Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Physically Interacts with CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein (C/EBPβ) to Inhibit C/EBPβ-Responsive α1-Acid Glycoprotein Gene Expression

Recently, the role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) in the hepatic inflammatory response has been associated to the decrease of acute phase protein transcription, although the molecular mechanisms are still to be elucidated. Here, we were interested in the regulation by Wy-14643 (PPARα agonist) of α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), a positive acute phase protein, after stimulation by Dexamethasone (Dex), a major modulator of the inflammatory response. In cultured rat hepatocytes, we demonstrate that PPARα inhibits at the transcriptional level the Dex-induced AGP gene expression. PPARα exerts this inhibitory effect by antagonizing the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBPβ) transcription factor that is involved in Dex-dependent up-regulation of AGP gene expression. Overexpression of C/EBPβ alleviates the repressive effect of PPARα, thus restoring the Dex-stimulated AGP promoter activity. Furthermore, glutathione-S-transferase GST pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation experiments evidenced.
Career progression of female librarians in public university libraries in Ghana

The growing interest in gender issues and female employment has generated a number of studies and the library and information profession has not been excluded from this interest in promoting female equality in employment. This study investigates the career patterns of practising professional female librarians in six selected public university libraries in Ghana, in order to establish the enhancers and inhibitors they experience in their career progression. The study, conducted with a survey method, adopted the use of self-administered questionnaires for data collection. Quantitative data gathered from the 128 librarians were analysed to report on descriptive characteristics of respondents, while qualitative data, from open-ended questions, were analysed, using the narrative analysis technique, to present a profile of respondents and their career histories. The findings reveal females in the study were unable to meet requirements for promotion in their various public university libraries, which has resulted in very slow progress in their careers and even stagnated careers. The study concludes by recommending that there should be a career development support system for females, to help them overcome barriers to advancement in university libraries
Differential regulation of CD11b on γδ T cells and monocytes in response to unripe apple polyphenols

Leukocyte adhesion and migration are mediated partially by CD11b/CD18 (membrane‐activated complex‐1, CR3). Earlier studies have demonstrated a role for green tea polyphenols in down‐regulating CD11b on CD8+ T cells and monocytes. We have shown recently a stimulatory effect of unripe apple polyphenols (APP) on γδ T cells. Thus, we compared the effect of APP on bovine γδ T cell and monocyte CD11b expression. Purified bovine monocytes and monocyte‐depleted PBLs were cultured with APP. CD11b levels decreased on monocytes in response to APP. In contrast, a γδ T cell subset responded to APP by up‐regulating CD11b. The CD11b regulation was not seen on γδ T cells or monocytes treated with APP fractions depleted of tannins. The APP‐induced down‐regulation of CD11b on monocytes was inhibited by an anti‐CD11b mAb, consistent with previous studies showing that polyphenols bind CD11b. As expected, the anti‐CD11b mAb had no effect on the APP response in resting γδ T cells, as these cells lacked CD11b. Consistent with the changes in surface CD11b expression, APP‐treated γδ T cells showed increased adherence to pastic, whereas monocyte adhesion was reduced. APP also induced cytokine gene expression in γδ T cells. Some polyphenols are thought of as anti‐inflammatory agents; however, these data, as well as other ongoing studies, indicate they have a proinflammatory effect on γδ T cells. In vivo, plant polyphenols may enhance γδ T cell migration and function at sites of inflammation, where they could induce rapid, immune‐regulatory and innate‐like immune responses.
Zinc-Silibinin complex: Synthesis, spectral charact erization and biochemical evaluation of antidiabetic potential in high fat fed low dose STZ induced type 2 diabetic rats

