Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro growth and development of ovarian follicles for fertility preservation

A physiological culture system that supports the in vitro growth (IVG) and development of oocytes would be an invaluable tool for the development and optimisation of fertility preservation techniques. Markers of oocyte, follicle and ovarian stromal tissue normality need to be established to ensure in vitro-derived oocytes are healthy and developmentally competent. A 2-step, physiological IVG system was developed that supported (1) activation, growth and development of ovine primordial follicles in situ over 16-23 days; yielding 37 secondary follicles over 31 repeat cultures and (2) development of in vivo- (n=85) and in vitro-derived secondary follicles to the early antral stage, 25% and 19%, respectively. Step (1) was compared to an accelerated system (n=24), which, unlike the physiological system, resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) in the proportion of degenerating follicles and decrease (p<0.05) in stromal tissue integrity following 6 days culture compared to day 0 control tissue. In addition a significantly higher yield of transitional (p<0.01) and secondary (p<0.05) follicles resulted from the physiological vs. the accelerated system. The expression patterns of 20 genes key to oogenesis and folliculogenesis were established in vivo and compared to stage-matched samples derived using the physiological IVG system, revealing significant changes (p<0.05) in the expression of AMH, IGF1, INHα, INHβA, FST, ZP2, GTSF1, BMP6, BMP15 and MEST. Step (1) was used to evaluate damage to oocyte and ovarian tissue health following the perfusion of 48 ovaries, with either 1.5M dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) or L-15 control medium, in combination with the use of NMR spectroscopy to determine the level of DMSO permeation. Perfusion times of 10 and 60 minutes were required permeate the pedicle and cortex tissue, respectively, however, 60 minutes perfusion resulted in a significant decrease in follicle number (p<0.01) and stromal tissue integrity (p<0.05). The overall results indicate that the IVG of oocytes is a suitable tool to both assess the patency of fertility preservation systems and as a means to restore female fertility.
Characterisation of two morphogenesis mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

In this thesis is described the characterisation of two morphogenesis mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, with the aim of furthering our understanding of signalling in development. A thorough phenotypic analysis of both mutants is presented, with particular attention paid to the seedling root. The results of genetic analysis of hydra2 are also presented. The hydra mutants are characterised by a pleiotropic phenotype, with defective embryonic and seedling cell patterning, morphogenesis and root growth. The HYDRA1 gene encodes a A8-A7 sterol isomerase, while HYDRA2 encodes a sterol C14 reductase, previously identified as the FACKEL gene product. Seedlings mutant for each gene are similarly defective in the concentrations of the three major Arabidopsis sterols. Reporter gene analysis showed mis-expression of the hormonally-regulated DR5, IAA2 and ACSl promoters and of the epidermal cell file-specific GL2 promoter in the mutants. The mutants also exhibit enhanced responses to auxin. The phenotypes can be partially rescued by inhibition of auxin and ethylene signalling, but not by exogenous brassinosteroids. Evidence of abnormal activity of hormone-related membrane-bounds proteins and of altered membrane permeability to auxin is presented. A model in which correct sterol profiles are required for regulated auxin and ethylene signalling through effects on membrane function is proposed.
Spheres of Influence as Negotiated Hegemony – The Case of Central Asia

ABSTRACT In the nineteenth century, as well as during the Cold War, spheres of influence were created and legitimized to pursue and sustain order in world politics, as well as to avoid direct confrontation between the great powers. Nowadays, they are considered as belonging to a past characterized by confrontation, power politics, balance of power and coercion. Yet, spheres of influence still constitute part of the present-day political vocabulary, and several regional dynamics are in fact framed and analysed by using this concept. Are spheres of influence returning, or have they simply evolved? How do spheres of influence look like in contemporary international relations? With a specific focus on Russia and Central Asia, this article adopts an English School approach to the study of spheres of influence and offers a conceptualization of contemporary spheres of influence as structures of negotiated hegemony between the ‘influencer’ and the ‘influenced’ where norms and rules of coexistence are debated, contested and compromised on. The implications of this are multiple. First, the approach allows for seeing spheres of influence as social structures where norms and rules of coexistence are in play. Second, it allows for an analysis of the implementation and the legitimacy of spheres of influence through history. Third, by stressing the evolutionary character of spheres of influence, it puts the notion of their ‘return’ into question.
Nuclear Survivin: Cellular Consequences and Therapeutic Implications

