Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Past, present, and future of genetic aquaculture

The farming of Atlantic salmon has become an important industry in several countries, and breeding programmes have been implemented to improve genetic performance and adaptation to farm environments. Founder stocks used in the Norwegian salmon breeding programme have originated solely from Norwegian rivers and no extrinsic genes have been introduced. The majority (more than 90%) of the additive genetic variation in Norwegian populations of Atlantic salmon has been found within, and not between, river strains. The Norwegian breeding programme comprises four subpopulations. In the event of reduced additive genetic variability due to random drift in the closed breeding populations, crosses between the sub-populations could be made to re-establish the variability. Selection in itself is not expected to reduce the additive genetic variability as long as inbreeding is avoided. To date, seven different traits (body weight at slaughter, age of sexual maturation, survival in challenge tests with furunculosis and ISA, flesh colour, total fat content, and amount of fat tissues) have been included in the breeding goal. The selection response obtained is about 10% per generation for each of these traits. In the future, more traits are likely to be included. The results of and prospects for selective breeding and the use of modern DNA technology to improve genetic performance in aquatic species are discussed.
On the occurence of Sporolithon ptychoides Heydrich (Corallinales, Sporolithaceae, Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

La presence de Sporolithon ptychoides est signalee pour la premiere fois en mer Mediterranee. La comparaison de cette espece avec S. mediterraneum et S. molle, les seules autres especes du genre connues de Mediterranee, a montre que S. mediterraneum est probablement conspecifique avec S. ptychoides, tandis que la presence de S. molle n'est pas demontree dans cette mer.
Modulation of radish metabolism by zinc phytotoxicity

The effect of excess zinc on radish (Raphanus sativus L) cv. Jaunpuri was examined by growing plants in refined sand for 24 days in complete nutrient solution; on 25 t h day zinc as zinc sulphate was added at 0.1 and 0.2 mM (excess) levels. A set of radish plants was also maintained at 0.001 mM Zn and served as control. After 10-12 t h day of metal supply, the visible symptoms as depression in growth and irregular interveinal chlorosis of mature young leaves of zinc toxicity were observed with 0.2 mM Zn. With ageing, growth almost ceased and chlorosis intensified covering entire lamina, later brown necrotic spots appeared on chlorotic areas, enlarged, coalesced and whole leaf turned necrotic and limped down. These effects were more severe at 0.2 than 0.1 mM Zn. After 40 days of treatments, excess zinc reduced the root development, fresh weight, biomass of radish, concentration of total as well as active iron, chlorophylls a and b and activity of catalase, peroxidase, acid phosphatase and starch phosphorylase in leaves. In radish the accumulation of zinc was more in tops than in roots with application of zinc.
Evaluation of Anthelmintic and Antimicrobial Activity of the Leaves of Lantana camara

The anthelmintic activity and antimicrobial activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and aqueous extract of leaves of Lantana camara were evaluated separately and the activities were compared with that of Albendazole and chloramphenicol. The petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous extract exhibit dose dependent activity and the ethanol extract showed remarkable anthelmintic activity . In case of antimicrobial activity chloroform and aqueous extract exhibit dose dependent activity and petroleum ether extract and ethanol extract showed remarkable antimicrobial activity in case of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli ( E.Coli ). In the present study, in vitro antibacterial activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the leaves of Lantana camara were studied using agar well diffusion method. Antibacterial efficacy of the extracts on Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtilis and Escherechia coli was investigated. Among the solvents used chloroform extract alone exhibited antibacterial activity against all the strains used in the study. E.coli was more or less equally sensitive to all the extracts and chloramphenicol (positive control) while Staphylococcus aureus was resistant to ethanolic extract. Petroleum ether and aqueous extracts did not produce zone of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis .
Power Injection Method to Diminish Power Imbalance in a Modular Multilevel Cascaded H-bridge Inverter Fed Single Phase Grid-connected PV System

Cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverters suit well for grid-connected PV applications because of their modularity. Each H-bridge module of a Cascaded H-bridge inverter is connected to a PV source. Power imbalance arises when the PV sources generate unequal power. The inequality in power generated by the PV sources can be due to non-uniform weather conditions, damage and dusting of panels, and faults in the system. Power imbalance forces the H-bridge modules into overmodulation, distorting the grid current and thus affecting the system's reliability. Hence, to improve the system's reliability, a power injection method that curtails the power imbalance in the PV system is proposed in this paper. An algorithm is also developed to detect the power imbalance in the system and to calculate the suitable power to be injected for diminishing the power imbalance. The proposed methodology is verified with the simulation results obtained on MATLAB-Simulink.
PART OF A HIGHLIGHT ON CLONAL PLANT ECOLOGY Spatial genetic structure reflects extensive clonality, low genotypic diversity and habitat fragmentation in Grevillea renwickiana (Proteaceae), a rare, sterile shrub from south-eastern Australia

†Background and Aims The association of clonality, polyploidy and reduced fecundity has been identified as an extinction risk for clonal plants. Compromised sexual reproduction limits both their ability to adapt to new conditions and their capacity to disperse to more favourable environments.Grevillearenwickiana is a prostrate, putatively sterile shrub reliant on asexual reproduction. Dispersal is most likely limited by the rate of clonal expansion via rhizomes. The nine localized populations constituting this species provide an opportunity to examine the extent of clonality and spatial genotypic diversity to evaluate its evolutionary prospects. †Methods Ten microsatellite loci were used to compare genetic and genotypic diversity across all sites with more intensive sampling at four locations (n ¼ 185). The spatial distribution of genotypes and chloroplast DNA haplotypes based on the trn Q‐ rps16 intergenic spacer region were compared. Chromosome counts provided a basis for examining genetic profiles inconsistent with diploidy. †KeyResults Microsatellite analysis identified 46 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) in eight multilocus clonal lineages (MLLs). MLLs are not shared among sites, with two exceptions. Spatial autocorrelation was significant to 1.6 km. Genotypic richness ranged from 0 to 0.33. Somatic mutation is likely to contribute to minor variation between MLGs within clonal lineages. The eight chloroplast haplotypes identified were correlated with eight MLLs defined by ordination and generally restricted to single populations. Triploidy is the most likely reason for triallelic patterns. †Conclusions Grevillea renwickiana comprises few genetic individuals. Sterility has most likely been induced by triploidy. Extensive lateral suckering in long-lived sterile clones facilitates the accumulation of somatic mutations, which contribute to the measured genetic diversity. Genetic conservation value may not be a function of population size. Despite facing evolutionary stagnation, sterile clonal species can play a vital role in mitigating ecological instability as floras respond to rapid environmental change.
Demonstration of lysosomal enzymes in hemocytes of Mercenaria mercenaria (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

Seven hydrolytic enzymes (acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, beta-Nacetylglucosaminidase, acid-beta-galactosidase, and A-, B-, and C-esterases were demonstrated by cytochemical techniques in hemocytes of Mercenaria mercenaria prior to and following in vitro exposure to the dinoflagellate Isochrysis galbana. All of the hydrolases were localized in blunt granules; acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, and the esterases also were found in dot-like cytoplasmic granules. Acid-beta-galactosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and A-, B-, and C-esterases were observed within the phagosomes, while acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase were present only in the granules adjacent to these organelles. Following phagocytosis of algae, elevated levels of enzyme activity were demonstrated. The significant role played by hemocytes in the defense mechanisms of bivalve molluscs has been well documented and reviewed recently by Cheng (1983a,b). One of the important functions that the hemocytes perform is the phagocytosis and degradation of foreign materials (Bayne et al., 1979; Moore & Eble, 1977; Moore & Gelder, 1983; Moore & Lowe, 1977); hence, hemocyte recognition and subsequent processing of these foreign materials have received increasing attention. Membrane receptors have been reported for molluscan hemocytes (Reinisch et al., 1983; Yoshino et al., 1979) and detailed studies have helped to elucidate the role of various organelles, particularly lysosomes, in the internal handling of the phagocytosed material (Bayne et al., 1979; Cheng, 1983a; Fries & Tripp, 1980; Hawkins & Howse, 1982; Huffman & Tripp, 1982; Moore, 1976; Moore & Eble, 1977; Moore & Gelder, 1983). Acid phosphatase and other lysosomal enzymes have been reported in hemocytes from Crassostrea virginica and Mercenaria mercenaria (see Cheng & Rodrick, 1975), while, more recently, Huffman & Tripp (1982) extended the range of enzymes demonstrated in hemocytes of Mya arenaria. Blunt granules, the dominant cytoplasmic granules in hemocytes of Mercenaria, have been shown to sequester neutral red and acridine orange selectively (Moore & Gelder, 1983). Yoshino & Cheng (1976) ultrastructurally localized acid phosphatase in vesicles comparable to the blunt granules normally seen with light microscopy. The present investigation was designed to identify and localize selected lysosomal enzymes in hemocytes of M. mercenaria prior to and following 1 We acknowledge the partial support of this work by NSF Grant Supplement PCM 8442943. 2 Present address: Department of Biology, Lasell Junior College, Newton, Massachusetts 02166,
Validation of depth-profiling LA-ICP-MS in otolith applications

