Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrition during sexual maturation affects competitive ability but not reproductive productivity in burying beetles

Summary Food availability can be unpredictable. When food becomes more abundant following a period of low food availability, developing larvae or juveniles often allocate resources preferentially towards increasing growth. This has important long-term effects on adult phenotypes and longevity. Despite the importance of strategic resource allocation during early development, few studies have examined how changes in resource availability during other windows of development affect reproductive strategies and fitness independent of growth. We manipulated food availability in a burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, during a subadult period of sexual maturation when individuals cannot increase structural size but are still undergoing reproductive maturation. In contrast to the trade-offs during larval or juvenile growth, beetles that experienced delayed feeding during reproductive maturation allocated resources preferentially towards maintaining both reproductive function and longevity. In both sexes, delayed feeding beetles were much less successful in competition for carcasses. However, delayed feeding males and females provided similar amounts of parental care and did not differ in reproductive success or longevity. These results indicate that the nutritional environment experienced during a key developmental window may be an important determinant of the expression of alternative reproductive strategies in adulthood, independent of body size.
Estructura de tallas y crecimiento de los cangrejos Callinectes arcuatus y C. bellicosus (Decapoda: Portunidae) en la laguna costera Las Guásimas, México

Information on size frequency distribution, the width-weight relation and growth parameters of the crabs Callinectes arcuatus and C. bellicosus is presented. The data comes from samples taken with a trawl net both day and night on a monthly basis from March 1998 to February 2000 in a coastal lagoon from Gulf of California. C. bellicosus (n=878) was more abundant than C. arcuatus (n=357) and its size frequency distribution presented carapace width CW ranges of 8.4-166 mm and 9-130 mm respectively. Both populations were mainly represented by juveniles (75 mm in CW) ranging from 37 to 75 mm in CW, and adults (>75 mm in CW) between 76 and 90 mm in CW. In both species the width-weight relation showed that males grow more than females, with an isometric growth tendency being observed. The growth parameters for C. arcuatus estimated using the von Bertalanffy Model, were: K = 0.84 year(-1), L infinity = 140 mm to = -0.12 for C. arcuatus, and K= 0.9 year(-1), L infinity = 169 mm to = -0.11 for C. bellicosus. These results showed that the relative age at which maximum growth is attained is between three and four years for both species.
CDK Regulation of Meiosis: Lessons from S. cerevisiae and S. pombe

Meiotic progression requires precise orchestration, such that one round of DNA replication is followed by two meiotic divisions. The order and timing of meiotic events is controlled through the modulation of the phosphorylation state of proteins. Key components of this phospho-regulatory system include cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) and its cyclin regulatory subunits. Over the past two decades, studies in budding and fission yeast have greatly informed our understanding of the role of CDK in meiotic regulation. In this review, we provide an overview of how CDK controls meiotic events in both budding and fission yeast. We discuss mechanisms of CDK regulation through post-translational modifications and changes in the levels of cyclins. Finally, we highlight the similarities and differences in CDK regulation between the two yeast species. Since CDK and many meiotic regulators are highly conserved, the findings in budding and fission yeasts have revealed conserved mechanisms of meiotic regulation among eukaryotes.
Dairy Calf Welfare and Factors Associated with Diarrhea and Respiratory Disease among Chilean Dairy Farms

