Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetics of Personality

In the current chapter, we review major findings from the fields of quantitative behavior genetics and molecular genetic research of personality. Behavior genetic approaches, including biometric modeling with twin and adoption samples, were vitally important in demonstrating that the variation in personality in the population is due to both genetic and environmental sources. Indeed, the heritability of broad domains of personality is consistently 40% to 50%, across different samples, populations, ages, and gender, with the majority of the rest of variance in personality due to environmental influences that are unique to each individual. The relatively young field of molecular genetics aims to build on these findings by searching for the chromosomal regions associated with personality, variously defined. Both current biometric modeling and molecular genetic efforts are evolving to incorporate the vast complexity of personality development, including gene-gene interactions, gene-environment interplay, and the nature of changing etiological influences over the life span. Keywords: personality; twins; genes; biometric; molecular genetics; environment
Differences in influenza virus receptors in chickens and ducks: Implications for interspecies transmission

Avian influenza viruses are considered to be key contributors to the emergence of human influenza pandemics. A major determinant of infection is the presence of virus receptors on susceptible cells to which the viral haemagglutinin is able to bind. Avian viruses preferentially bind to sialic acid α2,3-galactose (SAα2,3-Gal) linked receptors, whereas human strains bind to sialic acid α2,6-galactose (SAα2,6-Gal) linked receptors. While ducks are the major reservoir for influenza viruses, they are typically resistant to the effects of viral infection, in contrast to the frequently severe disease observed in chickens. In order to understand whether differences in receptors might contribute to this observation, we studied the distribution of influenza receptors in organs of ducks and chickens using lectin histochemistry with linkage specific lectins and receptor binding assays with swine and avian influenza viruses. Although the intestinal epithelial cells of both species expressed only SAα2,3-Gal receptors, we found widespread presence of both SAα2,6-Gal and SAα2,3-Gal receptors in many organs of both chickens and ducks. Co-expression of both receptors may allow infection of cells with both avian and human viruses and so present a route to genetic reassortment. There was a marked difference in the primary receptor type in the trachea of chickens and ducks. In chicken trachea, SAα2,6-Gal was the dominant receptor type whereas in ducks SAα2,3-Gal receptors were most abundant. This suggests that chickens could be more important as an intermediate host for the generation of influenza viruses with increased ability to bind to SAα2,6-Gal receptors and thus greater potential for infection of humans. Chicken tracheal and intestinal epithelial cells also expressed a broader range of SAα2,3-Gal receptors (both β(1-4)GlcNAc and β(1-3)GalNAc subtypes) in contrast to ducks, which suggests that they may be able to support infection with a broader range of avian influenza viruses.
Analysis of Heterosis For Number of Grains in Maize (Zea Mays L.)

Heterosis manifest was studied for number of grains in a set of inter-varietal crossess of maize. in parental varieties as well as the crosses the mean-number of grains was considerably less than that of ovules present in the ear. Ear length was not correlated with number of grains per ear, per cent grain conversion and 100 grain weight. The investigation indicated the possibility of maximising heterosis for number of grains by identifying parents possessing the highest level of heterotic potential for number of ovules and per cent of grain conversion.
Structure and paramyosin content of tarantula thick filaments

Muscle fibers of the tarantula femur exhibit structural and biochemical characteristics similar to those of other long-sarcomere invertebrate muscles, having long A-bands and long thick filaments. 9-12 thin filaments surround each thick filament. Tarantula muscle has a paramyosin:myosin heavy chain molecular ratio of 0.31 +/- 0.079 SD. We studied the myosin cross-bridge arrangement on the surface of tarantula thick filaments on isolated, negatively stained, and unidirectionally metal-shadowed specimens by electron microscopy and optical diffraction and filtering and found it to be similar to that previously described for the thick filaments of muscle of the closely related chelicerate arthropod, Limulus. Cross-bridges are disposed in a four-stranded right- handed helical arrangement, with 14.5-nm axial spacing between successive levels of four bridges, and a helical repeat period every 43.5 nm. The orientation of cross-bridges on the surface of tarantula filaments is also likely to be very similar to that on Limulus filaments as suggested by the similarity between filtered images of the two types of filaments and the radial distance of the centers of mass of the cross-bridges from the surfaces of both types of filaments. Tarantula filaments, however, have smaller diameters than Limulus filaments, contain less paramyosin, and display structure that probably reflects the organization of the filament backbone which is not as apparent in images of Limulus filaments. We suggest that the similarities between Limulus and tarantula thick filaments may be governed, in part, by the close evolutionary relationship of the two species.
Testing pathogen host specificity: a reciprocal field experiment in two types of tropical forest on Hainan, China

