Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Jellyfish blooms: Crambionella orsini (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, 2002–2003

In 2002, a jellyfish bloom occurred throughout the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf causing decreased catch in artisanal and industrial fisheries, damage to fishing gear, interrupted operation of desalination plants, and damage to the seawater cooling systems of coastal power plants. The cause and source of the bloom and the species of medusa were unknown. Here, the temporal and spatial distribution of the medusa are described using data from incidental catches in Iranian fisheries surveys, and morphological and molecular evidence are used to identify the medusa as Crambionella orsini (Vanhöffen). This species is endemic to the western Indian Ocean and adjacent basins which dismisses species introduction as the cause of this bloom. Furthermore, because the bloom was geographically widespread, it probably was not caused by local coastal degradation. Although human activities with large-scale effects cannot be ruled out, large-scale oceanographic or ecosystem conditions, perhaps part of natural climate cycles, that yielded moderate sea surface temperatures (in terms of the annual mean monthly anomaly for each year since 1982) were the most likely causes of the bloom of this endemic jellyfish.
Grounded Sequence to Sequence Transduction

Speech recognition and machine translation have made major progress over the past decades, providing practical systems to map one language sequence to another. Although multiple modalities such as sound and video are becoming increasingly available, the state-of-the-art systems are inherently unimodal, in the sense that they take a single modality — either speech or text — as input. Evidence from human learning suggests that additional modalities can provide disambiguating signals crucial for many language tasks. In this article, we describe the How2 dataset , a large, open-domain collection of videos with transcriptions and their translations. We then show how this single dataset can be used to develop systems for a variety of language tasks and present a number of models meant as starting points. Across tasks, we find that building multimodal architectures that perform better than their unimodal counterpart remains a challenge. This leaves plenty of room for the exploration of more advanced solutions that fully exploit the multimodal nature of the How2 dataset , and the general direction of multimodal learning with other datasets as well.
Effect of Streptomyces Metabolites on Some Physiological Parameters of Maize Seeds

The influence of metabolites of actinomycetes on some physiological parameters of maizeÂ seeds of hybrid of Debut variety (roots formation, growth of coleoptiles) has been studied. The strainsÂ of actinomycetes genusÂ Streptomyces were isolated from various soil samples of R.Moldova with different content of humus. The obtained data showed that the number of roots increased considerablyÂ under the influence of metabolites ofÂ Streptomyces sp . 47, Streptomyces sp . 123, Streptomyces sp . 154 andÂ Streptomyces sp . 182 (19,4%, 16,6% and 13,8% respectively, compared with the control - water). The increasing by 33,0 and 44,8% of the main root in comparison with the control was determinedÂ after the treatment with metabolites ofÂ Streptomyces sp . 11 and Streptomyces sp . 123 strains. The metabolites ofÂ Streptomyces sp . 154 and Streptomyces sp . 182 strains led to an increasing of coleoptiles length on 31,3 and 38,1% respectively. The dry weight of the roots and coleoptiles exceeded theÂ control on 30-80% and 25-75% respectively in experimental variants. Our research showed that theÂ investigated streptomycetes strains are capable to synthesize the substances which stimulate rootsÂ forming and development of stems. In summary, the isolated from Moldavian soils strains ofÂ streptomycetes can be considered as potential producers of plant growth regulators.
Managing invasive populations of red palm weevil: A worldwide perspective

Globalization facilitates the introduction and spread of insect species outside their native range. The invasive species can breed and spread aggressively because the new habitat might not have any natural enemy. Their establishment in new habitat can disrupt the existing pest management strategies. Moreover, the invasive species along with yield reduction can significantly increase the cost for its management. The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an example that has become a major source of economic loss in date production especially in the Middle East. This review focuses on RPW invasive history, pest status, biology, host plants, economic impacts, control tactics and recent research and international efforts for RPW management.
Induction of resistance to insect growth regulators.

Laboratory colonies of Culex pipiens pipiens L. , Tribolium confusum Jacquelin duVal, and Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas) were submitted to selection pressure at the EC60 level in each generation; 7 different JH mimics and diftubenzuron were thus investigated for their liability to induce resistance. For each insect, test methods for assessing their susceptibility levels were developed to trace development of resistance. Methoprene induced resistance in C. p. pipiens , and tolerance in the 2 other species. Triprene induced resistance in C. p. pipiens and hydroprene induced it in T. confusum . Diflubenzuron induced a modest resistance in C. p. pipiens and T. confusum while Stauffer R-20458 and Hoffmann-LaRoche Ro-20-3600 did not Stauffer R-20458 and kinoprene induced tolerance in O. fasciatus . The methoprene-resistance developed in C. p. pipiens was at first handicapped by a greatly reduced reproductive success, but after 40 generations of pressure and the attainment of a 100-fold resistance, the reproductive success had returned to normal. This resistance showed polyfactoral inheritance and extended in cross-resistance to 5 other JH mimics but not to diflubenzuron nor to conventional insecticides.
Citrus plastid-related gene profiling based on expressed sequence tag analyses