Simple Summary Since 2013, a Chilean law regulates the welfare of farm animals. Despite advances in scientific knowledge and legislation, many farms use management practices that can be detrimental to animals. The objectives of this study were to describe common management practices that may affect the welfare status of unweaned dairy calves and identify factors associated with diarrhea and respiratory disease. We visited 29 dairy farms and collected information on management practices, environment, and animal health. Management practices identified as risk factors for poor calf welfare were: reliance on the mother to provide colostrum, use of restrictive milk feeding (<4 L/day), disbudding performed with no pain control, and lack of appropriate euthanasia protocols. Factors associated with diarrhea were: frequency of bed cleaning, calf cleanliness score, type of milk, and herd size. Factors associated with respiratory disease were: calf cleanliness score, pen space allowance, and colostrum quality evaluation. Showing critical points that impact the health and welfare of dairy calves facilitates the implementation of improvement strategies. Abstract This study aimed to describe management practices that may compromise the welfare of unweaned dairy calves on 29 dairy farms in Chile, and identify factors associated with diarrhea and respiratory disease (n = 700 calves). Evaluations were divided into protocol-, facility-, and animal-based measurements. Calf diarrhea and respiratory disease data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Management practices identified as risk factors for poor calf welfare were: relying on the mother to provide colostrum (48.0% of the farms); using restrictive milk feeding (65.5%), and unpasteurized waste milk (51.7%); giving water after 30 days of age (17.2%); disbudding without analgesia (89.6%) or anesthesia (79.3%); lacking euthanasia protocols (61.5%). Factors significantly (p < 0.05) associated with increased odds of diarrhea were: cleaning the calves’ bed once a week and 2–3 times a week compared with every day, using milk replacer and untreated waste milk compared with treated waste milk (pasteurized or acidified), animals scored dirty in the calf cleanliness score compared with clean animals, and greater herd size. Factors significantly associated with increased odds of respiratory disease were: less pen space allowance (<1.8 m2), farms that did not check colostrum quality, and animals that scored dirty and moderately dirty compared with clean calves. These results suggest the need to improve specific management practices associated with reduced welfare and health in dairy calves in Chile.
Silver tolerance and silver nanoparticle biosynthesis by Neoscytalidium novaehollandae and Trichoderma inhamatum

Development of reliable and eco-friendly processes for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an important step in the field the applications of nanotechnology. Biological systems provide a useful option to achieve this objective. In this study, Twenty-one silver tolerating fungal species and 3 varieties belonging to 8 genera were collected from 40 soil samples, the most common genus was Aspergillus was recovered from 97.5% of the samples on silver supplemented medium, followed by silver tolerance (1 mM and 2 mM) test. The highest two silver tolerant isolates were subjected to rRNA gene sequencing and were confirmed as Neo scytalidium novaehollandae and Trichoderma inhamatum . The fungal cell filtrates of these two fungi were incubated with AgNO 3 . The visual observation of brownish color is an indication of silver nanoparticle production. Further characterization was made by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy which showed maximum absorption at 430 and 453 nm for N . novaehollandae and T . inhamatum , respectively. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with particles size from 4-20 and 2-15 nm for both fungi, respectively. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were exhibited antibacterial activities against pathogenic some bacterial strains which causes the diseases in human.
Advances in Materials for Soft Stretchable Conductors and Their Behavior under Mechanical Deformation

Soft stretchable sensors rely on polymers that not only withstand large deformations while retaining functionality but also allow for ease of application to couple with the body to capture subtle physiological signals. They have been applied towards motion detection and healthcare monitoring and can be integrated into multifunctional sensing platforms for enhanced human machine interface. Most advances in sensor development, however, have been aimed towards active materials where nearly all approaches rely on a silicone-based substrate for mechanical stability and stretchability. While silicone use has been advantageous in academic settings, conventional silicones cannot offer self-healing capability and can suffer from manufacturing limitations. This review aims to cover recent advances made in polymer materials for soft stretchable conductors. New developments in substrate materials that are compliant and stretchable but also contain self-healing properties and self-adhesive capabilities are desirable for the mechanical improvement of stretchable electronics. We focus on materials for stretchable conductors and explore how mechanical deformation impacts their performance, summarizing active and substrate materials, sensor performance criteria, and applications.
Optimized NGS Approach for Detection of Aneuploidies and Mosaicism in PGT-A and Imbalances in PGT-SR

