Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloning,characterization and expression analysis of a CXCL10-like chemokine from turbot Scophthalmus maximus

Chemokines represent a superfamily of small secreted protein(6-14kD),which is an essential part of both innate and adaptive immune system.They have been implicated in several immune mediated responses,such as inflammation,intercellular,communication,antigen presentation,blood cell development,metastatis,viral infection and wound healing.Based on the arrangement of the first two cysteine residues of amino acid sequences,chemokines were divided into four groups:CXC,CC,C and CX3C subfamilies.A CXC chemokine gene,corresponding to clone 950,was identified from this turbot spleen cDNA library(GenBank accession number DQ339043). The CXC chemokine gene has a partial sequence of 510bp with unknown 5′ and 3′ ends,which was obtained by using the methods of 5′ and 3′-RACE,respectively.The complete cDNA contains a 79bp 5′ UTR,a 372bp open reading frame(ORF) encoding 123 amino acids and a 227bp 3′ UTR.Four exons and three introns are identified in the turbot CXC chemokine gene.The three introns were 591bp,86bp and 125bp,respectively.A condensed phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the amino acid sequences of turbot CXC chemokine and other well-defined vertebrate CXC chemokines.The overall topology of the tree showed the turbot CXC chemokine clusters with all CXCL10.Alignment of amino acid residues of the turbot CXCL10 genes with those from mammals and fish indicated high level conservation of amino acid sequence.The turbot CXC10-like chemokine was not expressed in normal turbot tissues.Interestingly,the highest expression levels of the turbot CXC10-like chemokine were detected at 12h in liver and spleen after challenging with V.anguillarum and at 5h in head kidney.The expression in liver decreased gradually after 12h and came back to the level of background after 72h.In spleen,the expression kept high levels till the 24th hour and then became faintly consistent with background.The expression of the CXC chemokine was not detected in normal tissues of turbot,which suggested that it was only induced when challenged with V.anguillarum. These results indicate that the turbot CXC10-like chemokine plays an important role in turbot immune response.
Association between Serum Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Concentration and Obesity-related Factors in Health Screen Examinees

Background Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) is an aminopeptidase that inhibits the enzymatic degradation of glucagon-like peptide-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptides, neuropeptides, and various chemokines. Recent studies reported that serum DPP-4 concentration is correlated with clinical parameters of obesity. However, research on these correlations has never been conducted in Korea. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between serum DPP-4 concentration and various clinical parameters of obesity in the Korean population. Methods Patients who visited the Health Promotion Center at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center for a regular medical examination between January 2013 and March 2013 and consented to participate in this study were included. We measured and analyzed parameters of obesity. In addition, serum DPP-4 concentration was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results Serum DPP-4 concentration was positively correlated with lean body mass, total cholesterol level, and creatinine level. Serum DPP-4 concentration was higher in the obese group than in the normal body mass index (BMI) group. No significant difference in serum DPP-4 concentration was found between the metabolically healthy group and metabolically unhealthy group. Conclusion Serum DPP-4 concentration was higher in the obesity group than in the normal BMI group, which was associated with obesity-related factors.
Effect of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium, and Coenzyme Q10 in Infertile Men with Idiopathic Oligoasthenozoospermia

Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of male infertil­ ity and recently antioxidants have been tried to treat men with idiopathic infertility. Objective: To assess the effect of treatment with vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and coenzyme Q10 on seminal fluid parameters in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoo­ spermia. Materials and methods: A prospective randomized trial was conducted on 32 infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoo­ spmia who received a daily supplement of one caplet contain­ ing vitamin C (90 mg/day), vitamin E (15 mg/day), coenzyme Q10 (4 mg/day), selenium (30 μg/day), and zinc (5 mg/day) for 3 months. Semen analysis was performed at baseline and 3 months after treatment using World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 guidelines. Results: Significant improvement in sperm concentration was observed after combination therapy (9.13 ± 4.29 vs 11.3 ± 6.05 × 106/mL, p < 0.05). Sperm progressive motility (18.1 ± 8.68 vs 24.6 ± 10.2%, p < 0.01) and total motility (28.4 ± 8.71 vs 34.4 ± 11.7%, p < 0.01) also increased significantly following treatment. No change, however, was observed in semen volume or the proportion of sperms with normal morphology. Conclusion: The combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and coenzyme Q10 can significantly improve sperm concentration and motility in infertile men with idiopathic oligo­ asthenozoospermia, which could be attributed to their synergistic antioxidant action.
Oxidative stress biomarkers and cardiac troponin I in Arabian horses with strangles