Survivin is a cancer associated protein that is present in all embryonic cells, but whose expression is normally limited to actively proliferating cells in adults. During mitosis it is part of a conserved complex of chromosomal passenger proteins (CPPs), which is essential for chromosome biorientation and cell division (Ruchaud et al., 2007). Defects in CPP function cause errors in mitosis and cytokinesis and can lead to genomic instability, or “aneuploidy”, a status indicative of tumorigenesis. First discovered by Altieri and coworkers (Ambrosini et al., 1998), survivin is the fourth most upregulated mRNA in the cancer transcriptome (Velculescu et al., 1999), and in many tumours its expression is detected throughout the cell cycle. Importantly increased survivin abundance correlates with tumour resistance to conventional radiation and chemotherapies, a correlation recapitulated in cultured cells in the laboratory (Chakravarti et al., 2004; Colnaghi et al., 2006). While involvement in mitosis alone is a valid reason for considering a protein as a biomarker, or a target for cancer therapy, the oncotherapeutic potential of survivin is compounded by the fact that it is also an inhibitor of cell death (for review see Altieri, 2008). The principle aim of this article is to highlight the manifestations of survivin expression in the nucleus and to discuss how these might be exploited for oncotherapeutic gain.
Volatility Transmission and Correlation Analysis between the USA and Asia: The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis

Abstract This paper examines volatility transmission and conditional correlations behaviour between the US and the Asian stock markets considering the effect of the Global Financial crisis. One Asian mature market and 10 emerging markets are included in the sample. To carry out the analysis, we use a multivariate asymmetric GARCH model. Results show that there exists volatility transmission between the US and the Asian markets. Moreover, it is found that, after the crisis, volatility transmission patterns have barely changed. Finally, results suggest that the lower the country‘s level of development, the lower the correlation with the USA.
Immunity to Lymphoid Tumors Induced in Syngeneic Mice by Immunization with Mitomycin C-Treated Cells

Immunization of mice with syngeneic mitomycin C-treated lymphoid tumor cells (EL-4 and S49A) conferred a high degree of immunity to transplantation with viable tumor cells in syngeneic animals. The development of this immunity was paralleled by the development of specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity; no anti-tumor antibodies could be detected in the immunized animals. In contrast to the high immunoprophylactic capacity of mitomycin C-treated cells, attempts to utilize these cells for immunotherapy were unsuccessful. Preliminary experiments did not reveal antigenic differences between mitomycin C-treated and untreated tumor cells.
Fouling During the Use of Seawater as Coolant—the Development of a User Guide

Abstract ESDU International of London, UK, has recently published a User Guide [1] on fouling in heat exchange systems using seawater as the coolant. Developed over a period of eighteen months in close collaboration with a team of oil refiners, heat transfer equipment, and services suppliers and universities, and with valuable input from the power industry, the User Guide is a practical guide to the current state of knowledge related to fouling in cooling systems using seawater. Its objective is to provide the designer and the operator of both onshore and offshore equipment with a practical source of guidance on the occurrence, the mechanisms, and the mitigation of seawater fouling in these systems. ESDU's collaborative Oil Industry Fouling Working Party was formed in recognition of the huge economic and environmental importance of heat exchanger fouling and the potential benefits that can accrue from a better understanding of mitigation strategies. The seawater fouling User Guide is the second in a group, following the development of the Crude Oil Fouling User Guide [2] issued in 2000. Work is now underway on cooling water fouling. The development of the User Guide is discussed in this paper, and its technical content is summarized.
Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in barley: activity enhancement in response to Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei (race 1) a pathogen, and Erysiphe pisi, a nonpathogen

