Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reviews

How can we convince undergraduates that mathematics is as modern and vibrant as physics or biology in these days of the Higgs boson and genome sequencing? Certainly ordinary calculus, although it is intellectually rich, does not do the trick. Since most promising mathematics and science students see it first in high school, the level of excitement that I still remember from seeing it presented relatively rigorously in college many years ago is simply not present today. My candidate for a teachable contemporary mathematical topic that can attract modern students is chaotic dynamical systems, or to give the subject a more enticing name, chaos and fractals. I have taught courses on this subject at a variety of levels from freshman honors to senior capstone. And the text that I have enjoyed using the most (at least for a lower-level version) is the Gulick book, which has recently appeared in a second edition. The new edition offers more material on fractals (three chapters rather than one) and gives expanded coverage of background material and attention to modern algorithms. This second edition is the subject of the current review. The subject of chaos was invented around the turn of the twentieth century by Poincaré (but named much later by Yorke). He showed that a deterministic system of second-order differential equations modeling a particular three-body solar system can have solutions that display sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Thus, some trajectories simply cannot be predicted with any degree of accuracy over the long term. But the subject did not really take off until the development of software for experimentation and graphics. Once these tools were available and applications to subjects like weather prediction and chemical reactions were discovered, there was incentive to find the correct mathematical framework and to build an appropriate theory. Some chaotic trajectories display fractal behavior, so this modern geometric concept occurs naturally in the study of chaotic systems. Fractals also occur as the limit sets of simple discrete dynamical systems. Take, for instance, the iterated function system (IFS) defined by the three affine mappings of the plane: T1(v) = 1/2v, T2(v) = 1/2v + (1/2, 0), T3(v) = 1/2v + (1/4, √ 3/4). If we start with the origin and iterate this IFS many times, the limit set is the famous Sierpiński gasket, and a good computer image is obtained by using the tenth iterate. It is possible to teach much of this material to motivated students who have a background of only first-semester calculus. Of course, the more mathematics a student knows the better, but a course can be taught with this very minimal prerequisite. Encountered during the course will be some topics from sophomore courses including iteration (discrete mathematics), matrices (linear algebra), the qualitative study of solutions of differential equations, and algorithms employing pseudorandom numbers
The introduction of subsidies for grassland conservation in the Italian Alps coincided with population decline in a threatened grassland species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Capsule We analysed Corncrake population trends between 1997 and 2012 and evaluated changes before and after the introduction of subsidies for grassland conservation in 2000, which indirectly promoted unfavourable mowing practices over most grasslands in Trento province. According to both early and late season counts, the species has significantly declined in the study area since the early 2000s. Agri-environmental subsidies that are not adapted to the ecological requirements of the species may fail to achieve conservation objectives.
Terrorism Programming

Mass media reports about terrorism prepared audiences for the Iraq War. Expanded social control efforts, including surveillance and suspension of civil liberties, were deemed necessary to fight terrorism. The fight against terrorism and the Iraq War were presented to audiences through an exhaustive propaganda campaign that included dramatisation of enemy threats, how to consume and be patriotic. All of this required a complicit news media that carried governmental claims and justifications. Analysis of news coverage suggests that this war was presented as Terrorism Programming, or the selective use of claims makers/news sources within a normative pattern, which included occasional detractors to give the appearance of debate. The implications of this approach for social control are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.
Biology of Aporcelaimellus Sp. (Nematoda : Aporcelaimidae)

The biology of a new species of Aporcelaimellus is described and illustrated. Populations became established on cultures of algae, but penetration and feeding were limited by food-cell size. Hatching occurred 230-250 hours after laying. Separation of membranes was evident at one pole of the egg prior to emergence. The first juvenile stage required 14-18 days for completion; the second stage, 16-23 days; the third stage 26-34 days, and the fourth stage, 25-39 days. Odontostyle replacement occurred during each moult, and odontostyle formation was evident at all but the pre-adult moult. Nematodes which had been feeding on the alga Haematococcus sp. defaecated solid material at the conclusion of each moult.
The effects of large herbivore grazing on meadow steppe plant and insect diversity

