Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of FIT2 in porcine intramuscular preadipocyte differentiation

Abstract Fat-inducing transcript 2 (FIT2) plays an important role in the formation of intramuscular lipid droplets in skeletal muscle. However, its role in porcine intramuscular preadipocyte differentiation remains unclear. In the present study, a 789-bp fragment covering the complete coding region of porcine FIT2 (pFIT2) was obtained. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that pFIT2 mRNA was highly expressed in fat tissue. Overexpression of pFIT2 in porcine intramuscular preadipocytes led to an increase in lipid accumulation, which was detected by triglyceride content analysis. Overexpression of pFIT2 also significantly increased the protein expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT-enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα), but decreased the protein expression of β-catenin. We also found that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling specific activator LiCl attenuated the pFIT2-induced upregulation of PPARγ and downregulation of β-catenin. These findings implied that FIT2 promotes porcine intramuscular preadipocyte differentiation by repressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Selecting soybeans for sulfonylurea herbicide tolerance: a comparative proteomic study of seed germinations

Abstract. Sulfonylurea herbicides have attracted renewed interest as an alternative for weed management and control of weed resistance in soybean production. In this proteomic study, we compared changes in the protein profiles in 10-day-old seedlings from a simple roll-paper germination method treated with 0.1 µm metsulfuron methyl (MSM), a compound from the sulfonylurea family. Seeds from susceptible or tolerant soybeans, four lines each, were treated with 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 or 10 µm MSM and the number of normal seeds germinating was counted after 10 days. MSM at ≥0.1 µm significantly reduced normal germination in the sulfonylurea-susceptible group. Comparative proteomic analysis of the proteins extracted from the germinations treated with 0 or 0.1 µm MSM revealed a much greater number of proteins affected in the sulfonylurea-susceptible genotype than the tolerant type. From a total 227 protein spots with significant differential (>2-fold) accumulation, 142 unique proteins were identified. Functional analysis revealed that about one-third of these proteins were associated with metabolism, followed by energy (24.3%), defence–stress response (22.9%), and protein synthesis and storage (16.7%). Sulfonylurea herbicides, specifically MSM, greatly affected these metabolic pathways in the susceptible genotype through changed accumulation of many enzymes and proteins.
Spatial valuation of California marine fisheries as an ecosystem service1

Quantifying spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem services is an emerging approach for informing and managing trade-offs among cumulative or competing activities in marine environments. As one proxy for ecosystem services and benefits, we quantified and mapped catch and economic value of California commercial fisheries removals using a 75-year spatially explicit time series. From 1931 to 2005, approximately 88% of the catch was attributed to finfish. However, there has been an increasing reliance of proportional value from invertebrates over the last 25 years. The spatial organization of historical catches suggests species composition varies substantially by depth and latitude, and an evaluation of changes in the spatial distribution of catches in three different time periods suggests that spatial shifts in catch locations have occurred for some taxonomic groups over time. A spatial assessment of historical catches and value benefits marine spatial planning, informs stock assessments, provides a quantifica.
Pollen limitation, plasticity in floral traits, and mixed mating system in an alpine plant Pedicularis siphonantha (Orobanchaceae) from different altitudes

Plant mating systems rapidly respond to pollen limitation in changing environments. However, whether and how floral traits are involved in a mating system shift requires further investigation. A widely distributed and bumblebee‐pollinated lousewort, Pedicularis siphonantha D. Don was studied. We investigated pollination systems, reproductive success, and floral traits in four large populations growing from 3200 m to 4300 m. Pollinator activity in low altitude populations was lower and these populations had a decreased fruit set and seed number per capsule compared to populations at high altitudes. Supplemental hand pollination with outcross pollen significantly increased seed production per capsule for plants from high altitudes but not for those from lower altitudes. We also found that bumblebees visited more flowers within an inflorescence in a single foraging bout in high altitudes compared with low altitudes, which caused a high possibility of geitonogamous mating. These differences may be pollination‐dependent rather than inheritance‐based because hand pollination on bagged flowers did not cause a difference in seed production across populations. Compared to plants from low altitudes, high‐altitude plants had increased flower longevity, larger floral displays, higher pollen production per flower, and shorter corolla tubes, which were found to be well in accordance with changes in both pollination environment and mating system. Plasticity in floral traits might help plants to adjust their resource allocation strategies in response to their habitat, which might be linked with pollination environment. The variability among these populations might be beneficial for this widely distributed species to cope with environmental changes.
Territorial vocalization in sympatric damselfish: acoustic characteristics and intruder discrimination

