Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ESTIMATING BODY MASS AND CONDITION OF LEOPARD SEALS BY ALLOMETRICS

Abstract Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are formidable marine predators and require sedation before scientific examination. Mass-specific drug dosage for leopard seals has usually been determined from generic allometric equations or visual estimates. However, the leopard seal is a slender phocid and generic equations are likely to return inaccurate mass estimates, which may lead to fatal overdoses of drugs. We used published and unpublished morphometric data to construct allometric models for estimating leopard seal body mass. The model using volume (Vol), which combined measures of snout-tail length (STL) and the square of girth (G2), provided our best estimate of mass (r2 = 0.97). The model using STL alone was sample-site specific (each r2 = 0.85), highlighting G as an important measure to obtain where possible. The confidence and prediction intervals associated with each model broadened with increased seal size and decreased sample size, suggesting the use of extra caution when estimating drug dosage for larger seals to avoid over- or under-dosing. We also developed a seal body condition index that can assist wildlife management when deciding if rehabilitation of vagrant seals is warranted. Body condition may also affect the induction, duration and recovery times of anaesthetized leopard seals.
AFLP and PBA polymorphisms in an endangered medicinal plant, Rhazya stricta, in Pakistan

Rhazya stricta is an endangered medicinal plant that is under severe human pressure as a result of commercial harvesting. As a model of habitat fragmentation, we selected the Kohat Plateau in the Pakistani Himalaya, where populations are fragmented, with less than 100 individuals per population. We hypothesized that the populations may be threatened by rapid habitat fragmentation and by unsustainable utilization of the plant. We analysed P450-based analogue functional genomic markers and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers from six populations of R. stricta on the Kohat Plateau, and examined their variations both within and among the populations. Both the marker groups revealed lower genetic differentiation among the populations and higher genetic differentiation within the populations as a result of high gene flow. The results confirmed that habitat fragmentation is being caused by severe human pressure, and although signs of genetic erosion are not yet visible, they seem likely to become visible in the future. Therefore, the conservation of R. stricta populations is necessary.
Papel das citocinas IL-5 e IL-17A na diferenciação de células produtoras de anticorpos de vida longa (ASC) induzida pelo veneno do peixe Thalassophryne nattereri

GRUND, L. Z. THE ROLE OF IL-5 AND IL-17A IN THE DIFFERENTIATION OF LONG-LIVED ANTIBODY SECRETING CELLS (ASC) INDUCED BY Thalassophryne nattereri FISH VENOM. 2009. 115 f. Master thesis (Immunology) – Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 2009. We demonstrated recently that T. nattereri fish venom is able to induce a memory immune response with a production of high levels of IL-5 and venomspecific IgG for six months after immunization and the differentiation of B cells B220neg, an indicative of long-lived antibody-secreting cells ASC. Thus we proposed here to assess the in vivo effect of the venom on memory response analyzing the B1a cells and ASC differentiating in different compartments (peritoneum, spleen and bone marrow). The factors involved in the maintenance of memory response and the role of cytokine IL-5 and IL-17A in the differentiation and maintenance of ASC were also evaluated. Balb/c mice immunized twice (days 0 and 14) with 10 μg of venom adsorbed in alum were bled and killed at days 21, 28, 48, 74 and 120 to detection of antibodies by Elisa and PCA and of B cell subtypes by flow cytometry. The results showed that venom promoted splenomegaly accompanied by intense cell proliferation and germinal centers formation for 120 days after immunization and induced high and persistent production of venom-specific IgG1, IgG2a and IgE. Furthermore, we observed an expansion of B1a cells in the peritoneum cavity and spleen. Based on the expression of CD43 and B220 in CD138pos ASC, we reveal five subtypes of memory B cells (B220high CD43high, B220low CD43low, B220neg CD43low, B220low CD43high, and B220neg CD43high) in all compartments. The production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (KC, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), the secretion of high levels of IL-5 and IL-17A by cells of the all compartments, as well as the large amounts of venom retained in the surface of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in spleen seem to provide a special microenvironment to maintenance of ASC. Finally, to address the role of cytokines IL-5 and IL-17A in persistent memory response induced by T. nattereri venom, we treated mice with anti-IL-5 and anti-IL-17A before the immunization and rechallenge. The treatment with both neutralizing antibodies was not able to reverse the splenomegaly and germinal centers formation induced by venom, but regulation of B220 expression on ASC was evident: both antibodies reduced the number of ASC B220neg induced by venom. Our data suggest an important role for IL-5 and IL17A on the development and maintenance of B220neg ASC and B1a population, contributing to maintenance of long-term protective immunity by the venom. Support: FAPESP.
Evaluation of the Genetic Toxicity of Synthetic Chemical (XVIII)-in vitro Mouse Lymphoma Assay and in vivo Supravital Micronucleus Assay with Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is widely used antioxidant food additives. It has been extensively studied for potential toxicities. BHT appears adverse effects in liver and thyroid. In this study, we evaluated the genetic toxicity of BHT with more advanced methods, in vitro mouse lymphoma assay tk +/gene assay (MLA) and in vivo mouse supravital micronucleus (MN) assay. BHT did not appear the significantly results in the absence and presence of metabolic activation system with MLA. Also, in vivo testing of BHT yielded negative results with supravital MN assay. These results suggest that BHT itself was not generally considered genotoxic.
Soldier, surgeon, photographer, fly: Fieldwork beyond the comfort zone

