Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review Of The Neotropical Bee Genus Ctenioschelus Romand (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Ericrocidini)

ABSTRACT The female of Ctenioschelus chalcodes Thiele is described from northwestern Costa Rica. Lacking the characteristic antennae of the male, the females are not easily distinguished from those of C. goryi (Romand). The lack of strongly violet iridescent scales on the head and mesosomal dorsum of C. chalcodes and the largely concave dorsum of the mesoscutellar tubercles distinguish females of this species from those of C. goryi. Most external characters of the additional male specimens of C. chalcodes agree with those mentioned in the original description. The geographic distribution of C. chalcodes in Costa Rica seems to be restricted to dry forest in the northwest, whereas C. goryi occurs in wet forests throughout the rest of the country, indicating a parapatric distribution pattern for the two species. Nectar host plants and associated species are provided, but no bee hosts for these cleptoparasitic species could be determined so far. A key to the species is provided.
Contribution of Regulation by the bvgLocus to Respiratory Infection of Mice by Bordetella pertussis

ABSTRACT Whooping cough is an acute respiratory disease caused by the small, gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. B. pertussisexpresses several factors that contribute to its ability to cause disease. These factors include surface-associated molecules, which are involved in the adherence of the organism to respiratory epithelial cells, as well as several extracellular toxins that inhibit host defenses and induce damage to host tissues. The expression of virulence factors in B. pertussis is dependent upon thebvg locus, which consists of three genes: bvgA,bvgS, and bvgR. The bvgAS genes encode a two-component regulatory system consisting of a sensor protein, BvgS, and a transcriptional activator, BvgA. Upon modification by BvgS, BvgA binds to the promoter regions of thebvg-activated genes and activates transcription. One of thebvg-activated genes, bvgR, is responsible for the regulation of the bvg-repressed genes, the functions of which are unknown. The fact that these genes are regulated by thebvg locus suggests that they play a role in the pathogenesis of the bacterium. In order to evaluate the contribution ofbvg-mediated regulation to the virulence of B. pertussis and determine if expression of thebvg-repressed genes is required for the virulence ofB. pertussis, we examined the ability of B. pertussis mutants, defective in their ability to regulate the expression of the bvg-activated and/or thebvg-repressed genes, to cause disease in the mouse aerosol challenge model. Our results indicate that thebvgR-mediated regulation of gene expression contributes to respiratory infection of mice.
Impact of simulated drought on ecosystem biomass production: an experimental test in stream mesocosms

Climate models predict widespread shifts in precipitation patterns and increases in the frequency of extreme events such as droughts, but consequences for key processes in affected ecosystems remains poorly understood. A 2‐year manipulative experiment used a series of stream mesocosms to test the effect of recurrent drought disturbance on the composition and secondary production of macroinvertebrate consumer assemblages and functional groups. On average, secondary production in drought‐disturbed communities (mean 4.5 g m−2 yr−1) was less than half of that that in controls (mean 10.4 g m−2 yr−1). The effects of the drought differed among functional feeding groups, with substantial declines for detritivore shredders (by 69%) and engulfing predators (by 94%). Contrasting responses were evident among taxa within most functional feeding groups, ranging from extirpation to irruptions in the case of several small midge larvae, but production of most species was suppressed. Taxon‐specific responses were related to body mass and voltinism. The ratio of production to biomass (community P/B) increased under drought, reflecting a shift in production from large long‐lived taxa to smaller taxa with faster life cycles. This research provides some of the first experimental evidence of the profound effects that droughts can have on both the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems.
Phylogeographic Inference Using Approximate Likelihoods

The demographic history of most species is complex, with multiple evolutionary processes combining to shape the observed patterns of genetic diversity. To infer this history, the discipline of phylogeography has (to date) used models that simplify the historical demography of the focal organism, for example by assuming or ignoring ongoing gene flow between populations or by requiring a priori specification of divergence history. Since no single model incorporates every possible evolutionary process, researchers rely on intuition to choose the models that they use to analyze their data. Here, we develop an approach to circumvent this reliance on intuition. PHRAPL allows users to calculate the probability of a large number of demographic histories given their data, enabling them to identify the optimal model and produce accurate parameter estimates for a given system. Using PHRAPL, we reanalyze data from 19 recent phylogeographic investigations. Results indicate that the optimal models for most datasets parameterize both gene flow and population divergence, and suggest that species tree methods (which do not consider gene flow) are overly simplistic for most phylogeographic systems. These results highlight the importance of phylogeographic model selection, and reinforce the role of phylogeography as a bridge between population genetics and phylogenetics.
ARA67/PAT1 Functions as a Repressor To Suppress Androgen Receptor Transactivation