Zinc, an essential trace element succeeding iron in the human system, has pivotal role in the synthesi s, storage and functional aspects of insulin. Ever since the insul in mimetic activity of zinc was established, severa l zinc complexes have been synthesized and studied for their antidia betic properties. However, its clinical application is slowed down due to poor absorption, toxicity associated with pr olonged use. Hence, attempts are being made for the development of zinc complexes with various ligands of known the rapeutic values to reduce the toxicity of zinc. In the present study, an attempt has been made to synthesize a zin c-silibinin complex and it was subjected to spectra l characterization. Acute toxicity and dosage fixatio n studies revealed that the complex is non-toxic an d oral administration of the complex at a concentration of 5mg/kg b.w. /rat/day for 30 days to HFD- low dose S diabetic rats showed significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, urea, uric acid and creatinine with concomitant improvement in plasma insulin leve l. The reduced activities of pathophysiological enz ymes in the diabetic rats treated with the complex revealed the non-toxic nature of the complex. The antidiabetic activity of the complex was comparable with metformin, a standard adrug.
Generating transgenic plants by minimal addition of exogenous DNA - a novel selection marker based on plant tubulins

Most transgenic crops available on the market contain antibiotic resistance genes as selection markers. Although scientifically not justified, this raises public concern about a potential spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil and intestinal bacteria, possibly accentuated by the agricultural use of transgenic crops. These markers are necessary to generate the transgenic crop, but they are dispensable for the agricultural use of these plants. A selection system is proposed for plant transformation that is exclusively based on genetic information already present in the host plant and that does not require antibiotic resistance genes. The approach exploits the natural variability of plant tubulins as essential components of cell growth, cell division and stress tolerance in plants. There exist a panel of tubulin promoters that can drive expression either constitutively or, alternatively, in different tissues or in response to different signals. They can be fused with a panel of different tubulin isotypes with distinct physiological features to produce a versatile kit of combinations that will confer distinct properties such as stress or herbicide tolerance to specified target tissues. This is used to construct a selection marker that is based upon truncated tubulins lacking the binding site for aryl-carbamate herbicides. The expression of this truncated tubulin is driven by the homologous tubulin promotor within a DNA fragment free of exogenous sequences (minimal expression unit) using clean DNA technology. The suitability of this selection system is demonstrated for rice as a model system for Graminaceous crops.
Development of cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers linked to a green rice leafhopper resistance gene, Grh3(t)

The chromosomal location of the resistance gene for green rice leafhopper (GRLH), an injurious insect for rice, has been determined and RFLP markers closely linked to this gene have been identified. The susceptible japonica rice variety 'Nipponbare' was crossed with a resistant japonica rice line 'Aichi42', in which green rice leaf hopper resistance had been introduced from an indica variety 'Rantaj-emas2', and the 100 F 2 plants obtained were used for linkage analysis. The green rice leafhopper resistance gene, Grh3(t), was mapped between RFLP markers C288B and C133A on chromosome 6 and co-segregated with C81. Of the RFLP markers tightly linked to Grh3(t), C81 was converted to a SCAR marker and C133A to a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker that could distinguish the heterozygous genotype to establish an effective marker-aided selection system for the GRLH resistance gene.
Petroleum compounds in the marine food web: short-term experiments on the fate of naphthalene in Calanus

Adult female Calanus helgolandicus Claus immersed for 24 h in sea-water solutions of [1-14C]naphthalene accumulated a detectable quantity (3.6 pg/animal) from concentrations as low as 0.10 μg/1. Feeding experiments using barnacle nauplii or diatoms as foods showed that the dietary route of entry was more important quantitatively than direct uptake from solution in that in order to ensure that the same quantity of radioactivity in the animals was attained by the two routes the level of hydrocarbon in solution had always to be far greater than that present as paniculate food. Relevant to these observations was the further finding that after naphthalene had been accumulated directly from solution in sea water depuration was rapid and only a small fraction, less than 5%, of the original radioactivity could be detected after 10 days: by contrast, when the hydrocarbon was taken up by way of the food depuration was much slower, so that at the end of 10 days about a third of the original level of radioactivity still remained in the animals. Short-term experiments in which Calanus were fed on labelled diets for 24 h under bacteria-free conditions showed that at the end of this period over 90% of the radioactivity in the animals was present as unchanged naphthalene. However, more than two thirds of that released by the animals was in some form other than the hydrocarbon, a finding consistent with the view that Calanus is able to metabolize it.
Importance of denitrifiers lacking the genes encoding the nitrous oxide reductase for N2O emissions from soil

