Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Pollen Grains from Bt Transgenic Corn on the Growth and Development of Chinese Tussah Silkworm, Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Abstract The tussah silkworm, Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), is an important natural resource for the silk industry and has been cultured using wild host plants for >2,000 yr in China. To clarify whether there is any risk from pollen of Cry1Ab-containing corn varieties on this insect, the frequency of pollen dispersal and deposition of corn pollen near cornfields and impact on the development of tussah silkworm larvae were studied separately in the field and laboratory. The field survey showed that the pollen density was the highest inside the cornfield with a value of ≈1,000 grains/cm2. The pollen deposition rapidly declined with distance from the edge of the cornfield as expected in most cases. No significant differences were observed in the amounts of pollen deposited on glass slides positioned at different heights from the ground at each distance. In the laboratory bioassays, there were no significant differences in the larval mortality and weight of Chinese tussah silkworm between treatment with pollen grains from a transgenic corn line and a nontransgenic corn control at a density of 1,000 pollen grains/cm2. Also no significant negative impact was found for efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD), efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), and efficiency of approximate digestion of food (AD) at the level of 1,000 pollen grains/cm2. The results of this study suggest that the impact on the Chinese tussah silkworm of Bt corn pollen from the hybrid to be commercialized in China is negligible in the natural environment.
TRANS SYNAPTIC CONTROL OF GENE EXPRESSION

Poised for relay or storage of synaptic information, the postsynaptic neuron must assimilate a variety of incoming synaptic signals and then integrate these into shortand long-term responses. Neuronal signals not only regulate the quantal release of transmitters and peptides acutely, but also dictate the form and content of genetic program that the postsynaptic neuron will express. Indeed, the activity-dependent release of neuro­ transmitters begins a cascade of events, which culminates in postsynaptic changes in gene expression. Upon binding to postsynaptic receptors, a neurotransmitter evokes specific changes in postsynaptic second messenger pathways that ultimately trigger the rapid induction of postsynaptic genes. Many of these rapidly induced genes then feed-forward to activate genetic programs, which are important for neuronal cell function. Such activity­ dependent changes may underlie complex phenomena, like long-term memory and synaptic plasticity. This review traces our current understanding of activity-regulated gene expression, from model systems in which neuronal activity alters post­ synaptic gene expression, to receptor systems and second messengers that participate in the induction, and finally to the molecular mechanisms that may mediate these changes at the transcriptional level.
Climatic change is advancing the phenology of moth species in Ireland

Recent increases in global temperatures have contributed to advancing phenology of plants and animals. These increases in temperature have been shown to affect the phenological phases (phenophases) of plants and birds in Ireland, but less is known about the effect on the phenophases of Irish insects. Records of the flight periods of 59 species of Irish moths over the past 35 years (1974–2009) were obtained from a public monitoring group. Observations were analysed across the country using generalized additive models (GAMs) weighted by total yearly population numbers for each species. The results of the statistical analyses showed that 45 of the 59 species studied have a significantly earlier first sighting date now than when observations began. With this earlier emergence, 44 of the 59 species also have a significantly longer flight season over the same 35‐year period. The extent of these changes varies across the country and by species life history. In particular, species emerging in spring are advancing at a much faster rate than species emerging during the summer. Many of these changes in first sighting are negatively correlated with rising temperatures in Ireland, particularly in late spring and early summer (May and June). The variation in phenological advancement in the moth species of Ireland is extremely complex and may be influenced more by species life history than by the phenology of interacting species, such as host plants.
Elevational gradients, area and tropical island diversity: an example from the palms of New Guinea

The factors causing spatial variation in species richness remain poorly known. In this study, factors affecting species richness of palms (Palmae/Arecaceae) were studied along the elevational gradient of New Guinea. Interpolated elevational ranges were calculated from a database of all known collections for 145 species in 32 genera. The amount of land area at different elevations greatly affects the species richness gradient. If assessed in equal-elevation bands species richness appears to decline monotonically, but when assessed in equal-area bands species richness shows a pronounced mid-elevation peak, due to the large proportion of lowlands in New Guinea. By randomising species ranges within the total elevational gradient for palms and accounting for area, we found the mid-elevation peak to be consistent with a mid-domain effect caused by the upper and lower limits to palm distribution. Our study illustrates the importance of accounting for area in macroecological studies of richness gradients and introduces a novel yet simple method for doing this through the use of equal-area bands. Together, the effect of area and the mid-domain effect explain the majority of variation in species richness of New Guinea palms. We support calls for the multivariate assessment of the mid-domain effect on an equal footing with other potential explanations of species richness.
A Novel Method for Designing Vaccines Against Constantly Mutating Pathogens

