Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microsatellite loci identified in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile

The detection of within- and between-population genetic variability in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, a difficult species to work with because of its genotypic homogeneity, longevity, and clonal growth, has been achieved through the development of six polymorphic microsatellite markers. The development of these markers is significant because previous studies indicate extreme levels of clonality in this seagrass species using minisatellite multilocus DNA fingerprints and RAPD markers. A further eight microsatellite regions were found to be monomorphic, but wider and more extensive population surveys may find variation with these microsatellite regions. Ten of the 14 microsatellite regions were observed to be present in two Australian con generic species, P. australis and P sinuosa, suggesting that there is potential for their wide application in population genetic analyses in this genus. These markers represent an important contribution to population genetic analysis in seagrasses, a group of considerable interest because of their important role in nearshore benthic marine communities worldwide.
Inhibin, beta A regulates the transforming growth factor‐beta pathway to promote malignant biological behaviour in colorectal cancer

Inhibin, beta A (INHBA) is a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF‐β) family. The carcinogenic mechanisms of INHBA during the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. In the present study, we further elucidated the role of INHBA in CRC. We analysed the expression of INHBA in CRC and its relationship with patient prognosis using data from public databases. INHBA expression was evaluated in CRC tissues and cell lines using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. After inhibiting the expression of INHBA, the effect of INHBA on the function of CRC cells was evaluated in vitro. We found that INHBA was upregulated in CRC. High INHBA expression is closely related to poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Knockdown of INHBA in vitro can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. In terms of mechanism, we found that high INHBA expression activates the TGF‐β pathway.
Metabolic networks of the Nicotiana genus in the spotlight: content, progress and outlook

Abstract Manually curated metabolic databases residing at the Sol Genomics Network comprise two taxon-specific databases for the Solanaceae family, i.e. SolanaCyc and the genus Nicotiana, i.e. NicotianaCyc as well as six species-specific databases for Nicotiana tabacum TN90, N. tabacum K326, Nicotiana benthamiana, N. sylvestris, N. tomentosiformis and N. attenuata. New pathways were created through the extraction, examination and verification of related data from the literature and the aid of external database guided by an expert-led curation process. Here we describe the curation progress that has been achieved in these databases since the first release version 1.0 in 2016, the curation flow and the curation process using the example metabolic pathway for cholesterol in plants. The current content of our databases comprises 266 pathways and 36 superpathways in SolanaCyc and 143 pathways plus 21 superpathways in NicotianaCyc, manually curated and validated specifically for the Solanaceae family and Nicotiana genus, respectively. The curated data have been propagated to the respective Nicotiana-specific databases, which resulted in the enrichment and more accurate presentation of their metabolic networks. The quality and coverage in those databases have been compared with related external databases and discussed in terms of literature support and metabolic content.
Influence of environmental factors on the spawning of sciaenids in the Buenos Aires Coastal Zone, Argentina

Fil: Militelli, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentina
Phylogenetic positions and taxonomic assignments of the systematically controversial genera, Spirotrachelostyla, Uroleptopsis and Tunicothrix (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Stichotrichia) based on small subunit rRNA gene sequences

The phylogenetic positions of three systematically controversial genera of ciliates, Spirotrachelostyla, Uroleptopsis and Tunicothrix, have never been established by molecular data. The small subunit rRNA genes of three species, S. tani, U. citrina and T. wilberti, were sequenced and added to existing sequences of stichotrichs and other ciliates to construct phylogenetic trees. Results indicate the following: (1) Uroleptopsis is most closely related to species of Pseudokeronopsis, supporting its assignment to the family Pseudokeronopsidae; (2) one sampled Tunicothrix branches sister to the two sampled Parabirojimia, and this supports the placement of Tunicothrix in the Parabirojimidae; (3) Spirotrachelostyla clusters consistently with Trachelostyla to form a distinct, divergent clade that associates with Amphisiella at the base of the entire sporadotrich-urostylid clade, confirming the hypothesis that Spirotrachelostyla should be placed in the family Trachelostylidae.
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Systems Based on Internet of Things: A Systematic Review

Indoor air quality has been a matter of concern for the international scientific community. Public health experts, environmental governances, and industry experts are working to improve the overall health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Repeated exposure to pollutants in indoor environments is reported as one of the potential causes of several chronic health problems such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory infections. Moreover, smart cities projects are promoting the use of real-time monitoring systems to detect unfavorable scenarios for enhanced living environments. The main objective of this work is to present a systematic review of the current state of the art on indoor air quality monitoring systems based on the Internet of Things. The document highlights design aspects for monitoring systems, including sensor types, microcontrollers, architecture, and connectivity along with implementation issues of the studies published in the previous five years (2015–2020). The main contribution of this paper is to present the synthesis of existing research, knowledge gaps, associated challenges, and future recommendations. The results show that 70%, 65%, and 27.5% of studies focused on monitoring thermal comfort parameters, CO2, and PM levels, respectively. Additionally, there are 37.5% and 35% of systems based on Arduino and Raspberry Pi controllers. Only 22.5% of studies followed the calibration approach before system implementation, and 72.5% of systems claim energy efficiency.
Bispecific Antibodies: A New Era of Treatment for Multiple Myeloma