Abstract Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity in barley leaves was measured at intervals after inoculation with the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei. Measurements were made at times that included the periods of attempted penetration by the E. graminis primary germ tube and appressorium. The results demonstrated that extractable enzyme activity increased at 6 h and between 12-15 h after inoculation, times consistent with attempted penetration by the primary germ tube and the appressorium, respectively. Enzyme activity increased regardless of the resistance or susceptibility of the barley cultivar to the fungus suggesting that the response was non-specific and was not a reflection of the resistance or susceptibility of the cultivar to the pathogen prior to the time of penetration. When barley was inoculated with the nonpathogen E. pisi, only a single period of elevation in PAL enzyme activity was detected. This was consistent with the fact that, unlike E. graminis, E. pisi does not produce a primary germ tube. The enzyme activity increased between 9-15 h after inoculation, consistent with the time of the attempted penetration of the leaf by the E. pisi appressorium. Northern blot analyses to detect the time of appearance of PAL mRNA indicated that the level of the message began to increase at 0·5 h after inoculation with both fungi, and that the intensity of the increase was greatest in response to E. pisi. The results are discussed with respect to the presumed importance of host phenolic compound metabolism that occurs as a response to the fungal infection process.
The Determinants of the U.S. Foreign Direct Investment: Does the Region Matter?

Abstract This study seeks to explain the variation in U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America and Asia. The analysis focuses on 19 Latin American and Asian countries for the period of 1979–1999. The results show that the variation in the U.S. FDI can largely be attributed to the differences in fundamental economic and social factors such as market size, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, macro-economic stability, the degree of trade openness, and both school enrollment and infrastructure availability. Separating the data into two time periods reveals interesting results about the location decisions for U.S. investors. In addition, the results from the comparison between the two regions show that Latin American countries clearly attract U.S. FDI for different reasons than Asian countries.
Effect of Cocoa Procyanidins on the Secretion of Interleukin-4 in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Given the widespread ingestion of cocoa in many cultures, we investigated whether cocoa, in its isolated procyanidin fractions (monomer through decamer), would modulate synthesis of the antiinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-4 (IL-4). Both resting and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were investigated at the protein secretion level. The smaller-sized cocoa fractions (tetramer or less) were unable to induce an IL-4 response (i.e., values fell below the detection limit of 0.25 pg/ml). The larger oligomeric procyanidins (pentamer or greater) stimulated secretion of IL-4 in resting PBMC by as much as 1.42 pg/ml, as shown by the nonamer. However, only the hexameric, heptameric, and decameric fractions proved to be statistically significant. Cells coincubated with PHA showed an immense increase in secretory IL-4 (21.1 ± 1.1 pg/ml). Only the monomeric fraction was able to enhance PHA-induced secretion by 48%. The other procyanidin oligomers suppressed IL-4 production;.
Mating-type genes and sexual potential in the ascomycete genera Aspergillus and Penicillium