ABSTRACT The androgen receptor (AR) may recruit multiple coregulators for proper or optimal transactivation. Here we report the identification and characterization of ARA67/PAT1 as an AR coregulator from a prostate cDNA library. ARA67/PAT1 was screened out as an AR N terminus interacting protein. Interaction mapping shows that the cooperation of multiple domains within ARA67/PAT1 may be required for the maximal interaction with AR. ARA67/PAT1 functions as a repressor with better suppressive effects on AR compared to glucocorticoid receptor and estrogen receptor. Further mechanism dissection reveals that the interrupted AR cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling may play a major role in ARA67/PAT1 mediated suppression on AR. Together, these results suggest that ARA67/PAT1 may function as a novel repressor that can modulate AR function in prostate cancer.
Persistence of Antibodies Induced by Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine in Children in India

ABSTRACT Antibody levels in 41 Indian girls were measured 6 years after measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination. Rates of seropositivity were 88% (measles antibodies), 95% (mumps antibodies), and 100% (rubella antibodies). The MMR vaccine induces long-term immunity in a majority of vaccinees; however, due to the observation of some seronegative vaccinees, the policy of administering a second dose of the MMR vaccine seems appropriate.
ESTRUCTURA POBLACIONAL Y VARIABILIDAD FENOTÍPICA DE Nerita tessellata (GASTROPODA: NERITIDAE) DE LA COSTA CARIBE COLOMBIANA DE SANTA MARTA (MAGDALENA) POPULATION STRUCTURE AND PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY OF Nerita tessellata (GASTROPODA: NERITIDAE) FROM THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF SANTA MARTA (MAGDALENA)

Con el proposito de analizar la estructura poblacional y la variabilidad fenotipica de Nerita tessellata en el litoral rocoso de las playas de Santa Marta, entre septiembre y noviembre de 2010, se muestrearon transectos perpendiculares a la linea de costa en los litorales rocosos de Bahia Concha, Punta Betin, Rodadero y Taganga. La estructura poblacional para N. tessellata (N=1544) se obtuvo mediante diagramas de frecuencia de tallas por la totalidad de individuos registrados en cada una de las estaciones y para las franjas intermareales (mesolitoral y supralitoral) se estimaron intervalos de confianza del 95%. Se efectuaron analisis de varianza (ANOVA) de una via para establecer las diferencias en las tallas para las estaciones y las franjas intermareales. La variabilidad fenotipica se evaluo mediante la prueba de homogeneidad de Chi cuadrado (X 2 ). Se identifico un patron en cuanto a la distribucion de las tallas de la especie N. tessellata, al evidenciar una tendencia a manifestar tallas mayores en la franja mesolitoral que en la supralitoral, mostrando un claro gradiente de tallas en donde las dimensiones de los individuos disminuyen a medida que se asciende en el gradiente vertical del litoral rocoso. Se apreciaron diferencias significativas a nivel interpoblacional entre las franjas intermareales y entre las estaciones de estudio (ANOVA, P<0,05). Se encontraron diferencias entre los sitios respecto a los fenotipos para la poblacion de N. tessellata, manifestando polimorfismos en cuanto a atributos de coloracion y bandeo.
Endosonographic finding of the simultaneous depiction of bile and pancreatic ducts can predict difficult biliary cannulation on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Thus far, no curved linear array endoscopic ultrasound (CLAEUS) findings were established as predictors of difficult selective bile duct cannulation (SBDC). This study aimed to identify CLAEUS findings to predict endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) cases with difficult SBDC. This single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted between July 2014 and June 2017. This study included all consecutive patients who underwent CLAEUS prior to naïve ERCP. A CLAEUS finding of the simultaneous depiction of bile and pancreatic ducts at the second portion of the duodenum (D2) (simultaneous depiction) was selected as a possible predictor of difficult SBDC, and the κ values in the evaluation of inter- and intra-observer variabilities for “simultaneous depiction” were 0.65 and 0.77, respectively, with substantial correlation. Among the 986 patients who underwent ERCP, 80 patients were relevant for evaluation. Logistic regression analysis revealed strong association between “simultaneous depiction” and difficult SBDC (odds ratio 15.4, 95% confidence interval 4.2–56.0; p<0.001). Among patients who underwent CLAEUS prior to naïve ERCP, a strong correlation was observed between “simultaneous depiction” and the risk of difficult SBDC. An endoscopist can prepare for difficult SBDC by “simultaneous depiction. ” The finding enables pertinent planning when performing ERCP, such as setting time limits and selecting alternative devices, techniques, and skilled endoscopists, for difficult SBDC with minimal complications including post-ERCP pancreatitis. However, a future prospective study is necessary to establish the procedure algorithm for suspected difficult SBDC cases based on CLAEUS.
Neuroscience Reviews: The Mosaic Brain