A method is described that could be used to design molecules suitable vaccines for immunization as or for the generation of therapeutic antibodies against constantly mutating pathogens. The method consists of (1) locating the putative immunodominant epitopes of a protein antigen, and identifying the residues that contribute to the high antigenicity of the epitopes and (2) replacing those residues judiciously to reduce the antigenicity of the immunodominant epitopes, while preserving structure. The antibody response to the modified antigen would then be expected to be directed against more parts of the molecule, and not mainly against the formerly immunodominant epitopes. The method is also useful in the design of molecules suitable for immunization against pathogens that had been intentionally mutated so as to render those pathogens able to infect previously immune individuals.
Dispersal of Desert-Adapted Drosophila: The Saguaro-Breeding D. nigrospiracula

Dispersal of Drosophila nigrospiracula on naturally occurring necrotic saguaro cacti occurs at rates up to three times higher than those observed for any other Drosophila. In eight separate experiments, a total of 3,034 marked flies were captured at 22 cacti. Overall immigration rates averaged 6.83 % over 371 m. Immigration from a single cohort averaged 3.67% over all distances. Effective-population sizes at a single cacti are estimated from 361 to 3,999, while the overall population of D. nigrospiracula is estimated at 100 billion flies. The genetics of large, mobile populations has been considered, using island, stepping-stone, and isolation-by-distance models. All three models suggest that D. nigrospiracula is so mobile that drift plays a minor role. The population acts as if it were panmictic. This view is supported further by behavioral considerations. Immigrants are an effective part of mating populations. Barriers to dispersal are nonexistent. Adverse habitat conditions increase dispersal rates. The high dispersal rates of D. nigrospiracula were not anticipated by earlier Drosophila studies. Three explanations are proposed. First, immature adults may be more mobile than mature flies. This paper presents the first evidence of this in Drosophila. Second, dispersal may be increased by food stress. If so, baited studies, which considerably enrich the environment, underestimate dispersal rates in adverse environments. Third, dispersal rates are an evolutionary response to habitat predictability. Those species (such as D. nigrospiracula at cacti) which occupy short-lived and widely-spaced habitats are more mobile than species (such as D. melanogaster at a garbage dump) which occupy a small, rich, constantly renewed habitat.
Elucidating cellular signaling mechanisms of anoikis resistance

Anoikis, which describes a physiologic apoptotic mechanism of non-hematopoietic cells that is triggered following detachment of cells from their native extracellular matrix, functions as a key process to prevent unwanted dissemination of cells from their intended organ site. Cancer cells, in contrast, develop mechanisms to suppress anoikis, allowing them to metastasize through the lymphovascular system to secondary organ sites. In this thesis, we utilized screening methodologies to identify novel signaling mechanisms of anoikis resistance in cancer cells. While a functional approach using an siRNA-based screen of Ewing sarcoma cells did not yield validatable hits, use of gene expression profiling demonstrated a remarkable resemblance of the cellular detachment process to various prototypical forms of cellular and bioenergetic stress, such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Correspondingly, activation of various cellular stress response pathways was demonstrated, which appear critical for mitigating this stress. In particular, two pathways were shown to play a role in anoikis resistance, mediated by TXNIP and AMPK. TXNIP, which has been shown to play a homeostatic role to modulate glucose metabolism, redox status and proliferation during stress states, was shown to be rapidly up-regulated following cellular detachment, and promotes anoikis in certain cell line models. AMPK is also rapidly activated, activating multiple downstream pathways to restore the bioenergetic status of detached cells, which show marked reduction in ATP levels following detachment. In particular, AMPK-mediated suppression of the mTORC1 pathway plays a particularly important role through the suppression of total protein synthesis levels, an otherwise energetically-costly anabolic process. Blockade of the AMPK pathway or restoration of mTORC1 activation in cancer cells help to restore anoikis, while direct inhibition of protein synthesis in AMPK-deficient cancer cells restores their ability to suppress anoikis. Overall, we show that activation of energy-conserving pathways, normally considered “tumor suppressive” in nature, in fact promotes survival of cancer cells in this early stage of metastasis. This highlights the ambiguous role of many such pathways, which can both promote and suppress tumor progression in a context-dependent manner.
Gene introgression in grain legumes