Mating-type and other ‘sex-related’ genes in the filamentous ascomcyete genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, were examined to investigate the potential sexual capacity of supposedly asexual species and also the possible evolutionary route and ancestry of mating strategy and mating-type genes. Two heterothallic and one homothallic sexual species were screened to determine the presence and genomic organisation of mating-type genes. An additional gene has previously been detected in Neosartorya fischeri, N. fumigata and Penicillium marneffei. This gene was also detected and sequenced in the heterothallic species, Emericella heterothallica and the homothallic species, Eurotium repens. The expression of this gene was investigated under conditions that cause expression of mating-type genes in these species. Mating-type and other ‘sex-related’ genes were investigated in asexual Aspergilli that have been genome sequenced. Expression of mating-type, α-factor pheromone precursor, pheromone receptor and two transcription factor encoding genes were also investigated. Gene expression varied between species, but no genes displayed mating type-dependent expression. Previous studies had developed a degenerate PCR diagnostic approach to identify putative MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 gene fragments. This degenerate PCR diagnostic was performed on Penicillium species in the subgenus Penicillium to determine the presence or absence of mating-type genes. Mating-type gene fragments or whole open reading frames were sequenced from four of these Penicillium species. RT-PCR analyses were also performed on these species, and MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 gene expression was confirmed in three of the four Penicillium species. The overall structure of the mating-type loci and idiomorphs of the Aspergillus and Penicillium species revealed certain common features. The ancestral mating strategy of the Eurotiomycetes has been suggested to be homothallism. Whilst this remains possible, alternative evolutionary scenarios are suggested from this investigation.
RNAi– induced silencing of the plasma membrane Ca2+– ATPase 2 in neuronal cells: effects on Ca2+ homeostasis and cell viability

Intraneuronal calcium ([Ca2+]i) regulation is altered in aging brain, possibly because of the changes in critical Ca2+ transporters. We previously reported that the levels of the plasma membrane Ca2+‐ATPase (PMCA) and the Vmax for enzyme activity are significantly reduced in synaptic membranes in aging rat brain. The goal of these studies was to use RNAi techniques to suppress expression of a major neuronal isoform, PMCA2, in neurons in culture to determine the potential functional consequences of a decrease in PMCA activity. Embryonic rat brain neurons and SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were transfected with in vitro– transcribed short interfering RNA or a short hairpin RNA expressing vector, respectively, leading to 80% suppression of PMCA2 expression within 48 h. Fluorescence ratio imaging of free [Ca2+]i revealed that primary neurons with reduced PMCA2 expression had higher basal [Ca2+]i, slower recovery from KCl‐induced Ca2+ transients, and incomplete return to pre‐stimulation Ca2+ levels. Primary neurons and SH‐SY5Y cells with PMCA2 suppression both exhibited significantly greater vulnerability to the toxicity of various stresses. Our results indicate that a loss of PMCA such as occurs in aging brain likely leads to subtle disruptions in normal Ca2+ signaling and enhanced susceptibility to stresses that can alter the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis.
Soybean preference for Bradyrhizobium japonicum for nodulation. Nodulation by Rj2Rj3Rj4-genotypes isolated from the progenies of a cross between soybean cvs. IAC-2 (Rj2Rj3) and Hill (Rj4)

Abstract For the increase of the occupation ratio of inoculum strain in the competition with indigenous rhizobia, the relationship between Rj-genotypes of soybean and the preference of Rj-cultivars for various types of rhizobia for nodulation was investigated by using the Rj 2 Rj 4-genotype of soybean isolated from the cross between the Rj 2 Rj 3-cultivar IAC-2 and Rj 4-one Hill (Ishizuka et al. 1993: Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., 39, 79-86). Firstly, these Rj 2 Rj 4-genotypes were found to harbor the Rj 3-gene. The Rj 2Rj3Rj4-genotypes of soybean were considered to exhibit a more narrow microsymbiont range for nodulation than the Rj 2 Rj 3-and Rj4-cultivars. Therefore, rhizobia were isolated from the nodules of various Rj-genotypes of soybeans grown in soils, and the preference of the Rj 2 Rj 3 Rj 4-genotype for indigenous rhizobia was examined. The nodule occupancy of serotype 110 was significantly higher in the bacteroids of the nodules from the Rj 2 Rj 3 Rj 4-rgenotypes than in those from the other genotypes.
Variabilidade Genética em populações naturais de Leporinus piau (Anostomidae, Characiformes) da bacia do Rio Itapecuru.

