Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aspects of spatial and habitat ecology of multiple Anopheles species (Diptera: Culicidae): malaria vectors in the highlands and foothills of Ecuador

The resurgence of malaria in highland regions of Africa, Oceania and recently in South America underlines the importance of the study of the ecology of highland mosquito vectors of malaria. Since the incidence of malaria is limited by the distribution of its vectors, the purpose of this PhD thesis was to examine aspects of the ecology of Anopheles mosquitoes in the Andes of Ecuador, South America. A historical literature and archival data review (Chapter 2) indicated that Anopheles pseudopunctipennis transmitted malaria in highland valleys of Ecuador prior to 1950, although it was eliminated through habitat removal and the use of chemical insecticides. Other anopheline species were previously limited to low-altitude regions, except in a few unconfirmed cases. A thorough larval collection effort (n=438 attempted collection sites) in all road-accessible parts of Ecuador except for the lowland Amazon basin was undertaken between 2008 2010 (Chapter 3). Larvae were identified morphologically and using molecular techniques (mitochondrial COl gene), and distribution maps indicated that all five species collected (Anopheles albimanus, An. pseudopunctipennis, Anopheles punctimacula, Anopheles oswaldoi s.l. and Anopheles eiseni) were more widespread throughout highland regions than previously recorded during the 1940s, with higher maximum altitudes for all except An. pseudopunctipennis (1541 m, 1930 m, 1906 m, 1233 m and 1873 m, respectively). During larval collections, to characterize species-specific larval habitat, a variety of abiotic and biotic habitat parameters were measured and compared between species-present and species-absent sites using chi-square tests and stepwise binary logistic regression analyses (Chapter 4). An. albimanus was significantly associated with permanent pools with sand substrates and An. pseudopunctipennis with gravel and boulder substrates. Both species were significantly associated with floating cyanobacterial f~ ,
OXYGEN POISONING III. THE EFFECT OF HIGH OXYGEN PRESSURES UPON THE METABOLISM OF BRAIN

The subject of poisoning by oxygen has been reviewed by the authors (1) and by Bean (3). Bert (4) first suggested that its cause may be the disturbance of some vital biochemical processes, particularly oxidative: consumption of oxygen, production of carbonic acid and urea, breaking down of glucose in the blood, all chemical phenomena which can be measured easily, appear to be considerably slowed down by the action of oxygen under high tension. To study the phenomenon, the authors have determined the metabolic activity in vitro of surviving tissues exposed to high oxygen pressures in comparison with similar tissues under 1 atmosphere of oxygen. The present paper is concerned solely with experiments on brain tissue, which fall into three groups: (1) the intact animal was exposed, its symptoms observed, and certain aspects of the metabolism of its brain tissue subsequently studied; (2) the metabolism of the tissue was studied under normal circumstances after a preliminary exposure to high oxygen pressure; and (3) the metabolism was studied during exposure to high oxygen pressure in a specially built apparatus. Preparation of Tissues and Media-In most of the experiments, organs from normal, fed albino rats were used. In all cases, the brains were removed immediately following decapitation of the animal, washed in saline, and rapidly prepared either by slicing or homogenizing. Homogenates were prepared from known weights of tissue in a glass homogenizer of the Potter-Elvehjem type with buffered medium in the ratio of 1: 10, 15, or 20. Uniform slices of known thickness were prepared by means of a tissue microtome described elsewhere (5). This consists essentially of a Plexiglas holder in which a section of razor blade slides in such a way as to produce uniform slices with ease and rapidity. The extreme friability of brain slices makes
DISSECTION OF NOVEL PATHWAYS LEADING TO PODOCYTE DYSFUNCTION AND PROTEINURIA