Otolith microchemistry is a widely used technique for elucidating life history patterns in fishes. This typically involves sectioning the otolith and collecting elemental signatures via laser ablation. But this requires time-intensive handling that may influence results. As an alternative to traditional cut–polish–ablate techniques, we tested depth-profiling laser ablation, which offers reduced handling and contamination risk. To validate depth profiling as a robust method for collecting trace element otolith microchemistry data, we constructed composite otoliths using otolith materials from fishes of different origins (fresh water, seawater). Test ablations were conducted on composite diadromous otoliths at a range of spot sizes and pit depths. We measured tailing and fractionation effects in the following elements: Na, Mg, K, Mn, Zn, Rb, Sr, and Ba. Given appropriate instrument parameters, depth profiling can accurately collect elemental concentration data both between and within top and bottom layers o.
Silent Death: The New Brazilian Forest Code Does Not Protect Lizard Assemblages in Cerrado Riparian Forests

Abstract. The new version of the Brazilian Forest Code prescribes a 30 m forest buffer around small width streams (less than 10 m width) as Areas of Permanent Preservation (APPs), to ensure water supply, erosion control, and biodiversity conservation. We tested the effectiveness of the prescribed buffer in maintaining lizard assemblages in riparian forests associated with small width streams in the Cerrado of central Brazil. We used a capture-recapture study in three riparian forests: two in protected areas, and one deforested until the limit imposed by law. We captured lizards using pitfall traps with drift fences during a period of 12-14 months in each forest. We recorded 11 lizard species during the sampling period. The reduced riparian forest had lower abundance, richness, evenness, and phylogenetic diversity compared to the preserved habitats. This forest also lacked forest specialist species (e.g., Enyalius bilineatus), bearing an assemblage composed exclusively by two generalist and synanthropic species (Tropidurus torquatus and Ameiva ameiva). Our results indicate that the new Brazilian Forest Code is inadequate to ensure the protection of lizard assemblages in Cerrado riparian forests, and should take into account larger riparian buffers associated with small rivers, and also consider other factors such as the environmental quality around areas of permanent protection along riparian forests.
Characterizing social–ecological units to inform biodiversity conservation in cultural landscapes

Cultural landscapes and their biodiversity are threatened by land use changes and the abandonment of traditional farming techniques. Conceptualizing cultural landscapes as social–ecological systems can be useful to develop strategies for biodiversity conservation. First, this study aimed to develop a typology of social–ecological units based on land use patterns. Second, we sought to relate this typology to biophysical and socio‐demographic drivers as well as to biodiversity outcomes.
The role of facilitation in the structure of tropical bird communities : a case study of mixed-species flocks