Summary1. The interactions between adjacent trophic levels are essential for ecosystem functioning andstability. Grazing by domestic herbivores is an essential interaction in grasslands, but littleinformation is available on the nature of relationship between plant and insect diversity undergrazing by large herbivores.2. We examined the effects of large herbivores on the relationship between plant and insectdiversity with ﬁve grazing treatments (control, cattle, goat, sheep and a mixture of the threegrazing types) across three plant diversity levels (low: 4–5 species, intermediate: 8–9 speciesand high: 15–17 species) in a meadow steppe.3. We found that the grazing treatments did not signiﬁcantly affect plant species richness, butreduced plant biomass, plant height and cover. Grazers affected variation in plant height dif-ferently at different plant diversity levels, and this variation increased at the low plant diver-sity level and decreased at the high plant diversity level after grazing. A similar pattern wasobserved for insect species richness: grazing had a positive impact at the low plant diversitylevel, but had a negative impact at the high plant diversity level.4. In the absence of grazing, insect species richness was positively associated with plant spe-cies richness, but it decreased with increasing plant diversity in the grazing treatments. Thiswas attributed to strong responses of insect species richness to plant height heterogeneityunder grazing by large herbivores, implying that plant structural heterogeneity is more impor-tant than plant diversity in inﬂuencing insect diversity in grazed grasslands.5. Synthesis and applications. Grazing by large herbivores may reverse the positive relation-ship between plant diversity and insect diversity by modifying plant structural heterogeneity.Therefore, the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation structure should be given more attention infuture work on plant–insect interactions. This study further highlights the importance ofusing large herbivore grazing in management actions, not only to maintain diversity but alsoto mediate trophic interactions in grasslands.Key-words: grassland, grazing, insect species richness, large herbivores, plant species rich-ness, plant structural heterogeneity, variation in plant heightIntroduction
A clarification of the generic limits of Trigonella and Medicago

The main steps in the history of delimitation of Medicago and Trigonella are given. The typical medicagos have been characterized by spirally coiled pods; the typical trigonellas, by cylindrical straight or curved pods. The cause of the long disagreement is due to the existence of species having flattened or compressed pods in both genera. Such species were considered by most botanists to be intermediate between Trigonella and Medicago. Some botanists included all these species in Medicago whereas others included them in Trigonella. Some proposed an intermediate genus, e.g. Pocockia, Melissitus. In 1873, Urban suggested the characters of the cotyledons as the only reliable criteria for delimitation between the two genera. New evidence based on floral characters supports Urban's generic concept. A possible parallel evolution of pod shape is assumed to have occurred in both genera.
Produção de frutanos em calos e plântulas clonadas in vitro de Viguiera discolor Baker (Asteraceae)

Viguiera discolor Baker is a herbaceous species, native to cerrado and its survival has been threatened by the invasion of exotic species. Considering its high production and the wide application of fructans, the present work has aimed to establish in vitro culture of this species and to investigate the presence of fructans under these conditions. Seeds were germinated in vitro on modified MS medium and after plant growth, stem nodes were isolated and incubated on the previous culture medium, supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 NAA, which allowed the production of uniform plants, and formation of non thickened roots, tuberous roots and callus-like structures (callus type 1). Analysis of these materials showed the presence of inulin-type fructans. Incubation of stem nodes in the presence of 2,4-D induced growth of friable callus (callus type 2), in which fructans and their synthesis enzymes sucrose: sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (SST) and fructan: fructan 1fructosyltransferase (FFT) were detected. Although in lower concentrations, the ratio SST/FFT activities and their fructans were similar to values found in plants cultivated under natural conditions. Stem nodes incubation on hormone-free medium resulted in regeneration of 50% plantlets. In vitro propagation, of V. discolor, may allow large-scale multiplication and conservation of this species, as well as fructan production under this condition.
Interactions between milk serum proteins and synthetic fat globule membrane during heating of homogenized whole milk

Interaction of serum proteins with the fat globule membranes (FGM) in homogenized whole milk affects the properties of a number of dairy products. The reactions of synthetic FGM in homogenized heated milk were investigated by quantitative analysis of the fat globules using electrophoresis and densitometry. The results indicated that only caseins constituted the newly formed surface of synthetic fat globules after homogenization. The serum proteins (beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin) adsorbed to the FGM only when the fat globules had been heated above 70 degrees C. The alpha s2- and k-caseins and the serum proteins were only slightly dissociated when fat globules were washed in dissociating buffer solutions containing urea and EDTA, confirming that the denatured serum proteins attached to cysteine-containing caseins on FGM. The kinetics of deposition of beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin on the FGM during heating of homogenized milk at 75 degrees C followed a pseudo-first-order reaction, when considered in terms of vacant "sites" on the fat globule surface. At lower temperatures, kinetics of deposition of the two proteins were similar.
Flavour volatile production and regulation in fruit

Consumption of fresh fruits is increasing as consumers become more aware of their nutritional value and role in disease prevention. Improving the flavour properties of fresh fruit reaching the consumer would add value, increase consumption, and create new markets for these commodities. One of the important characteristics of fruit ripening is volatile aroma production. Using apples (Malus domestica), strawberries (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) and melons (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud; C. melo L. inodorus; C. melo L. cantalupensis) fruit as examples, this review focuses on recent developments in fruit aroma research. Both sensory studies and instrumental analysis confirm the importance of volatile production in fruit and its contribution to eating quality. Sensory analysis should further define the contribution of individual volatile compounds to total flavour quality. Volatile biosynthesis and its contribution to fruit eating quality is very complex, and is influenced by many factors, such as genome, .
Review