The detection of chromosomal aneuploidies and mosaicism degree in preimplantation embryos may be essential for achieving pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the robustness of diagnosing homogenous and mosaic aneuploidies using a validated algorithm and the minimal resolution for de novo and inherited deletions and duplications (Del/Dup). Two workflows were developed and validated: (a,b) preimplantation genetic testing for uniform whole and segmental aneuploidies, plus mixtures of euploid/aneuploid genomic DNA to develop an algorithm for detecting mosaicism; and (c) preimplantation genetic testing for structural rearrangements for detecting Del/Dup ≥ 6 Mb. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed with automatic library preparation and multiplexing up to 24–96 samples. Specificity and sensitivity for PGT-A were both 100% for whole chromosomes and segmentals. The thresholds stablished for mosaicism were: euploid embryos (<30% aneuploidy), low mosaic (from 30% to <50%), high mosaic (50–70%) or aneuploid (>70%). In the PGT-SR protocol, changes were made to increase the detection level to ≥6 Mb. This is the first study reporting an accurate assessment of semiautomated-NGS protocols using Reproseq on pools of cells. Both protocols allow for the analysis of homogeneous and segmental aneuploidies, different degrees of mosaicism, and small Del/Dup with high sensitivity and specificity.
Structure and dynamics of adenosine bulged RNA duplex reveals formation of the dinucleotide platform in the C:G-A triple

The RNA single bulge motif is an unpaired residue within a strand of several complementary base pairs. Structure and dynamics of RNA duplexes containing single adenosine (5′GUCGAGCUG-3′/5′-CAGCCGAC-3′) and uridine bulge (5′-GUCGUGCUG-3′/5′CAGCCGAC-3′) have been studied using NMR spectroscopy and in aqua simulation of molecular dynamics. In both NMR structures, the bulged residues are oriented toward the minor groove. The bulged adenosine participates in the base triple formation being coplanar with the 5′neighboring residue G4 which pairs with cytidine C14 from the opposite strand. The uridine bulge adopts a looped-out conformation pointing toward the residue G15 and bridges the minor groove to 5′ side of the helix. NMR-derived structures have been used to formulate the initial RNA duplex models for the MD simulation. Results of molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent support the conclusion concerning the formation of a dinucleotide platform within the C:G-A triple. As suggested by NMR results, the uridine bulge shows considerable dynamics.
Active surveillance of acute paediatric hospitalisations demonstrates the impact of vaccination programmes and informs vaccine policy in Canada and Australia

Sentinel surveillance of acute hospitalisations in response to infectious disease emergencies such as the 2009 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic is well described, but recognition of its potential to supplement routine public health surveillance and provide scalability for emergency responses has been limited. We summarise the achievements of two national paediatric hospital surveillance networks relevant to vaccine programmes and emerging infectious diseases in Canada (Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program Active; IMPACT from 1991) and Australia (Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance; PAEDS from 2007) and discuss opportunities and challenges in applying their model to other contexts. Both networks were established to enhance capacity to measure vaccine preventable disease burden, vaccine programme impact, and safety, with their scope occasionally being increased with emerging infectious diseases’ surveillance. Their active surveillance has increased data accuracy and utility for syndromic conditions (e.g. encephalitis), pathogen-specific diseases (e.g. pertussis, rotavirus, influenza), and adverse events following immunisation (e.g. febrile seizure), enabled correlation of biological specimens with clinical context and supported responses to emerging infections (e.g. pandemic influenza, parechovirus, COVID-19). The demonstrated long-term value of continuous, rather than incident-related, operation of these networks in strengthening routine surveillance, bridging research gaps, and providing scalable public health response, supports their applicability to other countries.
Madagascar's Living Giants: Discovery of Five New Species of Endemic Giant Pill-Millipedes from Madagascar (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida: Arthrosphaeridae: Zoosphaerium)