Abstract: The Janzen–Connell hypothesis suggests that highly specific pathogens decrease seedling survival close to the parent plant; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we tested the host specificity of soil pathogens to germinating seeds of Cyclobalanopsis fleuryi and Cryptocarya chinensis in tropical montane rain forest and cloud forest on Hainan, south China. Rhizospheric soils surrounding eight adult trees per species were collected in each forest type and divided into five soil treatments: parent, fungicide-sterilized, autoclave-sterilized, Fusarium-added and Pythium-added soils. Surface-sterilized seeds were sown in each of the five soil treatments and grown in two forest types. The seed germination percentages were significantly higher in sterilized soils (C. fleuryi, 41.5%; C. chinensis, 29.4%) than in non-sterilized soils (C. fleuryi, 28.3%; C. chinensis, 17.1%) in montane rain forest. The seed germination percentages in rhizospheric soil of conspecific parent trees were significantly lower in montane rain forest (C. fleuryi, 17.3%; C. chinensis, 10.5%) than in cloud forest (C. fleuryi, 37.1%; C. chinensis, 21.1%). Our results also suggest that the level of pathogen activity in each tree species varies depending on the environment. Our results support the hypothesis that host-specific pathogens shape tree species composition by differentially affecting seed germination under different environmental conditions.
HIGH GENETIC VARIABILITY DESPITE HIGH-AMPLITUDE POPULATION CYCLES IN LEMMINGS

Abstract Lemmings are a classic example of animals with strong population cycles. High-amplitude density fluctuations with low numbers during the low phase are expected to lead to strong genetic drift, which erodes genetic variability. By compiling data on mitochondrial DNA polymorphism for 72 lemming populations from 5 species, we found no evidence for this erosive mechanism. On the contrary, high levels of haplotype diversity (average h of 0.75 for samples of the genus Lemmus) were observed in many populations. Although the effective size determines the level of genetic diversity in closed populations, diversity is primarily determined by immigration in open populations. Simulations of genetic drift in open populations fluctuating in density confirmed the independence of genetic variability from local effective size, and predicted a deficit of rare alleles, as observed in lemming samples. High genetic variability thus implies high gene flow over a considerable area for lemmings, but does not provide information about the local effective size of populations. Examination of empirical data suggests that high genetic diversity may be the rule rather than the exception in cyclic populations.
Class IA phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase: from their biologic implication in human cancers to drug discovery

Background: A substantial number of epidemiologic and experimental studies support an important role for Class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) in the biology of human cancer. Objective: This article reviews the authors' understanding of the role of Class IA PI3K in the biology of human cancers and present discovery efforts to identify and develop inhibitors of this class of lipid kinases. Methods: Books, journals, databases and websites have been searched to find the latest information on the subject. Results/conclusions: In spite of the progress made over the past few years, more studies are still needed to better understand the biology of this pathway, its interaction(s) with other signaling cascades, and the role of the individual paralogs and PI3Kα mutants in human cancer. From a drug discovery perspective, medicinal chemistry efforts have led to the discovery of new pan-PI3K and isoform selective inhibitors with improved specificity, potency and pharmaceutical properties. Phase I clinical studies have been initiated with some of these PI3K inhibitors and the efficacy and therapeutic index of this new generation of anticancer agents is eagerly awaited.
Reorganization of a large marine ecosystem due to atmospheric and anthropogenic pressure: a discontinuous regime shift in the Central Baltic Sea

