We summarize recent advances in the field of experimental virus evolution. Increasing our understanding of the roles of selection, mutation, chance, and historical contingency on the ecology and epidemiology of viral infections could determine our ability to combat them.
Polysomes from Vicia faba L. leaves bound to the actin cytoskeleton

The presence of polymeric actin in the polysome preparations from broad bean leaves (Vicia faba L. var. Russkie chernye) was detected on dot blots and under the electron microscope using the phalloidin-colloidal gold marker. The fractions enriched in the cytoskeleton-bound polysomes were isolated using different sensitivity of the membranes and cytoskeletal elements to nonionic and ionic detergents. The distribution of a polypeptide with a molecular weight of about 40 kDa in the subcellular fractions was studied and an enrichment of this polypeptide was observed in membrane-bound and especially cytoskeletal-bound polysomes. This polypeptide gave a positive signal when probed with anti-actin serum on Western blots.
Letter to the Editors

In your January–March 2011 issue, Esther Lardreau discusses the concept of the “dreamy state” in the work of John Hughlings Jackson (Lardreau, 2011). She does not, however, discuss the importance of the dreamy state and other newly emergent positive symptoms in Hughlings Jackson’s evolutionary neurophysiology. She shows persuasively that he used the term to describe the spectrum of symptoms of uncinate epilepsy, including reminiscences, fearfulness, and a sense of déjà vu. He pointed out that these symptoms may be accompanied by crude sensations of smell or taste and also by crude masticatory movements. Lardreau quotes Hughlings Jackson’s remark that people with uncinate seizures have a double consciousness, and that the dreamy state represents the positive state of such consciousness. She does not add his observation that the positive element that appears is less complex and less differentiated than the positive element it replaces. Hughlings Jackson presented his mature physiological ideas in his 1884 Croonian Lectures at the Royal College of Physicians, as well as in many other places (Hughlings Jackson, 1884). In this system, Hughlings Jackson considered the nervous system a sensorimotor machine, an aggregate of different organs arrayed as a three-level hierarchy. This hierarchy follows Spencerian evolutionary principles in that higher levels are more organized, complex, interconnected, and less automatic than lower levels. Neurological disease eliminates these higher level functions; hence it produces double symptoms, “negative” from removal of the higher function and “positive” from the emergence of previously suppressed lower function (Russell Reynolds, 1861; Spencer, 1862; Pearce, 2004). This de-evolution, or “dissolution” in Spencerian/Jacksonian terms, can occur with focal or diffuse disease and can be temporary or permanent (Temkin, 1871; Smith, 1982; York and Steinberg, 1994). Hughlings Jackson was a practicing physician, and he intended that his schema be applicable to practical bedside medicine. Like his predecessors he considered cerebral infarction and focal epilepsy as reciprocal events, so that infarction produces diminished brain function and a seizure produces increased brain function. For instance, in the introduction to his widely publicized 1879 lectures on the diagnosis of epilepsy delivered to the Harveian Society, Hughlings Jackson emphasized that epilepsy is the result of excessive discharge of nervous elements (Hughlings Jackson, 1879a). In his third lecture, he pointed out that seizures could simultaneously have positive and negative symptoms (Hughlings Jackson, 1879b). As a result, the astute neurologist can determine the function of a small part of the brain by observing similarities between an infarction and a seizure affecting the same brain area.
EVALUATION OF ANTI-LITHIATIC POTENTIAL OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF TRIANTHEMA DECANDRA BY IN VITRO CALCIUM AND PHOSPHATE INHIBITION ASSAY

Kidney stone formation is one of the oldest and most wide spread diseases known to humans. The present study was aimed to investigate invitro Antilithiatic effect of aqueous extract of Trianthema decantra (whole plant) with various concentrations (200-1000µg/ml). Invitro Calcium and phosphate inhibition assay was adopted, which includes undissolved calcium was determined by titrimetric analysis and phosphate was estimated by colorimetric analysis. Cystone (as marketed product for kidney stones) was used as a standard references drug with same concentration. AETD (Aqueous extract of Trianthema decandra) was inhibited 54.87% of calcium precipitation and 55.64% phosphate precipitation at the concentration of 1000µg/ml. At the same concentration Cystone was inhibited 71.83% of calcium and 68.30% of phosphate precipitation. When compare with standard drug AETD is having moderate activity. Further research towards Isolation, purification, characterization and explaining the mechanism of action of phytochemicals responsible for antiurolithiatic activity is in progress.
A SLIDE TECHNIQUE FOR THE STUDY OF FUNGI AND ACTINOMYCETES IN SOIL WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HELMINTHOSPORIUM SATIVUM

