Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of suspended scallop cages and mussel lines on pelagic and benthic biogeochemical fluxes in Havre-aux-Maisons Lagoon, Îles-de-la-Madeleine (Quebec, Canada)

An in situ experiment was done in July 2004 to test and compare the influence of suspended bivalve cultures (1- and 2-year-old blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus)) on biogeochemical fluxes in the water column and at the benthic interface in Havre-aux-Maisons Lagoon (Quebec, Canada). Aquaculture structures increased the pelagic macrofaunal biomass (PMB) and acted as an oxygen sink and nutrient source in the water column under dark conditions. Although PMB was lower in scallop culture, the influence of scallop cages on pelagic fluxes was similar to or greater (nitrate and nitrite) than that of mussel lines. Sediments were organically enriched, and benthic macrofaunal abundances were decreased in mussel culture zones relative to the control zone, but such an effect was not observed in the scallop zone. Nevertheless, benthic oxygen demand did not vary among culture types and control zones. Benthic nutrient fluxes were greatest beneath aquaculture structures. Both pelagic .
Habitat differentiation in a narrow hybrid zone between diploid and tetraploid Anthoxanthum alpinum

summary Populations of diploid and autotetraploid Anthoxanthum alpinum A. & D. Love formed a narrow hybrid zone in a study area in the Swiss Prealps. Detailed vegetation analyses were performed along transects in several contact zones between the two cytotypes. The vegetation differed according to the position in the hybrid zone. When considering the hybrid zone as a whole, and for one transect that was analysed in detail, there was strong evidence for habitat segregation between the cytotypes. Vegetation transitions, habitat preference and segregation of the two cytotypes differed according to location in the hybrid zone. The origin and dynamics of the hybrid zone are discussed.
Lista das espécies de Culicidae (Diptera) depositadas na Coleção de Entomologia Pe. J. S. Moure

The Entomological Collection of Departamento de Zoologia of Universidade Federal do Parana (DZUP) accommodates about 5,000,000 insect specimens. The collection of Diptera is represented by approximately 2,000,000 specimens, being Muscidae, Culicidae and Syrphidae the most representative families. The Diptera order consists of approximately 150,000 described species and in the Collection about 103,000 specimens within 78 families are registered. The list of species of the family Culicidae presents 9,579 specimens within 2 subfamilies, 7 tribes, 17 genera, 26 subgenera and 85 species. Most specimens were captured in forest remnants in urban and rural areas, wild and urban environments in coastal regions or urban areas of different cities of Parana State, including some species captured in the States of Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina and at Distrito Federal. The specific information of each specimen, such as collection site, latitude, longitude, collector, collection date, collection method and the specialist's name who identified it, as well as taxonomic data (order, tribe, genus, subgenus and species), was included in a electronic data base.
Fast axon activity and the motor pattern in cockroach legs during swimming

Abstract Electromyographic recordings were made from muscles that extend the trochanter/femur of each of the six legs of American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana (L.), while the insects swam in water. The recordings showed two novel features. (1) During swimming, muscle activity in different legs was coordinated in the alternating tripod pattern commonly seen during free walking on land, not in the pattern of synchronous leg pairs common to other large terrestrial insects in water. (2) Fast axons were usually recruited along with slow axons, even when the insect swam at a moderate pace. Fast axon activity always started after the middle of the slow axon burst in intact insects, but vanished from most bursts in the stump of the leg after amputation of the femur. The alternating tripod pattern was maintained even after amputation. Possible causes of fast axon recruitment are discussed.
Use of PCR for detection of subpatent infections of lizard malaria: implications for epizootiology

The estimated prevalence of a malaria parasite, Plasmodium mexicanum, of western fence lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis, was compared using two techniques: microscopic examination of blood smears, and nested PCR amplification of the 18S small subunit rRNA gene. Two sites in northern California, USA were investigated, one with known long‐term high prevalence of the parasite (30% by blood smear scanning), and one with low prevalence (6%). The nested PCR readily detected very low‐level infections (< 1 parasite per 10 000 erythrocytes); such infections are often subpatent by normal microscopic examination. False negatives (scored as not infected after scanning the blood smear, but found infected via PCR) were rare at both sites (4% at the high‐prevalence site, 6% at the low‐prevalence site). However, a greater proportion of infections was detected only by PCR at the low‐prevalence site (50% vs. 9%). If 50% of the infections sustain very weak parasitaemia where lizards are rarely infected, this would accord with hypotheses that predict that parasites should reduce infection growth when transmission is uncommon. The study demonstrates that PCR is a powerful tool to detect very low‐level malarial infections in vertebrate hosts, including those with nucleated erythrocytes.
The Comparative Anatomy of leg Proprioceptors in some Decapod Crustacea