Marine ecosystems such as the Baltic Sea are currently under strong atmospheric and anthropogenic pressure. Besides natural and human‐induced changes in climate, major anthropogenic drivers such as overfishing and anthropogenic eutrophication are significantly affecting ecosystem structure and function. Recently, studies demonstrated the existence of alternative stable states in various terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. These so‐called ecosystem regime shifts have been explained mainly as a result of multiple causes, e.g. climatic regime shifts, overexploitation or a combination of both. The occurrence of ecosystem regime shifts has important management implications, as they can cause significant losses of ecological and economic resources. Because of hysteresis in ecosystem responses, restoring regimes considered as favourable may require drastic and expensive management actions. Also the Baltic Sea, the largest brackish water body in the world ocean, and its ecosystems are strongly affected by atmospheric and anthropogenic drivers. Here, we present results of an analysis of the state and development of the Central Baltic Sea ecosystem integrating hydroclimatic, nutrient, phyto‐ and zooplankton as well as fisheries data. Our analyses of 52 biotic and abiotic variables using multivariate statistics demonstrated a major reorganization of the ecosystem and identified two stable states between 1974 and 2005, separated by a transition period in 1988–1993. We show the change in Baltic ecosystem structure to have the characteristics of a discontinuous regime shift, initiated by climate‐induced changes in the abiotic environment and stabilized by fisheries‐induced feedback loops in the food web. Our results indicate the importance of maintaining the resilience of an ecosystem to atmospherically induced environmental change by reducing the anthropogenic impact.
Mate-finding behaviour in Calanus marshallae Frost

Mate-finding behaviour by Calanus marshallae Frost, 1974, was observed and video recorded in a 1 m diameter kreisel. Newly moulted females signal to males by depositing vertical pheromone trails many tens of centimetres long. Males search for trails along primarily horizontal trajectories. The orthogonality of signal trace and search trail trajectory maximizes the chance of intersection. Males often initiate a dance of rapid, tight turns upon encountering a pheromone trail, then waggle down it (chase swimming) to the signalling female. She jumps away after initial contact, and the male follows. Many successive approach, bump and jump sequences follow, with mating eventually ensuing. The actual copulatory clasp and spermatophore transfer were not observed, although a few instances of brief attachment and tandem swimming were seen. Male dances occur at times when chase swimming does not follow, and the function of dances is not yet known.
Forecasting the potential distribution of the invasive tunicate Didemnum vexillum

Summary 1. Invasive species are a major threat to global biodiversity and their introduction can have significant economic consequences. The invasive tunicate Didemnum vexillum is a notorious invader with significant negative impacts on cultured shellfish and natural benthic communities, including commercially important ones. 2. We conducted an expert survey, identifying the five most important transport vectors for D. vexillum along the west coast of North America. We determined the spatially explicit vector density for all vectors in order to identify introduction hotspots. Additionally, we developed an environmental niche model based on 46 occurrence points and nine environmental variables to identify areas suitable for D. vexillum . 3. Spatial distribution of the most important transport vectors (slow-moving vessels, aquaculture, fishing vessels, small vessels, and large commercial vessels) identified several hotspots with high vector densities. These proved to be a very good predictor of current D. vexillum occurrence in British Columbia (BC). Ecological niche modelling (Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction) predicted suitable environments in southern BC, parts of central BC and along the east coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Independent validation of the model based on the current distribution in BC indicated good predictive accuracy. Additional analytical steps confirmed that no environmental variable dominated the predictions and we identified ranges of environmental conditions predicted suitable by the model. 4. We identified areas of high establishment probability for D. vexillum by combining the vector model and environmental niche model. Parts of central BC, the west coast of Vancouver Island and the Strait of Georgia are areas where D. vexillum is most likely to establish. 5. Synthesis and applications . Spatially explicit predictions of the potential distribution of biological invaders are crucial for informing risk assessments, development of management strategies, and resource allocation. While most studies only focus on one step in the invasion process, we successfully combined the likelihood of introduction and establishment. Results from this study are informing the canadian risk assessment of invasive tunicates, guiding current monitoring efforts, and providing a basis for potential intervention/mediation measures.
SAT0636-HPR PATIENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRESCRIPTION, INFORMATION AND USE OF METHOTREXATE