The wild species of grain legumes are valuable gene pools, particularly for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. These have largely remained under-utilized due to crossability barriers, but there are some examples of successful introgression of genes into the cultivated species from their wild relatives, particularly those constituting primary and secondary gene pools. In chickpea, two closely related species, Cicer reticulatum and C. echinospermum, have been used for widening genetic base of the cultigen and introgressing genes for resistance/tolerance to phytophthora root rot, cyst nematode (Heterodera ciceri), root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus spp.), pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera), ascochyta blight, botrytis grey mould and low temperatures. Wild Cajanus species have been effectively exploited in developing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems, which made commercial hybrids possible. In addition, resistance to Helicoverpa armigera and sterility mosaic has been introgressed from C. acutifolius and C. scarabaeoides. The high protein content trait has been introgressed from C. scarabaeoides. In Phaseolus beans, the cultivated species of the secondary (P. coccineus and P. dumosus) and the tertiary (P. acutifolius) gene pools have been used for the improvement of common bean (P. vulgaris). The congruity back cross system and its modifications have been especially useful for tapping the tertiary gene pool. In lentil, genes for anthracnose and wilt resistance and drought tolerance have been introgressed in the cultigen from L. lamottei. Presence of crossability barriers has restricted greater exploitation of wild species, particularly in tertiary gene poolConcerted efforts are needed to overcome these crossability barriers. Cloning of desired genes from crossincompatible wild species and their transfer through transgenic approaches may also be considered
Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies for the pathogenesis of a low pathogenicity H9 avian influenza virus in experimentally infected commercial broilers.

Present study has been designed to check the pathological effects of a low pathogenicity H9 avian influenza virus on broilers following experimental infection through intranasal, ocular and oral route at 21 days of age. Moderate clinical signs were observed which started appearing at two days post infection (PI), became severe on five days while started subsiding from seven days onwards. Severity of the signs and lesions was highest in respiratory organs following intranasal route of infection. No mortality was observed except one bird each in the groups infected through intranasal and oral route of infection. Histopathology of the organs in the birds infected through intranasal route revealed severe hyperemic trachea and congested lungs. While moderate congestion of kidneys and mild necrosis in the liver tissue was seen in all treatment groups. Detection of virus antigen through immunohistochemi stry was possible in trachea, lung, and kidney of few birds on two days PI while in all birds at five days PI. In some of the birds inoculated through either of the route, the virus was detected in liver and duodenum tissue at five days PI.
Removal of Mo(VI) from aqueous solutions using sulfuric acid-modified cinder: kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Removal of Mo(VI) from aqueous solutions was investigated using cinder modified by sulfuric acid. Various parameters such as pH, agitation time, Mo(VI) concentration, and temperature have been studied. The maximum adsorption of Mo(VI) occurred at pH between 4.0 and 6.0. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption generally obeyed a pseudo second-order model. The activation energy was 31.4 kJ mol−1, indicating that the adsorption process was governed mainly by interactions of physical nature. Furthermore, application of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models to the adsorption equilibrium data showed that the adsorption behavior obeyed the Langmuir model. The adsorption capacity was found to be 10.8 g Mo(VI) kg−1 adsorbent. Finally, thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH 0, ΔS 0, and ΔG 0 were also evaluated, which showed that the adsorption of Mo(VI) on the treated cinder was endothermic, entropy increasing, and spontaneous. In conclusion, the sulfuric acid-modified cinder was shown to be an inexpensive, effective, and simple adsorbent for the removal of Mo(VI) from water.
Identifying Key Antigens that Drive Antibody-Mediated Regulation of Chronic Schistosomiasis

Chronic schistosomiasis is a spectral illness where patients present with either moderate intestinal (INT) schistosomiasis or severe hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HS). The different clinical manifestations are associated with the immune response in the patient against schistosome eggs that end up lodged in the liver and other organs. Inbred male CBA/J mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni present with two distinct syndromes, moderate splenomegaly syndrome (MSS) and hypersplenomegaly syndrome (HSS); the pathologies of which parallel human INT and HS forms, respectively. Furthermore, antibody with a cross-reactive idiotype (CRI) is produced in MSS mice and INT patients (Montesano, Freeman et al. 1990a) that is absent in HSS mice and HS patients and is believed to play a protective role against severe pathology. Our primary aim was to determine the specific antigens in soluble egg antigen (SEA) that react to protective CRI+ anti-SEA antibodies using the CBA/J mouse model of disease. Using one-dimensional Western blotting, we have shown that the specificities of anti-SEA antibodies present in MSS and HSS forms of schistosomiasis are different. Using two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis, we isolated six spots that were of significant interest as disease-specific candidates and a further six candidates that were infection-specific. Finally, we characterized these antigens using mass spectrometry, where we managed to identify several of these isolated antigens. Our infection-specific antigens can be useful in developing diagnostic tools to identify individuals infected withschistosomiasis, and individuals who are at risk of developing severe disease. Additionally, we found evidence for antigens that are specifically reactive to CRI+ antibodies and these can be used as candidates for the development of a vaccine that can drive the production of these protective antibodies. We also found evidence of CRI- antibody-specific antigens, and further analysis of these antigens may help increase our understanding of severe disease induction in chronic patients. Overall, this study identified several unique candidate antigens that merit further research in developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools, and added to our understanding of helminth interactions in human biology.
Anthracnose control by Mexican Oregano (Lippia berlandieri Schauer) essential oil added to edible films.