According to the generally adopted view, all the proprioceptors of the leg articulations of decapod Crustacea respond to stretching or relaxation of the organs caused by joint movements or joint position. This view is based on anatomical and physiological studies made, originally, mostly on crabs. It has been found, however, that in other groups of Crustacea, such as Anomura and Macrura Reptantia, some of these receptor organs are anatomically related to structures on the exoskeleton. This type of receptor organ, examined in Palinurus vulgaris Latreille, Homarus gammarus (L.) and Pagurus bernhardus (L.), is the main subject of the present paper. In the course of this work some observations have been made on other proprioceptors, particularly those in the ischiopodite-meropodite articulation, and these too are reported below. The organs in the coxal region, the special structure of which was the subject of previous investigations (Alexandrowicz & Whitear, 1957; Alexandrowicz, 1958, 1967), are not included.
Synthesis of HPMA Copolymers Containing Doxorubicin Bound via a Hydrazone Linkage. Effect of Spacer on Drug Release and in vitro Cytotoxicity

The aim of this study was the synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and preliminary evaluation of biological activity of novel polymer drugs based on conjugates of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) with water-soluble polymer drug carriers based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers. In the conjugates, Dox is attached to the polymer via a pH-sensitive linkage susceptible to hydrolysis at pH ≈ 5–6, thus enabling intracellular Dox release. Seven Dox-containing polymer conjugates differing in the length and structure of the single-amino-acid or oligopeptide spacer were synthesized (Gly, β-Ala, 6-aminohexanoyl, 4-aminobenzoyl, GlyGly, GlyLeuGly, Gly-DL-PheLeuGly) and the relationship between the spacer structure and the rate of in vitro Dox release was studied at various pH. The rate of Dox release at pH 5 (close to lysosomal pH) ranged from 70 to 96% of total Dox/48 h, depending on the spacer structure and being the highest for the conjugate containing the 6-aminohexanoyl spacer. The rate of Dox release from most conjugates incubated at pH 7.4 (blood pH) was more than 10 times slower, ca. 4–10% of total Dox/48 h. Molecular weight of the polymer (25 000–115 000 g/mol) did not significantly influence the rate. The presence of lysosomal enzyme cathepsin B in incubation media increased the rate of Dox release from the conjugates with oligopeptide GlyLeuGly and Gly-DL-PheLeuGly spacers by 15–30%, whereas the release from conjugates with other spacers remained unchanged. Cytotoxicity of all hydrazone conjugates for mouse EL-4 T cell lymphoma cells was much higher and close to that of free Dox (IC50 ≈ 0.1–0.34 μg Dox/mL), in contrast to cytotoxicity of similar classic conjugates bearing Dox attached via an amide bond (IC50 ≈ 19 μg Dox/mL).
Efficacy of Biofertilizer Enriched Flower Waste Vermicompost on Production and Growth of Primary Producers and Freshwater Aquarium Fishes

3 Abstract: An experiment was conducted in glass jars for seven weeks to assess the efficacy of vermicompost and vermicompost enriched with biofertilizers on the production and growth of primary producers and aquarium fishes. Water quality parameters were found to be within the optimum level of aquarium fish culture in all the experiments. Five groups of phytoplankton (Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Charophyceae and Euglenophyceae) and two groups of Zooplanktons (Protozoans and Rotifers) were identified. The result shows that E2 enhances high plankton production than others and recommended for primary production in aquaculture. The growth rate of Aquarium fish Silver Tetra (Ctenobrycon spilurus) and Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) were analyzed by feeding with the plankton (T1); aquarium feed (T2) and combination of both (T3). A high level of weight gained, Percentage weight gained (%) and Specific growth rate (SGR) was recorded in combination feeding group (T3).
Dietary restriction and longevity extension as a manifestation of Hormesis

Abstract Restricting the food intake of rats and mice to 60% of ad libitum intake has been shown to significantly slow their aging processes and markedly extend length of life. Evidence is presented that indicates the antiaging action of this dietary restriction is a manifestation of hormesis and acts by enabling the animal to cope with stressors, including the low‐intensity, long‐term intrinsic and extrinsic stressors conjectured to cause aging. A hypothesis is offered for the evolutionarily adaptive basis of the antiaging action of dietary restriction: It proposes that this antiaging action is a byproduct of the evolution of mechanisms that enabled animals living in the wild to survive unpredictable and relatively brief periods of food scarcity. Likely proximate mechanisms of antiaging action of dietary restriction are considered. Enhancement of the stress response genes, particularly the heat shock protein genes, appears to be importantly involved. Evidence indicates that moderate hyperadrenocorticism also plays a significant role. These proximate mechanisms may well be major players in other examples of hormesis.
UNIQUE ASPECTS OF WEST COAST TREPONEMATOSIS