The people of the Rainbow Region—or NSW’s Northern Rivers region centring around the townships of Byron Bay, Nimbin, Mullumbimby, Nightcap Range, Bangalow, Clunes, Dunoon, Federal, Rosebank and the regional centre of Lismore— seem to be constantly divided over how to manage the region’s growing international reputation based on creative arts and tourism. Some older residents play down its often stereotypical image as Australia’s New Age/hippie central—brimming with stroppy drug-dependent drop-outs or over-indulgent, cashed-up yuppies buying into the coastal property market and seeking a good scented massage to the sounds of dolphin music. Other newer residents, however, embrace, celebrate and advertise the region’s distinctively diverse cultures by promoting it as the nation’s premiere lifestyle region—a region that has disproportionately contributed to national cultural development and broken away from the dominant ‘red-neck’ cultures characteristic of many other regional areas. Belonging to the Rainbow Region, a collection of essays about the NSW Northern Rivers region, edited by former resident and Southern Cross University academic Helen Wilson, makes a good case for the latter. In reading this articulate and informed collection of 15 contributions you begin to get a sense of just how significant the Rainbow Region has been to Australia’s current place in the world. It describes, for instance, how in 1979 Terania Creek forest became birthplace of forest-based blockades: a protest methodology that quickly spread to Tasmania’s Franklin Dam, the rainforests of Borneo and around the world. This environmental movement also spawned Australia’s first significant Internet Service Provider, the Pegasus Network in 1989, originally designed to allow environmental activists to communicate international progress on forest actions. And the book also describes the cultural fruit borne to the Rainbow Region in the form of a cohort of nationally and internationally renowned filmmakers (such as David Bradbury, Paul Tait, Jenny Kendall and John Wiley), writers (such as Di Morrissey, Deborah Cox, Shirley Walker, Ruby Langford Ginibi and, at one time, Faith Bandler) and musicians (such as The Simpletons, Grinspoon and Troy Casser-Daley). But enough name-dropping. The book focuses primarily on recent history—from the 1970s onwards—with many of the contributors being migrants to the region and active participants in the
CD209 Promoter Single Nucleotide Polymorphism -336A/G and the Risk of Susceptibility to Tuberculosis Disease in the Moroccan Population

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosisis the causal agent of this infection and its major receptor is CD209 which is expressed on human Dendritic Cells (DC). This interaction could influence bacterial persistence and immunity response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional polymorphism -336G/A SNP in TB susceptibility in the Moroccan population. We performed a case-control study within a cohort that included 122 pulmonary TB patients and 151 healthy controls. All subjects were genotyped by TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. No significant difference was observed in allele or genotype frequencies of -336G/A CD209between TB patients and healthy controls. Further studies are needed to confirm our finding including a large sample size.
Overexpression of Sigma Factor, ςB, Urges Staphylococcus aureus to Thicken the Cell Wall and to Resist β-Lactams

Abstract Whole genome sequence analysis revealed that Staphylococcus aureus is provided with only a few sigma factors, including the alternative sigma factor, ς B , which is thought to regulate some stress responses. Since the sig B knock-out mutant did not show remarkable phenotypic difference, we constructed the over expressed mutant to examine the role of the sig B. Electron microscopic observation revealed that the mutant showed a variety of cell sizes compared with the parent strain which showed almost homogeneous cell sizes. The mutant delivered a thicker cell wall, about 20% thicker than the parent strain. It became resistant to the lytic activity of lysostaphin and also raised MICs to the cell-wall-affecting antibiotics. The yield of carotenoids and transcripts of pbp s were also increased in the mutant. The result suggests that sig B plays some important roles in cell wall synthesis and in resistance to antibiotics that perturb the cell wall synthesis.
Therapeutic innovations against HIV

AIDS has become the leading cause of infection-associated mortality worldwide. Since the 1983 discovery of HIV as the aetiological agent of AIDS, numerous compounds have been developed to prevent or disrupt various stages of HIV replication. Three critical stages in the HIV life cycle have served as the molecular targets for 21 antiviral drugs in clinical use: i) the initial attachment of the virion to immune cells; ii) the transcription of viral RNA to viral DNA; and iii) the processing of gag-pol protein by HIV protease. This patent review discusses the therapeutic innovations against HIV-1, including both patented standard anti-HIV drugs in clinical use as well as promising new anti-HIV drug candidates in the pipeline.
Reviews

