Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biology and physics of locust flight. V. Strength and elasticity of locust cuticle

Elastic deformations of the cuticle play a major role in the energetics of flying locusts but the literature provides no relevant information about the elastic properties of any arthropod cuticle. The results are therefore discussed both in relation to locust flight and in relation to strength and elasticity of organic materials in general. In Schistocerca gregaria Forskal there are two types of elastic cuticle, ordinary solid cuticle and rubber-like cuticle. The characteristic material in the latter type is a newly discovered protein rubber, resilin. Samples of both were studied under static and dynamic conditions. The tensile properties of solid cuticle from various parts of the body (hind tibia, pleural wall, forewing) are similar to those of oak wood and of synthetic resins reinforced with cellulose; the static coefficient of elasticity (dcr/de) is 800 to 1000 kg/mm2 and the tensile strength 8 to 10 kg/mm2, corresponding to an ultimate extension of 2 to 3 %. At moderate loads, the tensile and compressive moduli are of equal magnitude, but it is argued that the effect of tanning (hardening) is to increase the compressive strength and modulus rather than the tensile properties. Static loading results in lasting deformation. The dynamic modulus is of the same magnitude as the static modulus (forewing), at least up to 5 kg mm-2 s-1 and, provided the tension does not exceed 0-5 kg/mm2, the loss factor is less than 0.1. The rubber-like sample (prealar arm) consists of parallel lamellae of chitin (0.2μ thick) glued together by sheets of resilin (about 3μ thick). It behaves like a solid when extended in the direction of the lamellae but otherwise like a rubber, the elastic modulus being 0.2 kg/mm2. The swelling pressure of resilin does not play any direct role but swelling alters the geometry and, to a small extent, the elastic modulus. It is suggested that the animal controls the stiffness of its rubber-like structures by altering the swelling equilibrium chemically which, in a model experiment, is done by blocking the free amino groups. Rubber-like cuticle does not encounter any permanent deformation which is attributed to the known lack of flow of pure resilin. Within the biological rate of deformation (up to 6 unit lengths per second), the dynamic stiffness remains within 4 % of the static value and the loss factor is only 0.03, i.e. less than for other natural or synthetic rubbers. A three-component model of arthropod cuticle is suggested. It accounts for the enormous differences in mechanical properties between adjacent parts and also for the fact that strict structural and developmental continuity is observed between the parts. It has three components: (1) crystalline chitin, (2) a rubber-like protein which may act as a deformable matrix and which entraps, (3) water-soluble proteins which can undergo proper tanning.
Regeneration of Eucalyptus wandoo following fire

Summary Eucalyptus wandoo Blakely (wandoo) has been used for timber production in Western Australia since European settlement. Today, existing wandoo woodlands are managed for a variety of purposes including conservation, landscape and timber. Regenerating wandoo after logging is a primary management objective. This study examined the effectiveness of prescribed fires set under dry soil and fuel conditions in early autumn to regenerate wandoo from seed stored in the capsules of standing trees. Regeneration was restricted to ashbeds (soil heated intensely by burning logs) on the valley floors but was occasionally also found on less intensely burnt ground on the gravelly mid-slopes. Seedlings on ashbeds exhibited superior growth and lower mortality than those growing off ashbed. Ashbed formation was promoted by burning dry logging debris under warm conditions in early autumn. However, these fires (with intensities up to 2000 kWm−1) also caused damage to the crowns and boles of living trees, such damage can .
Agronomic evaluation of a tiller inhibition gene (tin) in wheat. I. Effect on yield, yield components, and grain protein