Plastid-related sequences, derived from putative nuclear or plastome genes, were searched in a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and genomic sequences from the Citrus Biotechnology initiative in Brazil. The identified putative Citrus chloroplast gene sequences were compared to those from Arabidopsis, Eucalyptus and Pinus. Differential expression profiling for plastid-directed nuclear-encoded proteins and photosynthesis-related gene expression variation between Citrus sinensis and Citrus reticulata, when inoculated or not with Xylella fastidiosa, were also analyzed. Presumed Citrus plastome regions were more similar to Eucalyptus. Some putative genes appeared to be preferentially expressed in vegetative tissues (leaves and bark) or in reproductive organs (flowers and fruits). Genes preferentially expressed in fruit and flower may be associated with hypothetical physiological functions. Expression pattern clustering analysis suggested that photosynthesis- and carbon fixation-related genes appeared to be up- or down-regulated in a resistant or susceptible Citrus species after Xylella inoculation in comparison to non-infected controls, generating novel information which may be helpful to develop novel genetic manipulation strategies to control Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC).
Evaluation of allelopathic effect of Tinospora cordifolia on biochemical activity of some weeds.

A study was conducted to assess the magnitude of suppressing ability of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers on some selected weeds of Aligarh namely, Chenopodium album L. , Chenopodium murale L. , Cassia tora L. and Cassia sophera L. The research finding was conducted to evaluate the effect of aqueous leaf leachate and organic fractions of donor plant on biochemical activities (carbohydrate content, chlorophyll content and protein content). The result showed that aqueous leachate and organic fractions reduced the level of biochemical activities. Carbohydrate content was increased in treated plants compared to control while chlorophyll content and protein content were reduced as compared to control. Aqueous leachate showed maximum toxicity on weeds than organic fractions. The reduction may be due to the allelochemicals present in T. cordifolia leaves.
Soil, hydroperiod and bedding effects on restoring bottomland hardwoods on flood‐prone agricultural lands in North Louisiana, USA

Summary Many of the bottomland hardwood forests of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA have been converted to agriculture, thus constituting a sizable loss in ecological and socio-economic functions. Bottomland hardwood forest afforestation on marginal agricultural lands has grown considerably since 1990. However, many failures in bottomland hardwood afforestation have occurred for various reasons, including misunderstandings or ignoring the relationships between species, soil and hydrology. In October 1996, a 32-ha tract on an abandoned agricultural field in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, USA was site prepared for afforestation by bedding (moulding soil in parallel ridges). The following January it was planted with seedlings of Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii Palmer) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), and direct seeded with Nuttall oak. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bedding (within three soil types) on species survival and growth. Soil redox potential measurements indicated that the soils were intensely anaerobic during frequent prolonged seasonal inundation and saturation events. Bedding clayey soils significantly increased mean height of planted and direct-seeded Nuttall oak, but not that for green ash. Bedding appears to be somewhat effective in restoring site microtopography, reducing soil hydroperiod and enhancing planted Nuttall oak height growth on poorly drained, clayey soils.
Acidiphilium cryptum gen. nov., sp. nov., Heterotrophic Bacterium From Acidic Mineral Environments

Acidiphilium gen. nov. is comprised of gram-negative, aerobic, mesophilic, rodshaped bacteria that grow in lean organic media between pH 1.9 and 5.9 but not at pH 6.1. Small amounts of organic substrates are required for growth, but high concentrations inhibit growth, especially the organic digests used in conventional bacteriological media. Sodium acetate is strongly inhibitory at a concentration of 0.01%. Endospores are not formed, and some strains are motile by means of one polar flagellum or two lateral flagella. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid varies between 68 and 70 mol%. Some catalase is formed, but the oxidase reaction is very weak or absent. This genus differs from Pseudomonas, Chromobacterium, Flavobacterium, and other soil heterotrophs by its requirement for a high concentration of hydrogen ions and its sensitivity to many organic substrates. It differs from Pseudomonas also by its lack of a strong oxidase reaction and especially by its inhibition by acetate. It is easily distinguished from acidophilic thiobacilli by its inability to utilize sulfur and ferrous iron as sources of energy and by the high guanine-plus-cytosine content of deoxyribonucleic acid. The type species is Acidiphilium cryptum, and the type strain of this species is strain Lhet2 (=ATCC 33463).
VARIATION OF NON-CODING REGION AND CODING REGION OF 5’-TERMINAL CRNA OF POLYMERASE BASIC 1 OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS SUBTYPE H5N1