In order to investigate the levels of oxidative stress (OS) biomarkers and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in horses with strangles, fifty horses with strangles and twenty healthy controls were included in this study. Blood and serum samples were tested for levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), malondialdehyde (MDA), super oxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The levels of cTnI were increased in ten diseased cases while normal cTnI levels were found in the others (n=40). The levels of MDA were increased in the horses with strangles when compared with the healthy ones. The levels of SOD, GSH, NO and TAC were lower in the horses with strangles when compared with the controls. Successfully treated cases had lower levels of cTnI and MDA compared to non-responsive ones. Only the SOD level was higher in the successfully treated cases compared to the non-responsive ones. The cases had a moderate and positive correlation with the cTnI and MDA levels. Conversely, the levels of SOD, GSH, NO, and TAC negatively correlated with being a case. Additionally, the treatment success negatively correlated with the cTnI and MDA levels, whereas it positively correlated with the SOD level. In conclusion, OS was detected in horses with strangles. These biomarkers could be used as diagnostic and prognostic tools.
New candidate markers of phosphorus status in beef breeder cows

Determining the phosphorus (P) status of cattle grazing P-deficient rangelands in northern Australia is important for improving animal production in these areas. Plasma inorganic P concentration is currently the best diagnostic marker of dietary P deficiency in growing cattle but is not suitable for assessing the P status of breeder cows, which often mobilise substantial bone and soft tissue reserves in late pregnancy and lactation. Markers of bone turnover offer potential as markers of P status in cattle, as they reflect bone mobilisation or bone formation. Recent experiments investigating the physiology of beef breeder cows during diet P deficiency have indicated that the ratio of plasma total calcium concentration to plasma inorganic P concentration might be suitable as a simple index of P deficiency. However, a more specific measure of increased bone mobilisation in P-deficient breeders is plasma concentration of C-terminal telopeptide of Type 1 collagen. Also, plasma concentration of bone alkaline phosphatase is a marker of defective bone mineralisation in dietary P deficiency. These candidate markers warrant further investigation to determine their predictive value for P deficiency in cattle.
Aroma-producing of -carotene Degraded by the Fusarium Sp.

The fungal strain which could degrade -carotene was isolated and screened from the samples of tobacco collected from Yunnan Honghe. The strain was classified and identified with morphology of strain and ITS sequence analysis. The preliminary identification showed that the strain was Fusarium Sp. The fermenting product with fruit fragrance was obtained by the degradation of -carotene with the strain Fusarium Sp. The samples smell good and the degradation of -carotene was measured.
Cactus survey at the Floresta Nacional of Contendas do Sincorá, Bahia, Brazil