Analyses of the complete genomes of sequenced denitrifying bacteria revealed that approximately 1/3 have a truncated denitrification pathway, lacking the nosZ gene encoding the nitrous oxide reductase. We investigated whether the number of denitrifiers lacking the genetic ability to synthesize the nitrous oxide reductase in soils is important for the proportion of N2O emitted by denitrification. Serial dilutions of the denitrifying strain Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 lacking the nosZ gene were inoculated into three different soils to modify the proportion of denitrifiers having the nitrous oxide reductase genes. The potential denitrification and N2O emissions increased when the size of inoculated C58 population in the soils was in the same range as the indigenous nosZ community. However, in two of the three soils, the increase in potential denitrification in inoculated microcosms compared with the noninoculated microcosms was higher than the increase in N2O emissions. This suggests that the indigenous denitrifier community was capable of acting as a sink for the N2O produced by A. tumefaciens. The relative amount of N2O emitted also increased in two soils with the number of inoculated C58 cells, establishing a direct causal link between the denitrifier community composition and potential N2O emissions by manipulating the proportion of denitrifiers having the nosZ gene. However, the number of denitrifiers which do not possess a nitrous oxide reductase might not be as important for N2O emissions in soils having a high N2O uptake capacity compared with those with lower. In conclusion, we provide a proof of principle that the inability of some denitrifiers to synthesize the nitrous oxide reductase can influence the nature of the denitrification end products, indicating that the extent of the reduction of N2O to N2 by the denitrifying community can have a genetic basis.
The continuous smooth hockey stick: a newly proposed spawner-recruitment model

Spawner-recruit relationships are important components of fisheries management. The two most widely used models have been criticized for unsatisfactory fits and biologically unreasonable extrapolations. A simple hockey stick model has been shown to provide more robust predictions, however, this model is not widely used, possibly because the abrupt change from density-dependence to density-independence is unrealistic and the piecewise model is difficult to fit. Here I present a continuous two-parameter model that resembles a smoothed hockey stick and provides parameter estimates similar to the piecewise hockey stick. The new model is easily parameterized with regular curve-fitting routines.
Sunflower Seed Meal as a Replacement for Soybean Meal Protein in Laying Hen Rations

Abstract Sunflower seed meal (SSM) processed from oilseed varieties was evaluated as a replacement for soybean meal (SBM) in corn-SBM rations for laying hens. Two experiments were conducted in which the major variables were commercial source of SSM, replacement level of SSM and supplemental lysine. Generally speaking, SSM replaced 50% of the SBM protein without adversely affecting hen performance. However, 100% replacement of SBM protein with SSM resulted in decreased egg production and feed efficiency. Although the two SSM’s generally produced similar effects, the SSM of highest fiber content resulted in increased feed consumption when used at the 100% replacement level in mash rations. Lysine supplementation did not consistently improve utilization of the diets used. Characteristic egg shell stains that developed after egg laying when SSM was used in mash rations were markedly reduced when similar rations were fed in crumble form. A phenolic compound (chlorogenic acid) present in sunflower seeds apparently is responsible for these stains. Metabolizable energy values of 2,205 and 2,139 kcal. /kg. (D. M. basis) were obtained for the two SSM’s used in this study.
Compton scattering of 662 KEV gamma rays proposed by Klein-Nishina formula

The free electron Compton scattering cross-section are given by klein-Nishima, calculated using photon with an energy of 662 keV scattered incoherently through angles from 0-120°. The Compton scattering effect was calculated producing a linear relationship between the reciprocal of the scattered photon energy and 1/E0as a function of (1-cos ? ), where ? is the scattering angle. It was found that the energy of scattered gamma ray decreases as the scattering angles increase. The differential scattering cross-section as a function of ? was calculated.
Jasmonate‐deficient plants have reduced direct and indirect defences against herbivores