The sequence of the Non-Coding Region (NCR) and Coding Region (CR) of 5’-terminal cRNA of thepolymerase basic 1 (PB1) gene as a major factor for the species adaptation of avian influenza virussubtype H5N1 (AIV H5N1) has been analysed. The information could be a virological signal for theemergence of a new strain with pandemic potential. Total RNA from twenty six (26) avian influenzasubtype H5N1 isolates were amplified using reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)with a universal forward primer for influenza virus and specifically designed backward primers. Fifteen(15) PB1 gene fragments could be amplified. RT-PCR products were sequenced and analyzed using Mega4software. The length of NCR of PB1 gene was found to be 24 bases and mostly shows conserved sequence,with an exception of Dk/Badung/2006 isolate which has C-7T substitution. A/T composition of PB1 NCRwas 54,2%, while the Dk/Badung/2006 isolate was 58,3%. Species and geographical specificity could not befound in the genetic distance, the amino acid polymorphism, as well as the phylogenetic analysis of t
Generalized Switch Current Stress Reduction Technique for Coupled-Inductor-Based Single-Switch High Step-Up Boost Converter

Coupled-inductor-based boost converters suffer from high switch current stress in steady state and transient due to less self-inductance value in their winding. In this article, a generalized switch current stress reduction technique is proposed by modifying circuit topology of coupled-inductor-based high step-up boost converter (CIHBC). This is achieved by a half-cycle resonating branch utilizing inductance of coupled inductor. Furthermore, applying the concept, a coupled inductor boost converter is proposed for achieving high step-up ratio with low switch current and voltage stress. The operation of the proposed converter using a resonating branch is discussed in both continuous and discontinuous conduction modes. The theoretical findings are verified through a simulation study in PSIM 9.1. 1. A prototype converter of 100-W output power is designed to prove the concept and for performance analysis of the proposed converter.
Comparaison de deux méthodes de dosage des acides gras libres totaux du lait de chèvre

L'objet de cette etude est la comparaison de la methode de Deeth (methode rapide) et de la methode de Harper (consideree comme methode de reference), utilisees pour la determination des acides gras libres totaux du lait de chevre, frais ou apres 24 h de stockage au froid. Les resultats obtenus montrent que les pourcentages de recuperation des acides gras libres sont relativement plus faibles avec la methode de Deeth, particulierement pour les acides gras a courte chaine. Toutefois, les valeurs absolues d'acidite initiale (lait fraichement secrete) enregistrees avec les deux methodes ne sont pas significativement correlees, et beaucoup plus elevees avec la methode de Deeth.
miR-126 and miR-223 as biomarkers of vascular damage in the course of Chronic Kidney Disease

Development of disease is often due to deregulation of gene expression. The gene program is controlled at the post-transcriptional level by the action of small non-coding RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNAs), short, single-stranded molecules that control mRNA stability or translational repression via base pairing with regions in the 3' untranslated region of their target mRNAs. Over the last decade, considerable progress has been made to elucidate the roles of miRNAs in vascular pathogenesis and develop the use of miRNAs as innovative biomarkers in diagnostics, and as groundbreaking drugs in pharmacological treatments. It has been recently shown that several miRNAs are implicated in the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are associated with vessel damage, such as vascular calcifications and atherosclerosis. The inflammatory miR-223 is increased in vitro in vascular smooth muscle cells subjected to uremic toxins and is also increased in vivo in more advanced stages of CKD. The endothelial-specific miR-126 is involved in vascular remodeling in response to laminar shear stress in HUVEC cells. Finally, miR-126 levels have been found to be deregulated in murine and human serum in the course of experimental CKD and in human diabetic patients. In conclusion, these miRNAs could play a role in CKD vascular remodeling and may therefore represent useful targets to prevent or treat complications of CKD.
Genetic diversity analysis of diazotrophs in the rice rhizosphere

The genetic diversity of dinitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with rice ( Oryza sativa ) was assessed by a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) approach on the nifH gene amplified directly from DNA extracted from washed rice roots and rhizospheric soil. Restriction digestion with the enzymes Mnl I and Hae III was performed to characterize 54 cloned nifH PCR products. RFLP profiles were clustered and analysed with the UPGMA program. Eight pairs of similar RFLP patterns (similarity>50%) and two pairs of homologous RFLP patterns (100% identity) were found from the washed roots and the rhizospheric soil, respectively. Three specific diazotrophic patterns were found from rhizospheric soil and rice roots. The analyses have revealed the presence of different nifH types, which appear to be significant components of the diazotrophic community in paddy fields, indicating that some of the diazotrophs may colonize the inside and the surface of the rice roots.
Genetic diversity in camelina germplasm as revealed by seed quality characteristics and RAPD polymorphism

