Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Beauveria bassiana (Hyphomycetes) isolates as potential agents for control of Dendroctonus valens

Abstract The red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, as a destructive invasive pest, has become one of the most economically important forest pest in China. Effective control measures are desperately needed. Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, have shown great potential for the management of some bark beetle species. In this study, 12 isolates of B. bassiana from bark beetle were examined for biological characteristics and virulence, to assess their potential as biocontrol agents for RTB. There were significant differences (at P= 0.05) in colony growth rate, conidial yield, conidial germination, tolerance to UV light and extracellular proteases activity among the tested B. bassiana isolates. Isolates, including Bb1801, Bb1906, Bb789 and Bb773, exhibited the best characteristics, because they have faster hyphal growth rate, higher spore production and faster spore germination, higher UV tolerance and protease (Pr1) production. The results of a pathogenicity test of B. bassiana on RTB larvae showed that most isolates of B. bassiana have demonstrated high efficacy and the highest virulent isolate was Bb1801, which killed 100% of the treated insects and had a median lethal time (LT50) of 4.60 days at a concentration of 1×107 conidia/mL. Therefore, isolate Bb1801 has a great potential for sustainable control of RTB in the forest. The correlation between biological characteristics and virulence of the fungal isolates is discussed and the possibility of combination of entomopathogenic fungi with semiochemicals, as one of the promising strategy for RTB control, is considered.
The effect of stump extraction on the diversity of saproxylic insects in the roots of Norway spruce (Picea abies) stumps

This study examined the effect of tree stump extraction on the diversity of saproxylic insects in Norway spruce Picea abies roots. I tested if the density of saproxylic beetles was the same in the interior layer of the stump storage piles as in the exterior layer. I also tested if the beetle density was as high or higher in piles as in remaining stumps at extraction clear-cuts and to test if they could be ecological traps. I tested if species at higher trophic level as well as red-listed species could be impacted negatively by stump extraction. A total of 110 root wood samples were collected from 6 clear-cuts and 6 extraction clear-cuts and 4 different piles in central Sweden near Uppsala, Lindesberg and Fagelfors. The clear-cuts were dominated by Norway spruce and were sampled 1 to 2 years after clear felling. Norway spruce is the most common tree species used in tree stump extraction. Insect were reared from the sampled roots in rearing boxes for 8 weeks. Insects were also sampled after the rearing box period by pealing the bark of the roots and putting the bark in Tullgren-funnels to sample the last insects inside the bark. The sampled Coleoptera were determined to species level. A total of 1379 beetles of 35 species were collected from the roots. Higher species richness was found inside the piles (PIN) than on the outside of the piles (POUT). Hardly any difference was found between the clear-cut (C) and extraction clear-cut (EC) in species-richness per root-sample, but a significant difference was found between the pile habitats. Common saproxylic species, like Dryocetes autographus and Hylastes cunicularius, showed increased abundance in C and EC but a decrease in the storage piles. The pest species Pityogenes chalcographus was only reared in PIN. Predatory species higher up in the trophic levels, like the staphylinid Nudobius lentus, were found in low abundance in C, EC and in POUT but not in PIN. This could mean that the piles can be an ecological trap to species at higher trophic levels as well as for some pest species. The results of this study indicates that tree stump extraction can cause a lower diversity of saproxylic insects in Norway spruce roots and a decreased species richness if the stump piles constitutes an ecological trap. As a consequence, this can decrease the diversity and species richness in the surrounding area.
Quinone reductase inductive activity of Capsicum annuum leaves and isolation of the active compounds

Although pepper leaves have been consumed as a traditional folk food in Korea, chemopreventive researches on pepper leaves are very rare. Thus, chemopreventive activity of pepper leaves was evaluated by isolating active compounds from pepper leaves. The methanol extract of pepper leaves showed significantly strong quinone reductase (QR) inductive activity compared to that of broccoli. Through partition and column chromatography, two major QR inducers were isolated from pepper leaves. Based on visible spectra, thin layer chromatography, solubility, chemical reactions, and DIP-MS, two major QR inducers from pepper leaves were identified as lutein and β-carotene. The concentration required to double the specific activity of QR (CD) values of lutein and β-carotene were 87.5 and 10.0 μM, respectively.
The Role of Surfactant Micelles on the Partitioning of Antioxidant and the Oxidative Stability of Oil-in-Water Emulsion