Podocytes are highly differentiated glomerular epithelial cells that play an essential role in the establishment of the glomerular filtration barrier, a structural apparatus that selectively restricts the filtration of different macromolecules in the blood stream on the basis of their sizes, shape and charge. Podocyte dysfunction, one of the major causes of proteinuria, is of pathogenetic and prognostic significance in human glomerular disease. My study is focused on the investigation of novel pathways leading to podocyte dysfunction and proteinuria.In the first part, immunoblotting and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) were used to demonstrate that LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domains 1 (PINCH1) is induced and undergoes nuclear translocation in podocytes after transforming growth factor, beta 1 (TGF-beta1) treatment. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the putative nuclear export signal/nuclear localization signal (NES/NLS) at the PINCH1 C-terminus which is required for its nuclear translocation. Immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assay identified the interaction between PINCH1 and Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) which led to suppression of the WT1-mediated podocalyxin gene expression. In vivo, PINCH1 also underwent nuclear translocation and interacted with WT1 after TGF-beta1 stimulation. Our data identifies nuclear transcription factor WT1 as a novel binding partner for PINCH1, and provides novel insight into the mechanism of podocyte dysfunction under pathological conditions. In the second part, RT-PCR results revealed that treatment with TGF-beta1 induced gene expression of several wingless-type MMTV integration site family members (Wnts), predominantly Wnt1, and activated beta-catenin in mouse podocytes. Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) blocked TGF-beta1-induced beta-catenin activation and preserved nephrin expression. In vivo, ectopic expression of constitutively active TGF-beta1 induced Wnt1 expression, activated glomerular beta-catenin, upregulated its downstream target genes, and led to podocyte injury and proteinuria. Consistently, concomitant expression of DKK1 gene abolished beta-catenin activation in mouse glomeruli, inhibited TGF-beta1-triggered Wnt/beta-catenin target genes, and ameliorated proteinuria. These results establish a role for Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the pathogenesis of podocyte injury and also suggest that this signaling pathway could be exploited as a therapeutic target for the treatment of proteinuric kidney diseases.
CRISPR/Cas9 a Versatile Tool in Bio-Engineering

Clustered interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) with CRISPR associated 9 (Cas9) is a new bio-engineering tool originating from bacteria. It is a powerful and versatile tool to target and bind genes of interest using RNA guidance and is subsequently able to edit or regulate genes. Cas9 can be used as a machinery that induces double-stranded breaks or it can be used to regulate genes in various ways. This review covers various aspects such as basic mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9, CRISPR/Cas9 experimental design, off-target effects caused by CRISPR/Cas9, and catalytically inactive Cas9 with its versatile functions.
Parasite removal by waste stabilisation pond systems and the relationship between concentrations in sewage and prevalence in the community

Waste stabilisation pond (WSP) performance for the removal of nematode eggs is generally considered to be excellent. In this paper, the performance of WSPs for parasite egg removal is reviewed. A simplified membrane filtration method for enumeration of parasites in sewage was introduced and applied to evaluate emergency anaerobic and permanent sanitation units in Bangladesh. With short retention times of 48-72 hours 99% egg removal efficiencies were achieved in the emergency unit using sewage from a cholera hospital complex. Permanent units gave poorer performance and, in a 23 day WSP system in Grand Cayman, it is possible that removal efficiency may have been impaired and hookworm eggs carried over to the final effluent. Evidence for carry over of eggs is critically re-assessed. Publications relating levels of prevalence of helminth parasites and concentrations in sewage are summarised, and data are interpolated to provide an understanding of the response-dose relationship. A classification of end emicity is proposed to assist in evaluating the success of helminth control programs.
cati: an R package using functional traits to detect and quantify multi-level community assembly processes