ii Preface . iv List of Tables . viii List of Figures . ix List of Symbols and Abbreviations . xi Acknowledgements . xii Dedication . xiii Chapter 1: General introduction . 1 1.1 Introduction to facilitation . 1 1.2 Facilitation in bird communities . 4 1.3 Tropical mixed-species bird flocks . 6 1.4 Study goals . 7 Chapter 2: Mixed-species flocks along an elevational gradient and their importance for bird communities. 8 2.1 Introduction . 8 2.2 Research questions . 11 2.3 Materials and methods . 12 2.3.1 Study site . 12 2.3.2 Data collection mixed-species flocks . 12 2.3. 3 Species participation in mixed-species flocks . 14 vi 2.3. 4 Foraging guild classification . 16 2.3. 5 Flock stability. 16 2.3. 6 Home range characterization . 17 2.3. 7 Vegetation structure . 17 2.3. 8 Prevalence of flocking at the community level . 18 2.3. 9 Data analysis . 19 2.4 Results . 21 2.4. 1 Spatial distribution of mixed-species flocks . 21 2.4. 2 Species participation in mixed-species flocks . 23 2.4. 3 Foraging guild participation in flocks . 24 2.4. 4 Flocks stability . 25 2.4. 5 Home range and territoriality . 26 2.4. 6 Elevation and vegetation structure . 27 2.4. 7 Prevalence of flocking at the community level . 28 2.5 Discussion . 28 2.5. 1 Spatial distribution of flocks . 29 2.5. 2 Species participation in mixed-species flocks . 31 2.5. 3 Mixed-species flocks richness and foraging guild participation . 32 2.5. 4 Flock stability. 34 2.5. 5 Elevation and vegetation structure . 36 2.5. 6 Prevalence of flocking at the community level . 36 Chapter 3: Conclusions . 57 vii 3.1 General conclusions . 57 3.2 Future research . 59 References . 61 Appendices . 71 Appendix A List of species . 71 Appendix B Model selection . 85 Appendix C Model flock size . 86 Appendix D Regression canopy height . 87 Appendix E Regression . 88 Appendix F Foraging guilds . 89
Effects of milk pH alteration on casein micelle size and gelation properties of milk

ABSTRACT The effects of changes in pH above and below the natural pH of milk (ca 6.6) on the casein micelle size and the gelation properties of the pH adjusted and restored samples were investigated. The size of casein micelles increased at pH 7.0 and 7.5, then started to decrease above pH 8.5. It is postulated that at pH below 8.5 the casein micelles swell, while elevated pH causes their dissociation. Conversely, the size of casein micelles decreased on acidification to pH 5.5 and increased when the pH dropped below 5.5, due to the shrinkage of casein micelles at lower pH before their aggregation at pH below 5.5. In response to neutralising treated milk back to normal milk pH of 6.6, it was found that the casein micelle size of treated milk with a narrow range of pH change between 6.0 and 7.0 was reversible, while beyond this range the structure of casein micelles became irreversible. The restoration of casein micelle size was followed by the restoration of some parameters such as soluble calcium, ethanol stability, and milk whiteness. Acid-induced gelation did not change the elastic modulus, while rennet-induced gelation was affected by initial milk pH. In reference to the size of reversible range elastic modulus (G’) of acid or rennet gels made from restored milk, the sizes were similar to control milk after 6 h of gelation.
Hyperspectral-stimulated Raman scattering imaging of cholesteryl ester accumulation: new avenue to diagnosis of human prostate cancer

Most prostate cancers (PCa) are slowly growing, and only the aggressive ones require early diagnosis and effective treatment. The current standard for PCa diagnosis remains histopathology. Nonetheless, for the differentiation between Gleason score 6 (low-risk PCa), which can be left without treatment, and Gleason score 7 (high-risk PCa), which requires active treatment, the inter-observer discordance can be up to 40%. Our previous study reveals that cholesteryl ester (CE) accumulation induced by PI3K/AKT activation underlies human PCa aggressiveness. However, Raman spectromicroscopy used in this study could only provide compositional information of certain lipid droplets (LDs) selected by the observer, which overlooked cell-to-cell variation and hindered translation to accurate automated diagnosis. Here, we demonstrated quantitative mapping of CE level in human prostate tissues using hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy that renders compositional information for every pixel in the image. Specifically, hundreds of SRS images at Raman shift between 1620-1800 cm-1 were taken, and multivariate curve resolution algorism was used to retrieve concentration images of acyl C=C bond, sterol C=C bond, and ester C=O bond. Given that the ratio between images of sterol C=C and ester C=O (sterol C=C/C=O) is nonlinearly proportional to CE percentage out of total lipid, we were able to quantitatively map CE level. Our data showed that CE level was significantly greater in high Gleason grade compared to low Gleason grade, and could be a factor that significantly contributed to cancer recurrence. Our study provides an opportunity towards more accurate PCa diagnosis and prediction of aggressiveness.
Micro and Nanofabrication: Is a Practical Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Platform for Drug Discovery Achievable?