Few conflicts have created as broad a media canvas as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. The combination of iPhones, iPads, Facebook and YouTube has generated a magnificent, even if occasionally grisly, assortment of snapshots and documentaries, blogs and autobiographies. Some have been controversial – think of Abu Ghraib – but mostly they have been flattering in espousing the heroism of ISAF forces. This is particularly true of images of human anguish beamed to our television screens by camera-equipped soldiers and embedded photojournalists, a handful of whom, like Tim Heatherington and Rémi Ochlik, paid the ultimate price. Despite unprecedented access, the ensuing reportage tends to overlook the surreality of war by not being explicit about the sharply conflicting experiences it generates for those involved first-hand. War is surreal for the paradoxes it mobilizes. Prominent among these (and quite aside from the often bizarre physical setting) are the want of community and camaraderie and yet the experience of competition and rivalry; the conflicting emotions of pleasure and guilt; sharp contrasts between a sense of meaning and futility. While petty by comparison, similar paradoxes may be found in the organizations that dominate much of our working lives. It may just be the case that they are easier to identify in contexts that are exceptionally austere, and where getting the wrong end of the stick kills. These conflicting experiences cannot easily be reconciled. Rather, those affected often have little choice but to reconcile themselves to these paradoxes as best they can. In this essay we move from the grotesque to the trivial by examining the experience of war from four vantage points: that of the soldier, combat surgeon, photojournalist and ethnographer. I was encouraged to write from experience. When the opportunity arose to embed with a team of combat surgeons in mid-2011 in Afghanistan, I chucked in my lot lock, stock and barrel. I was given permission to take photographs – a privilege not even extended to those in charge – and returned with 1500 useable images. Preparations for my stint began in mid2009 and involved 18 months of interaction and negotiation followed by six weeks of predeployment training and six weeks in Afghanistan. (A standard tour of duty for UK surgeons is six weeks.) The ensuing rumination is raw. I have not been back long enough to provide the depth of reflection that makes for good theorizing, and there will be plenty of exceptions to my inferences. So be it. 452819 SOQ10310.1177/1476127012452819de RondStrategic Organization 2012
Spatial distribution of oviposition sites determines variance in the reproductive rate of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus)