Camelina is an alternative oilseed crop species with limited information about the origin and diversity of available germplasm. Therefore, a set of 130 camelina accessions from a world collection was evaluated for oil content, protein content and 1000-seed weight in field experiments grown in three macro-environments in Austria. Based on phenotypic data, accessions were categorized into four groups with different seed characteristics using k-means cluster analysis or principal component extraction. Subsequently, a representative set of 41 accessions was subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Of 24 primers, 15 were polymorphic producing a total of 30 marker loci. Genetic distance estimates between the 41 accessions were calculated, based both on RAPD polymorphism and on seed quality characteristics, and dendrograms were generated for comparison. Similarities were found between the two different clustering approaches, and grouping was partly in agreement with pedigree information or geographic origin. However, as the two estimates of diversity sampled different segments of the genome, i.e. regions coding for seed characteristics or phenotypically neutral genomic regions highlighted by discrete markers, the correlation between the two distance matrices was low.
NF-κB as a therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases

NF-κB is a transcription factor that regulates numerous physiological functions, and that is involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases. In the nervous system there is evidence supporting a dual role of NF-κB in neurodegenerative diseases; activation of NF-κB in neurons promotes their survival, whereas activation in glial and immune cells mediates pathological inflammatory processes. The reason for such a dichotomy lies in the complexity of the NF-κB system. Emerging research has begun to dissect the pathways leading to the activation of the different NF-κB proteins, and the gene targets of NF-κB, in cells of the nervous system. In this article the authors discuss recent findings concerning the roles of NF-κB in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, and its potential as a pharmaceutical target for these disorders.
Small-scale distribution of a cnidarian population in the western Mediterranean

The neritic area of the coast of Catalonia (north-west Mediterranean) has a continental shelf narrower in the northern half and broader in the southern half. This area is crossed from north to south by a coastal current whose intensity decreases to the south. Both conditions, together with other local geographical and hydrographical features, are thought to be the key factors in determining the distribution of planktonic cnidarian assemblages, along two main variational axes: a north-south axis and a coast-open sea axis. Aiming to find support to this hypothesis, the planktonic cnidarians collected in two seasons of the year 1983 have been studied. The first season (April-May) corresponds to the highest abundance and heterogeneity, and the second (September-October), to the epoch when the cnidarian population is lower, but constant, along the coastal area. In a global principal component analysis the factor that best explains the group distribution in the area is the coastal character, as given by the bottom depth of the sampling station. The number of individuals is greater near the coast (due to the dominance of a euryhaline species, Muggiaea atlantica), but the species number increases towards the open sea (due to the addition of more oceanic species, such as Narcomedusae and Trachymedusae and the effect of a permanent hydrographic front at the shelf-slope boundary). The second factor is the latitudinal axis. The northern half of the coast is under the influence of waters favouring a greater number of species and individuals. On the contrary, the southern half shows a less marked influence of the north-south current, their cnidarian assemblages being more constant over time. Although the global cnidarian population follows this general pattern, the most abundant and frequent species (M.atlantica and Aglaura hemistoma) show a broad distribution over all the studied area because they are rather insensitive to hydrographica l variations.
A Fibril Protein Antigen Specific to Spiroplasma

SUMMARY: An antiserum, raised in rabbits against honey-bee spiroplasma (BC3) fibril protein monomer, mol. wt 55000, excised from SDS—polyacrylamide gels, had precipitating activity against SDS-denatured fibril protein but not against the native protein. This antiserum was used to probe spiroplasma cell proteins separated by SDS—PAGE and blotted on to nitrocellulose filters. Antigens of mol. wt 55000 were identified in 13 different spiroplasmas, including a non-helical strain of Spiroplasma citri, representing five different sero-groups. The antiserum did not react with proteins in any of the Mycoplasma spp. or Acholeplasma spp. tested. Two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis revealed variations in the amount of antigen in different isolates from the same sero-group. Peptide mapping by limited proteolysis showed that the fibril protein was highly conserved within a sero-group but that there was some heterogeneity between groups. All fibril proteins yielded common peptides recognised by the antiserum.
Clonogenic Cells and Stem Cells in Epidermis

A model for epidermal proliferation of a subpopulation of clonogenic cells is briefly discussed and tested in relation to published results of fractionated irradiation survival for mouse epidermis. It is suggested that since the computed average values for the initial number of clonogenic cells differ by an order of magnitude for the measured values for basal cells in mouse skin, one in ten of the basal cells might be clonogenic. It is pointed out that this explanation is compatible with the observation of hexagonal epidermal units, the central stem cell cycling at a slower rate than the rest. (UK)