Humans are diploid organisms in that they carry two sets of nuclear chromosomes in their somatic cells. Humans are also haploid in that they carry one chromosome set per nucleus in specialized germ cell lines (i.e., ova and sperm). The diploid and the haploid states are both cases of normal euploidy (Griffiths et al., 1999). However, certain human diseases can arise if loss or gain of whole chromosomes occurs during embryonic development. For instance, an aneuploid condition in which there is only one (i.e., monosomic) copy of chromosomes instead of the usual two found in the diploid state, is known as Turner syndrome (XO karyotype). Conversely, if the aneuploid condition is characterized by a trisomic state in which there is an addition of a sex or autosome chromosome to the diploid progenitor, conditions such as Klinefelter syndrome (XXY karyotype), Down syndrome (trisomy 21) or Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) are generated in utero (Griffiths et al., 1999). The most likely cause of these aneuploid conditions is a nondisjunction state or the failure of homologous chromosomes or chromatids to segregate to opposite poles at meiotic or mitotic divisions (Griffiths et al., 1999). Against this background, constitutive chromosome aberrations as those observed in Down syndrome suggest that brains with a more than diploid DNA content are at risk of accumulating amyloid β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, a phenomenon that is remarkably similar to that of Alzheimer’s disease pathology (Wisniewski, 1990; Patterson and Costa, 2005). However, the surprising findings that aneuploidy, DNA copy number variation (CNV), long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) and retrotransposons routinely occur in healthy neurons, has replaced the aforementioned pathological view with the notion that the February 2015
Polyphenols in Dental Applications

(1) Background: polyphenols are a broad class of molecules extracted from plants and have a large repertoire of biological activities. Biomimetic inspiration from the effects of tea or red wine on the surface of cups or glass lead to the emergence of versatile surface chemistry with polyphenols. Owing to their hydrogen bonding abilities, coordination chemistry with metallic cations and redox properties, polyphenols are able to interact, covalently or not, with a large repertoire of chemical moieties, and can hence be used to modify the surface chemistry of almost all classes of materials. (2) Methods: the use of polyphenols to modify the surface properties of dental materials, mostly enamel and dentin, to afford them with better adhesion to resins and improved biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity, started more than 20 years ago, but no general overview has been written to our knowledge. (3) Results: the present review is aimed to show that molecules from all the major classes of polyphenolics allow for low coast improvements of dental materials and engineering of dental tissues.
A mitochondrial phylogeography of Brachidontes variabilis (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) reveals three cryptic species