Skeletal populations from the western coast of North America clearly were afflicted with a treponemal disease very different from that previously documented elsewhere in North America. Six populations from west of the Sierra Cascades were compared with 5 sites east of the Cascades. A high population frequency (both in adults and subadults) of pauci-ostotic, periostitis was noted in the six western skeletal populations, identical to that reported previously with bejel in Negev Bedouins, Sudanese Nubians, and the Kit site from Iraq. Early populations, from east of the Cascades, had a very different polyostotic disease pattern, characteristic of yaws, and identical to that previously reported in Guam. Both patterns were clearly distinguished from syphilis, which appears to be a later development (mutation? ). This study provides evidence that the treponematoses were transported to the New World by way of at least two migrations, one bringing yaws; the other, bejel. The population with bejel likely derived from a different population than that with yaws. Given the absence of treponemal disease variation in the very wide spectrum of environments represented by the bejel-afflicted populations, it is clear that environment is not the factor determining disease character. This study expands on animal studies documenting that the individual treponematoses are separate diseases and not simply climate-induced variation.
Effects of dietary inositol with sucrose stimulation on chewing and swallowing motor patterns in larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori

The effects of dietary inositol with sucrose stimulation on chewing and swallowing motor patterns in the larvae of Bombyx mori L. are investigated. Feeding activities of the larvae are significantly enhanced by a test diet containing an inositol–sucrose mixture compared with a test diet of sucrose only. Motor patterns of the mandibular closer muscle are accelerated with shorter burst durations and shorter inter‐burst intervals with the test diet of inositol–sucrose compared with sucrose. In terms of swallowing behaviours, inositol–sucrose shortens the duration of drinking. Motor patterns of the cibarial compressor muscle are accelerated with shorter burst durations and shorter inter‐burst intervals with the inositol–sucrose mixture. Peripheral interactions between inositol‐ and sucrose‐sensitive cells in the maxilla are not detected. Thus, such interactions cannot explain the positive effects of inositol on chewing and swallowing. Responses of inositol‐sensitive cells in the epipharyngeal sensillum are not affected by sucrose. These results suggest that dietary inositol can modify chewing and swallowing motor patterns when coupled with sucrose stimuli. These modifications may occur in the central neural networks involved in chewing and swallowing motor patterns but not in peripheral sensory interactions.
Maytenus ilicifolia as source of antioxidants and anti- radicals agents and its action on neutrophils peroxidase (myeloperoxidase)

• • • , ABTS •+ , O 2 •- , HOCl and NO. In all systems, a significant correlation existed between concentration of extracts and percentage inhibition of free radicals. Moreover, these extracts could inhibit oxidation of guaiacol catalyzed by peroxidases (horseradish peroxidase and myeloperoxidase) or by their prosthetic group, the hemin. The results provide useful pharmacological information against free radicals and reactive oxygen species, which are involved in a variety of pathological events like diabetes, cancer and aging. The crude extract and the hydroalcoholic fraction were able to act efficiently over all species assayed. This ability to scavenge radicals and endogenous reactive oxygen species, as well as to act as inhibitors of the enzymes that participate in their generation, would be useful for the treatment of various diseases mediated by radical species.
Broiler chick quality and scoring methods.

The day old chick quality has a great importance for hatcheries and also broi ler producers. It is an indicator of hatchery success and assuranc e of broiler productivity. Chick quality is affecte d by a number of factors from the time of fertilizati on to placement time at broiler houses. Generally, these factors are classified as pre-incubation and incibation factors. These factors affects embryo development and chick quality, and in this way post -hatch broiler performance. Day old chick quality is assessed by considering some parameters as colou r, vitality, navel quality, yolk uptake, leg confirmation, well formed beak, chick hatching weight, yolk free body weight and chick length. While some of these parameters are qualitative, oth ers are quantitative characteristics of chicks. Because of assessing of qualitative parameters, som e scoring systems have been developed to convert these factors into a quantitative score. Fort his r eason, visual scoring, Tona or Pasgar score, day ol d chick weight, yolk free body weight and chick lengt h are used largely for measurement chick quality. In this review, definition of the day old chick qua lity, effecting factors and also scoring methods ar e explained.
Review: Mechanisms of anoxia tolerance in plants. II. Energy requirements for maintenance and energy distribution to essential processes.