Summary: The Brazilian state of Bahia is home to 98 out of 260 species of the country's native Cactaceae. The Floresta Nacional Contendas do Sincorá (FLONA Sincorá), in the Município de Contendas do Sincorá has vegetation, climate and temperatures typical of the Caatinga biome. The survey intended to increase the knowledge regarding the cacti of protected areas within the state of Bahia and was based on fieldwork carried out in April and July 2014 and February 2015, complemented by studies of herbarium material. The FLONA Sincorá harbours 11 genera and 14 species within its area: Arrojadoa penicillata (Gürke) Britton & Rose; Brasilicereus phaeacanthus (Gürke) Backeb; Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis (Willd.) A. Berger; Cereus jamacaru DC. ; Espostoopsis dybowskii (Rol.-Goss.) Buxb; Hylocereus setaceus (Salm-Dyck) R. Bauer; Melocactus concinnus Buining & Brederoo; Pereskia aureiflora F. Ritter; Pereskia bahiensis Gürke; Pilosocereus catingicola (Gürke) Byles & G.D. Rowley ssp catingicola; Stephanocereus leucostele (Gürke) A. Berger; Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy; Tacinga funalis Britton & Rose; and Tacinga palmadora (Britton & Rose) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy. Of these, Espostoopsis dybowskii, Pereskia bahiensis and Stephanocereus leucostele are endemic to Bahia. The east Brazilian genus Tacinga was the largest, with three species. An identification key for all taxa, together with descriptions, illustrations, taxonomic and conservation and threat statements are presented.
EFEITOS GENÉTICOS E AMBIENTAIS SOBRE AS CARACTERÍSTICAS PRODUTIVAS EM REBANHO NELORE CRIADO NA REGIÃO NORTE DO ESTADO DO TOCANTINS Genetic and environmental effects on productive traits of Nellore cattle raised in northern Tocantins State, Brazil

Objetivou-se estudar a influencia de efeitos geneticos e ambientais sobre as caracteristicas de peso aos 205dias (P205), peso aos 365 dias (P365) e peso aos 550 dias (P550), em rebanho da raca Nelore criado em Araguaina (TO). As medias obtidas para P205, P365 e P550 encontram-se dentro dos limites estabelecidos em outras regioes do Brasil. As fontes de variacoes apresentaram efeito significativo (p < 0,05) sobre os pesos estudados. Os efeitos de sexo, ano, idade da vaca e mes de nascimento sao importantes fatores nao geneticos que influenciam os pesos pre-desmama e pos-desmama de bovinos da raca Nelore. As estimativas dos coeficientes de herdabilidades foram de media a alta magnitude, resultando em boa variabilidade genetica dentro do rebanho, bem como a possibilidade de selecao para tais caracteristicas.
Description of a new species of Pareiorhaphis (Loricariidae: Neoplecostominae) from the rio Jequitinhonha basin, Minas Gerais, eastern Brazil

A new species of the loricariid genus Pareiorhaphis is described based on specimens from several tributaries of the upper and middle rio Jequitinhonha basin, Minas Gerais State, eastern Brazil. The new species increases the number of known species of Pareiorhaphis to 25 and, at the same time, represents the second member of the subfamily Neoplecostominae reported from the rio Jequitinhonha basin. The new species is diagnosed from all remaining congeners by a putative autapomorphic feature related to the color pattern: a well-defined, dark brown stripe on the median series of lateral plates that extends along the flank from the posterior margin of compound pterotic to the caudal-fin base. The shallow caudal peduncle and the comparatively larger number of dentary teeth also distinguish the new species from most congeners. The new species is also compared to Pareiorhaphis stephanus, a syntopic congener with similar traits.
Behavioral Ecology of Deep Diving Odontocetes in The Bahamas

Abstract : This project has provided key baseline information on the behavioral ecology of six cetaceans known from the Bahamas (melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra; short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus (Gm); Blainvilles Mesoplodon densirostris, Gervais Mesoplodon europaeus and Cuviers Ziphius cavirostris beaked whales; and sperm whale) to assess potential vulnerabilities to disturbance from Navy activities. All occur sympatrically in deep-water habitats that overlap with Navy sonar use, including at the U.S.Navys Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center. Data acquired through photo-identification, molecular genetics and chemical biomarkers from tissue biopsies, satellite telemetry, and acoustic recordings were integrated to characterize their population structure and movement patterns, social organization, and foraging behavior. Gm exhibited the most widespread movements while beaked whales demonstrated high site fidelity on a small scale. Long-term and/or complex social structure was revealed for all species studied raising concern for activities that could disrupt key individuals within social units and their resultant effect on the entire unit. Variation across species in their vertical foraging habitat suggests diet differences while the diving capacity of beaked whales enabled them to access upper bathypelagic foraging niches despite their relatively small sizes, but at the cost of reduced dive efficiency. This study provides further support that beaked whales, due to their limited ranging patterns and foraging strategies, may be most vulnerable to disturbances.
Potency Of Medicinal Leaves in the Growth Performance of Broiler Chicks