Community ecologists are active in describing species by their functional traits, quantifying the functional structure of plant and animal assemblages and inferring community assembly processes with null-model analyses of trait distribution and functional diversity indices. Intraspecific variation in traits and effects of spatial scale are potentially important in these analyses. Here, we introduce the R package cati (Community Assembly by Traits: Individuals and beyond) available on CRAN, for the analysis of community assembly with functional traits. cati builds on a recent approach to community assembly that explicitly incorporates individual differences in community assembly analyses and decomposes phenotypic variations across scales and organizational levels, based on three phenotypic variance ratios, termed the T-statistics. More generally, the cati package 1) calculates a variety of single-trait and multi-trait indices from interspecific and intraspecific trait measures; 2) it partitions functional trait variation among spatial and taxonomic levels; 3) it implements a palette of flexible null models for detecting non-random patterns of functional traits. These patterns can be used to draw inferences about hypotheses of community assembly such as environmental filtering and species interactions. The basic input for cati is a data frame in which columns are traits, rows are species or individuals, and entries are the measured trait values. The cati package can also incorporate a square distance matrix into analyses, which could include phylogenetic or genetic distances among individuals or species. Users select from a variety of functional trait metrics and analyze these relative to a null model that specifies trait distributions in a regional source pool.
Human Erythrocyte Remodelling by Plasmodium falciparum

Making the erythrocyte its home for 48 hours has important consequences for the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Indeed, erythrocytes are terminally differentiated cells that lack a nucleus as well as intracellular organelles, are thus unable to endocytose or exocytose macromolecules, and have lost several membrane transport activities upon differentiation. Consequently, the parasite has to deeply remodel its host cell, from the very beginning to ensure its entry into the red blood cell, throughout its growth and multiplication to fulfil its needs for extracellular nutrients, and to the very end of its intraerythrocytic development with the parasite-induced opening and curling of the red cell membrane leading to the dispersion of newly formed merozoites into the blood flow. The most spectacular, and first reported, modifications of the red blood cell membrane induced by P. falciparum are electron dense protrusions named knobs and consisting of parasite proteins exported to the red cell membrane and sub-membrane skeleton where they eventually interact with host cell proteins. Knobs are directly related to the severity of falciparum malaria because they mediate adherence of infected erythrocytes to the microvasculature endothelium. More recent studies have revealed that the parasite might export several hundreds of proteins, as well as membrane compartments, to the red cell and divert enzymatic and structural host proteins to make the erythrocyte a suitable environment for its growth. In the last decade, remodelling of its host cell by Plasmodium falciparum has become an important and growing field of research. In this review, we will describe the current stage of knowledge concerning red blood cell remodelling by Plasmodium falciparum and the role of these parasite-induced modifications for its growth and survival.
Implications of Locus Specific Microevolution Inferred By Genetic Distances Between Two Local Populations of Drosophila melanogaster From Turkey

The standard genetic distances were calculated with 3 allozyme loci in 2 local populations of Drosophila melanogaster from Turkey. One of the distances, i.e. obtained with alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), was completely different from the distances with the other 2 allozyme loci, glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (aGpdh) and cytosolic malate dehydrogenase (Mdh1), leading to a statistically significant inflation in the cumulated distance value obtained over the 3 loci. It is shown that this final significant value was caused by the significant difference in allelic frequencies at the Adh loci across local populations. Implications of the different genetic distances in 2 local populations are discussed, especially with respect to putative selection pressures more stressed on the Adh than on the other 2 allozyme loci.
Rapid Population Growth and Economic Development in Nigeria