Lipid oxidation system in which the fat is dispersed as emulsion droplets is still not well understood, although a large number of food exist partially or entirely in the form of emulsions. Therefore, this study was intended to examine how surfactant micelles influence the partitioning of antioxidant and hydroperoxides and how it alter the oxidative stability of oil-in-water emulsion. To determine the ability of surfactant micelles upon the partitioning of antioxidant in oil-in-water emulsion, this type of emulsion, containing quercetin at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm, were prepared with polyoxyethylene 100 stearyl ether (Brij 700) or polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) with acetate or phosphate buffer (pH 3.0 or 7.0). Structurally Birj 700 has 5 times longer polyoxyethylene groups than Tween 20. After preparation of the emulsion, surfactant micelles (0-2%) were incorporated into the continuous phase to give a final lipid concentration of 5%. Lipid oxidation rates, as determined by the formation of lipid hydroperoxides, decreased with increasing quercetin concentrations. At pH 3, the peroxide value was higher than that at pH 7. Brij 70 decreased production of lipid hydroperoxides from palm oil-in-water-emulsions compared to the emulsions stabilized by Tween 20. the result showed that solubilization of quercetin into the aqueous into the aqueous phase by Brij or Tween micelles did not alter the oxidative stability of palm oil-in-water emulsion, suggesting that surfactant micelle influenced the oxidation rate by mechanism other than antioxidant solubilization. Key word : Quercetin, surfactant micelles, and oxidative stability
The genera Cylindrocladium and Cylindrocladiella in South Africa

SYNOPSIS Species of Cylindrocladium and Cylindrocladiella are widely distributed throughout the world and are known to be Important pathogens of numerous angiosperm and gymnosperm hosts. Several species are notorious pathogens in nurseries, and have frequently been found on tree genera such as Eucalyptus, Pinus and Acacia. This paper provides a review of current knowledge, identifies areas of future research and outlines the importance of Cylindrocladium and Cylindrocladiella in South African forestry.
Turgor pressure and the mechanics of fungal penetration

This article explores the relationship between cellular turgor pressure and mechanisms used by fungi to invade solid substrates. In the oomycete Saprolegnia ferax, the rate of hyphal growth through solid medium decreases as turgor is reduced and the effect is most pronounced at high agar concentrations. This is the first clear evidence that turgor provides the force for invasive hyphal growth. Among pathogenic fungi, the role of turgor in plant infection has been established by experiments on the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea, which can punch through the surface of rice leaves and a variety of synthetic membranes. In common with other walled organisms, fungal growth hinges on an interplay between turgor and the resistance offered by the wall; irrespective of turgor, no cellular expansion or substrate deformation can occur unless the wall yields. Turgor is the only logical source of the necessary force when fungi penetrate plastics, lift the lids of Petri dishes, or burst through asphalt paving. In .
High temperature-induced sterility in indica rices at flowering

Response of three typical varieties to high temperature at different stages of growth and on flowering day was studied in naturally lighted rooms of phytotron.Spikelet sterility was induced by high temperature largely on flowering day. Within the flowering day, high temperature during anthesis time was the most detrimental to spikelet fertility, high temperature right before anthesis being the second most. High temperature after anthesis had little influence on spikelet fertility; when spikelets were exposed to high temperature one hour after anthesis, their fertility was normal. The major causes of high temperature-induced sterility were attributed to disturb pollen shedding and decreased viability of pollen grains, resulting in decreased number of germinated pollen grains on a stigma. The ability of pistil to be fertilized appeared to remain unaffected by high temperature up to 41°C. When spikelets were exposed to high temperature for 8 hours a day, the critical temperature to induce 20% sterility was 36.5°C for N22, heat tolerant, and 32°C for BKN6624, heat susceptible. At 38°C, the critical duration to induce 20% sterility was 4 hours for N22 and 2 hours for BKN6624. At 41°C, 2 hour treatment induced about 90% sterility in all the three varieties. Dihiscence characteristic of anther that allows good pollen shedding and early morning anthesis that avoids high temperature were considered two important characteristics for heat tolerance of rice varieties at flowering.
Models and sampling for studying weed seed survival with wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) as a case study