A slide technique suitable for studying the behavior of fungi and actinomycetes both qualitatively and quantitatively in soil is described. Besides Helminthosporium sativum, eight other fungi and one actinomycete were used to demonstrate the applicability of the method which was used for both natural and soybean meal amended soils. In the natural soil spores of Penicillium notatum, Stachybotrys atra, and the actinomycete only germinated. However, lysis or disintegration of the germ tubes of the two fungi was observed on the fourth day. Growth of the actinomycete was continuous to at least the seventh day. In the amended soil only one fungus failed to germinate. Of those that germinated, only Fusarium culmorum and the actinomycete were capable of continued growth and sporulation. Lysis or disintegration of the germ tubes of the others was noticed on the fourth day.
Assessing Snow Phenology over the Large Part of Eurasia Using Satellite Observations from 2000 to 2016

Snow plays an important role in meteorological, hydrological and ecological processes, and snow phenology variation is critical for improved understanding of climate feedback on snow cover. The main purpose of the study is to explore spatial-temporal changes and variabilities of the extent, timing and duration, as well as phenology of seasonal snow cover across the large part of Eurasia from 2000 through 2016 using a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud-free snow product produced in this study. The results indicate that there are no significant positive or negative interannual trends of snow cover extent (SCE) from 2000 to 2016, but there are large seasonal differences. SCE shows a significant negative trend in spring (p = 0.01) and a positive trend in winter. The stable snow cover areas accounting for 78.8% of the large part of Eurasia, are mainly located north of latitude 45° N and in the mountainous areas. In this stable area, the number of snow-covered days is significantly increasing (p < 0.05) in 6.4% of the region and decreasing in 9.1% of the region, with the decreasing areas being mainly located in high altitude mountain areas and the increasing area occurring mainly in the ephemeral snow cover areas of northeastern and southern China. In central Siberia, Pamir and the Tibetan Plateau, the snow onset date tends to be delayed while the end date is becoming earlier from 2000 to 2016. While in the relatively low altitude plain areas, such as the West Siberian Plain and the Eastern European Plain region, the snow onset date is tending to advance, the end date tends to be delayed, but the increase is not significant.
Osmotic and Ionic Regulation of North American Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

SYNOPSIS. Unlike other freshwater bivalves that survive for months in deionized water, Dreissena polymorpha requires minimal concentrations of Na, K, Mg, and Cl in the bathing medium for long-term survival. Although ion transport rates are higher in D. polymorpha compared to other freshwater bivalves, they tend to have lower blood solute concentrations. D. polymorpha has an unusually “leaky” epithelium with a high paracellular permeability to solutes. Thus, even with high transport rates, it may not be possible for zebra mussels to retain higher blood solutes because of the extensive passive loss of ions. Under a hyperosmotic stress, D. polymorpha will rapidly osmoconform (about 12 hr) due primarily to the diffusion of solutes and partially to the osmotic loss of water. D. polymorpha is not capable of surviving an imbalance of Na/K in the external medium. In the absence of K the cells will tend to lose volume to achieve isosmotic balance with the blood, but the animals usually die within a few days. If D. polymorpha is exposed to excess K in the environment (1 mM), they will accumulate K in the blood. If the K enters the cells, cellular volume would expand due to increase in osmolyte concentration, yet, if K remains in the blood, there will be an electrochemical imbalance. In either case, the animal cannot survive much longer than a day. When Na and K are present in the medium in a balanced combination approximated by artificial seawater (ASW), D. polymorpha will survive an acute transfer to 100 mosm ASW indefinitely (months). Our preliminary studies have shown that D. polymorpha will tolerate step-wise acclimation to solutions >250 mosm provided the changes in salinity do not exceed 50–100 mosm. Freshwater bivalves, unlike the marine bivalves, have limited free amino acids in their body fluids and must rely on inorganic ions for osmotic regulation. The free amino acids serve as an important osmolyte buffer for volume regulation when an animal experiences an environment of changing salinity. The inability of Dreissena , and perhaps other freshwater bivalves, to tolerate hyperosmotically induced dehydration may be due, in part, to the inability to accumulate or retain sufficient intracellular K to facilitate regulatory volume adjustments.
DISTRIBUTIONS OF LAKE FISHES IN THE NORTHEAST — IV: BENTHIC AND SMALL WATER-COLUMN SPECIES

Abstract Using data collected at 203 randomly selected lakes in eight states in northeastern USA, we present maps of distributions and native status for 28 fish species: 15 benthic species in five families, 11 small water-column feeders in six families, and two large piscivores. Brown bullhead and white sucker were among the most widespread lake-dwelling fishes, and were collected in 69% and 56% of the sampled lakes. Banded killifish, American eel, and yellow bullhead were collected in 26%, 19% and 17% of sampled lakes respectively. The remaining species were collected in <8% of the sampled lakes. Many of the species that were uncommon in this survey have limited distributions in the Northeast or are more commonly found in streams than in lakes. Seven species discussed in this article are Mississippian and were only collected in Cross Lake, NY. We also present a summary of the extent, geographic distributions, and native status of all 88 fish species collected in the EMAP – Northeast Lakes Project.