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is currently a mainstream drug in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. However, the response to MTX is not universal and may be conditioned by a number of factors, among which adherence could be crucial. Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore adherence to MTX in patients with rheumatic diseases, facilitators and perceived when taking and maintaining the prescription. Methods: A qualitative study of content analysis was performed. Focus groups with patients taking either oral or subcutaneous MTX (being the main or coadjuvant treatment) for any rheumatic disease was performed. The groups were moderated by a rheumatologist that was unknown for the patients. The speech was recorded and transcribed. Subsequently, an inductive coding was performed with the help of Atlas.ti and main themes and sub-themes were extracted, with examples of verbatim anonymized speech. Results: Three focus groups were conducted, with a total of 12 participants, of whom eight were women, seven had rheumatoid arthritis, three had psoriatic arthritis, one had spondyloarthritis, and one had systemic lupus erythematosus. All patients reported an adequate adherence to treatment. The barriers identified were: information in the leaflet, technical language in the consults, difficult access to doctor´s appointment, social environment, side effects and the subcutaneous device. As facilitators, the following aspects were discussed: good predisposition of the physician, reliable graphic information, role of associations and partners support. The unmet needs detected were: problems with travelling, protocols for eventualities, absence of a plan of care, neglection of “non-physical” symptoms, disinformation on side effects and training in complementary aspects. Conclusion: Getting reliable information was the main barrier identified. The environment and side effects may also negatively impact on adherence. Shared decision making is a goal to be achieved in the future in these patients. Disclosure of Interests: Teresa Oton Consultant of: Novartis Farmaceutica, SA, Pfizer, S.L. U. , Merck Sharp & Dohme España, S.A. , Roche Farma, S.A, Sanofi Aventis, AbbVie Spain, S.L. U. , and Laboratorios Gebro Pharma, SA (All trhough institution), Loreto Carmona Grant/research support from: Novartis Farmaceutica, SA, Pfizer, S.L. U. , Merck Sharp & Dohme España, S.A. , Roche Farma, S.A, Sanofi Aventis, AbbVie Spain, S.L. U. , and Laboratorios Gebro Pharma, SA (All trhough institution), José Luis Andréu Sánchez: None declared
Immunocytochemical localization of the β2 subunit of the gamma‐aminobutyric acidA receptor in the rat brain

An antiserum to the β2 subunit of the rat gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor was prepared by immunizing a rabbit with a fusion protein expressed in bacteria. The fusion protein had the large, intracellular loop expanding between the putative M3 and M4 transmembrane domains of the β2 subunit fused to staphylococcal protein A (SPA). The antiserum immunoprecipitated both the solubilized and the affinity‐purified GABAA receptors. The anti‐β2 antibodies were affinity purified on immobilized β2 intracellular loop peptide. The antibodies recognized a 55–57 kDa peptide in immunoblots of either crude membranes from rat cerebral cortex or affinity‐purified GABAA receptors from bovine cerebral cortex. Immunocytochemistry with the affinity‐purified antibody has revealed for the first time the localization of the β2 subunit in the rat brain. A comparative study of the regional and cellular immunoreactivities of the affinity‐purified anti‐β2 antibody and the monoclonal antibody 62‐3G1 (which recognizes both β2 and β3 subunits) is presented. The procedure described for generating and preparing specific anti‐β2 subunit antibodies that are valuable for immunocytochemistry could be extended to other GABAA receptor subunits. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of β-Mannanase (Hemicell) on Growth Performance and Immunity of Broilers