Abstract Damselfishes are well known for their aggressive, territorial behaviour during which the use of vocalization behaviour has been well documented. However, agonistic acoustic signalling has been understudied in particular when the vocalizations are interspecific. In this study, we characterize and compare the previously undescribed vocalization behaviour of longfin damselfish (Stegastes diencaeus), in an agonistic context, with the closely related and sympatric dusky damselfish (Stegastes adustus). Next, we examined if these congeneric species modulate their vocalizations in a similar pattern to previously described aggressive behaviour patterns. Audio field recordings of territorial males were obtained in response to three separate stimuli: (1) conspecific male damselfish, (2) heterospecific male damselfish and (3) a common intruder, the slippery dick wrasse (Halichoeres bivittatus). The vocal repertoires of both longfin and dusky damselfish comprised the same three distinct call types: chirps, pops and pulse trains. However, temporal measures of the calls showed significant differences between species. Additionally, dusky damselfish were more vocal overall, producing more calls and spending more time calling than longfin damselfish. These responses were stimulus and species dependent, as the two species modulated acoustic response by modulating pulse number based on intruder species. These results suggest that these closely related species of damselfish use vocalization behaviours that are both unique and context dependent.
Bolivia (Part II: Management for sustainable forestry in other tropical countries)

Bolivia started to implement the Forestry Law (# 1700) in 1996. Since then the Bolivian forestry sector has changed significantly from an unplanned and exploitative logging regime to an organized system based on reduced impact logging techniques and management plans elaborated by trained forestry technicians and professionals. It has also expanded access to forest harvesting by allowing rural and indigenous communities the right to manage forest resources along with private companies. The law also provided a suite of technical tools to ensure the sustainable use of the forest resource. The 1996 forestry law and its implementation has resulted in a diversification of species being used for timber production, an increase in the amount of finished forest product exports, and improvements towards forest sustainability. This latter aspect is most evident in the approximately two million hectares of tropical forests that have been certified as sustainably managed under the Principles and Criteria defined by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (Certificacion Forestal Voluntaria 2008). Despite Bolivia’s status as a sustainable forestry leader, there are political, socioeconomic, and ecological challenges to sustainable forest management. Most of these challenges have their origins outside the forestry sector and are related to the development vision being used in the country. These limitations are of concern to the sustainability of Bolivia’s forestry sector and their recognition is important in order to be able to mitigate their effects in the future. The rest of this chapter will expand upon the successes and challenges to sustainable forest management in Bolivia.
Evaluación de la sensibilidad del cladócero tropical Ceriodaphnia cornuta a metales pesados

Los cladoceros han sido utilizados como organismos de prueba para evaluar el efecto adverso de contaminantes en sistemas acuaticos. Daphnia magna y Ceriodaphnia dubia estan entre los mas utilizados en pruebas de toxicidad acuatica. Sin embargo, son poco representativos para evaluar ecosistemas acuaticos tropicales. Ceriodaphnia cornuta es un organismo comun en aguas tropicales que tolera variaciones de temperatura, distribuyendose ampliamente en diversos humedales. En este estudio, evaluamos la sensibilidad de C. cornuta a los metales pesados: plomo, cobre, cadmio, aluminio, y cromo, a traves de pruebas de toxicidad letal. Los valores nominales y reales de Concentracion Letal 50 (CL50) a 48 h obtenidos para plomo, cadmio, aluminio, cobre y cromo fueron (0.05, 0.06), (0.031, 0.027), (1.58, 1.54), (0.02, 0.02) y (1.12, 1.16) mg/L, respectivamente. La mayor sensibilidad de este cladocero ocurrio en bajas concentraciones de cobre, cadmio y plomo, mientras que es poco sensible al aluminio. Los valores de CL50 a 48 h para C. cornuta expuesta a cobre, cadmio y plomo son menores a lo reportado con otras especies de cladoceros usadas en pruebas de toxicidad letal. Lo anterior muestra una mayor sensibilidad que D. magna y C. dubia , incluso es comparable a lo reportado para otras especies de cladoceros tropicales. En conclusion, C. cornuta puede ser considerada como un organismo de prueba adecuado para el monitoreo de ecosistemas costeros tropicales contaminados con metales como cobre, cadmio y plomo presentes en el Golfo de Mexico
Cambios en la calidad poscosecha de salvia (Salvia officinalis) almacenada bajo condiciones de frigoconservación Postharvest quality changes of salvia (Salvia officinalis) stored under cold-storage conditions