ABSTRACT Five new species of the endemic giant pill-millipede genus Zoosphaerium from Madagascar are described: Z. muscorum sp. n. , Z. bambusoides sp. n. , Z. tigrioculatum sp. n. , Z. darthvaderi sp. n. , and Z. heleios sp. n. The first three species fit into the Z. coquerelianum species-group, where Z. tigrioculatum seems to be closely related to Z. isalo Wesener, 2009 and Z. bilobum Wesener, 2009. Z. tigrioculatum is also the giant pill-millipede species currently known from the highest elevation, up 2000 m on Mt Andringitra. Z. muscorum and Z. darthvaderi were both collected in mossy forest at over 1000 m (albeit at distant localities), obviously a previously undersampled ecosystem. Z. darthvaderi and Z. heleios both possess very unusual characters, not permitting their placement in any existing species-group, putting them in an isolated position. The females of Z. xerophilum Wesener, 2009 and Z. pseudoplatylabum Wesener, 2009 are described for the first time, both from samples collected close to their type localities. The vulva and washboard of Z. pseudoplatylabum fit very well into the Z. platylabum species-group. Additional locality and specimen information is given for nine species of Zoosphaerium: Z. neptunus (Butler, 1872); Z. villosum Wesener & Sierwald, 2005; Z. amabile Wesener, 2009; Z. tampolo Wesener, 2009; Z. smaragdinum Wesener, 2009; Z. viridissimum, Wesener, 2009; Z. pseudopiligerum Wesener, 2009; and Z. analavelona Wesener, 2009.
Seasonal trends and relationships of light, temperature and leaf physiological traits of sugar beets (Beta vulgaris L.) grown under semi-arid, Mediterranean conditions

The seasonal changes of leaf physiological traits and its relationship with abiotic factors (photosynthetic active radiation-PAR, leaf temperature-Tleaf, air temperature-Tair, Tleaf - Tair- ∆T) were studied on sugar beets grown under the semi-arid conditions of central Greece. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cv Rizor was established in a Randomised Complete Block design experiment for two years (2004-2005). From early June till the end of October, 11 determinations of leaf physiological traits (intracellular to ambient CO2 concentration-ci, transpiration rate-E, stomatal conductance-gs, net photosynthesis-A, instantaneous water use efficiency-A/E, photosynthetic water use efficiency-A/gs, chlorophyll content-SPAD, carbon isotope discrimination- ∆, N concentration and specific leaf areaSLA) took place. Temperatutes (Tleaf and Tair) and ∆T were higher in 2004 when water budget (WB, precipitation + irrigation – evapotranspiration) was more negative. Also, seasonal mean of carbon isotope discrimination (∆) and net photosynthesis (A) were lower in 2004 to compare to 2005. A gradual decline with the progress of the growing season was found for A, ∆, gs, E, SLA and leaf N concentration while the adverse trend was evident for water use efficiencies (WUE, A/E and A/gs). PAR was positively related with gs and E and negatively with A/E. Temperatures (Tair and Tleaf) had a positive effect on E and a negative one on A/E. High temperatures (35-37 oC) degraded leaf chlorophyll but temperatures higher than 37 oC tended to increase chlorophyll content. ∆T (transpirational cooling) was negatively related with gs, E, and A and positively with A/E and A/gs. Both E and A were regulated by gs which was kept higher or slightly lower than 0.10 mol m -2 s -1 , a limit indicative of severe drought in C3 species. Positive relationships were found between A, leaf N concentration and SLA. SLA is an indicator of resource-use strategy and can provide useful information about abiotic factor effects on sugar beet physiology and yield. ∆ was negatively related with A/gs showing that it can be an indirect assessment of WUE at leaf level.
Genome-wide mapping using new AFLP markers to explore intraspecific variation among pathogenic Sporothrix species