Resumo - A especie Leporinus piau encontra-se amplamente distribuida na America do Sul ocorrendo com frequencia na bacia do rio Itapecuru, Estado do Maranhao. Esta especie constitui importante recurso pesqueiro de grande valor economico. Na tentativa de conhecer os indices de variabilidade genetica de L. piau , sequencias do gene rRNA 16S foram obtidas de especimes oriundos do alto, medio e baixo curso da bacia do rio Itapecuru. A analise de um fragmento de 481 pb revelou a presenca de 10 haplotipos e uma elevada diversidade haplotipica h = 0,7247. A matriz de divergencia genetica para esses haplotipos mostrou altos indices variando de 0,2 a 1,9%, sendo que os mais elevados (0,9 a 1,9%) foram observados para o haplotipo tres (H3) de ocorrencia no alto, medio e baixo curso da bacia do rio Itapecuru. Altos niveis de variabilidade genetica intra e interpopulacional e a ocorrencia de haplotipos com elevados valores de divergencia genetica sugere uma diferenciacao genetica para esta especie. No entanto, a analise molecular de variância nao mostrou estruturacao entre as populacoes de L. piau do Rio Itapecuru representando assim um unico estoque.
Growth production of the euphausiid Nyctiphanes simplex at the coastal shelf off Magdalena, Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Growth production of the euphausiid Nyctiphanes simplex Hansen was examined off the southwest coast of the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico (Bahia Magdalena, 24 to 25° N), as a function of seasonal changes of temperature, zooplankton biomass, upwelling index, and regional ocean circulation. The data were collected during 4 oceanographic surveys from June to November 1986. High densities of N. simplex were found in the shallow coastal waters ( N. simplex on the coastal shelf was 273.42 mg m yr and showed a strong seasonal variation. This value was about 1/4 the value previously reported at Bahia Vizcaino in northern Baja California (28 to 29° N). Our data supports the hypothesis that there are strong latitudinal changes in regional production of this species along the west coast of Baja California. The production:biomass (P:B) ratio obtained for the period June to November 1986 was 6.99 yr. The maximum reproductive activity of N. simplex during spring and early summer at Bahia Magdalena appeared to be related to enhancement of the coastal upwelling.
Male parental care of Patagonian Crested Ducks Anas (Lophonetta) specularioides

We observed the behaviour of Crested Ducks accompanying broods on small plateau lakes in southern Argentina. Time-budget data show that although females usually were closest to the brood, males were almost always nearby and spent more time alert than the females. Males were most active in both intraspecific and interspecific aggression. Both pair members took part in intraspecific aggression, and they cooperated closely in leading aggressive Upland Goose males away from their young. Both sexes, but especially males, used distraction displays. Our observations suggest that male Crested Ducks accompany broods to protect the ducklings, and that males play an important role in the care of ducklings from hatching to independence.
Fluorescence laser tracking microrheology for quantitative studies of cytoskeletal mechanotransduction

To shed light on the cell's response to its mechanical environment, we examined cell rheology at the single cell level and quantified it with nanometer spatial and microsecond temporal resolutions over a five-decade frequency range (0.5 Hz to 50 kHz). To this end, we developed and optimized an instrument for fast fluorescence laser tracking microrheology (FLTM). This novel method aims at experimentally deriving cellular viscoelastic properties from the passive monitoring of fluorescent microspheres undergoing Brownian motion inside the tested sample. Further instrument enhancement even broadens the FLTM frequency span up to seven decades by modulating data acquisition speed or complementing FLTM with a two-particle microrheology modality. In living cells, FLTM accurately characterizes the solid-like vs. liquid-like cytoskeletal behavior from measurements based on endocytosed micron-sized beads, independently of probe size or surface chemistry. FLTM also demonstrates the existence of two distinct rheological regimes on the cell surface and in the cell interior: While the former surface investigations show power-law frequency variations of the complex shear modulus G*(o), the latter intracellular experiments identify multiple time and length scales affecting cell rheological features. Finally, FLTM evaluates frequency-specific stretchinduced cell mechanics and thus promises to broaden and diversify the scientific knowledge on mechanotransduction, from a molecular and cellular standpoint. Thesis Supervisor: Peter T. C. So Title: Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering