Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antarctic biogeography revisited: updating the Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions

The Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs), originally proposed in 2012, are now established as an important tool in Antarctic science, conservation, management and policy. Here, we provide a revised version of the ACBRs, reflecting updates in underlying spatial layers, together with the results of new analyses justifying the inclusion of a 16th bioregion. This updated version now covers all ice‐free areas of Antarctica and is publicly available through the Australian Antarctic Data Centre. In light of the interest in the ACBRs across a variety of research fields, we also provide a new set of summary statistics for the updated spatial layer, including landscape metrics, climate data, protected area coverage and an overview of human activity. The updated ACBRs represent a contemporary, practical and evidence‐based foundation for understanding, conserving and managing Antarctic biodiversity at a continental scale.
Caveolin-1 is a modulator of clonogenicity in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents a group of aggressive tumours of the kidney. These tumours have a high propensity for metastasis and are extremely treatment refractive after disease relapse. Therefore, the identification of new therapeutic targets is of great importance. One such potential target for therapy are cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are populations of cells imbued with a stem cell-like phenotype capable of driving tumour formation, metastasis and chemoresistance. As such, reliable methods for the identification of CSC populations and defining targets important to their functionality, in hopes of developing more potent therapeutics is of great importance. Previous work has found CAV1 to play a significant role in the malignant progression of RCC and also in the maintenance of adult stem cell populations. As such, this work aimed to understand if common markers of CSC phenotype in combination with CAV1 can act indicators of poor prognostic outcome in clinically confined RCC. Furthermore, this work sought to identify CSC populations from RCC cell lines using a panel of surface markers common to embryonic, mesenchymal and cancer stem cells. Then, understand if CAV1 is responsible for driving the CSC phenotype in these CSC populations by regulating one of the major characteristics of CSC biology, self-renewal. Co-expression of CD44 and CAV1 in RCC tumours indicated greatly reduced disease free survival in clinically confined RCC. Additionally, CD44/CAV1 was found to be the most significant covariate in predicting disease recurrence. In vitro analysis, using a panel of CSC related markers, was unable of identifying a putative CSC population. However, CAV1 expression in the VHL positive CAKI-1 cell line was important for the maintenance of clonogenicity. Incubation of CAV1 deficient CAKI-1 cells under hypoxic conditions was able to restore lost clonogenicity. Further iv work revealed that CAV1 maintains clonogenicity in CAKI-1 through activation of STAT3 and -catenin. This suggests an important role for CAV1 in the maintenance of clonogenicity through STAT3 activation in VHL competent RCC.
SEASONAL AND DIURNAL BODY WEIGHT VARIATIONS IN TITMICE, BASED ON ANALYSES OF INDIVIDUAL BIRDS

ABsTRAcr. -The main aim of this study was to test different graphical models showing possible patterns of seasonal and diurnal body weight cycles in passerines as proposed by Lehikoinen (1987). About 13,300 weight records of five different European tit species (Great Tit Parus major, Blue Tit P. caeruleus, Coal Tit P. ater, Marsh Tit P. palustris, Willow Tit P. montanus) were collected in the period from August 1987 to April 1988 at two study areas in central Norway (61040' and 631 S'N). To get sufficient weight data at desirable times of the day (in the early morning, at noon, and in the evening), an electronic balance was used as a bird table. The data collected allowed an analysis of the weight cycles for individual birds. Most birds, regardless of species, followed the "winter fattening strategy," i.e., both the morning weight, noon weight, and evening weight increased during autumn, reached a midwinter peak (usually in December), and then declined. One dominant Great Tit male deviated from this pattern and decreased in weight from September onwards, apparently for reasons other than starvation or competition with other birds. This trend may be related to its high-ranking status in the social hierarchy. It is argued that the weight variations in titmice are controlled by the photoperiod and air temperature, with photoperiod as the prime factor.
Weed biocontrol with fungi: past, present and future

ABSTRACT The idea of using living organisms for weed control goes back over a century, and very encouraging results were obtained from the 1960s to the 1970s. It is foreseeable and desirable that in the near future, further reasons will support the development and financial sustainment of this research field. The authors describe past and present successes, and discuss possible approaches for improving future achievements.
Aleurone Transfer Cells and other Structural Features of the Spikelet of Millet

In recent publications we have described the distribution and structure of vascular transfer cells in the floral axes of wheat (Zee and O'Brien 1971) and the presence of a xylem discontinuity composed of modified tracheary elements at the base of the peri carp (Zee and O'Brien 1970a). We have also examined the structure of the pigment strand during grain formation (Zee and O'Brien 1970b). In order to find out if these structures are present in the florets of a non-festucoid grass we have examined a member of the Paniceae, Japanese millet (Echinochloa utilis Ohwi & Yabuno).
Synthesis of the capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14. 1. Synthesis of a derivative of the tetrasaccharide repetitive link

A branched tetrasaccharide derivative of the repeating unit of the capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14 has been synthesised by condensation of per-O-benzoylated 1,2-O-(1-cyano)ethylidene derivative of lactose with 6-O-tritylated methyl lactosaminide.
Creeping Bentgrass Physiological Responses to Natural Plant Growth Regulators and Iron Under Two Regimes

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) is an extensively used cool-season grass for fine turfareas such as golf course putting greens, but suffers from poor summer stress tolerance. These studies were conducted to investigate the influences of natural plant growth regulators (NPGR) and Fe on creeping bentgrass photochemical activity (PA), antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, root growth and leaf color under two fertilization regimes. The bentgrass was maintained in well-watered field conditions or water-stressed glasshouse conditions. A mature bentgrass was treated monthly during the field season with seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum Jol.) extract (SWE) at 50 mg.m -2 or humic acid ( HA) at 150 mg.m -2 or in combination with or without FeSO 4 at 520 mg.m -2 and grown under a low or a high fertilization regime. Foliar application of SWE + Fe increased PA (14% to 15%), while applications of SWE + HA or SWE + HA + Fe increased SOD activity (49% to 114%) of creeping bentgrass in Summer 1997 and Summer 1998. There was no significant fertilization x NPGR interaction for PA and SOD activity. Bentgrass PA was increased by 13% to 46% when treated with NPGR with or without Fe compared to the control measured in May. The addition of Fe with each NPGR application improved fall and winter leaf color. All NPGR and Fe treatments increased root mass (17% to 29%) in Aug. 1997 and 1998, except HA alone in 1998. Under sustained low soil moisture (-0.5 MPa) conditions, application of NPGR with or without Fe increased PA and SOD activity. The data indicate that SWE and HA enhance the physiological function of 'Southshore' creeping bentgrass, resulting in improved root growth regardless of low or high fertilization regime. However, addition of Fe to these NPGR served primarily to improve late season leaf color. The results suggest that, in addition to maintaining adequate plant-available nutrients, applications of natural PGRs, such as SWE and HA, prior to and during summer abiotic stresses would be beneficial.
Stem cells and EGFR in triple-negative breast cancer: Promising therapies for the future.

e11028 Background: In general approximately 10%-15% of breast carcinomas (BCs) are known to be triple-negative (TNBC) that are basal like and characterized by distinct molecular, histological, clinical features and unfavorable prognosis due to lack of targeted molecular markers. However, from recent reports, presence of stem cell-like properties a distinct feature of TNBC, the treatment options for TNBC is still an open challenge. We evaluated the presence of stem cells in both triple- and non-triple-negative breast cancer tissue samples along with EGFR over expression and mutation status. Methods: In this retrospective cohort 20 tissue samples of triple-negative breast cancers were compared with 10 samples of non- triple-negative breast cancers for presence or absence of stem cells (CD44+, CD24+ cells). EGFR over expression is evaluated by immunohistochemistry whereas mutation (L858R and Del 19) was carried out by ARMS PCR (DxS kit). Half of the cohort from each category were selected based on their prog.
Probióticos - Revisão da Literatura Probiotics - Literature Review

Médica Otorrinolaringologista do Hospital Universitário Lauro Wanderley – Mestre em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos Bioativos Doutora em Farmacologia, Professora do Departamento de Nutrição/CCS/UFPB e Professora e Vice-Coordenadora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Nutrição/CCS/UFPB. 1 2 RESUMO Objetivo: Realizar revisão sobre uso de Probióticos em artigos originais no Pubmed. Resultados: Foram selecionados artigos que abordavam as características gerais dos probióticos, bem como seu uso na imunomodulação. Os probióticos estão indicados na prevenção de diarréias, causadas por antibióticos e rotavírus, mas também em doenças atópicas, auto-imunes e câncer. O efeito terapêutico, na literatura, foi observado com doses variáveis de 106 a 109 UFC e embora seu mecanismo de ação não esteja totalmente estabelecido, o probiótico deve estar viável quando consumido, permanecer vivo após contato com suco gástrico e bile, aderir-se à mucosa intestinal e competir com microrganismos patogênicos, promovendo ação satisfatória na modulação de inflamação e imunidade. Conclusão: As bactérias ácidas lácticas promovem melhoria no funcionamento do organismo, devendo-se realizar maiores estudos, para que sua utilização seja mais ampla em Medicina.
Ecological Genetics of the Wild Rabbit in Australia. III. Comparison of the Microgeographical Distribution of Alleles in Two Different Environments

The differences in distribution of gene frequencies at three polymorphic loci (adenosine deaminase, carboxylesterase-1 and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) were determined for rabbit populations living in two markedly different environments. One, a highland population from Snowy Plains N.S. W. , has low productivity and high survival rates, and the second, a dry plains population from Urana, N.S. W. , has high productivity and low survival rates. The amount of sub population differentiation at each locus was distinctive, and was different in the two environments with significant differentiation occurring for phosphogluconate dehydrogenase at both areas, for carboxylesterase-1 at Snowy Plains and for adenosine deaminase at Urana. The general significance of these results was demonstrated by determining the distribution of the variation in a third population. This population was subject to the same historical climatic events as the Urana population and showed a similar pattern of variation. Various explanations of the data are considered and a combination of chance and selection, rather than either alone, seems to offer the most satisfactory explanation. The demographic differences between the populations seemed to play no part in explaining the patterns observed.
Nitrogen and water rates for subsurface trickle-irrigated collard, mustard, and spinach

Three field experiments using subsurface trickle irrigation with various rates of target soil water tension (SWT) and N rates were conducted in southern Arizona during 1990-93. The experiments were conducted with collard (Brassica oleracea L. Acephela Group cv. Vates), mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czerniak cv. Southern Giant], and spinach (Spinacea oleracea L. cv. Indian Summer). The interactive effects of water and N treatments on crop yield, N uptake, and unutilized fertilizer N were studied. In general, excessive irrigation (SWT <5.6 kPa) resulted in lower yield and N uptake and higher unutilized fertilizer N. Optimum SWTs were 9 kPa for collard, 8 kPa for spinach, and 6 to 10 kPa for mustard.
ISOLATION OF SALMONELLA SPP. FROM SLAUGHTERED SHEEP IN BASRA

This study was carried out for detection of Salmonella isolates from 309 different apparently healthy samples (97 fecal, 71 bile, 102 intestinal content, 18 livers and 21 spleen) collected from slaughtered sheep in a slaughterhouse in Basra during the period between September to November 2010. The results revealed that the incidence rate of salmonella isolates in fecal samples was 7.2 %, in bile samples 8.5 % and in intestinal content 9.8%. While no isolations were obtained from the liver and spleen samples. The total positive sample of salmonella isolates was 23 (7.4%).
The human brain vasculature shows a distinct expression pattern of SARS-CoV-2 entry factors

A large number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients show neurological symptoms such as ischemic- and hemorrhagic stroke as well as encephalitis, and SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect endothelial cells leading to endotheliitis across multiple vascular beds. These findings suggest an involvement of the brain- and peripheral vasculature in COVID-19, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. To understand the potential mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 tropism for brain vasculature, we constructed a molecular atlas of the expression patterns of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry-associated genes (receptors and proteases) and SARS-CoV-2 interaction partners in human (and mouse) adult and fetal brain as well as in multiple non-CNS tissues in single-cell RNA-sequencing data across various datasets. We observed a distinct expression pattern of the cathepsins B (CTSB) and -L (CTSL) - which are able to substitute for the ACE2 co-receptor TMPRSS2 - in the human vasculature with CTSB being mainly expressed in the brain vasculature and CTSL predominantly in the peripheral vasculature, and these observations were confirmed at the protein level in the Human Protein Atlas and using immunofluorescence stainings. This expression pattern of SARS-CoV-2 viral-entry associated proteases and SARS-CoV-2 interaction partners was also present in endothelial cells and microglia in the fetal brain, suggesting a developmentally established SARS-CoV-2 entry machinery in the human vasculature. At both the adult and fetal stages, we detected a distinct pattern of SARS-CoV-2 entry associated genes’ transcripts in brain vascular endothelial cells and microglia, providing a potential explanation for an inflammatory response in the brain endothelium upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, CTSB was co-expressed in adult and fetal brain endothelial cells with genes and pathways involved in innate immunity and inflammation, angiogenesis, blood-brain-barrier permeability, vascular metabolism, and coagulation, providing a potential explanation for the role of brain endothelial cells in clinically observed (neuro)vascular symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Our study serves as a publicly available single-cell atlas of SARS-CoV-2 related entry factors and interaction partners in human and mouse brain endothelial- and perivascular cells, which can be employed for future studies in clinical samples of COVID-19 patients.
Do Auditory Mismatch Responses Differ Between Acoustic Features?

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is the electroencephalographic (EEG) waveform obtained by subtracting event-related potential (ERP) responses evoked by unexpected deviant stimuli from responses evoked by expected standard stimuli. While the MMN is thought to reflect an unexpected change in an ongoing, predictable stimulus, it is unknown whether MMN responses evoked by changes in different stimulus features have different magnitudes, latencies, and topographies. The present study aimed to investigate whether MMN responses differ depending on whether sudden stimulus change occur in pitch, duration, location or vowel identity respectively. To calculate ERPs to standard and deviant stimuli, EEG signals were recorded in normal-hearing participants (N=20; 13 males, 7 females) who listened to roving oddball sequences of artificial syllables. In the roving paradigm, any given stimulus is repeated several times to form a standard, and then suddenly replaced with a deviant stimulus which differs from the standard. Here, deviants differed from preceding standards along one of four features (pitch, duration, vowel or interaural level difference). The feature levels were individually chosen to match behavioral discrimination performance. We identified neural activity evoked by unexpected violations along all four acoustic dimensions. Evoked responses to deviant stimuli increased in amplitude relative to the responses to standard stimuli. A univariate (channel-by-channel) analysis yielded no significant differences between MMN responses following violations of different features. However, in a multivariate analysis (pooling information from multiple EEG channels), acoustic features could be decoded from the topography of mismatch responses, although at later latencies than those typical for MMN. These results support the notion that deviant feature detection may be subserved by a different process than general mismatch detection.
Replication intermediate architecture reveals the chronology of DNA damage tolerance pathways at UV-stalled replication forks in human cells

DNA lesions in S phase threaten genome stability. The DNA damage tolerance (DDT) pathways overcome these obstacles and allow completion of DNA synthesis by the use of specialised translesion (TLS) DNA polymerases or through recombination-related processes. However, how these mechanisms coordinate with each other and with bulk replication remain elusive. To address these issues, we monitored the variation of replication intermediate architecture in response to ultraviolet irradiation using transmission electron microscopy. We show that the TLS polymerase η, able to accurately bypass the major UV lesion and mutated in the skin cancer-prone xeroderma pigmentosum variant (XPV) syndrome, acts at the replication fork to resolve uncoupling and prevent post-replicative gap accumulation. Repriming occurs as a compensatory mechanism when this on-the-fly mechanism cannot operate, and is therefore predominant in XPV cells. Interestingly, our data support a recombination-independent function of RAD51 at the replication fork to sustain repriming. Finally, we provide evidence for the post-replicative commitment of recombination in gap repair and for pioneering observations of in vivo recombination intermediates. Altogether, we propose a chronology of UV damage tolerance in human cells that highlights the key role of polη in shaping this response and ensuring the continuity of DNA synthesis.
Nutrient digestibility of leucaena meal and sugar cane molasses based-diets in growing-finishing pigs

Six crossbred castrated male pigs weighing 55 kg each were randomly allocated to three diets according to a duplicate 3 × 3 Latin Square Design to study digestion indices determined by sun-dried leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala Lam.) meal (LM) of 11 and 22% on dry matter basis in diets based on sugar cane molasses grade B and soya bean meal. Ferrous sulphate (0.5%) was included in diets. A significant decrease in energy (P < 0.01) but not in N digestibility was observed by increasing the level of LM in the diet. There was no treatment effect on crude fibre digestibility. Faecal pH significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and daily faecal short chain fatty acids and ammonia excretion increased (P < 0.001) with increasing levels of dietary LM. No adverse effects on nutrient digestibility were observed when LM at 11% was included in the diets.
A novel density-based neural mass model for simulating neuronal network dynamics with conductance-based synapses and membrane current adaptation

Nowadays, building low-dimensional mean-field models of neuronal populations is still a critical issue in the computational neuroscience community, because their derivation is difficult for realistic networks of neurons with conductance-based interactions and spike-frequency adaptation that generate nonlinear properties of neurons. Here, based on a colored-noise population density method, we derived a novel neural mass model, termed density-based neural mass model (dNMM), as the mean-field description of network dynamics of adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neurons. Our results showed that the dNMM was capable of correctly estimating firing rate responses under both steady- and dynamic-input conditions. Finally, it was also able to quantitatively describe the effect of spike-frequency adaptation on the generation of asynchronous irregular activity of excitatory-inhibitory cortical networks. We conclude that in terms of its biological reality and calculation efficiency, the dNMM is a suitable candidate to build very large-scale network models involving multiple brain areas.
Seasonal variations in tissue nitrogen and phosphorus of eight macroalgae from a tropical hypersaline coastal environment

Le Lagon de Araruama est un milieu hypersalin sous l'influence d'un climat tropical humide, au sudest du Bresil. Ce lagon est relie a la mer par un chenal etroit, ou la salinite est tres variable. L'azote etle phosphore totaux du tissu (N t i s s u et P t i s s u ) des algues Acanthophora spicifera, Chaetomorpha crassa, Derbesia vaucheriaeformis, Gracilaria cervicornis, Gracilariopsis tenuifrons, Hypnea valentiae, Rhizoclonium africanum, et Ulva lactuca, provenant de l'interface lagon-mer, ont ete analyses pendant deux cycles saisonniers, de l'automne 1997 a l'automne 1999. Presque toutes les especes presentent de grandes variations en N, P et du rapport N:P pendant cette periode. Des variations saisonnieres similaires des N et P tissulaires ont ete observees durant la meme periode d'echantillonage, ce qui suggere un cycle annuel de variations commun. Le pourcentage moyen de l'azote tissulaire (calcule a partir de l'ensemble les donnees) a atteint des valeurs maximales en automne et minimales au printemps, de 3,5 % a 4,80 % du poids sec (p.s.). Les pics de phosphore tissulaire ne correspondent a ceux de l'azote. Les valeurs maximales de phosphore tissulaire ont ete obtenues en ete (0,40 % p.s.) et les valeurs minimales au printemps (0,24 % p.s.). Pendant l'automne, l'hiver et le printemps, la moyenne du rapport atomique N:P s'etablit autour de 30:1, alors que les valeurs de l'ete sont significativement moindres (19,2:1 et 23,9:1 en 1998 et 1999 respectivement). L'analyse des nutriments dissous a montre des concentrations tres basses du P i n o r g . (sauf en ete), en accord avec la predominance des rapports N:P relativement eleves mesures dans les tissus. Les zones peu profondes des sites d'echantillonage presentent des caracteristiques d'un environnement oligotrophe a mesotrophe, et en depit d'une eutrophisation en cours, le niveau du phosphore dissous semble controler l'augmentation de la biomasse des macroalgues.