The study is about the feed additives present in medicinal leaves was conducted to investigate the antibacterial and the phytochemical composition of the ethanolic leaf extract present in different medicinal leaves. Ethanolic extracts of Persia americana (avocado), Psidium guajava (guava), and Moringa olifera (malunggay) were tested using the paper disc diffusion method for antibacterial agent against the common poultry pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Guava and avocado extract showed almost all the secondary metabolites screened while only flavonoids and alkaloids were present in the malunggay extract. The presence of secondary metabolites applied to broiler chicks as feed additives enhances the growth performance of the chicken. There were five treatments groups identified as distilled water,Vetracin, avocado decoction, guava decoction, and malunggay decoction. Using a statistical analysis of one- way ANOVA and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT), final weight and the weight gained has significant differences including some body parts of the chicken while the final circumferential measurement doesn’t have a significant difference. Among the treatments, guava decoction had better weight yield among the experimental medicinal leaves.Therefore, this can be an alternative substitute for antibiotics in the chicken production and one way of eliminating the use of synthetic antibiotic application is through the utilization of the natural antibiotic extract from medicinal leaves which lessen the side effect in the treated animals and consumers.
Descriptive bioregionalisation and conservation biogeography: what is the true bioregional representativeness of protected areas?

Abstract. Conservation biogeography involves the application of biogeographical principles and methods to conservation issues, including the design of protected areas. Bioregionalisation has been central in the implementation of main global conservation strategies, providing the basis for prioritising protected areas and evaluating their representativeness and effectiveness in conservation actions. Traditionally, experts established these bioregionalisations without repeatable methodologies and using only qualitative evidence, which has set constraints in their usefulness. We compared three descriptive bioregionalisations commonly used for conservation decision-making, with a regionalisation produced using quantitative methods (endemicity analysis), so as to assess biases and differences in the representativeness of the existing protected-area system of Argentina. Areas of endemism were detected using NDM/VNDM quantitative methodology on a database consisting of 19 250 distribution records of 116 taxa of snakes, and the results were compared with previous descriptive regionalisations. We recovered 9 quantitative bioregionalisation units (QBU) v. 6–8 descriptive bioregionalisation units (DBU) proposed by previous authors. From this comparison, the following was found: (1) we discovered three new QBU not considered by any previous DBU; (2) other three areas proposed by DBU are not supported by our endemicity analysis; (3) we detected differences comparing the representativeness of protected areas between descriptive v. quantitative bioregionalisations, leaving the first, some areas of conservation relevance largely unprotected. Moreover, DBU were characterised by a high degree of uncertainty and biases, such as the consideration of probably artificial units, the non-recognition of some natural units and mistakes in the representativeness of protected areas. We emphasise the importance of applying quantitative biogeographic methods to identify bioregionalisation units and its fundamental role in conservation biogeography so as to optimise protected-area efficiency and other territorial conservation strategies.
Effect of parental RNA interference of a transformer‐2 homologue on female reproduction and offspring sex determination in Asian citrus psyllid

Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama is the vector of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of citrus huanglongbing (HLB). A comprehensive understanding of molecular components that govern key physiological traits in D. citri would promote the development of novel genetic control strategies to fight this pest. In the present study, a transformer 2 homologue (Dctra‐2) implicated in embryonic sex differentiation in dipteran insects is targeted to interfere with the offspring sex ratio of D. citri. The results of the present study show that Dctra‐2 is constitutively expressed at all developmental stages and in both females and males during the adult stage. Quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction analysis confirms the double‐stranded RNA‐mediated RNA interference (RNAi) of the Dctra‐2. RNAi effects in D. citri female adults can be transferred in a trans‐generational manner to their eggs and progeny, which are commonly referred as parental RNAi. RNAi females lay fewer eggs, with a mean of 12.44, and the hatching rate of laid eggs is reduced approximately by 29.86% compared with the control. However, parental RNAi of Dctra‐2 do not produce male‐biased progeny. The results suggest that Dctra‐2 is an effective RNAi target for use in the management of D. citri. In addition, the parental RNAi would provide an effective tool for studying the function of early embryonic genes in D. citri.
Heterogeneity and scaling of photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen uptake in three Atlantic Rainforest streams