Reduced tillering cereals have been proposed as being advantageous under terminal drought conditions through their reported reduction in non-productive tiller number and reduced soil water use prior to anthesis. This study was conducted to determine whether wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines containing the tiller inhibition (tin) gene have a yield penalty over their commercial near-isogenic counterparts. A terminal drought was experienced in all experiments. The effects of the tin gene were investigated in 4 different near-isogenic pairs of lines grown at 2 sowing densities at 4 locations in the eastern Australian wheatbelt over a 3-year period. Averaged over all experiments and lines, grain yield was unaffected by the presence of the tin gene. However, the highest yielding line contained the tin gene and its yield was 5% higher than all other lines. Averaged across the different genetic backgrounds, the tin gene decreased fertile spike number by 11%, increased the number of kernels/spike by 9%, and there was a 2% increase in kernel weight. The tin gene increased the harvest index by an average of 0.02, whereas above-ground biomass was reduced by 7%. Increasing sowing density from 50 to 100 kg/ha had little influence on yield or yield-related characteristics in both the restricted tillering and freely tillering lines. There was an interaction between sowing rate and the presence of the tin gene on yield, with tin lines yielding 0.2 t/ha more than the freely tillering lines at the higher sowing rate, whereas there was no effect at the lower sowing rate. The response of several lines containing the tin gene to nitrogen fertiliser was also investigated at 2 sites. Nitrogen increased spike number in all lines but the number remained around 20% less than in the freely tillering cultivars. The yield of wheat lines containing the tin gene was 6% greater than their near-isogenic pairs where nitrogen status was high in the presence of terminal drought. Grain protein concentration was unaffected by the presence of the tin gene at high grain protein sites, whereas at lower grain protein sites it had a positive effect.
Primary Productivity, Decomposition and Consumer Activity in Freshwater Wetlands

Wetland ecosystems periodically flood; their plant communities are adapted to flooded conditions. Fluctuating water levels may result from lateral inflows and/or outflows, or from changes in groundwater levels. Wetland soils or sediments typically become anaerobic when flooded and frequently contain much organic matter. We restrict this review to freshwater wetlands. Several available reviews deal almost exclusively with saltwater wetlands (3, 101, 144). Coastal wetlands experience a daily tidal cycle that is absent from freshwater wetlands,
The OpenFlow rules placement problem : a black box approach. (Une approche « boite noire » pour résoudre le problème de placement des règles dans un réseau OpenFlow)

Le grand nombre d’appareils connectes combine au volume croissant de trafic ont pousse les reseaux dans leurs derniers retranchements. Pour resoudre ce probleme, l’approche “Software-Defined Networking” (SDN) qui decouple le plan de controle du plan de donnees a ete proposee. OpenFlow est un nouveau protocole qui realise le concept SDN. Pour traiter ces flux, OpenFlow utilise des listes de regles sur les commutateurs. Ces regles sont utilisees pour determiner les actions dans le reseau. Ceci permet de simplifier la mise en place de services reseaux complexes mais souleve la question de savoir quelles regles definir et ou les placer dans le reseau afin d’en respecter ses contraintes. Dans cette these, nous nous concentrons sur le probleme de placement de regles dans OpenFlow (ORPP) et proposons une abstraction de type boite noire afin de masquer la gestion du reseau. Tout d'abord, nous formalisons le probleme de placement de regles et faisons une etude des solutions existantes. Les solutions existantes sont cependant inefficaces car elles reposent majoritairement sur le concept du plus court chemin. Nous proposons de relaxer le probleme en autorisant l’utilisation de chemins arbitraires et proposons deux algorithmes complementaires : OFFICER et aOFFICER. L'idee generale d’OFFICER et aOFFICER est d’utiliser les chemins les plus efficaces pour le trafic de haute importance et autoriser le trafic de plus basse importance a suivre des detours. Ces deux propositions sont evaluees en utilisant des traces de trafic. Finalement, nous appliquons le principe de la boite noire pour ameliorer les performances d'un service de diffusion de contenus dans les reseaux cellulaires
Identificación de virus en el cultivo de camote (Ipomoea batatas L.) en Costa Rica