The human race is faced with an increasing number of resource management and environmental problems. Population growth, particularly in the developing world, has become a significant part of these environmental problems. Simply put a major problem of lasting significance facing the world in this century, may well be the sudden and unprecedented expansions of its population. Studies have shown that the recent population growth in all regions of the world is the consequence not of increased birth rates per se, but of unprecedented worldwide decrease in the death rate especially in developed economies. (Ayeni and Adewale, 1996). Reasons adduced have been that, since the 20 century human race had begun to declare victory over famine-related and infant mortality problems and at the same time significant advances in public health and medicine have been applied. These advances, although felt around the world, did not happen in the same way in today’s richer and poorer nations. Death rates are declining more in developed countries, basically due to changes in preference for smaller family size compared to the rather large ones which is still common in less developed countries. (Ayeni and Adewale, 1996). The relationship between population growth and economic development has occupied an important position in demographic studies, since Malthus drew the attention of the world to the fact that world population was increasing at a geometric rate while the means of subsistence was increasing at an arithmetic rate and he posited that if this is left unchecked it may lead to an adverse consequence on the world economy. International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume:01, Issue:04 www.ijsser. org Copyright © IJSSER 2016, All right reserved Page 441 Though in recent years, technological advancement has made increase in productivity possible, this however, applies only to developed economies. The economic difficulties being experienced by most of the LDC’s in recent times could serve as an indication that these countries have not really benefited from rapid population growth. The population of most LDC’s are generally characterized by high dependency ratio, high illiteracy rate, unemployment, low manpower development, high urbanization, low income per capita and serious environmental problems caused as a result of urban congestion and pollution. This study aims to analyze the impact of population growth on the development of the Nigerian economy and will aim at suggesting possible policy measures that can be put in place to translate the high population growth rate to an advantage for the country.
Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism

Editorial introduction. Moving from populations to species. we recall that the process of speciation as seen through the hyperopic eyes of the paleontologist is an old and venerable theme. But the significance of "gaps" in the fossil record has been a recurrent "difficulty, . used on the one hand to show that spontaneous generation is a "fact, . and on the other hand to illustrate the" incompleteness . of the fossil record. Some have expressed a third interpretation. which views such gaps as the logical and expected result of the allopatric model of speciation. Bernard's Elements de Paleonto1ogie (1895) discusses the existence of gaps in the fossil record as follows, p. 25, English edition:
Root system of seabuckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.)

Nutrient availability is one of the limiting factors for plant growth and development, and the nutrients on Earth are unevenly distributed. To overcome this, plants adapt by modifying their morphology and physiology, especially of the root system. Seabuckthorn is a small tree growing in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It performs symbiotic N₂ fixation and has high adaptability to environmental constraints. This thesis examined factors shaping the root system of seabuckthorn. It was found that seabuckthorn has the ability to produce structures with dense lateral roots called cluster roots (CRs). Different patterns of root system were found at genotype level; Pk, a wild accession of H. rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica originating from unfertile soils, produced more CRs than cultivars BHi10726 and Sunny with a breeding history in fertile soils. Reduced availability of phosphorus (P), nitrogen or iron affected root morphology by increased lateral roots and CR formation, which may explain the competitive and invasive nature of this plant on nutrient-deficient soils. Abundant compounds in CRs found by metabolite analysis using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy were asparagine, glycine and malate, an organic acid involved in mobilization of P from soil. In Pk as compared to cv. Sunny, the concentration of root metabolites was higher. In roots under low P, RNA sequencing revealed transcripts involved in primary root metabolism, P homeostasis and metabolism consistent with a P-deficient response. To assess functions of CRs which have a determinate growth pattern, analysis of metabolites and transcripts could display changes towards a P-deficient metabolism as well as anaerobic metabolism at later developmental stages of CR. As an enzyme central to organic acid metabolism in plants, the gene family encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (HrPPC) was characterised. Both plant-type and bacterial-type isoforms were found with tissue-specific expression patterns and with higher expression of HrPPC2 under low P. In vitro studies showed that auxin stimulated formation of lateral roots at low P levels, while high P gave high formation of shoots from roots, another trait of the seabuckthorn root system. This study provides a basis to understand functions and roles of CRs in seabuckthorn as an actinorhizal representative among the three groups of CR-forming plants.
CHARACTERIZATION OF RESISTANCE IN TRANSGENIC TOBACCO PLANTS EXPRESSING BEGOMOVIRUS GENES

Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy CHARACTERIZATION OF RESISTANCE IN TRANSGENIC TOBACCO PLANTS EXPRESSING BEGOMOVIR US GENES By Juliana Freitas -Astua August 2001 Chairman: Ernest Hiebert Co -chair: Jane E. Polston Major Department: Plant Pathology The increasing importance of whitefly -transmitted geminiviruses (genus Begomovirus ) over the last several years in trop ical and subtropical regions of the world, together with the lack of reliable and environmentally friendly methods to control them, has led to the pu rsuit of alternative ways to control them. One of the most promising strategies has been the produ ction of transgenic plants expressing viral sequences in order to obtain resistance against the virus from which the sequences were derived. The present study demonstrated that a mutated form of the Tomato mottle v irus (ToMoV) movement protein gene ( BC1 At/r) that h ad been previously reported to confer resistance in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum cv. ‘Xanthi’ (tobacco) plants to T oMoV does not play any role in such resistance. It was further shown that the poss ible cause of the previously observed results was the use o f an inadequate whitefly -inoculation method.
Documenting the association between a non-geniculate coralline red alga and its molluscan host

1 Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Zonation on rocky shores.5 1.1.1 Factors causing zonation . 6 1.2 Plant-animal interactions on rocky shores . 7 1.2.1 Trophic interactions.7 1.2.2 Non-trophic interactions.8 1.3 Ecology of winkles . 9 1.4 Ecology of encrusting coralline algae . 11 1.4. 1 Mollusc-coralline interactions.16 1.4. 2 Winkle-coralline associations . 18 Chapter 2: Aim of Study 2.1 South African west and south coast rocky shore zonation patterns . 19 2.2 Observation . 19 2.3 Aim of Study.20 Chapter 3: Ecology of Oxystele in South Africa 3.
Molecular Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma accounts for 1% of new cancer diagnoses in childhood and is the most common childhood liver cancer. While most cases of hepatoblastoma (HB) are sporadic and its aetiology is unknown, there is a close association of HB with developmental syndromes such as the Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). Clinical staging and histologic classification are complex and the current approach to risk stratification of these patients is based on clinical features such as the tumour stage, and the extent of liver involvement. Although treatment of HB with platinum-based chemotherapy followed by resection is highly successful there remains >15 % of HB that suffer from relapse. These relapse patients are often refractive to conventional chemotherapy and have a poor prognosis. The International Society of Paediatric Oncology liver tumour strategy group (SIOPEL) has conducted a series of clinical trials, with the aim of improving the overall clinical outcome of HB. In this study we accessed 94 formalin-fixed paraffinembedded (FFPE) tumour samples from patients registered with SIOPEL. Corresponding clinical, histologic and survival data was available for all samples. We created a tissue microarray from these samples and examined the expression of Ecadherin, Cyclin D1, Ki67 AFP and β-catenin using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis revealed that Cyclin D1 and Ki67 expression were significantly associated with outcome in our HB cohort. This has revealed two potential biomarkers that may aid in prognostication. Activation of β-catenin is a hallmark of hepatoblastoma and appears to play a crucial role in its pathogenesis. However, while aberrant accumulation of β-catenin is a common event in HB, the high frequency of protein expression cannot always be accounted for by mutations or deletions in CTNNB1, the β-catenin gene. 87% of this HB cohort showed aberrant accumulation of the β-catenin protein but only 15% had mutations in the β-catenin gene by sequence analysis. In this study we also investigated alternative activation of β-catenin by HGF/c-MET signalling in our large cohort of HB patients. Activation of the HGF/c-Met pathway leads to tyrosine
The multi-criteria decision model aid for assessment of the hop cultivars (Humulus lupulus L.).

The use of expert systems in agriculture based on decision methods has increasingly been influencing the decision-making process. Numerical methods are used in classification analyses in order to obtain objective and stable classification. In this segment the computer model is an irreplaceable tool in the hands of an expert. The article presents the use of DEX-i methodology that is used in the field of hop breeding decision making. Four different perspective Slovenian hop hybrids, A1/54, A2/104, A3/112, A4/122 and a reference cultivar with desired characteristics, ―R‖ (Magnum) were used for testing the decision model. The results showed that A3/112 was assessed as the best even in comparison with the target cultivar R.