Leaves, epilithon, macrophytes, and fine benthic organic material are central ecosystem compartments to food webs and mediate nutrient fluxes in streams. Most estimates of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) are made at a reach scale, averaging across compartments. Thus, there is little information on how individual compartments contribute to and scale up to whole-stream estimates across watersheds. We compared estimates of GPP, ER, and nitrogen (N) uptake of individual ecosystem compartments (dm) and stream reaches (~100 m) in three sizes of streams in a preserved Atlantic Rainforest watershed. The smallest stream had dense forest canopy cover, whereas the largest was more open. We measured substratum-specific rates of GPP and ER, as well as ammonium and nitrate 15N uptake in recirculating chambers. We compared these decimeter-scale measurements to whole-stream estimates, using single-station dissolved oxygen (GPP and ER) and pulsed N uptake methods. Epilithon and macrophytes (when present) were the dominant GPP and N uptake compartments in open-canopy sites, and leaves contributed strongly to ER at all sites, even though they covered <3 percent of the stream bottom. Ammonium and nitrate uptake per unit N content varied significantly among substrata and streams. Upscaled inorganic N uptake per unit area was greater when macrophytes were present. Chamber measurements overestimated metabolic rates in the larger streams, but not in the smallest one. The smallest transient storage zone streams were more active than the biggest one, and this influenced the mismatch between whole-stream and chamber nutrient uptake estimates. We conclude that scaling to the whole watershed requires information on location in the watershed (e.g., where canopy cover is dense), rates of individual compartments, and reach-specific hydrodynamic information as influenced by large-scale geomorphic details (i.e., the size and activity of the transient storage zones).
Lifestyle of beer spoiling lactic acid bacteria

The lifestyle of beer spoiling lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was focused, investigating their genomic properties, metabolism and physiology. We found that, on one hand, beer-spoiling LAB are characterized by mostly species-specific, chromosomally encoded metabolic settings conferring adaptation to the niche beer. On the other hand, strains of different species share a dynamic mobile genetic pool, encoding additional traits beyond hop tolerance, which finally enable and facilitate LAB growth in beer. The respective genes can be used as targets for quality control.
Human B Cell Responses to Infection with Pathogenic and Commensal Neisseria Species

The Neisseria genus includes pathogens, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo) and Neisseria meningitidis, as well as commensals. Ngo, the cause of gonorrhea, induces massive inflammation but a surprising lack of adaptive immune responses. We have observed that Ngo can inhibit both T cell activation and dendritic cell maturation through interaction with the host expressed co-inhibitory receptor carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1). Therefore, I wondered whether B cells may also be affected in this manner. Herein, I examine primary human B cell responses to infection with Ngo, as well as the other Neisseria species. B cells infected with Ngo show no sign of inhibition, regardless of their ability to bind CEACAM1, instead responding to gonococci with robust activation and proliferation. There are distinct subsets of B cells found in the periphery and, intriguingly, the IgM memory B cell subset expand and produce polyreactive IgM in response to goncoccal infection. These cells are innate in function, producing low affinity, polyclonal IgM that is protective against bacterial and fungal dissemination. This effect was broadly specific for Neisseria sp. , as B cell infection with all commensal Neisseria species examined induced innate B cell responses. Curiously, meningococcal strains avoid inducing the innate B cell responses, making it enticing to hypothesize that its avoidance of such an ancient immune response may