Despite the introduction of novel agents such as proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and autologous stem cell transplant, multiple myeloma (MM) largely remains an incurable disease. In recent years, monoclonal antibody-based treatment strategies have been developed to target specific surface antigens on MM cells. Treatment with bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) is an immunotherapeutic strategy that leads to an enhanced interaction between MM cells and immune effector cells, e.g., T-cells and natural killer cells. With the immune synapse built by bsAbs, the elimination of MM cells can be facilitated. To date, bsAbs have demonstrated encouraging results in preclinical studies, and clinical trials evaluating bsAbs in patients with MM are ongoing. Early clinical data show the promising efficacy of bsAbs in relapsed/refractory MM. Together with chimeric antigen receptor-modified (CAR)-T-cells, bsAbs represent a new dimension of precision medicine. In this review, we provide an overview of rationale, current clinical development, resistance mechanisms, and future directions of bsAbs in MM.
Survey of Bacterial and Fungal Associates of Black/Hybrid Imported Fire Ants from Mounds in Mississippi

Abstract The assemblage of bacteria and fungi from black (Solenopsis richteri)/hybrid imported fire ant (BIFA/HIFA) mounds were obtained from four counties in northeast Mississippi. These locations were selected due to high concentrations of BIFA/HIFA that were free from red imported fire ants (RIFA). Mound samples were obtained during October, November, and December in 2003 and January 2004. Patterns of species composition and diversity (species richness) were evaluated from mound soil, mound plant debris, and ant bodies. A total of 5742 isolates consisting of 58 bacterial and 35 fungal taxa were obtained. The most common bacteria identified included Chryseobacterium indolegenes, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Actinomadura yumaensis, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Approximately 66% of the fungi cultured belonged to the artificial assemblage Fungi Imperfecti, including Curvularia geniculata, Penicillium spp. , Nigrospora sphaerica, and Monoacrosporium leptosporium. The insect pathogen Beauveria bassiana was obtained from mound soil, mound plant debris, and ant bodies, with the greatest percentage from ant bodies. Species richness for bacteria and fungi were both highest from mound soil at 53 and 30 taxa, respectively, and lowest, with 8 bacteria and 25 fungal taxa, from mound plant debris. Species diversity for bacteria was also highest from mound soil, and highest for fungi from ant bodies than the other two isolation conditions. Evenness values for bacteria (0.72–0.80) and fungi (0.74–0.77) during each sampling date had moderate to high relative abundance (1.0 = highest level possible), indicating similarity of taxa among bacteria and among fungi from the four sampling dates. Coefficient of community values comparing sampling dates for bacteria and fungi were greatest between the first and last sampling date (October and January). Temperatures during those dates ranged from 14.4 °C to 28.9 °C in October and −2.8 °C to 10.0 °C in January. As a continuation of this research, cultures of the different bacteria and fungi obtained in this study are currently being evaluated for their potential as biological control agents of BIFA/HIFA and RIFA that occur in Mississippi.
Effects of Temperature on Development of Overwintering Pupae of the Apple Maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh)

The apple maggot overwinters as a pupa within a puparium and develops to this stage in the fall five days after the larva enters the ground. It usually undergoes no visible morphological change until late the following spring or early summer (Dean, 1942). The adult emerges from late June to early September. Some pupae, however, remain dormant in the soil and the adults do not emerge until the second or third summer after pupation (Lathrop, 1955). Also, in some areas, a few adults emerge about two months after pupation (Phipps and Dirks, 193 3).
Docking Study of Biflavonoids, Allosteric Inhibitors of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B

Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B is the superfamily of PTPs and a negative regulator of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been proposed as a strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Recently, it has been reported that amentoflavone, a biflavonoid extracted from Selaginella tamariscina, inhibited PTP1B. In the present study, docking model between amentoflavone and PTP1B was determined using automated docking study. Based on this docking model and the interactions between the known inhibitors and PTP1B, we determined multiple pharmacophore maps which consisted of five features, two hydrogen bonding acceptors, two hydrogen bonding donors, and one lipophilic. Using receptor-oriented pharmacophore-based in silico screening, we searched the biflavonoid database including 40 naturally occurring biflavonoids. From these results, it can be proposed that two biflavonoids, sumaflavone and tetrahydroamentoflavone can be potent allosteric inhibitors, and the linkage at 5',8''-position of two flavones and a hydroxyl group at 4'-position are the critical factors for their allosteric inhibition. This study will be helpful to understand the mechanism of allosteric inhibition of PTP1B by biflavonoids and give insights to develop potent inhibitors of PTP1B.
Digestive plasticity in Mallard ducks modulates dispersal probabilities of aquatic plants and crustaceans