Edible films can incorporate antimicrobial extracts to provide microbiological stability on food surfaces. The aim of this study was to evaluate chitosan or starch edible films added by selected concentrations of Mexican oregano (Lippia berlandieri Schauer) essential oil to control anthracnose. Chitosan and starch edible films were formulated with essential oil concentrations of 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 2.00, or 4.00%. Mold radial growth was evaluated by modified Gompertz equation. A significant (p < 0.05) change of Gompertz parameters was observed among essential oil concentrations, increasing the lag phase and decreasing radial growth rates as oil concentration increased.
Potential Respiration in Oxyrrhis marina and Rhodomonas salina

The Potential respiration in cultures of the heterotrophic flagellate Oxyrrhis marina (predator) and on a micro algae Rhodomonas salina (prey) was calculated from measurements of the electron transport system (ETS) activity. On R. salina these measurements were made during the exponential, stationary and celldecline phase for a period of 64 days, but in O. marina they were only made during the period of starvation (cell-decline phase), for a period of 18 days. Time-courses of Chlorophyll, protein and cell density were compared to the potential respiration (). In R. salina the increased during the exponential phase in parallel with the cellprotein, cell number, and chlorophyll a. In O. marina, separated from its prey, followed a similar pattern with the protein, chlorophyll and cell density. Flow cytometry proved useful not only for cell-enumeration, but also for monitoring population changes in thenon-axenic mixed-population cultures. From the physiological and biochemical measurements it is clear that the predator, O. marina was metabolically more active than its prey, R. salina. Its was 19 nmO2 min cell, 20 times higher than the  of R. salina, with a of only 0,9 nmO2 min cell. In addition O. marina was also 20 richer in protein than R. salina (942 versus 47 pg protein/cell). However its protein-specific Φ was effectively the same (12 versus 13 nmO2 min (protein), respectively. An interesting finding, that suggests that O. marina may be able to function as an autotroph, was the constancy, for 9 days, of the ingested chlorophyll/cell in O. marina days after all its chlorophyll-rich prey was consumed.
Survey of Histidine Effects on Trichophyton Mentagrophytes Growth in Normal and Dermatophytic Patients under in Vivo and in Vitro Conditions

In this study the effect of histidine amino acid on trichophyton mentagrophytes in normal and dermatophytic patients under in vivo and in vitro conditions were studied. From safe and suffering from dermatophytic people's blood sample was obtained and amounts of histidine amino acid in this people serums by HPLC method was measured and so mentioned fungi was cultured in cultures media with different concentrations of histidine. Each of samples repeated in 3 times and after 2 weeks the diameter of colonies was measured, the results of research statistically were analyzed by using the SAS software and comparison of mean by using the ANOVA was done. Result has shown that the diameter of colony in different concentration of histidine decreased in experimental fungi than control group. This appears that the histidine amino acid cause decrease in the trichophyton mentagrophytes growth. Thus, probably the mentioned amino acid has inhibitory effects on experimental fungi growth.
TURNER REVIEW No. 16 Restorationdemographyandgeneticsofplants:whenisatranslocation successful?

Restorations are complex, often involving restoring ecological processes, vegetation structure, and species' populations. One component of restorations is translocation of key species. Translocations (introductions, reintroductions, augmentations) are often necessary to recover species diversity and install key species. In this review, I consider the ways translocationshavebeenevaluatedatvariousstagesduringtheprocessofrestoration.Vitalrates(survival,growth,fecundity) of propagules (seeds, transplants) are commonly used to evaluate initial success. Transplants usually provide greater initial success than do sown seeds. Beyond initial rates, completion of the life cycle through flowering, fruiting, dispersal and subsequent seedling recruitment is a key benchmark. Modelling population viability of translocated populationsis a logical nextstepandcanbringinmanypowerfulinferentialtools.Offactorsaffectingthesuccessoftranslocations,geneticissuesare paramount, as restorationists need to consider inbreeding depression, reproductive viability, local adaptation, and evolutionary potential of translocated populations. The success of translocations is also clearly context-dependent, with herbivory,disturbance, competitionand otherecologicalfactors important. Futuretranslocations needtomake betteruseof comparisonswithreferencepopulations,along-termperspectiveonsuccessandanexperimentalframeworkthatcanprovide bothpracticalandbasicknowledge.Demographicdatacollectionandanalysisinrestorationshasgreatpotentialtoelucidate causes of translocation failure and improve the prognosis of future restorations.