Summary We investigated reproductive rate in relation to oviposition site distribution and quality in the European bitterling, Rhodeus amarus, a freshwater fish that spawns on the gills of living unionid mussels. In a laboratory experiment male bitterling led females to groups of four mussels at a significantly higher rate than single mussels, irrespective of mussel species. Females spawned significantly more frequently on the gills of mussels in groups than on solitary mussels, and showed a preference for spawning on the gills of Unio pictorum in comparison with Anodonta anatina. In a field experiment the total number of eggs spawned on the gills of four mussels was significantly higher than that of single mussels, though the mean number of eggs per mussel was equivalent within species. There was a significant effect of species on the number of eggs spawned in mussels; U. pictorum and U. tumidus received more eggs than A. anatina and A. cygnea. We discuss these results in the context of mating system evolution.
Metabolic Scaling: A New Perspective Based on Scaling of Glycolytic Enzyme Activities

The decline of mass specific aerobic metabolic rates with increasing animal size has a long history of study in zoology. Attempts to explain this phenomenon have generally been concerned only with aerobic metabolism and with estimators of muscle and skeletal strength. Our finding of tremendous increases in mass-specific glycolytic enzyme activity in locomotory muscle with size in some species of pelagic fishes indicates that this approach has been too narrow. It is necessary to consider total metabolic power in any consideration of metabolic scaling in relation to skeletal strength or muscle power, since the anaerobic component of muscle power is usually greater than the aerobic and often scales differently. We show that scaling of glycolytic power appears to be much more variable among species than is scaling of aerobic power, and we suggest that the different glycolytic power scaling patterns reflect selection for different sprint swimming abilities in fishes of different habits. The rather narrow range of variation in aerobic scaling patterns suggests that they are the result of natural selection acting in the context of geometric constraints on maximum aerobic gas uptake and transport. The glycolytic scaling data emphasize that the role of natural selection has usually been neglected in considerations of scaling of metabolism while the role of the scaling of solids has been overemphasized.
Phenotypic and functional characterization of B-lineage cells associated with relapse and response to B-cell depletion therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Clinical response to therapeutic B-cell depletion by anti-CD20 antibody in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not associated with robust depletion of disease specific anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). This suggests pathogenesis mediated predominantly by short-lived antibody secreting cells or an antibody independent role of B-cells or both in RA. The persistence of ACPA post B-cell depletion is consistent with secretion from long-lived plasma cells (PC) and could be linked to non-response to B-cell depletion. The aim of this thesis was to delineate populations of B-cells and plasma cells linked to RA disease activity. Results: Autoreactive citrullinated protein-specific B-cells were detected using ELISA from supernatants of B cell culture but not by flow cytometry or ELISpot. RA patients relapsing following B-cell depletion showed an increased proportion of a memory B-cell subset in the peripheral blood. The in vitro stage of B-cell differentiation closest to this relapse associated subset secreted multiple proinflammatory mediators. A novel mode of contact-dependent B-NK cell interaction was noted, likely to be due to EBV latency in B-cells or a novel mode of B-cell regulation by NK cells. CD19Neg PCs had a longer recovery time following depletion and had a longer life span in an in vitro PC differentiation model system but were generated early, which suggests that CD19 negativity is a marker for potential to be long-lived rather than PC age. Conclusions: Memory B-cell subset distribution is skewed during clinical relapse in RA which reflects on-going B-cell activity/differentiation generating inflammatory mediators or pathogenic short-lived antibody secreting cells which explains response to B-cell depletion or anti-TNF therapy. In those patients where B-cell depletion does not achieve clinical response, CD19Neg long-lived PCs may have a pathogenic role. Agents targeting certain stages of B-cell differentiation or long-lived PCs can be therapeutic options in carefully selected patients.
ECOTYPIC VARIATION IN PHYLLOPHORA PSEUDOCERANOIDES (RHODOPHYTA) ENSURES WINTER REPRODUCTION THROUGHOUT ITS GEOGRAPHIC RANGE 1