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de temperaturas bajas sobre la calidad poscosecha de salvia (Salvia officinalis L.). Para ello, las plantas fueron empacadas en bolsas de polietileno de baja densidad y almacenadas por 21 dias a 0±2 y 6±2°C y un testigo a 23±2°C. Durante este periodo cada tres dias se evaluo: tasa de respiracion (TR), produccion de etileno (PE), perdida de peso (PP), solidos solubles totales (SST), acidez titulable (AT), clorofila total (CT), color (*L, *C, °h) y vitamina C (VitC). Adicionalmente, mediante evaluacion sensorial, se determino: apariencia visual, escala de color, amarillamiento, abscision de hojas y pudriciones. El uso de refrigeracion (0° y 6°C) mantuvo la TR y PE con valores de 15,4 a 22,9 mL CO2·kg-1·h-1 y de 0,06 a 0,46mL etileno·kg-1·h-1, respectivamente. El uso de refrigeracion disminuyo la perdida de peso en salvia hasta un 40%. La CT y el CL se conservaron por 15 dias a 6°C. El contenido de vitamina C decrecio progresivamente, y fue significativamente menor en el tratamiento a 23°C. La refrigeracion a 0°C, permitio prolongar la calidad de la salvia por 12 dias, mientras que a 6° y 23°C, solo se mantuvo por 9 y 6 dias, respectivamente.
Breeding Biology of the Gadwall in Northern Utah

THE purpose of this paper is to describe the breeding behavior, nesting, renesting, and productivity of a population of Gadwalls (Anas strepera) studied in the Salt Lake Valley of northern Utah. Published reports of many studies include scattered information on Gadwall breeding biology. Examples are Williams and Marshall (1938), Miller and Collins (1954), and Anderson (1956) on nesting and production; Hammond and Mann (1956) on the ecology of nesting islands; and Sowls (1955) on migrational homing and renesting. However, to my knowledge there has not been reported a specific study of the breeding habits of the species.
Levansucrase production by Zymomonas mobilis: Optimization of process parameters and fructooligosaccharide production

This article investigates the production and optimization of levansucrase using synthetic medium by Zymomonas mobilis NRRL B-14023. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effects of three different fermentation parameters on levansucrase enzyme production. Maximum levansucrase activity of 13.3 µmol glucose/min was obtained at the optimum levels of process variables (pH 4.90, initial sucrose concentration 159.01 g/L and fermentation temperature 30.3°C). Response surface methodology was found to be useful in optimizing and determining the interactions among process variables. The purity of levansucrase used in enzyme assays were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and a dominant protein band of size around 47 kDa was obtained. The sequence of the produced enzyme was determined by peptide mass fingerprinting. The presence of kestose in the reaction mixture showed that Z. mobilis levansucrase can produce fructooligosaccharides. This study fulfills the lack of mathematical and statistical approaches in optimizing the levansucrase production by Z. mobilis. Practical applications Levansucrases are responsible for the production of valuable fructans; fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and levan. Fructooligosaccharides are sugar polymers three times less sweet than sucrose and naturally present in some foods. FOS have important promising use in the food industry due to their properties such as solubility in water, stability during storage, low calorie value, and prebiotic effects. In this research, the production of microbial levansucrase was optimized for potential industrial applications by response surface methodology. Future studies will focus on conversion of intrinsic sucrose of foods to FOS using levansucrase.
Mislabeling Seafood Does Not Promote Sustainability: A Comment on Stawitz et al. (2016)