Two hundred four broilers (1-d-old) were randomly allocated to 4 treatments, each of which had 3 pens of 17 chicks per pen and were used to investigate the effects of beta-mannanase (Hemicell) on growth performance and immunity. The chicks received the same basal diet based on corn-soybean meal and Hemicell was added to the basal diet at 0, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.075%, respectively. Weight of each replicate was determined at wk 0, 3, and 6 of age. There were no significant differences in average feed intake in the 0- to 3-wk and 0- to 6-wk periods, and no differences in serum IgA, or IgG concentrations. However, the addition of Hemicell significantly increased (P < 0.05) weight gain in the 4- to 6-wk and 0- to 6-wk periods. Feed conversion for the 0.025 and 0.05% groups was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than for the control group in the 4- to 6-wk and 0- to 6-wk periods. Hemicell significantly increased (P < 0.05) the serum IgM concentration in 3- and 6-wk-old broilers. Proliferation of T lymphocytes in 6-wk-old broilers for the 0.05% group was also improved (P < 0.05) significantly. The results indicate that Hemicell may improve growth performance and immunity of broilers.
Prediction of protein structural class based on Linear Predictive Coding of PSI-BLAST profiles

Abstract Knowledge of protein structure plays a key role in the analysis of protein functions, protein binding, rational drug design, and many other related fields and applications. In this study, a novel feature extraction model based on linear predictive coding (LPC) and position-specific score matrices (PSSM) was proposed to predict structural class from protein sequences. First, the PSI-BLAST tool was employed to transform the original protein sequences into PSSMs. Then, the LPC, a signal processing tool, was applied to extract the features from PSSMs. The selected features were finally fed to a support vector machine to perform the prediction. Cross-validation tests on the four benchmark datasets Z277, Z498, 1189 and 25PDB, showed a significant leap in overall accuracy using the proposed method. Compared to existing methods, our method achieved better performance in prediction of protein structural class.
Los equinodermos (Echinodermata) de bahía Chamela, Jalisco, México

Forty species of echinoderms were collected in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of 14 sites of bahia Chamela. Of particular importance are 7 new records of species for the coast of Jalisco. A non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis and the Jaccards similarity index identified different groups and isolated entities according to the contribution and the frequency of species of 4 classes of echinoderms in the bay and in other localities of the Mexican Tropical Pacific (MTP). The highest similarity of species was with the localities of the Gulf of California. The indices of average taxonomic distinctness (Δ + ) and the variation in the taxonomic distinctness (Λ + ) were estimated to analyze the diversity of echinoderms at the taxonomic levels of species, genus, family, order and class for each site within the bay and for some localities of the MTP according to the number of higher taxonomic hierarchies and the variability of its taxonomic diversity. The species richness of bahia Chamela represents 20% of the total diversity of echinoderms of the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of the MTP; this is an indicator of its importance to the contribution of the taxonomic diversity of this region.
Eficiência térmica de telhas onduladas de fibrocimento aplicadas em abrigos individuais para bezerros expostos ao sol e à sombra

This research presents a study of roof thermal efficiency in individual housing for calves exposed to sun and shade through infrared thermography, internal temperature and thermal comfort indexes. Four different individual housing for calves covered with asbestos-free fiber-cement corrugated sheets were evaluated. Three of them were directly exposed to the sun: (i) corrugated sheets painted white in the external surface, (ii) corrugated sheets without painting and (iii) with screen shade fabric installed 0.10m under de internal surface of the corrugated sheet. The fourth individual housing was installed in the shade area and covered with unpainted corrugated fiber-cement sheets. The analysis was taken for 21 days at 11h00min, 14h00min and 17h00min. The results indicate significant variations in the roofing surface temperature and thermal comfort indexes among the treatments exposed to the sun and shade, for all the evaluations during the day. The infrared thermography images were effective for better understanding the heat transfer processes from the roof to the internal environment of the housing.