Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial distribution of surgeonfish and parrotfish in the north sector of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System

Surgeonfish and parrotfish play an important role in structuring the benthic communities of coral reefs. However, despite their importance, little is known about their distribution patterns in the north sector of the Mesoamerican Reef System. This study evaluated the distribution of these fish in 34 sites in four habitats (lagoon, front, slopes and terrace) along a depth gradient (c 0.5–20 m). These herbivorous fish were assessed by visual censuses. Species dominance was evaluated for each habitat using SIMPER analysis. Habitat characteristics data were collected to determine the relationship between habitat conditions and spatial variations in herbivorous fish (using abundance and biomass as a proxy) via redundancy analysis. The herbivorous fish assemblage had a low density (fish per 100 m2) and biomass (g·100 m−2) in comparison with assemblages in similar studies. In contrast, species richness was high compared with other studies in the Caribbean. Spatial variation of the abundance, biomass and size of herbivorous fish was strongly related to coral and seagrass cover, as well as to depth and rugosity. These four variables were critical in controlling the distribution patterns of the herbivorous fish assemblages. No associations were found between fish and macroalgae or any other benthic group. The present study indicates that the species richness of surgeonfish and parrotfish was not regionally affected by the dominance of macroalgae in the habitats studied. Seagrass beds and the coral reef matrix need to be preserved for the herbivorous fish assemblages to remain healthy and capable of controlling excess macroalgae growth.
Reconstructing Historical Events that Occurred in the Petunia Hf1 Gene, which Governs Anthocyanin Biosynthesis, and Effects of Artificial Selection by Breeding

The nucleotide sequence of a gene, Hf1, encoding the flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase in commercial petunias was compared to those in natural species to reconstruct historical events that occurred at the Hf1 locus in commercial petunias in the course of breeding since the 1830s. Intact Hf1 genes of any natural species so far studied were not detectable in 84 commercial petunias examined and were considered to have been removed by breeders. The dominant Hf1 alleles isolated from 14 Hf1 Hf1 cultivars showed an identical open reading frame (ORF) sequence and were considered to result from inter-allelic recombination between Hf1 of Petunia axillaris subsp. axillaris or subsp. parodii and Hf1 of P. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia or P. inflata, which were recorded as or assumed to be the historical parents of commercial petunias. Recessive hf1-3 was considered to be a mutant allele of the recombined Hf1 associated with the insertion of a retrotransposable element (rTph1) into exon III. The recessive hf1-2 allele showed a sequence identical to that of Hf1 of P. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia and P. inflata, except for a transposable element (dTph9) inserted into exon III and a target site duplication. We analyzed the potential causes of the recombination that occurred at the Hf1 locus and of the removal of dominant Hf1 genes of natural species from commercial petunias.
Distributed Ledger Technologies and the Internet of Things: A Devices Attestation System for Smart Cities

Traditional IT security mechanisms are generally not well-suited for IoT devices, where processing and network connectivity should be kept at minimal. Consequently, IoT devices have been recently identified as an easy target for cyber-attacks, like for example on the Mirai botnet Distributed Denial of Service attacks in 2016, where various devices were hacked into and taken over. Different solutions have been developed aiming at guaranteeing the security at both the devices application layer and the network layers. Few succeeded to deliver the flexibility necessary for IoT devices. Even fewer have implemented an effective threats detection system, and just a handful have realised all the previous in a fully decentralised fashion, including this one. This Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) attestation system is maintained and supported by most, or all, IoT devices because it is based on a light-weight DLT protocol. It comprises of a system for authorisation and authentication for the individual devices as well as includes an anomalies detection system based on smart contracts. A demonstration was built to support a Smart City use case. The objective is to guarantee, in a decentralised manner, the security of low computational power devices executing the sensing function and their connectivity, and therefore the correct functioning of the system. On the demonstrator, the system was ran using DLT supported by the sensors connectivity bridge (built using Raspberry Pi’s). The system proved to be rapid to develop, flexible with regards to systems changes and resilient to attacks to both individual IoT devices and to the DLT.
Hypoxia and β2-Agonists Regulate Cell Surface Expression of the Epithelial Sodium Channel in Native Alveolar Epithelial Cells*

Alveolar hypoxia may impair sodium-dependent alveolar fluid transport and induce pulmonary edema in rat and human lung, an effect that can be prevented by the inhalation of β2-agonists. To investigate the mechanism of β2-agonist-mediated stimulation of sodium transport under conditions of moderate hypoxia, we examined the effect of terbutaline on epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) expression and activity in cultured rat alveolar epithelial type II cells exposed to 3% O2 for 24 h. Hypoxia reduced transepithelial sodium current and amiloride-sensitive sodium channel activity without decreasing ENaC subunit mRNA or protein levels. The functional decrease was associated with reduced abundance of ENaC subunits (especially β and γ) in the apical membrane of hypoxic cells, as quantified by biotinylation. cAMP stimulation with terbutaline reversed the hypoxia-induced decrease in transepithelial sodium transport by stimulating sodium channel activity and markedly increased the abundance of β-and γ-ENaC in the plasma membrane of hypoxic cells. The effect of terbutaline was prevented by brefeldin A, a blocker of anterograde transport. These novel results establish that hypoxia-induced inhibition of amiloride-sensitive sodium channel activity is mediated by decreased apical expression of ENaC subunits and that β2-agonists reverse this effect by enhancing the insertion of ENaC subunits into the membrane of hypoxic alveolar epithelial cells.
Response of broiler chickens to well‐balanced protein mixtures

1. Four experiments were conducted on broiler chickens between one and three weeks of age to determine their response to dietary protein concentrations. 2. Diets prepared by serial dilution of a concentrated protein mixture, well‐balanced with respect to all essential amino acids, were fed in three experiments, while in a fourth experiment, a lysine‐deficient protein mixture was used. 3. Response curves relating body‐weight gain to increasing concentrations of protein and of lysine intake are presented. 4. A table is presented from which optimum protein intakes can be calculated according to changes in input and output costs and changes in growth potential of the chickens.
SEX DETERMINATION AND SEX BALANCE IN MELANDRIUM

CAPACITIES FOR male development or for female development are established at fertilization in those animals and higher plants with separate sexes and depend on the chromosome constitutions of the participating gametes. Among the mnammals and most dioecious plants (XX female; XY male) the female produces gametes of only one kind, those with an X chromosome; but the male produces two kinds of gametes, those with an X chromosome and those with a Y chromosome, in approximately equal numbers. Each zygote thus receives an X chromosome from the female parent; if it also receivesan X from the male parent it becomes female (XX), but if it receives a Y from the male parent it becomes male (XY). Chromosomes are likewise known to provide the differentiating mechanism in other types of sex inheritance: in the XO type (Orthoptera), where the female has two sex chromosomes (XX) and the male only one (XO), and among the birds and Lepidoptera, where the female commonly is heterogametic (XY or XO) and the male homogametic (XX). Sex chromosomes probably act in sex differentiation by so altering the proportion between male and female determiners that one sex or the other results. For example, in the XO type (male heterogametic) the autosomes must have a predominant male influence and the X chromosome a predominant female influence, these being so balanced that maleness results when the autosomes are opposed by a single X chromosome, but that femaleness results when they are opposed by two X chromosomes. In the XY types also there is a difference in the proportion of sex genes in the XX and XY individuals. In this case, however, it is not possible by inspection to say which chromosomes bear the respective male and female tendencies. Here males and females have the same number of chromosomes, and at least three possible distributions of the sex genesmust be distinguished:
Diabetes mellitus and necrotizing fasciitis – a deadly combination; case report

Recommended Citation Toma, Alexandra; Mazilu, Laura; Suceveanu, Andra Iulia; Gherghiceanu, Florentina; Sandu, Camelia; Bica, Cristina; Andronache, Liliana Florina; Paunica, Ioana; and Moroianu, Lavinia Alexandra (2020) "Diabetes mellitus and necrotizing fasciitis – a deadly combination; case report," Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 20. DOI: 10.22543/7674.71. P119127 Available at: https://scholar.valpo. edu/jmms/vol7/iss1/20
Assessment of combined toxic effects of potassium bromateand sodium nitrite in some key renal markers in male Wistar rats

Objective: Potential combined nephrotoxic effect following simultaneous administration of two food additives: potassium bromate (PBR) (20 mg/kg of body weight, twice weekly) and sodium nitrite (SNT) (60mg/kg of body weight as a single dose) orally was investigated. Methods: Nephrotoxicity was assessed by determining urea, creatinine and electrolyte concentrations in the serum. In addition, concentrations of nitric oxide, reduced glutathione, total thiol, malondialdehyde and activities of arginase, adenosine deaminase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione perioxidase in the kidney were investigated. Results: The results revealed that individual exposure to PBR or SNT significantly induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats however, this was enhanced by co-exposure as evidenced by significant alteration in these kidney markers when compared with the control. Conclusion: This study accentuates the risk of enhanced nephrotoxicity in food containing both additives. Key words: Potassium bromate, sodium nitrite, renal markers.
Eye migration and cranial development during flatfish metamorphosis: a reappraisal (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes)

The literature concerning eye migration and cranial development during flatfish metamorphosis is briefly reviewed and found to give rise to five hypotheses to account for the phenomenon. The cranial morphology of specimens of Soleidae, Pleuronectidae, Scophthalmidae and Bothidae in pre-metamorphic, metamorphic and post-metamorphic stages are described. The mechanisms by which eye migration and cranial development occur are discussed and some aspects of pleuronectiform relationships are briefly commented on.
Bacteriophages and Their Derivatives as Biotherapeutic Agents in Disease Prevention and Treatment

The application of bacteriophages for the elimination of pathogenic bacteria has received significantly increased attention world-wide in the past decade. This is borne out by the increasing prevalence of bacteriophage-specific conferences highlighting significant and diverse advances in the exploitation of bacteriophages. While bacteriophage therapy has been associated with the Former Soviet Union historically, since the 1990s, it has been widely and enthusiastically adopted as a research topic in Western countries. This has been justified by the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in many prominent human pathogenic bacteria. Discussion of the therapeutic aspects of bacteriophages in this review will include the uses of whole phages as antibacterials and will also describe studies on the applications of purified phage-derived peptidoglycan hydrolases, which do not have the constraint of limited bacterial host-range often observed with whole phages.
The complete chloroplast genome of Polygala tenuifolia, a critically endangered species in Korea

Abstract Polygala tenuifolia Willd. is an Oriental plant that is widely distributed in East Asia; but the medicinal plant is a critically endangered species in Korea, where only a few individuals exist. In spite of that, there have been no molecular conservation studies on P. tenuifolia. In this study, we elucidated the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. tenuifolia and investigated its phylogenetic position based on the cp genomes of related taxa. Results showed the cp genome was 165,423 bp in length, consisting of a large single-copy region of 83,699 bp, a small single-copy region of 8,044 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 36,840 bp. In addition, the plastid genome contained 123 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. The present study is the first to report the complete cp genome of genus Polygala, information which may be valuable for future molecular phylogenetic and conservation studies on P. tenuifolia.
Functional anatomy of the ovaries of wild brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus africanus, Gray 1842) from Gabon

The brush-tailed porcupine Atherurus africanus is an important source of meat for local people in tropical forested areas of Central Africa. Information on the biology of this species in free-ranging conditions is scarce. Data on its reproduction and productivity are essential to establish accurate management practices in the exploitation of this rodent. In order to provide data on the reproductive physiology and to assess the prolificacy of the brush-tailed porcupine in the wild, the structural and functional anatomy of the ovaries of free-ranging females were studied. Twenty-two female carcasses were obtained from various markets in Libreville, Gabon, between August 1995 and February 1997. Reproductive tracts were macroscopically examined for the presence of embryos or foetuses. The ovaries were embedded in paraffin wax or plastic and examined by light microscopy. The morphology and constituent cell types of the ovaries were similar to those described for other hystricognath rodents. All pregnant females had only one embryo or foetus and the number of corpora lutea (CL) per female was 19.9 a 5.4 (mean diameter a sd, 1709 a 421 mm), including one CL of pregnancy (diameter, 4821 a 1364 mm). Also, 8.9 a 6.8 accessory CL per female in the pre-implantation and embryonic stages of pregnancy (diameter, 1629 a 463 mm) were observed. The average active luteal volume was high (115.6 a 73.5 mm 3 ). The mean number of antral follicles in the adult females was 24.6 a 9.9. The study confirms that the brush-tailed porcupine is a mono-embryonic species, as observed in captive breeding experiences, but polyovular, suggesting important ovum mortality. This unusual reproductive feature in a mammalian species gives this rodent a low reproductive productivity. Therefore, A. africanus could be more susceptible to the effects of hunting than generally thought.
Response of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in regenerating scales to gravity loading.

It is known that the teleost scale regenerates after being removed. We previously reported that the osteogenesis in regenerating scales was very similar to that in calvarial bone, which suggests that regenerating scale can be used as a model for osteogenesis to analyze the interaction between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In the present study, we developed an assay system using regenerating scales by modifying our assay system with normal scales. The weight of one regenerating scale cannot be measured precisely because the rate of calcification in regenerating scales is lower than that in normal scales. In regenerating scales, thus, the respective marker enzyme activity, i.e., alkaline phosphatase (ALP) for osteoblasts and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) for osteoclasts, was normalized by the surface area (mm2) of each goldfish scale. With this modified method, we were able to detect ALP and TRAP activities with no variation in the lines of regenerating scales. In addition, we found that the ALP activity in the regenerating scales significantly increased under 3G acceleration loading by vibration, while the TRAP activity in the loaded regenerating scales significantly decreased. We strongly believe that the regenerating scale is a good material for the analysis of bone metabolism under different gravity environments.
PERFIL ETIOLÓGICO DA MASTITE BOVINA NA BACIA LEITEIRA DE SANTA IZABEL DO OESTE, PARANÁ