Plants employ a variety of defence mechanisms, some of which act directly by having a negative effect on herbivores and others that act indirectly by attracting natural enemies of herbivores. In this study we asked if a common jasmonate-signalling pathway links the regulation of direct and indirect defences in plants. We examined the performance of herbivores (direct defence) and the attraction of natural enemies of herbivores (indirect defence) to wild-type tomato plants and mutant plants that are deficient in the production of the signalling hormone jasmonic acid. Wild-type plants supported lower survivorship of caterpillars compared with jasmonic acid-deficient plants. Damaged wild-type plants were more attractive to predaceous mites compared with undamaged wild-type plants, whereas damaged jasmonate-deficient plants were not more attractive to predators. Damaged wild-type plants induced a greater production of volatile compounds (primarily the sesquiterpene β-caryophyllene and the monoterpenes α-pinene, β-pinene, 2-carene and β-phellandrene) compared with damaged jasmonatedeficient plants. Treating jasmonate-deficient plants with exogenous jasmonic acid restored both the direct and indirect defence capabilities, demonstrating that jasmonic acid is an essential regulatory component for the expression of direct and indirect plant defence.
Climate Change, Aboveground-Belowground Interactions, and Species' Range Shifts

Changes in climate, land use, fire incidence, and ecological connections all may contribute to current species' range shifts. Species shift range individually, and not all species shift range at the same time and rate. This variation causes community reorganization in both the old and new ranges. In terrestrial ecosystems, range shifts alter aboveground-belowground interactions, influencing species abundance, community composition, ecosystem processes and services, and feedbacks within communities and ecosystems. Thus, range shifts may result in no-analog communities where foundation species and community genetics play unprecedented roles, possibly leading to novel ecosystems. Long-distance dispersal can enhance the disruption of aboveground-belowground interactions of plants, herbivores, pathogens, symbiotic mutualists, and decomposer organisms. These effects are most likely stronger for latitudinal than for altitudinal range shifts. Disrupted aboveground-belowground interactions may have influenced hist.
Dorsiventrality in Photosynthetic Light Response Curves of a Leaf

Terashima, 1.1986. Dorsiventrality in photosynthetic light response curves of a leaf. —J. exp. Bot. 37: 399-405. The photosynthetic light response curve of a leaf of Glycine max (L.) Merrill obtained by illuminating the adaxial side lay above that obtained by illuminating the abaxial side. However, after inverting the leaf for lid, the curve obtained by illuminating the abaxial side came to lie slightly above that obtained by illuminating the adaxial side. The difference in the shape of light response curves is satisfactorily explained only when the intra-leaf heterogeneities in light absorption and in photosynthetic activity are taken into account.
The comparison of lactation performance and milk fatty acid composition of Sarabi indigenous and Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to specify fatty acid content of milk from Sarabi indigenous cows and compare it with milk fatty acid profile of Holstein cows. Ten Holstein and twelve Sarabi confinement cows that have been fed on total mixed ration with corn silage, alfalfa hay and dairy concentrate were used in a completely randomized design. Holstein cows had greater milk production (P<.0001), whereas Sarabi cows on average had higher milk content of fat (P=0.0540), protein (P=0.0340) and lactose (P=0.1794). Milk from Sarabi and Holstein cows had similar content of the cis-9 trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (0.28 and 0.30%, respectively) and short and medium chain fatty acids (18.58 and 18.62%, respectively) Sarabi cows numerically produced higher concentrations of saturated fatty acids (60.51 and 59.29%, respectively), and long chain fatty acids (43.32 and 41.26%, respectively), as well as lower concentrations of mono unsaturated fatty acids (20.75 and 21.65% respectively) than Holstein. The percentage of C16:0 main saturated fatty acid in milk fat was not different between the groups. Concentrations of C14:0 and C18:0, second and third prominent milk saturated fatty acids were respectively 9.98 and 9.93% in Sarabi and 10.10% and 9.60% in Holsteins. In summary, despite the slight differences between fatty acid content of milk from Sarabi and Holstein cows, we did not find any statistical significance. Key words: Breed, Sarabi cow, milk fatty acid, conjugated linoleic acid.
The phylogenetic position of toadfishes (order Batrachoidiformes) in the higher ray-finned fish as inferred from partitioned Bayesian analysis of 102 whole mitochondrial genome sequences