This study examined genetic variation across the range of Brachidontes variabilis to produce a molecular phylogeography. Neighbour joining (NJ), minimum evolution (ME) and maximum parsimony (MP) trees based on partial mitochondrial DNA sequences of 16S-rDNA and cytochrome oxidase (COI) genes revealed three monophyletic clades: (1) Brachidontes pharaonis s.l. from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea; (2) B. variabilis from the Indian Ocean; (3) B. variabilis from the western Pacific Ocean. Although the three clades have never been differentiated by malacologists employing conventional morphological keys, they should be ascribed to the taxonomic rank of species. The nucleotide divergences between Brachidontes lineages (between 10.3% and 23.2%) were substantially higher than the divergence between congeneric Mytilus species (2.3–6.7%) and corresponded to interspecific divergences found in other bivalvia, indicating that they should be considered three different species. Analysis of the 16S-rDNA sequences revealed heteroplasmy, indicating dual uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mtDNA in the species of Brachidontes collected in the Indian Ocean, but not in the species in the Pacific nor in the species in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. When we employed the conventional estimate of the rate of mitochondrial sequence divergence (2% per million years), the divergence times for the three monophyletic lineages were 6–11 Myr for the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean Brachidontes sp. and 6.5–9 Myr for the Red Sea and Indian Ocean Brachidontes sp. Thus, these species diverged from one another during the Miocene (23.8–5.3 Myr). We infer that a common ancestor of the three Brachidontes species probably had an Indo-Pacific distribution and that vicariance events, linked to Pleistocene glaciations first and then to the opening of the Red Sea, produced three monophyletic lineages.
THE EFFECTS OF TRITICALE REPLACEMENT IN MAIZE BASED BROILER DIETS WITHOUT ENZYMES SUPPLEMENTATION ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS TRAITS

The effects of different levels of triticale replacement with maize based diets without any enzymes supplementation on growth performance and carcass traits of broiler chickens were studied. A 42:day feeding trial involving sexed 960 day old Ross:308 broilers with 48 group four replicates for 3 feed treatments in 4 rooms was carried out in a completely randomized design. Starter (23% CP and 3000 kcal ME/kg of feed), grower (21% CP and 3175kcal ME/kg of feed), and finisher diets (20 CP and 3225 kcal ME/kg of feed) were provided from 0 to 11, from 12 to 28, from 29:42 days of age as the dietary phase respectively. Diets containing either maize (M) as a control group; triticale (T) as a sole grain source and Maize+Triticale (MT) mixture were used. Triticale was provided % 50, 55 and %58 in starter, grower and finisher M and T groups’ diets in total and MT group percentages were 25%, 27.5, and 29% in the feeding periods respectively. No enzyme added to diets phytase included. Live body weihgt (BW), feed consumption (FC) were recorded weekly up to the 42d of age. At 42 d, 6 bird (3 male and 3 female) per pen in total 288 birds were used for evaluation of carcass traits. Overall, the triticale:fed birds had lower final body weight (BW) and higher feed conversion ratio (FCR). Eviscerated carcass, thigh, drum and breast as a percentage of carcass weight were lower in T and MT groups 36 and 6% than M (control group) respectively as BW and FC. Final BW, carcass weight and slaughter traits of broilers fed triticale were affected negatively within similar percentage by increasing inclusion of triticale to diets without any enzyme.
Reproductive photoresponsiveness in Aethomys ineptus and A. namaquensis (Rodentia: Muridae) from southern Africa

Male Tete veld rats Aethomys ineptus and Namaqua rock mice A. namaquensis were independently subjected to a long photoperiod of 16L:8D and a short photoperiod of 8L:16D for 3 months in order to assess the effect of photoperiod on testicular function. Testicular parameters examined included testicular mass relative to body mass, testicular volume, seminiferous tubule diameters and changes in circulating plasma testosterone concentration. On a long day (LD) length, both species exhibited significantly higher testicular mass relative to body mass and testicular volume, and larger seminiferous tubule diameters. Circulating plasma testosterone concentrations in A. ineptus were not significantly different between the two photoperiodic treatments, but A. namaquensis showed significantly higher testosterone concentration in males on a LD length than on a short day (SD) length. This suggests that both A. ineptus and A. namaquensis are photoperiodically responsive to LDs.
Functional Divergence between Histone Deacetylases in Fission Yeast by Distinct Cellular Localization and In Vivo Specificity