Clinical or sub-clinical mastitis are the main illnesses that affect dairy herds, with impact on the economy, the industry, and with consequence to public health. Considering that the city of Santa Izabel do Oeste is located in the second bigger milk region of Parana state, and that mastitis cases are epidemiologically classified as ambient or contagious, the purpose of this study was to identify possible etiologic agents of bovine mastitis, by the use of a preliminary, fast and cheap diagnostic method to differentiate these types of illness, to orient treatment and prophylactic measures. Two triplates were employed. Triplate I was composed by blood agar, bile-esculine agar and mannitol-salt agar, while triplate II was composed by MacConkey agar; Baird-Parker agar and sabouraud-dextrose agar with cloranfenicol. Additionally, a tube with sabouraud-dextrose agar with cloranfenicol incubated at room temperature temperature was used for the research of filamentous moulds. It was observed that the great majority of the isolated samples had Staphylococcus coagulase negative, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus , no-fermenters bacilli gram negative, Coryneforms, Streptococcus spp. and Streptococcus agalactiae . KEYWORDS: Coliforms, Coryneforms Staphylococcus , Streptococcus , mastitis.
The relation between sex, age, education level, and premedication towards lower-abdominal postoperative pain intensity at Sanglah General Hospital

Introduction: Pain reporting is very subjective. Several studies reveal sex, age, education level, and premedication have impacts on postoperative pain intensity. However, other studies report no relationship between these factors to pain intensity. There only a few researches on pain predictors in Bali, so this study conducts to determine relation between sex, age, education level, and premedication towards lower-abdominal postoperative pain intensity at Sanglah Hospital. Patients and Methods: This is an analytic cross-sectional study. The data were collected from medical records of patients after lower abdominal surgery at Sanglah Hospital from January to July 2018 and fit to inclusion criteria and did not suit to exclusion criteria. Data of patients characteristic were collected to indentify their relation toward pain intensity on the first day. Results: There were 99 patients post-lower abdominal surgery included in this study. The mean pain intensity based on sex was 2.83±0.87 for males and 2.98 ± 1.16 for females. Whereas based on ages were 3.04±1.11 for young, 2.90±0.95 for adults, and 2.40±0.96 for elderly. Based on the education level 2.40±1.26 in elementary educated patient, 2.72±1.27 in patients with junior high education, 2.96±1.04 in patients with high school education, and 3.15±0.74 in college patients. The average of pain in patients with premedication is 2.81±0.94 while the patient without premedication is 3.81±1.16. After performing correlation test, only the premedication factor showed a significant impact (p <0.05) to the pain intensity. Conclusion: Therefore, premedication has a greater impact than the other factor toward postoperative pain intensity at Sanglah Hospital.
Morphological variation of two common sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa) from selected regions in the Philippines

Abstract. Estrada JL, Bautista NS, Dionisio-Sese ML. 2020. Morphological variation of two common sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa) from selected regions in the Philippines. Biodiversitas 21: 1823-1832. Seagrapes, locally known in the Philippines as “lato” or “ar-arusip”, are economically important macroalgae belonging to the edible species of the genus Caulerpa. This study characterized and compared distinct populations of sea grapes from selected regions in the Philippines and described the influence of physicochemical parameters of seawater on their morphology. Morphometric, cluster and principal component analyses showed that morphological plasticity exists in sea grapes species (Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa) found in different sites in the Philippines. These are evident in morphometric parameters namely, assimilator height, space between assimilators, ramulus diameter and number of rhizoids on stolon wherein significant differences were found. This evident morphological plasticity was analyzed in relation to physicochemical parameters of the seawater. Assimilator height of C. racemosa is significantly associated and highly influenced by water depth, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen whereas for C. lentillifera depth and salinity are the significant influencing factors. Highest assimilator height of sea grapes was found in Coron and Culion in Palawan due to higher salinity and temperature while in Mactan, Cebu, it is primarily attributed to lower depth and higher salinity values.
Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Florometra species (Echinodermata, Crinoidea)

Abstract The Crinoidea is the ancestor class of echinoderm classes, whereas its evolution history remains the least studied in extant echinoderms. In this study, a complete 15,772 bp genome for the crinoid echinoderm, Florometra species (Echinodermata, Crinoidea) mitochondrion was assembled through Illumina HiSeq platform. The complete mitochondrial genome of Florometra sp. contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 3 regions of unassigned sequence (UAS) including one putative control region. Overall genomic structure and gene orientation are identical within the genus Florometra. Phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood method validated the sister relationship with Florometra serratissima.