Responses to temperature and daylength were determined in laboratory culture for isolates of the red alga Phyllophora pseudoceranoides (Gmelin) Newroth et A.R. A. Taylor from Nova Scotia, Iceland, Roscoff (France), and Helgoland (Germany). All isolates grew from 3° to 25° C and survived from ‐2° or 0° C to 27° C but not 30° C. Reproductive requirements differed between life history phases and isolates. Isolates from Helgoland and Roscoff formed sporangial sori at 3°‐20° C, tetraspores at 3°‐12° C, and procarps at 10°‐20° C, irrespective of daylength. Spermatangia developed at 10°‐23° C but only in long days. As the other European isolates, the isolate from Iceland formed tetrasporangia at 3°‐12° C, but it had an additional requirement for short days. The Nova Scotian isolate formed sori at 10°‐20° C and sporulated at 10°‐18° C. When grown plants were transferred from noninductive to inductive conditions, sori were formed after 4 months and tetraspores developed and were shed (1‐)3 months later. Procarps formed 1(‐3) months after transfer.
Dual regulation of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by tyrosine nitration and S-nitrosylation

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) mediated by nitric oxide (NO)-derived molecules have become a new area of research, as they can modulate the function of target proteins. Proteomic data have shown that ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is one of the potential targets of PTMs mediated by NO-derived molecules. Using recombinant pea cytosolic APX, the impact of peroxynitrite (ONOO – ) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), which are known to mediate protein nitration and S-nitrosylation processes, respectively, was analysed. While peroxynitrite inhibits APX activity, GSNO enhances its enzymatic activity. Mass spectrometric analysis of the nitrated APX enabled the determination that Tyr5 and Tyr235 were exclusively nitrated to 3-nitrotyrosine by peroxynitrite. Residue Cys32 was identified by the biotin switch method as S-nitrosylated. The location of these residues on the structure of pea APX reveals that Tyr235 is found at the bottom of the pocket where the haem group is enclosed, whereas Cys32 is at the ascorbate binding site. Pea plants grown under saline (150 mM NaCl) stress showed an enhancement of both APX activity and S-nitrosylated APX, as well as an increase of H2O2, NO, and S-nitrosothiol (SNO) content that can justify the induction of the APX activity. The results provide new insight into the molecular mechanism of the regulation of APX which can be both inactivated by irreversible nitration and activated by reversible S-nitrosylation.
Influence of individual body size on reproductive traits in melanopline grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Abstract Body size affects many aspects of an organism's performance, including reproduction. Ecologists have shown an increased interest in linkages between body size variation and population dynamics. Fecundity in a number of insect orders is often positively correlated with body weight or structural size, but reproductive characteristics and body size are not always positively correlated, particularly in field studies. Numerous biotic and environmental factors can influence individual body size and reproduction in grasshoppers under field conditions. Intraspecific relationships between reproductive traits and individual body size in melanopline grasshoppers were examined using data from four field experiments. Significant positive correlations between body size and reproductive traits occurred in three of four field experiments involving Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius) and Phoetaliotes nebrascensis (Thomas) where per capita resource availability was manipulated, with a highly significant relationship between femur length and functional ovarian follicles when statistical results were combined from all correlations. In addition, individual femur length was a significant covariate for at least one reproductive trait in three experiments. Biotic factors such as food availability and predation could be more important than body size in determining reproductive output under field conditions, but further work is required to examine under what conditions individual body size affects reproduction in grasshoppers.
Effects of acorn storage duration and parental tree on emergence and physiological status of Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings

This study was conducted to evaluate how parental trees and seed storage duration influenced subsequent seedling physiolo- gical status and growth. Seedling emergence rate was higher than 90% independently of the duration of seed storage or parental trees. Seed storage shortened significantly the time and increased the uniformity of seedling emergence. Consequently, the delayed seedling emergence from fresh seeds could be explained by epicotyl dormancy. Seed size varied with parental tree. Seedling growth rate was greatly affected by seed size, independently of storage treatment. Seedlings originating from large seeds (>5 g) had the fastest growth ra- tes and seedlings from the smallest seeds (<4 g) had the slowest. Final shoot height, however, depended on the duration of seed storage. The seed size and the duration of storage had a great effect on the initial rate of leaf production, but did not affect the final number of lea- ves. Leaf chlorophyll concentration was reduced as the duration of seed storage increased but was independent of parental tree (i.e., seed size). Seedling biomass was positively related to seed size. The duration of seed storage reduced the shoot/root ratio, but no significant effect was observed among parental trees. The shoot/root value of seedlings from stored seed was about 1.5 and the one of seedlings from fresh seed was about 2.
Structural Biology in Drug Metabolism and Drug Discovery