1. The consequences of plastic responses of the avian digestive tract for the potential of birds to disperse other organisms remain largely uninvestigated. 2. To explore how a seasonal diet switch in Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L.) influences their potential to disperse plants and invertebrates, we recorded the retention time of markers, following exposure to two diets of contrasting digestibility (trout chow vs seeds). 3. We then recorded the retrieval and germination of Fennel Pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus L.) seeds and Brine Shrimp (Artemia franciscana Kellogg) cysts ingested by the same birds. 4. Gut passage rates of markers were increasingly longer in birds on the seed-based, high-fibre diet and shorter in birds on the animal-based, low-fibre one. 5. Propagule digestibility, and thus survival to gut passage, differed between diet groups, with more seeds and fewer cysts retrieved from ducks on the animal-based diet. Germination decreased with retention time, but was not affected by diet. 6. Differences in passage rates of markers but not of seeds and cysts suggest no change in dispersal distances of plants and invertebrates between seasons, while differences in digestibility would affect the numbers of propagules dispersed. [KEYWORDS: Artemia franciscana ; diet switch ; endozoochorous dispersal ; Potamogeton pectinatus]
Refugia--overlooked as perhaps the most potent factor concerning the development of anthelmintic resistance.

VAN WYK J.A. 2001. Refugia-overlooked as perhaps the most potent factor concerning the devel­ op ment of anthelmintic resistance. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 68:55-67 Anthel mintic resistance involving particularly the gastro intestinal nematodes of small rum inants is escalating globall y, to the extent that in certain countries, such as South Africa, it has already reached alarming proportions, and is affecti ng practicall y all the anthelm intics. In th is paper it is argued that the high leve ls of resistance in nematodes of veterinary importance in­ dicate that the drugs have been used incorrectly. It is suggested that the phenomenon of refugia plays a much more important ro le in the selection of anthelmintic res istance than other phenomena that are more frequently investigated and recommended for counteracting it, such as reduced drenching frequency and avoiding under-dosing. While refugia is commonly mentioned in passing in most pa­ pers on anthelmintic res istance, it is, almost without exception , not incorporated in the final controll management proposals. On the strength of the conclusions arrived at in the present paper strategies such as the drench-and­ move system in which all the animals in a flock are drenched before they are moved to pastures containing few or no worms in refugia, and the system of strategic drenching on safe pastures should be condemned and never recommended. If such strategies are indeed unavoidable, the farmer should be warned that the farming system would probably not be sustainable even in the short term, in view of the generally high levels of resistance already present in most of the important sheep-producing regions. Farmers should be educated to consider refugia above all else when designing worm man­ agement programmes.
Recovery of Fatty Acid Composition in Mediterranean Yellowtail (Seriola dumerili, Risso 1810) fed a Fish-Oil Finishing Diet

The present study evaluated the effects of wash-out on the fatty acid (FA) composition in the muscles of Mediterranean yellowtail. After 109 days during which fish were fed either a fish oil (FO)-based diet (FO 100) or a diet (FO 0) in which FO was completely substituted by vegetable oils, all fish were subjected to a wash-out with FO 100 diet for 90 days. The FA profile of muscles in fish fed FO 0 diet at the beginning of the experiment reflected that of dietary vegetable oils, rich in linoleic acid (LA), and α-linolenic acid (ALA), and was deficient in AA (arachidonic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). No essential FA were fully restored in fish previously fed FO 0 diet on 45th or 90th day of wash-out. At the end of wash-out, the FA composition showed that AA, EPA, and DHA in the white muscles increased by +33%, +16%, and +43% (p < 0.001), respectively. Similarly, AA and DHA in the red muscles increased by +33% and +41% respectively, while EPA remained similar to fish fed FO 0 diet exclusively. Therefore, a 90-d wash-out can partially improve the FA profile in muscles of Mediterranean yellowtail previously fed vegetable oil-based diets.
Cumulated and most recent job control and risk of disability pension in the Danish Work Life Course Cohort (DaWCo)