A survey for sweet potato (Ipomoeabatatas L.) viruses was conducted in five commercial fields inCosta Rica from February to May 2002. High percentage ofplants showing virus-like symptoms were observed in threeof the five commercial fields. Graft-inoculations of fieldcollectedsamples to the virus indicator plant Ipomoea setosawere conducted. Foliar samples from inoculated plants weretested serologically for Sweet potato feathery mottle virus(SPFMV) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), by reversetranscription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for Sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), and by molecularhybridization for Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV). Theaphid-transmitted SPFMV was the most common virusdetected. Other viruses detected included SPCSV andSPLCV. CMV was not detected in any of the samples tested.Mixed infections of SPFMV and SPCSV were detected in the3 commercial fields with a high percentage of plants showingvirus-like symptoms. The identity of SPCSV was confirmedby whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmissions and RNA analysisof selected RT-PCR positive samples.
Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Increases Lactoferrin Transcytosis Through the Blood‐Brain Barrier

Abstract : Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron‐binding protein involved in host defense against infection and severe inflammation, which accumulates in the brain during neurodegenerative disorders. Prior to determining Lf function in pathological brain tissues, we investigated its transport through the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) in inflammatory conditions. For this purpose, we used a reconstituted BBB model consisting of the coculture of bovine brain capillary endothelial cells (BBCECs) and astrocytes in the presence of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). As TNF‐α can be either synthesized by brain glial cells or present in circulating blood, BBCECs were exposed to this cytokine at their luminal or abluminal side. We have been able to demonstrate that in the presence of TNF‐α, whatever the type of exposure, BBCECs were activated and Lf transport through the activated BBCECs was markedly increased. Lf was recovered intact at the abluminal side of the cells, suggesting that increased Lf accumulation may occur in immune‐mediated pathophysiology. This process was transient as 20 h later, cells were in a resting state and Lf transendothelial traffic was back to normal. The enhancement of Lf transcytosis seems not to involve the up‐regulation of the Lf receptor but rather an increase in the rate of transendothelial transport.
The Vesicular Monoamine Content Regulates VMAT2 Activity through Gαq in Mouse Platelets

Variations in the neurotransmitter content of secretory vesicles enable neurons to adapt to network changes. Vesicular content may be modulated by vesicle-associated Go2, which down-regulates the activity of the vesicular monoamine transmitter transporters VMAT1 in neuroendocrine cells and VMAT2 in neurons. Blood platelets resemble serotonergic neurons with respect to transmitter storage and release. In streptolysin O-permeabilized platelets, VMAT2 activity is also down-regulated by the G protein activator guanosine 5′-(βiγ-imido)triphosphate (GMppNp). Using serotonin-depleted platelets from peripheral tryptophan hydroxylase knockout (Tph1−/−) mice, we show here that the vesicular filling initiates the G protein-mediated down-regulation of VMAT2 activity. GMppNp did not influence VMAT2 activity in naive platelets from Tph1−/− mice. GMppNp-mediated inhibition could be reconstituted, however, when preloading Tph1−/− platelets with serotonin or noradrenaline. Gαq mediates the down-regulation of VMAT2 activity as revealed from uptake studies performed with platelets from Gαq deletion mutants. Serotonergic, noradrenergic, as well as thromboxane A2 receptors are not directly involved in the down-regulation of VMAT2 activity. It is concluded that in platelets the vesicle itself regulates transmitter transporter activity via its content and vesicle-associated Gαq.
Scale-dependent effects of nutrient loads and climatic conditions on benthic and pelagic communities in the Gulf of Finland

Eutrophication and climate change are ranked among the most serious threats to the stability of marine ecosystems worldwide. The effects of nutrient loads and climatic conditions vary in direction, magnitude and spatial extent. To date the factors that are behind the scale-specific spatial and temporal variability are poorly known. In this study we assessed how variability in nutrient loads and climatic conditions at local, gulf and regional scales explained the spatial patterns and temporal trends of zooplankton and benthic invertebrates in the Gulf of Finland. In general both local and gulf scale environmental variability had an important effect on benthic invertebrate species and the variability was mainly due to local nutrient loading, gulf scale temperature and salinity patterns. Zooplankton species were equally affected by environmental variability at all spatial scales, and all nutrient load and climatic condition variables contributed to the models. The combination of variables at all spatial scales did not explain the substantially larger proportion in invertebrate variability than variables at any individual scale. This suggests that large-scale pressures such as nutrient loads and change of climatic conditions may define broad patterns of distribution but within these patterns small-scale environmental variability significantly modifies the response of communities to these large-scale pressures.
Noninvasive genetic analysis in birds: testing reliability of feather samples