Recently, Stawitz et al. collated existing primary literature on DNA identification of finfish products and conducted a series of analyses to explore the environmental and economic ripples of species substitution. While we agree that the assessment of the impacts of seafood mislabeling is paramount, we show that the main conclusion of the study, which hints at a positive ecological impact arising from misnaming traded finfish species, is not warranted by the data, and may inadvertently cause damage to public perceptions of seafood provision, sustainability, and marine resource management.
Assessment of Heavy Metals Residues in Some Food Stuffs and Its Biocontrol by Probiotic Strain Enterococcus facium (E980) In an Experimental Model

The interest of contamination of food stuffs with heavy metals increasing because the increasing the global environmental pollution with these heavy metals. Ingestion of contaminated food with heavy metals cause harmful effect to human health. Among foods that could be contaminated with these harmful materials are dairy products and eggs which represent an important part of humanâ€™s diet especially children. The present study was conducted for detecting and measuring the residues of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium and copper) among seventy-five (75) samples of milk products (infant milk formula, milk powder, processed cheese) and table hen eggs (commercial eggs and native breed) were collected from El Monefia governorate, Egypt. The incidence of lead were 40%,26.67%,26.67%,46.67% and 66.67% in infant milk formula, milk powder , processed cheese, commercial eggs and native breed eggs, respectively. The incidences of cadmium in all of the examined samples were the same incidence (33.33%) except that of native breed egg samples was 53.33%. The incidences chromium were 40%, 33.33% ,33.33%, 26.67% and 53.33% in infant milk formula, milk powder , processed cheese ,commercial eggs and native breed eggs, respectively. All of the examined samples were positive for Copper, By comparing the concentration of heavy metals present in the analyzed samples to their permissible limits, it was concluded that some of the tested samples donâ€™t comply with the standards and may carry a potential health hazards for the consumers so, strict monitoring program are required to prevent contamination of food In a trial to biocontrol of these toxic heavy metals a probiotic strain (Enterococcus.facium(E980)) was used with lead & cadmium. It was proved that this strain has strong chelating effect on lead and cadmium as it reduced them efficiently from the milk. The reduction rate ranging between 79.4% to 82.8% and 72.0% to 75.0% in lead and cadmium, respectively.
Biochar and wood ash amendments for forestry in the Lake States: field report and initial results

Soil amendments are common in agriculture but are not widely used in Lake States forestry. Our objectives were to test the efficacy of operational-scale application of soil amendments on marginal sites as a management strategy for adaptation to drier conditions. Wood ash and biochar amendments were applied throughout 50 acres of recently harvested scrub oak stands, and red and jack pine seedlings were planted. Short-term results indicate increased water holding capacity and cation exchange capacity in soils amended with biochar and biochar with manure and significant increases in seedling production with wood ash amendment. Here we report on the feasibility of the application methods and their associated financial costs and present initial data on soil properties after amendment with wood ash and biochar.
Diversity and composition of tropical butterflies along an Afromontane agricultural gradient in the Jimma Highlands, Ethiopia