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Wu ZZ, Kisaalita WS (2015) Micro and Nanofabrication: Is a Practical ThreeDimensional Cell Culture Platform for Drug Discovery Achievable? Int J Med Nano Res 2:008e Received: March 30, 2015: Accepted: April 03, 2015: Published: April 06, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Wu ZZ. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Wu and Kisaalita. Int J Med Nano Res 2015, 2:1
ACUTE METHANOL INTOXICATIONS – A CHALLENGE FOR CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY

Purpose: Methanol (CH3OH) is a monohydric alcohol, vastly used both in housekeeping and industry. Although the acute methanol intoxications are rare, they may include life-threatening symptoms, substantial lethality and negative consequences such as neurological disorders and vision damage. Aim of the work is to conduct a retrospective study on the acute methanol intoxications within Varna region for a 10-year period (2006-2015). Material/Methods: This study covers 39 patients of the Clinic for Intensive Treatment of Acute Intoxications and Toxicoallergies at Naval Hospital – Varna, all of which had their diagnosis confirmed, including gas chromatography methods. Results: Methanol intoxication prevalence showed male/female ratio close to 2.9:1. The major part of the cases concerned economically active population, the age group of 25-60 being the most affected. In all instances an oral methanol intake has been involved. Death occurred in 14 cases (35.9%).
FACE EXPRESSION RECOGNITION USING ELECTROMYOGRAPHY

: Facial Expressions are very important to social communication between humans. Everyday actions are increasingly being handled electronically. This growth in electronic transactions results in great demand for fast and accurate user identification and authentication. Humans can adopt face expressions freely and parsimoniously. Human machine interface technology uses the human neural behaviors as input controllers for the device. Electromyography (EMG) is a basis technique for estimating and tracing the electrical activities generated by muscles. EMG signals are captured from body muscles such as arm or facial muscles and are translated and converted into machine input control commands. These captured signals are passed through band pass filter with 30 to 450 Hz bandwidth. The filtered signals are segmented into time sections and the Root Mean Square (RMS) value is computed for each section. Using these RMS values feature extraction is performed. After feature extraction, the extracted features are sieved and reduced by using the dimensionality reduction scheme. Finally these are trained and classified by using neural classifier. This paper discusses the use of nanotechnology in various face expression recognition applications.
Antioxidant Activity of some Medicinal Plant Extracts: Implications for Neuroprotection

Background and Objective: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Phyllanthus niruri, Uncaria tomentosa and Mentha pulegium against Lipid Peroxidation (LP). Additionally, it was determined the ability of these plants to scavenge specific free radicals and the interaction with iron ions. Methodology: The LP, scavenging activity, total phenolics and flavonoids were determined by colorimetric methods, whereas HPLC analysis was used to characterize the phytoconstituents. Results: Extracts significantly prevented both basal or induced (by Fe 2+ , malonate, sodium nitroprusside or ferrocyanide) LP. Accordingly, the extracts were better antioxidants at higher used concentrations, the effect of aqueous seems to be higher than ethanolic; the effect of plants were found to be P. niruri>M. pulegium>U. tomentosa; extracts were better antioxidants when used in rat brain homogenates, as compared to yolk phospholipids. Extracts also presented significant scavenging activity, prevented deoxyribose degradation and chelate Fe 2+ . The HPLC analysis revealed that the extracts have different types and quantities of phytoconstituents. Conclusion: Altogether, presented results support the idea that antioxidant activities of extracts are related to the ability to scavenge specific free radicals and/or interaction with redox chemistry of iron ions. Thus, the broad range of antioxidant activity of these plants indicates the use with potential application to reduce LP associated to neurodegenerative disorders.