Noninvasive samples are useful for molecular genetic analysis of free-ranging animals. I tested whether moulted feathers collected in the field are a reliable source of DNA for genotyping microsatellite loci. I prescreened extracts for DNA quantity and, using only samples with higher amounts of DNA, obtained reliable genotyping results. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification success was higher from extracts of plucked feathers than moulted feathers. DNA quantity in larger feathers was higher than that in smaller feathers. This study clearly demonstrates that moulted feathers could be used for genetic studies in birds.
Raptors drowning in farm reservoirs in South Africa

Anderson, M.D., Maritz, A.W. A. & Oosthuysen, E. 1999. Raptors drowning in farm reserviors in South Africa. Ostrich 70 (2): 139–144 In the arid areas of southern Africa, the drowning of raptors in small reservoirs on farms is a significant cause of mortality. Records of 322 raptors of 29 species which drowned during 163 separate incidents have been collated. Whitebacked Gyps africanus and Cape Vultures Gyps coprotheres, and Martial Polemaetus bellicosus and Black Eagles Aquila verreauxii, were the species most frequently recovered from reservoirs. There are few records of small raptors (<300 g) succumbing in this manner. There are several possible explanations as to why raptors drown. The simplest is that these birds enter the reservoir to drink or bathe and if it is not full are then unable to climb up the structure's steep sides. There have been 12 recorded vulture mass drowning events, involving as many as 38 buds at one time. The reason for these mass drownings is probably different to the individual d.
Ajuste de dose no uso de vancomicina na UTI pediátrica de um hospital universitário de Porto Alegre

To assess kidney function and serum levels as reasons for vancomycin dose adjustment in patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital in Porto Alegre. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of patients who used vancomycin in the period from 1 April 2013-28 February 2014. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient. The level of significance was 5% (p <0.05). Analyses were performed using SPSS, version 20. We studied 66 treatments with vancomycin performed for 61 patients. Among the main results showed that dose adjustments are related to the days of vancomycin use and hospital stay and intensive care unit, among others. Dose adjustment in antibiotic therapy with vancomycin ensures patient safety. The pharmacist’s inclusion in the multidisciplinary team prevents errors related to its use and therefore reduces the risk to the patient and hospital costs.
Root morphological characteristics of host species having distinct mycorrhizal dependency

Greenhouse and growth chamber investigations were undertaken using selected Leucaena and Sesbania species to determine the extent to which root morphological characteristics and rhizosphere acid production could explain differences in mycorrhizal dependency of host plants. Compared with the moderately to very highly mycorrhizal-dependent Leucaena species, the marginally to moderately dependent Sesbania species were characterized by higher root mass, higher root density, higher root surface area, higher root length, smaller root diameter, higher percentage of root hair incidence, higher shoot to root ratio, and higher total P uptake. The two groups of species were not consistently different from each other with respect to mycorrhizal colonization level, root hair diameter, root hair length, P uptake per unit root surface area, and acid production in agar media. A stepwise regression model in which mycorrhizal dependency (MD) was used as the dependent variable and root characteristics as independent variabl.
Histamine-induced Vasoconstriction Involves Phosphorylation of a Specific Inhibitor Protein for Myosin Phosphatase by Protein Kinase C α and δ Isoforms*