Current similarity measures for virtual screening are based on the use of molecular fingerprints and the Tanimoto coefficient. This paper describes two ways in which one can increase the effectiveness of similaritybased virtual screening: using similarity coefficients other than the Tanimoto coefficient for the comparison of molecular fingerprints; and using a graph-theoretic similarity measure based on the largest substructure common to a pair of molecules.
Targeting of Protein Kinase C-ϵ during Fcγ Receptor-dependent Phagocytosis Requires the ϵC1B Domain and Phospholipase C-γ1

Protein kinase C-e (PKC-e) translocates to phagosomes and promotes uptake of IgG-opsonized targets. To identify the regions responsible for this concentration, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-protein kinase C-e mutants were tracked during phagocytosis and in response to exogenous lipids. Deletion of the diacylglycerol (DAG)-binding eC1 and eC1B domains, or the eC1B point mutant eC259G, decreased accumulation at phagosomes and membrane translocation in response to exogenous DAG. Quantitation of GFP revealed that eC259G, eC1, and eC1B accumulation at phagosomes was significantly less than that of intact PKC-e. Also, the DAG antagonist 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl glycerol (EI-150) blocked PKC-e translocation. Thus, DAG binding to eC1B is necessary for PKC-e translocation. The role of phospholipase D (PLD), phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC)-γ1, and PI-PLC-γ2 in PKC-e accumulation was assessed. Although GFP-PLD2 localized to phagosomes and enhanced phagocytosis, PLD inhibition did not alter target ingestion or PKC-e localization. In contrast, the PI-PLC inhibitor {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"U73122","term_id":"4098075","term_text":"U73122"}}U73122 decreased both phagocytosis and PKC-e accumulation. Although expression of PI-PLC-γ2 is higher than that of PI-PLC-γ1, PI-PLC-γ1 but not PI-PLC-γ2 consistently concentrated at phagosomes. Macrophages from PI-PLC-γ2-/- mice were similar to wild-type macrophages in their rate and extent of phagocytosis, their accumulation of PKC-e at the phagosome, and their sensitivity to {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"U73122","term_id":"4098075","term_text":"U73122"}}U73122. This implicates PI-PLC-γ1 as the enzyme that supports PKC-e localization and phagocytosis. That PI-PLC-γ1 was transiently tyrosine phosphorylated in nascent phagosomes is consistent with this conclusion. Together, these results support a model in which PI-PLC-γ1 provides DAG that binds to eC1B, facilitating PKC-e localization to phagosomes for efficient IgG-mediated phagocytosis.
Short Periods of Incubation During Egg Storage - SPIDES

Summary As a broiler breeding company, Aviagen offers advice on the best way to store hatching eggs between oviposition and the start of incubation. Ideally, all eggs should be set while still fresh - within a week of being laid. If longer storage is unavoidable, then storage temperatures should be reduced, and any temperature fluctuations avoided. The advice is safe, and offers minimal opportunities for misunderstanding. In contrast, when hens lay and incubate their own eggs, the eggs laid first will be rewarmed every time the hen returns to the nest to lay another egg. A series of experiments and field tests looking at short periods of incubation during egg storage (SPIDES) have shown that it is possible to recover 60-70% of the hatchability lost when storage has to be prolonged for more than a week. The technique is potentially of value to broiler grand-parent, layer parent and turkey breeder programmes where order patterns may be uneven, and egg storage unavoidable.