Anoxia in plant tissues results in an energy crisis (Gibbs and Greenway 2003). How anoxia-tolerant tissues cope with such an energy crisis is relevant not only to anoxia tolerance, but also to adverse conditions in air that cause an energy crisis.To survive an energy crisis, plant cells need to reduce their energy requirements for maintenance, and also direct the limited amount of energy produced during anaerobic catabolism to the energy-consuming processes that are critical to survival.We postulate that during anoxia, reductions in ion fluxes and protein turnover achieve economies in energy consumption. Processes receiving energy from the limited supply available under anoxia include synthesis of anaerobic proteins and energy-dependent substrate transport. Energy would also be required for maintenance of membrane integrity and for regulation of cytoplasmic pH (pHcyt). We suggest that a moderate decrease in the set point of pHcyt, from approximately 7.5 to approximately 7.0 is an acclimation to the energy crisis in anoxia-tolerant tissues. This decrease in the set point of pHcyt would favour metabolism of acclimative value, such as reduction in protein synthesis and stimulation of ethanolic fermentation. During anoxia lasting several days, a proportion of the scarce energy produced may need to be spent to mitigate the acidifying effect on pHcyt arising from fluxes of undissociated organic acids across the tonoplast as a consequence of high concentrations of organic acids in the vacuole. Increases in vacuolar pH (pHvac), with concomitant decreases in the vacuolar concentrations of undissociated acids, would mitigate such an 'acid load' on the cytoplasm. We present evidence that a preferential engagement of V-PPiases, over that of V-ATPases, may direct energy flow at the tonoplast to maintain pHcyt.We conclude that the likely causes of death under anoxia are firstly, a decrease in pHcyt below 7.0. Cytoplasmic acidosis occurs in several anoxia-intolerant tissues and may contribute to their death. Such adverse decreases in pHcyt can be mitigated by the biochemical pH stat. Secondly, deterioration in membrane selectivity culminating in loss of membrane integrity would be fatal. We suggest these two causes are not mutually exclusive but may act in concert.
Response of wheat seedlings to short‐term drought stress with particular respect to nitrate utilization

Abstract. The effect of short-term changes in the water potential (from 0 to – 2.5 MPa) by addition of PEG 4000 to the nutrient solution was investigated with respect to nitrate uptake and reduction in 3-week-old wheat plants (Triticum aestivum, cv Fidel). Plants were harvested at the end of 12-h treatments in the dark. The water potential of the mature leaves was similar to that of the medium down to – 0.8 MPa and was maintained at this level even though the external water potential was much lower. The medium water potential of 0.8 was a threshold level below which elongation of the youngest leaf was inhibited. Increase of the PEG concentration in the medium brought about a decrease of evapotranspiration and enhancement of nitrate uptake. No difference in the rate of nitrate reduction was observed, although the in vitro nitrate reductase activity was lowered. Nitrate accumulation in the shoot was ascribed both to the stimulation of net uptake from the medium, and to the mobilization and translocation of nitrate from the root. It is suggested that increase in the storage pool of nitrate in shoots was related to the role of NO3− as an osmoticum.
Role of gamma-glutamyl transferase in evolution of coronary artery disease

Gammaglutamyltransferases is a serum transferase synthesized by liver. It is commonly used in clinical practice to monitor liver function, alcohol consumption and hepatobiliary disorders. It has been proposed that gamglutamyltransferase is a potent biochemical marker for preclinical development of atherosclerosis. To evaluate the association of serum Gammaglutamyltransferase activity with lipid profile in coronary artery disease. This cross sectional study comprised 100 subjects, which included equal number of healthy volunteers and myocardial infarction cases. Serum Gammaglutamyl transferase activity and lipid profile was estimated. The data was statistically analyzed. The serum Gammaglutamyltransferase activity, cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein were increased in myocardial infarction patients. Serum Gammaglutamyl transferase correlated with the lipid parameters in myocardial infraction patients. GGT can be used a potent biochemical marker for preclinical development of atherosclerosis. KEYWORDS
University of Groningen The effects of a lifestyle physical activity counseling program with feedback of a pedometer during pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD

Objective: To study the effects of a lifestyle physical activity counseling program with feedback of a pedometer during pulmonary rehabilitation. Methods: Twenty-one chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients were randomized to an experimental group that followed a regular rehabilitation program plus the counseling intervention or to a control group that only followed rehabilitation. The primary outcome was daily physical activity assessed by pedometers. Secondary outcomes were physical fitness, health-related quality of life, activities of daily living, depression and self-efficacy. Results: The experimental group showed an increase of 1430 steps/day (+69% from baseline), whereas the control group showed an increase of 455 steps/day (+19%) ( p = 0.11 for group time interaction). The secondary outcomes showed no differences. Conclusion and practice implications: This study showed that the use of the pedometer, in combination with exercise counseling and the stimulation of lifestyle physical activity, is a feasible addition to pulmonary rehabilitation which may improve outcome and maintenance of rehabilitation results. # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.