Histamine stimulus triggers inhibition of myosin phosphatase-enhanced phosphorylation of myosin and contraction of vascular smooth muscle. In response to histamine stimulation of intact femoral artery, a smooth muscle-specific protein called CPI-17 (for protein kinase C-potentiatedinhibitory protein for heterotrimeric myosin light chain phosphatase of 17 kDa) is phosphorylated and converted to a potent inhibitor for myosin phosphatase. Phosphorylation of CPI-17 is diminished by pretreatment with either Y27632 or GF109203x, suggesting involvement of multiple kinases (Kitazawa, T., Eto, M., Woodsome, T. P., and Brautigan, D. L. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 9897–9900). Here we purified and identified CPI-17 kinases endogenous to pig artery that phosphorylate CPI-17. DEAE-Toyopearl column chromatography of aorta extracts separated two CPI-17 kinases. One kinase was protein kinase C (PKC) α, and the second kinase was purified to homogeneity as a 45-kDa protein, and identified by sequencing as PKCδ. Purified PKCδ was 3-fold more reactive with CPI-17 compared with myelin basic protein, whereas purified PKCα and recombinant RhoA-activated kinases (Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein Ser/Thr kinase and protein kinase N) showed equal activity with CPI-17 and myelin basic protein. Y27632 inhibited CPI-17 phosphorylation by purified PKCδ with IC50 of 0.6 μm (in the presence of 0.1 mm ATP) or 14 μm (2.0 mm ATP). Y27632 significantly suppressed CPI-17 phosphorylation in smooth muscle cells, and the contraction of permeabilized rabbit femoral artery induced by stimulation with phorbol ester. GF109203x inhibited phorbol ester-induced contraction of rabbit femoral artery by 80%, whereas a PKCα/β inhibitor, Go6976, reduced contraction by 47%. The results imply that histamine stimulation elicits contraction of vascular smooth muscle through activation of PKCα and especially PKCδ to phosphorylate CPI-17.
Screening, Characterization and Application of Cyanide‐resistant Nitrile Hydratases

Two new bacterial strains, Pseudomonas marginales MA32 and Pseudomonas putida MA113, containing nitrile hydratases resistant to cyanide were isolated from soil samples by an enrichment procedure. In contrast to known nitrile hydratases, which rapidly lose activity at low to moderate cyanide concentrations, the enzymes described in this paper tolerate up to 50 mM cyanide. They show a broad substrate spectrum including not only small substrates like acrylonitrile but also nitriles with longer side chains and even nitriles with quarternary alpha‐carbon atoms. Both characteristics are essential for the transformation of ketone cyanohydrins, which are much more instable and therefore releasing much higher amounts of prussic acid than cyanohydrins formed from aldehydes. P. marginales MA32 was used as a whole cell biocatalyst for the hydration of acetone cyanohydrin to α‐Hydroxyisobutyramide, which is a precursor of methacrylamide, an important pre‐polymer. After optimization of the process conditions a maximum amide concentration of more than 1.6 M could be reached within 5 hours with 5 g/L biocatalyst referred to cell dry weight.
Household demand elasticities for meat products in Uruguay

This article analyzed the demand for meats at household level over the past decade in Uruguay, a country that exhibits a very high per capita consumption of these products. In particular, the consumption of beef is one of the highest in the world and only comparable to Argentina. The analysis involved a two-step estimation of an incomplete system of censored demand equations using household data from the last available national income and expenditure survey (2005/06). Thirteen meat products were included in the analysis: six broad beef products (deboned hindquarter cuts, bone-in hindquarter cuts, ground beef, rib plate, bone-in forequarter cuts, and other beef cuts), four products from other meats (sheep, pork, poultry, and fish), and three generic mixed-meat products. A complete set of short-term income, own-price and cross-price elasticities were computed and reported along with their 90% confidence intervals (CI). The results were consistent with both economic theory and empirical evidence as well as with the expected behavior, considering the relevance of these products, particularly beef, in the diet of Uruguayan consumers. All meat items were necessary goods and evidenced income-inelastic responses, which was expected given their high consumption level. All meats behaved as normal goods although exhibiting different reactions to changes in price. In general, beef cuts were more price elastic than other more broadly defined products. The more specific and disaggregated the meat product the higher its corresponding direct price elasticity. The complement/substitute relationships found in this study were highly depended on the specific product combinations.