Sporotrichosis is a chronic subcutaneous mycosis caused by Sporothrix species, of which the main aetiological agents are S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii, and S. globosa. Infection occurs after a traumatic inoculation of Sporothrix propagules in mammals’ skin and can follow either a classic route through traumatic inoculation by plant debris (e.g., S. schenckii and S. globosa) or an alternative route through zoonotic transmission from animals (e.g., S. brasiliensis). Epizootics followed by a zoonotic route occur in Brazil, with Rio de Janeiro as the epicenter of a recent cat-transmitted epidemic. DNA-based markers are needed to explore the epidemiology of these Sporothrix expansions using molecular methods. This paper reports the use of amplified-fragment-length polymorphisms (AFLP) to assess the degree of intraspecific variability among Sporothrix species. We used whole-genome sequences from Sporothrix species to generate 2,304 virtual AFLP fingerprints. In silico screening highlighted 6 primer pair combinations to be tested in vitro. The protocol was used to genotype 27 medically relevant Sporothrix. Based on the overall scored AFLP markers (97–137 fragments), the values of polymorphism information content (PIC = 0.2552–0.3113), marker index (MI = 0.002–0.0039), effective multiplex ratio (E = 17.8519–35.2222), resolving power (Rp = 33.6296–63.1852), discriminating power (D = 0.9291–0.9662), expected heterozygosity (H = 0.3003–0.3857), and mean heterozygosity (Havp = 0.0001) demonstrated the utility of these primer combinations for discriminating Sporothrix. AFLP markers revealed cryptic diversity in species previously thought to be the most prevalent clonal type, such as S. brasiliensis, responsible for cat-transmitted sporotrichosis, and S. globosa responsible for large sapronosis outbreaks in Asia. Three combinations (#3 EcoRI-FAM-GA/MseI-TT, #5 EcoRI-FAM-GA/MseI-AG, and #6 EcoRI-FAM-TA/MseI-AA) provide the best diversity indices and lowest error rates. These methods make it easier to track routes of disease transmission during epizooties and zoonosis, and our DNA fingerprint assay can be further transferred between laboratories to give insights into the ecology and evolution of pathogenic Sporothrix species and to inform management and mitigation strategies to tackle the advance of sporotrichosis.
Geriatric Dentistry Curriculum in Six Continents

The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of geriatric dentistry (GD) in the curricula of worldwide dental schools, and to identify and compare their curriculum content. Eighty-three dental schools (16.4% response rate), from 24 countries, in six continents, completed a 25-item online questionnaire, to assess their GD curriculum, and were included in the study. GD was a mandatory course in 56 dental schools (67.5%), an independent subject in 14 schools (16.9%), and was taught as a series of lectures in 31 schools (37.4%). Clinically, 56 dental schools (67.5%) had some form of mandatory education in GD. The type of school, location and method of presentation were not associated with greater interest in expanding their curriculum in GD (p = 0.256, p = 0.276, and p = 0.919, respectively, using the Chi-square test). We found GD is a curriculum requirement in most of the surveyed dental schools and is becoming more common among dental school curricula. This survey is the first study to present data from dental schools from all continents, using a web-based survey which is a resourceful, less-expensive tool to gather data.
Characterization of Spontaneous Crosses between Clearfield Rice (Oryza sativa) and Red Rice (Oryza sativa)1

Experiments were conducted to determine the inheritance of resistance in crosses between imazethapyr-resistant rice and red rice. Past experiments on red rice control, using the Clearfield rice technology, resulted in outcrossing between Clearfield rice and Stuttgart strawhull red rice. The F2 generation of these spontaneous crosses were characterized with respect to inheritance of imazethapyr resistance, leaf color and leaf pubescence, and seed shattering, pubescence, color, and size. Agronomic traits of hybrids were also observed in relation to their parents. To determine the segregation of resistance among F2 phenotypes, the response of three- to four-leaf plants to imazethapyr was scored 3 wk after application as resistant (R, no imazethapyr symptoms), susceptible (S, death of plants), or intermediate (I, stunted plants). R, I, and S phenotypes segregated in a 1:2:1 ratio in the F2 generation. Two- or three-gene inheritance was documented for leaf and seed characteristics. A wide range in onset of flowering (70 to 130 d after planting) was observed in F2 families, although 6% of the plants did not flower during the growing season. F2 plants were taller and had more tillers than any of their parents. Resistance to imazethapyr is associated with a single, incompletely dominant allele. Nomenclature: Imazethapyr; red rice, Oryza sativa L. #3 ORYSA; rice, Oryza sativa L. ; ‘CL121’, ‘CL161’. Additional index words: Imazethapyr-tolerant rice, outcrossing. Abbreviations: ALS, acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18); CL, ‘Clearfield’ rice; DAP, days after planting; RR, red rice; RREC, Rice Research and Extension Center; WAP, weeks after planting; WAT, weeks after treatment.