Most studies of seed survival over time are not repeated in different years because they are long-term efforts. Methodological research reported in this paper shows that the shape of seed survival curves can differ for the same species for seed produced in different years. Consequently, seed survival of wild mustard could not be described by a single type of seed survivorship curve. Wild mustard seed survival was a negative exponential function of time in one 4-yr-long trial [Y = a + b*exp(−X)], but decreased as a negative linear function of time in a second trial (Y = a + b*X), where Y is percent seed survival, X is time in years, and a, b, and c are coefficients. However, both data sets could be adequately described by a mixed negative exponential model [Y = a + b*X + c*exp(−X)]. The negative hyperbolic model [Y = a/(X + b)] did not describe both trials as well as did the mixed negative exponential model. Sample sizes of four groups of 100 seed each, harvested each year for four years, provided acceptab.
Product and channel prediction for direct marketing in banking sector

PRODUCT AND CHANNEL PREDICTION FOR DIRECT MARKETING IN BANKING SECTOR M t k, Merve M.S., Department of Computer Engineering Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. P nar Karagöz Co-Supervisor : Prof. Dr. smail Hakk Toroslu September 2017, 52 pages Direct marketing is an advertisement method in which customers are directly informed for product o ers through one-to-one communication channels. With the advancements in technology, customer databases of businesses began to grow well, therefore, detecting the needs of each customer and o ering the optimal product becomes harder. Large customer dataset needs to be analyzed to make the best product o erings to the potential customers over the most proper channels and to increase the return rate of a marketing campaign. However, this goal is not very easy to accomplish, since, negative returns in the dataset usually outnumber the positive ones. Imbalanced datasets cause data mining algorithms reveal poor performance. This thesis studies the similar problem for bank product marketing. Two data mining solutions are proposed, partitioning based method and model based method for bank product and channel prediction. First proposed approach depends on unsupervised learning method, and uses clustering to predict product and channel for new customers. Second one v presents a hybrid approach with unsupervised and supervised learning methods, which rst constructs a classi cation model to detect if the customer is buyer or non-buyer and then clusters customers for product and communication channel o ers. Experimental analysis on real life banking campaign dataset shows promising results.
Effect of Choline on the Methionine Requirements of Broiler Chickens

Abstract BOTH methionine and choline are known to furnish labile methyl groups as well as assume independent essential roles in nutrition. The work of Klose and Almquist (1941), Gillis and Norris (1951), Jukes and Stockstad (1952), Stekol et al. (1953) and others has established the common role of these compounds as methyl donors Young, Norris and Heuser (1954), using vitamin B12 depleted chicks and a basal diet deficient in choline, methionine and vitamin B12, found supplementation with mono-methylaminoethanol, homocystine, and betaine, both in the presence and absence of vitamin B12, to be utilized as effectively as equimolar concentrations of dietary choline and methionine. In the absence of sufficient betaine to methylate adequately the precursors of choline or methionine, vitamin B12 improved the growth rate indicating that it is required in the synthesis of methyl groups in chicks, but not for transmethylation reactions. Choline is also known to be associated with fat…
Recent advances towards the discovery of dopamine receptor ligands

Dopamine is a key regulator in the CNS, contributing importantly to functions of arousal and attention, initiation of movement, perception, motivation and emotion. Its imbalance has been implicated in the pathophysiology, and more clearly in the pharmacology, of a number of neurobehavioural disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, mania and depression, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as attention and eating disorders. Five major dopamine receptor subtypes (D1 – D5) have been identified, with distinct differences in their genes and peptide composition, molecular functions and neuropharmacology. These receptors represent the rational targets for the treatment of a large number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, substantial efforts have addressed the most recently described dopamine receptor types, particularly types D3, D4 and D5, although most research involves the longer-known D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. Current pharmacological efforts in medicinal chemistry and neuropharmacology include the development of D1 full agonists and D2 partial agonists, as well as agents with dopaminergic activity combined with effects at CNS serotonergic, muscarinic, adrenergic and histaminic receptors. This review provides an overview of the recent patent literature during 2003 – 2005 on the development of therapeutic agents, mainly targeting the five dopamine receptors.
Ovalbumin Induces Cyclooxygenase-2 and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression

Department of Healthcare Management, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang UniversityAbstract Egg allergies are the most prevalent food hypersensitivity in children. The major egg allergens are proteins,such as ovalbumin (OVA) and ovomucoid (OVM), which are mainly contained in egg whites. OVA is the major proteinin egg white, comprising 54% of the total protein content. OVA has been widely used in experimental inhalant and dietaryallergy animal models, but its mechanism has not been clearly identified. In this study, we showed that OVA inducednuclear factor-κB activation. OVA also induced the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase.These data suggest new approaches for developing efficient anti-allergic strategies.Keywords: ovalbumin, egg allergy, NF- κB, cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase
Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Fatally Poisoned by Dinoflagellate Toxin

During a 5–wk period beginning in late November, 1987, 14 humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, died in Cape Cod Bay after eating Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, containing saxitoxin (STX), a dinoflagellate neurotoxin responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. We propose a line of evidence to explain how whales, by virtue of their diving adaptations, may be particularly vulnerable to this systemic neurotoxin. Absence of STX in New England waters and shellfish during the episode suggests that the mackerel, representing the northern stock which spawns in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, accumulated the toxin there and delivered it to the Gulf of Maine and Cape Cod Bay in the fall of 1987. These findings challenge common perceptions of the manner in which planktonic toxins move through the food chain, and offer new insights into natural mortality and standings of marine mammals. It seems appropriate to search for STX and other phytotoxins when investigating marine mammal mortalities.
Analysis of γ4 Germline Transcription in Human B Cells

Background: Allergic reactions occur rarely in patients with chronic helminth infections, although FcεRI–bearing cells are sensitized with anti–parasite IgE and are exposed to antigen. The inhibition of allergic reactivity is due to ‘blocking antibodies’, predominantly IgG4. IgG4 antibodies represent 50–95% of anti–filarial IgG, and have blocking activity because they compete with cell–bound IgE for allergen binding. Blocking IgG4 antibodies have also been detected in patients treated with immunotherapy. However, the molecular mechanisms of IgG4 regulation have remained unexplored. We address this issue starting with the IL–4–dependent induction of γ4 germline transcription, an essential step in the commitment to isotype switching. Results: γ4 germline transcripts were cloned and shown to contain Iγ4 spliced to the 5′ portion of Cγ4 using the splice donor site shared by γ1 and γ3 germline transcripts. Sequence analysis located the human Iγ4 exon ≈0.6 kb upstream of the Sγ4 region. Four major transcription start sites located 547–583 bp upstream of the Iγ4 splice donor site were identified by primer extension analysis. A HindIII/NaeI construct (–413/+466) had the highest activity in reporter assays. Transcription was induced 4.6–fold by IL–4, 2.1–fold by CD40 engagement, and 14.5–fold by a combination of the two signals. Thus CD40 crosslinking enhanced IL–4–dependent transcription by 3.1–fold, showing that the two stimuli act synergistically. Conclusion: As we understand more about IgG4 regulation, our hope is to apply to allergy the lesson we learnt from helminth infections.
Abstract 3568: Characterization of AZD4547: An orally bioavailable, potent and selective inhibitor of FGFR tyrosine kinases 1, 2 and 3

The fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF/FGFR) signalling axis plays an important role in normal organ, vascular and skeletal development. Deregulation of FGFR signalling through genetic modification or over-expression of the receptors (or their ligands) has been observed in numerous tumour settings, whilst the FGF/FGFR axis also plays a key role in driving tumor angiogenesis. A growing body of data demonstrates that inhibition of FGFR signalling can result in anti-proliferative and/or pro-apoptotic effects, both in vitro and in vivo, thus confirming the validity of FGFR as a therapeutic target. AZD4547 is a small molecule inhibitor which competes with ATP for binding to FGF receptors 1, 2 and 3, thus inhibiting autophosphorylation and downstream signalling. Using in vitro kinase assays, we demonstrate that AZD4547 is a potent inhibitor of FGFR9s 1,2 and 3 with IC50 values of 0.2, 2.5 and 1.8nM respectively. AZD4547 is also highly selective vs a panel of over 70 other kinases (no activity at 10μM) and importantly vs Kinase Insert Domain Receptor (KDR) (>120-fold window in cellular assays vs. FGFR2). In vitro treatment of a large panel of cell lines (>100) with AZD4547 resulted in varying anti-proliferative responses, the most potent of which were almost exclusively confined to those cell-lines in which FGFR signalling was de-regulated. Treatment of these sensitive cell lines with AZD4547 for 1hr, demonstrated potent inhibition of phosphorylation of FGF receptors and downstream substrates including p44/42 MAPK. The anti-proliferative effects of AZD4547 appear to be cell line dependent and vary between potent G1-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptotic induction. Chronic in vivo dosing of AZD4547 up to 12.5mg/kg qd was well tolerated and resulted in dose-dependent growth inhibition in a KMS11 tumour xenograft model. This in vivo anti-tumor activity is correlated with exposure to AZD4547 and associated pharmacodynamic modulation of phospho-FGFR. These data confirm the novelty of AZD4547 as a potent and selective agent for the therapeutic treatment of tumors with deregulated FGF/FGFR signalling. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3568. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3568
Evaluation of 10 plant barcodes in Bryophyta (Mosses)

Abstract DNA barcoding is a molecular tool that uses a standardized DNA region to identify species. Our preliminary study reported here is the first attempt to specifically focus on universality and attributes of candidate barcodes across a wide systematic range of mosses. We tested eight previously proposed plant barcoding regions (atpF‐atpH, ITS2, matK, psbK‐psbI, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1, and trnH‐psbA) and two popular phylogenetic markers (rps4 and trnL‐trnF of cpDNA) in 49 moss species and 9 liverwort species, representing half of the orders in moss lineages. The ITS2, rbcL, rpoC1, rps4, trnH‐psbA and trnL‐trnF regions showed good universality, and therefore the efficacy of these loci as DNA barcodes was further evaluated in 36 mosses and 2 liverworts, each of which included two to three individuals per taxa. The five loci, viz. rbcL, rpoC1, rps4, trnH‐psbA and trnL‐trnF, were easy to amplify and sequence and showed significant inter‐specific genetic variability, making them potentially useful DNA barcodes for mosses. The best performing single loci were the rbcL and rpoC1 coding regions. Several loci showed equivalent performance and combinations of them did not greatly increase their discrimination capacity. In addition, phylogenies generated from each of the separate regions and multi‐locus combinations by using best‐fit and Kimura 2‐parameter models were compared, but no significant difference was found.
Effects of Increasing Water Hardness on Egg Diameter and Hatch Rates of Striped Bass Eggs

Abstract Calcium chloride was used to increase total hardness of hatchery well water from 40 mg/L to 200 mg/L, and two experiments were conducted to evaluate effects on egg diameter and hatch rates of eggs from striped bass Morone saxatilis. In the first experiment, fertilized eggs were divided into two lots; one lot was incubated in untreated well water with a total hardness of 40 mg/L, the other lot was incubated in water hardened to about 200 mg/L. The eggs that were incubated in treated water hatched at a significantly higher rate (70.3%) than the control eggs (53.9%). The mean egg diameter of the treatment eggs (2.45 mm) was significantly smaller than the control eggs (3.14 mm). In a second experiment, eggs were incubated in hardened water for different durations. Fertilized eggs were incubated for 3, 6, or 48 h in hardened water then transferred to well water. Eggs incubated for 48 h in hardened water hatched at a significantly higher rate (44.7%) than those incubated for 3 h (25.3%) or 6 h (31.9%).