In a previous study based on 100 whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences, we sought to provide a new perspective on the ordinal relationships of higher ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii). The study left unexplored the phylogenetic position of toadfishes (order Batrachoidiformes), as data were unavailable owing to technical difficulties. In the present study, we successfully determined mitogenomic sequences for two toadfish species (Batrachomoeus trispinosus and Porichthys myriaster) and found that the difficulties resulted from unusual gene arrangements and associated repetitive non-coding sequences. Unambiguously aligned, concatenated mitogenomic sequences (13 461 bp) from 102 higher actinopterygians (excluding the ND6 gene and control region) were divided into five partitions (1st, 2nd and 3rd codon positions of the protein-coding genes, tRNA genes and rRNA genes) and partitioned Bayesian analyses were conducted. The resultant phylogenies strongly suggest that the toadfishes are not members of relatively primitive higher actinopterygians (Paracanthopterygii), but belong to a crown group of actinopterygians (Percomorpha), as was demonstrated for ophidiiform eels (Ophidiiformes) and anglerfishes (Lophiiformes) in the previous study. We propose revised limits of major unranked categories for higher actinopterygians and a new name (Berycomorpha) for a clade comprising two reciprocally paraphyletic orders (Beryciformes and Stephanoberyciformes) based on the present mitogenomic phylogenies. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 85, 289–306.
Les orthoréovirus : virus orphelins ou pathogènes chez l’homme ?

Les orthoreovirus, virus a ARN double brin segmente en dix fragments, representent les virus les plus repandus dans la nature. Trois principaux serotypes sont connus, nommes 1, 2 et 3. La denomination « reovirus » est l’acronyme de « respiratory enteric orphan virus », expression soulignant leur origine respiratoire et intestinale et le fait qu’ils n’ont pu etre relies de facon certaine a aucune maladie clinique bien definie. Neanmoins, des souches d’orthoreovirus ont ete isolees de divers cas de maladies symptomatiques chez l’homme, a savoir des maladies du systeme nerveux central telles que les encephalites et meningites entrainant parfois la mort du patient. Ces differents cas indiquent que les orthoreovirus pourraient etre des agents pathogenes a l’origine de maladies graves. L’infection par les orthoreovirus chez les animaux provoque egalement diverses pathologies. En effet, en fonction de la voie d’inoculation et du serotype de la souche inoculee, des encephalites ou des hepatites peuvent etre observees. Les segments d’ARN M2 et S1 semblent etre impliques dans le phenomene de neurovirulence et sont a la base de mecanismes cellulaires tels que l’entree du virus, la replication virale et l’apoptose. Toutefois, les mecanismes de virulence restent complexes.
Studies on the use of uncertainty factors in deriving RfDs

Abstract Risk assessment of exposure to chemicals having a toxic end point routinely uses the reference dose (RfD) approach based on uncertainty factors of 10. RfD model can be used with widely different databases. However, the quality of individual risk assessment is unequal among chemicals, often resulting in either an over‐ or underestimation of adverse health risk. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate whether the magnitude of the 10X uncertainty factors has scientific merit against data from recent human and animal experimental studies. Although we assessed the use of uncertainty factors for representative chemicals from various classes of compounds, such as volatile organics, alcohols, gasoline components, and pesticides, we are presenting our findings for 24 chemicals. A compilation and comparison of ratios between LOAEL/NOAEL (Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level/No Observed Adverse Effect Level), and subchronic/chronic values were made. Although a 10X uncertainty factor is most common.