Afromontane landscapes are typically characterized by a mosaic of smallholder farms and the biodiversity impacts of these practices will vary in accordance to local management and landscape context. Here, we assess how tropical butterfly diversity is maintained across an agricultural landscape in the Jimma Highlands of Ethiopia. We used transect surveys to sample understory butterfly communities within degraded natural forest, semi‐managed coffee forest (SMCF), exotic timber plantations, open woodland, croplands and pasture. Surveys were conducted in 29 one‐hectare plots and repeated five times between January and June 2013. We found that natural forest supports higher butterfly diversity than all agricultural plots (measured with Hill's numbers). SMCF and timber plantations retain relatively high abundance and diversity, but these metrics drop off sharply in open woodland, cropland and pasture. SMCF and timber plantations share the majority of their species with natural forest and support an equivalent abundance of forest‐dependent species, with no increase in widespread species. There was some incongruence in the responses of families and sub‐families, notably that Lycaenidae are strongly associated with open woodland and pasture. Adult butterflies clearly utilize forested agricultural practices such as SMCF and timber plantations, but species diversity declines steeply with distance from natural forest suggesting that earlier life‐stages may depend on host plants and/or microclimatic conditions that are lost under agricultural management. From a management perspective, the protection of natural forest remains a priority for tropical butterfly conservation, but understanding functioning of the wider landscape mosaic is important as SMCF and timber plantations may act as habitat corridors that facilitate movement between forest fragments.
A Preliminary Study of the Reptile’s Fauna in Northwestern Yazd Province, Iran

We have studied the terrestrial reptile fauna of the northwest Yazd province (Iran) and present here some of the characters that we examined for common species in the region. In total, 50 specimens from eight families (six lizard families and two snake families) were collected from the region. The collected lizards belonging to 13 species were Laudakia nupta , Phrynocephalus maculatus , Phrynocephalus scutellatus , and Trapelus agilis (Agamidae); Agamura persica and Bunopus crassicaudus (Gekkonidae), Teratoscincus bedriagai (Sphaerodactylidae); Eremias fasciata , Eremias persica , Mesalina watsonana , and Ophisops elegans (Lacertidae); Varanus griseus (Varanidae), and finally Uromastix asmussi belonging to the Uromastycidae. The two species of snakes were Spalerosophis diadema schiraziana (Colubridae) and Psammophis schokari (Lamprophiidae). Based on these results, Agamidae and Lacertidae are the families with highest number of genera and the genera Eremias and Phrynocephalus had the most species. Among the collected lizards, Trapelus agilis , Mesalina watsonana , and Bunopus crassicaudus were the most abundant species in the northwest Yazd province.
Análisis comparativo de estado trófico de las aguas en la costa oriental de la provincia de Cienfuegos, Cuba

El proposito de este trabajo es evaluar el estado trofico de las aguas en la costa oriental de la provincia de Cienfuegos, a partir de las concentraciones de nutrientes y del fitoplancton. Se utilizaron dos metodos de evaluacion del estado trofico y se consideraron los resultados de nitrogeno inorganico (NI), fosforo inorganico (FI), Si y fitoplancton, los cuales se obtuvieron durante cuatro campanas de muestreo llevadas a cabo en el periodo 2006-2007. Se analizo la proporcion elemental disponible Si/NI segun criterio de Redfield, asi como tambien se obtuvieron los coeficientes de correlaciones entre las concentraciones de nutrientes y fitoplancton. Los resultados mostraron al Si como el nutriente mas disponible en el area de estudio y a las diatomeas como el grupo de fitoplancton predominante; sin embargo, sus concentraciones no se correlacionaron significativamente, lo cual pudiera deberse a una respuesta no inmediata de este indicador biologico al cambio de nutriente. Las evaluaciones del estado trofico mostraron correspondencia entre los niveles de fitoplancton y de nutrientes; asi como poco impacto en la calidad de las aguas de esta zona costera, desde el punto de vista trofico
Study on Anticancer Activity of Extracts of Sponges Collected from Biak Water, Indonesia

Indonesia is center of biodiversity where marine sponges are abundant. a source of bioactive compounds with various pharmaceutical properties such as anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anti-malarial. In a continuation of a search for biologically active molecules from marine organisms we investigated the potency of marine sponges as anticancer. A total of 106 sponge specimens were collected between 3-40 m depths by SCUBA diving in Biak waters during August 2005. The specimens were extracted with methanol to provided crude extracts. The methanolic extracts were tested against NBT-T2 cell line. The assay result showed that 8.5 %, 29.2 % and 46.2 % of the extract have activity against the cell line at 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 μg/mL. While, a 16.0 % of the extract did not showed activity against the cell line.