Abstract Background Previous studies have found low job control to be associated with a higher risk of disability pension (DP). Most studies have measured job control only at one time-point, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding the role of exposure duration. This study examines the prospective association between job control and DP measuring exposure both cumulated throughout work life and most recent. Methods We included 712 519 individuals (about 4.5 million person-years) from The Danish Work Life Course Cohort which follows young employees in Denmark from their entry into the labour market. Job control was assessed with a job exposure matrix and DP with register data on public transfer payments. We adjusted for several potential life course confounders, including physical demands at work and parental socioeconomic position and psychiatric and somatic diagnoses. Results Employees in occupations with low job control had a higher risk of DP. There were effects of both cumulated and most recent job control when mutually adjusted. Fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were 1.14 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.11–1.17] and 1.15 (95% CI 1.02–1.29) for cumulated and most recent job control, respectively. Without mutual adjustment, estimates were 1.15 (95% CI 1.13–1.18) and 1.55 (95% CI 1.39–1.72) for cumulated and most recent low job control, respectively. Conclusions Low job control predicts a higher risk of DP, even after adjustment for physical demands at work. The results indicate both gradual and short-term effects of low job control on DP risk.
EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON MEAT TISSUE AND MUSCLE PROPERTIES‐A REVIEW

Electrical stimulation of-pre-rigor muscle has received considerable attention recently as a means to increase tenderness or alleviate the effects of cold shortening. The process is being used commercially in New Zealand for accelerated conditioning of lambs. Research in the U.S. has involved varied methods of electrical stimulation on different types of slaughter animals. Electrical stimulation is also being investigated as a means to accelerate hot processing. This paper will background the research on electrical stimulation and discuss future research needs.
Geographical variation in blood parasites in feral pigeons: the role of vectors.

Prevalence and intensity of blood parasites are known to vary in space within a same species, yet the causes underlying such variation are poorly known. Theoretically, blood parasites variation can be attributed to differences to exposure to parasite vectors and/or to differences in host susceptibility. Here, we show that prevalence of Haemoproteus columbae in feral pigeons Columba livia varied among five near-by populations (range 15%-100%), paralleled by variation in the abundance of its main vector, the louse flies Pseudolynchia canariensis. Geographic variation in intensity of blood parasites did not covary with abundance of vectors. Within populations, older individuals had a higher probability of being parasitized than younger ones, whereas younger birds, when infected, suffered higher intensities. Furthermore, we found no evidence of sex-related differences neither in prevalence nor in intensity of blood parasite infections. To demonstrate that geographical variation in prevalence was actually due to differences in vector exposure, we conducted two experiments based on translocation of unparasitized pigeons from a vector-free area to an area where both the parasite and vector were abundant. With the first experiment, we demonstrated that unparasitized pigeons were not resistant to the parasite because when transmission was possible pigeons became parasitized in a few months. With the second experiment, in which half of the pigeons were prevented from contacts with the vector, we ruled out the posibility that pigeons we considered as unparasitized would have suffered from latent infections. Therefore, both observational and experimental evidence supports the view that vector abundance is the major factor influencing the spatial variation in prevalence of H. columbae in pigeons.
The Distance-Weighted K-nearest Centroid Neighbor Classification

The k-Nearest Centroid Neighbor rule is one of the eﬀective algorithms in pattern classiﬁcation. In this paper, with the goal of overcoming the sensitivity issue on the choice of the neighborhood size k and improving the classiﬁcation performance, two new distance-weighted k-nearest centroid neighbor rules are proposed. According to the geometric distribution and the similarity between the nearest centroid neighbors and the query pattern, the proposed rules mainly employ the new weighted voting function to give weights in the classiﬁcation voting. In order to verify the classiﬁcation behavior of the proposed classiﬁers, we conduct extensive experiments on twelve real data sets, in comparison with the other KNN-based classiﬁers. Experimental results show that the new classiﬁers are eﬀective algorithms for the classiﬁcation tasks, owing to their satisfactory classiﬁcation performance and robustness over a wide range of k.
Decreased preference and reproduction, and increased mortality of Frankliniella occidentalis on thrips‐resistant pepper plants

The effect of thrips resistance in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) – previously shown to result in impeded thrips population development (Maris PC, Joosten NN, Goldbach RW & Peters D (2003a) Restricted spread of Tomato spotted wilt virus in thrips‐resistant pepper. Phytopathology 93: 1223–1227. Maris PC, Joosten NN, Goldbach RW & Peters D (2003b) Spread of Tomato spotted wilt virus and population development of Frankliniella occidentalis in pepper resistant to thrips. Proceedings of the Section Experimental and Applied Entomology Netherlands Entomological Society (NEV) Amsterdam 14: 95–101. ) – on thrips’[Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)] reproduction, mortality, host preference, and behaviour was investigated. Reproduction, studied by oviposition and larval survival, was negatively affected by the thrips‐resistant (TR) phenotype, whereas the offspring's developmental rate did not differ on TR and the thrips‐susceptible (TS) phenotype. While thrips’ behaviour was hardly affected by thrips resistance, a significant preference for TS plants over the TR plants was found in different tests. When released on either a TR or a TS plant, thrips dispersed at significantly higher rates from the TR plants, demonstrating that not only an impeded reproduction, but also a reduced residence time adds to the reported lower thrips numbers on TR plants.