Functional Divergence between Histone Deacetylases in Fission Yeast by Distinct Cellular Localization and In Vivo Specificity Pernilla Bjerling, Rebecca A. Silverstein, Geneviève Thon, Amy Caudy, Shiv Grewal, and Karl Ekwall Karolinska Institutet, Sodertorn University College, S-141 04, Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Genetics, University of Copenhagen, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark; and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, New York 11724
Modelling the bearing and branching behaviors of 1-year-old shoots in apricot genotypes

In most temperate fruit trees, fruits are located on one-year old shoots. In Prunus species, flowers and fruits are born in axillary position along those shoots. The axillary bud fate and branching patterns are thus key components of the cultivar potential fruit production. The objective of this study was to analyze the branching and bearing behaviors of 1-year-old shoots of apricot cultivars and clones genetically closely related. Shoot structures were analyzed in terms of axillary bud fates using hidden semi-Markov chains and compared depending on the genotype, year and shoot length. The shoots were composed of three successive zones containing latent buds (basal zone), central flower buds (median zone) and vegetative buds (distal zone), respectively. The last two zones contained few associated flower buds. The zones length (in number of metamers) and occurrence strongly depended on shoot development in the two successive years. With decrease in the number of metamers per shoot, the last two zones become shorter or may not develop. While the number of metamers of the basal and distal zones and the number of associated flower buds correlated to the number of metamers of the shoot, the number of metamers of the median zone and the transition probability from the median to the distal zone were cultivar specific.
Identification of the initial nucleocapsid recognition element in the HIV-1 RNA packaging signal

Significance Understanding the molecular determinants of retroviral genome packaging is important for drug discovery and development of vectors for gene delivery. We show that the HIV-1 leader, which contains the RNA elements necessary for genome packaging, binds approximately two dozen copies of the cognate NC protein with affinities ranging from ∼40 nM to 1.4 µM. Binding to the four highest-affinity “initial” binding sites occurs with endothermic energetics attributed to NC-induced localized RNA melting. Mutations that stabilize these sites inhibit NC binding in vitro and RNA packaging in transfected cells. A small-molecule inhibitor of RNA packaging binds specifically to the initial NC binding sites and stabilizes the RNA structure. Our findings identify a potential RNA Achilles’ heel for HIV therapeutic development. Selective packaging of the HIV-1 genome during virus assembly is mediated by interactions between the dimeric 5ʹ-leader of the unspliced viral RNA and the nucleocapsid (NC) domains of a small number of assembling viral Gag polyproteins. Here, we show that the dimeric 5′-leader contains more than two dozen NC binding sites with affinities ranging from 40 nM to 1.4 μM, and that all high-affinity sites (Kd ≲ 400 nM) reside within a ∼150-nt region of the leader sufficient to promote RNA packaging (core encapsidation signal, ΨCES). The four initial binding sites with highest affinity reside near two symmetrically equivalent three-way junction structures. Unlike the other high-affinity sites, which bind NC with exothermic energetics, binding to these sites occurs endothermically due to concomitant unwinding of a weakly base-paired [UUUU]:[GGAG] helical element. Mutations that stabilize base pairing within this element eliminate NC binding to this site and severely impair RNA packaging into virus-like particles. NMR studies reveal that a recently discovered small-molecule inhibitor of HIV-1 RNA packaging that appears to function by stabilizing the structure of the leader binds directly to the [UUUU]:[GGAG] helix. Our findings suggest a sequential NC binding mechanism for Gag-genome assembly and identify a potential RNA Achilles’ heel to which HIV therapeutics may be targeted.
Demography of helminth parasites in relation to biometic characteristics of Mastacembalus armatus

The study was conducted to collect and identify helminth parasites of Mastacembalus armatus and also to determine the prevalence intensity and abundance of parasitic infection. 118 M. armatus, obtained from different sampling stations of Yamuna river between March 2008 to February 2009 were examined for endoparasitic helminth infections. Of these only 31 fishes were found infected. Four helminth species including one nematode (Ascaridia ganpatii), two cestodes (Polyonchobothrium armatii, Senga nayari) and one trematode (Eucreadium pandeyi)were found in host fish. The over all monthly infestation of prevalence (0.29), intensity (3.28) and abundance (1.13) were recorded. The maximum infection was recorded in middle size range while very small and larger fishes showed lesser susceptibility to helminth parasites.