An economist and a biologist walk into a bar. No joke here—the two have lots to talk about. In fact, there’s an entire journal devoted to Economics and Human Biology, and, of course, biotechnology is big business. As the conversation deepens, more commonalities emerge. Both fields share an avid interest in evolutionary processes, and the phrase “survival of the fittest,” first coined by the philosopher-economist Herbert Spencer to describe Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, has also been used (some would say abused) to justify an unregulated competitive marketplace. But what’s math got to do with it? Both economists and biologists are interested in studying how interacting populations (of humans, animals, cells, machines, etc.) behave. In particular, they share a predilection for mathematical models of situations where the consequences of individual actions are impacted by the actions taken by others. Game theory is the mathematical framework developed to study such strategically interdependent interactions. Classical game theory (CGT) assumes players are purely rational agents, acting solely to maximize their own self-interest (payoffs or utilities). The traditional solution concept of CGT is the Nash equilibrium (NE): each individual plays a strategy that is the best response, given the strategy choices made by all the other players in the game. Nash equilibria have been used to both describe and predict how people do behave, and prescribe how they should behave, when confronted with situations analogous to the game being studied. One of the most frequently studied games, prisoners’ dilemma (dubbed the e. coli of game theory), encodes many situations where the good of the individual is in conflict with what is best for the collective (tragedy of the commons). However, behavioral and experimental economics and psychology have demonstrated that actual human behavior often deviates from this model. The equilibria in prisoners’ dilemma, as well as the ultimatum and dictator games all predict and recommend that players act selfishly. But in practice, we often don’t. How, then, can we account for the observed altruistic, self-sacrificing, and charitable behaviors? The predictions of any model are only as good as the foundation on which it is built—its assumptions. Many have found the assumptions of static game theory hard to swallow. The concept of homo economicus—the “rational man”—has been critiqued, as well as the assumptions of complete information and equilibrium knowledge. Complete information means that all players know what strategies are available (the strategy set) and what payoffs result from each strategy profile (the particular combination of strategies chosen by each player). Equilibrium knowledge assumes each player is
Adipotoxicology of obesity and related diseases

The human genome project's big promise was that it could improve our understanding of the pathogenesis and therapy of diseases. However, the genes have been found to account for only about 10% of diseases, and the remaining causes appear to be from environmental exposures, hence the exposure science (exposome concept) emerges. Indeed, Homo sapiens is exposed to an overwhelming number of chemical contaminants circulating every day in the air, water, food, and general environment. The body is a well-equipped entity with capabilities to excrete water-soluble pollutants, but not as well-equipped to excrete some of the lipid-soluble xenobiotics. Here we present data that adipose tissue may be an important participant in the environmental molecular toxicology. Numerous evidence demonstrates that the exposure to persistent organic pollutants may contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and its related diseases. Noteworthy, these pollutants accumulate mainly in the adipose tissue. And xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochromes p450 (CYP) are expressed in adipose tissue, where CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 can bioactivate carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and xenoestrogens. Altogether, the present review highlights an adipocentric approach in molecular toxicology. It is conceptualized as adipotoxicology, that is, the study of accumulation, metabolism, and release of xenobiotics in adipose tissue in health and disease. Biomedical Reviews 2012; 23: 53-60.
Polimorfismos en los genes de desintoxicación CYP1A1, CYP2E1, GSTT1 y GSTM1 en la susceptibilidad al cáncer gástrico

Las enzimas de las familias P450 y Glutation Stransferasa estan relacionadas en la activacion y desintoxicacion de sustancias que podrian actuar como cancerigenas. Polimorfismos geneticos en estas enzimas han sido asociados con un incremento en el riesgo de desarrollar cancer especificamente con un mayor riesgo de desarrollar cancer gastrico. En esta investigacion se estudio un grupo de costarricenses con alto riesgo de cancer gastrico. Se estudiaron 31 individuos con cancer gastrico, 51 controles normales confirmados por rayos X (serie gastroduenal de doble contraste) o por endoscopia y 58 individuos con otras lesiones gastricas. Se estudiaron los polimorfismos de desintoxicacion quimica CYP1A1 MspI y CYP2E1 PstI, los cuales presentan una mayor expresion enzimatica y los polimorfismos de los genes GSTT1 y GSTM1 que carecen de un producto proteinico funcional y su relacion con lesiones gastricas leves y cancer gastrico. El ADN de los pacientes fue aislado a partir de leucocitos de sangre periferica. Los polimorfismos de los genes GSTT1 y GSTM1 fueron evaluados mediante un PCR multiple y para los polimorfismos CYP2E1 PstI y CYP1A1 MspI se realizo un PCR seguido por la digestion con las enzimas de restriccion PstI y MspI respectivamente. La prevalencia del polimorfismo CYP1A1 MspI, y de los polimorfismos GSTT1 y GSTM1 sin actividad enzimatica, fue similar en los tres grupos estudiados (p=0.73, p=0.88 y p= 0.89 respectivamente). Los resultados sugieren que el alelo CYP2E1 Pst1 podria actuar como factor protector contra el cancer gastrico (OR=0.09, IC al 95%: 0.01-0.83).