Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cyclic AMP: A Polyhedral Signalling Molecule in Plants

The cyclic nucleotide cAMP (3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate) is nowadays recognised as an important signalling molecule in plants, involved in many molecular processes, including sensing and response to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. The validation of a functional cAMP-dependent signalling system in higher plants has spurred a great scientific interest on the polyhedral role of cAMP, as it actively participates in plant adaptation to external stimuli, in addition to the regulation of physiological processes. The complex architecture of cAMP-dependent pathways is far from being fully understood, because the actors of these pathways and their downstream target proteins remain largely unidentified. Recently, a genetic strategy was effectively used to lower cAMP cytosolic levels and hence shed light on the consequences of cAMP deficiency in plant cells. This review aims to provide an integrated overview of the current state of knowledge on cAMP’s role in plant growth and response to environmental stress. Current knowledge of the molecular components and the mechanisms of cAMP signalling events is summarised.
Modified dispersal-related traits in disjunct populations of bird-dispersed Frangula alnus (Rhamnaceae): a result of its Quaternary distribution shifts?

Many European tree species survived Pleistocene glaciations in Mediterranean refugia and rapidly recolonized temperate Europe afterwards. Inter- and postglacial migration processes are assumed to have catalized evolutionary optimizations of dispersal-related traits, but up to now empirical evidence is lacking in vertebrate-dispersed plants. We investigated if south Iberian glacial relict and central European qcolonizerq populations of the bird-dispersed tree Frangula alnus have experienced differentiations of dispersal-related traits which increase the mobility of northern populations. A comparison of lifetime reproductive strategy, disperser guilds, ripening phenology, and fruit design revealed considerable differences. Compared to south Iberian conspecifics, central European plants were considerably smaller and experienced a highly accelerated generation turnover, In south Iberian populations seed dispersal was carried out almost completely by resident birds which occurred in constant abundances throughout the ripening season. In contrast, central European seeds were dispersed by migrants whose abundances changed considerably during the ripening season. Several bird species were involved in both study areas but rendered different importance for seed dispersal. The fruit ripening pattern was highly asynchronous throughout the ripening season in south Iberia, while central European trees showed a complex ripening sequence which resulted in a significant correlation between fruit abundance and changing disperser availability. Central European fruits were smaller and showed a considerably smaller seed load than south Iberian fruits, thus presumably being more attractive for their small-sized main dispersers (Sylvia warblers). Chemical analyses revealed significant differences in contents of water, glucose, fructose, proteins, ash, and phenolic compounds. The extensive differentiation of dispersal-related traits in F. alnus suggests that even weak selective pressures by frugivores may induce evolutionary adjustments of dispersal traits over large time scales. We suggest that the differences we observe today evolved during the species' distribution shifts in the Quaternary.
The effects of level of feeding of sows during pregnancy. I. Reproductive performance

1. Twelve sets of 3 litter-sister Large White gilts were mated at first oestrus after reaching 250 lb. live-weight and given daily during 3 successive pregnancies either 6 lb. (A), 3 lb. (B) or 3 lb. for 76 days then 6 lb. until parturition (C) of the same meal mixture. During an 8-week lactation all were given 4 lb. meal plus 0·8 lb. per piglet suckled. 2. There was a significant linear increase in numbers born with successive parities (P 3. Post-natal litter performance was poor for all groups, probably because of the presence of E. coli , but there was no evidence of treatment effects other than on 3-week weight of third litters, which was significantly greater in Group C than in A or B (P
Long-Term Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Anaerobic Granular Sludge for Recovering Methane from Wastewater.

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) are emerging contaminants affecting biological wastewater treatment processes. However, most of the previous studies mainly focused on their short-term impacts on floc sludge, with little work being conducted to explore their potential effects on more complex anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) that has been widely used for high-strength organic wastewater treatment. In this paper, the long-term effects of PVC-MPs on AGS were investigated via continuous feeding tests that are representative of real wastewater treatment processes. The results of continuous 264 days' test showed that the prolonged exposure of PVC-MPs at 15-150 MPs·L-1 significantly(p=7.86E-37, 3.44E-43 and 5.29E-46) inhibited the COD removal efficiency of AGS by 13.2-35.5%, accompanied with 11.0-32.3% decreased production of methane and 40.3-272.7% increased accumulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In addition, the PVC-MPs exposure suppressed the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), causing AGS and the inside microorganisms to lose the protection of EPS, thereby resulting in granule breakage and decreased cells viability. Aligning with the deteriorated performance, the long-term exposure of PVC-MPs reduced the total microbial populations and the relative abundances of key methanogens and acidogens. Toxicity mechanism assessment revealed that the negative impacts induced by PVC-MPs are mainly attributed to the toxic leachate and excess oxidative stress.
Low Variation in a Y-Chromosomal Growth Hormone Pseudogene Relative to its Functional Autosomal Progenitor Gene in Chinook Salmon

AbstractMost fish species do not have single-chromosome-based sex determination or display cytologically distinguishable sex chromosomes. The selective forces acting on homologous sequences in diploid autosomal versus haploid sex-chromosomal regions are expected to be distinct and thus to differentially influence genetic variation. In Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, the Y chromosome possesses a growth hormone pseudogene (ghp) that is linked to the sex-determination locus and is derived from the functional autosomal growth hormone 2 gene (gh2). Thus, examining these two paralogues provides a model with which to study the forces affecting the persistence of genetic variation between sex-linked and autosomal loci among individuals in Chinook Salmon populations. We characterized single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a 1.6-kb contiguous homologous region in gh2 and ghp in 315 individuals from 19 Chinook Salmon populations ranging from Russia to Alaska, British Columbia, and California. The ghp sequence w.
Shaping an Endospore: Architectural Transformations During Bacillus subtilis Sporulation.

Endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis provides an ideal model system for studying development in bacteria. Sporulation studies have contributed a wealth of information about the mechanisms of cell-specific gene expression, chromosome dynamics, protein localization, and membrane remodeling, while helping to dispel the early view that bacteria lack internal organization and interesting cell biological phenomena. In this review, we focus on the architectural transformations that lead to a profound reorganization of the cellular landscape during sporulation, from two cells that lie side by side to the endospore, the unique cell within a cell structure that is a hallmark of sporulation in B. subtilis and other spore-forming Firmicutes. We discuss new insights into the mechanisms that drive morphogenesis, with special emphasis on polar septation, chromosome translocation, and the phagocytosis-like process of engulfment, and also the key experimental advances that have proven valuable in revealing the inner workings of bacterial cells. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 74 is September 8, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
The spatial distribution of forest biomass in the Brazilian Amazon: a comparison of estimates

The amount of carbon released to the atmosphere as a result of deforestation is determined, in part, by the amount of carbon held in the biomass of the forests converted to other uses. Uncertainty in forest biomass is responsible for much of the uncertainty in current estimates of the flux of carbon from land‐use change. In the present contribution several estimates of forest biomass are compared for the Brazilian Amazon, based on spatial interpolations of direct measurements, relationships to climatic variables, and remote sensing data. Three questions were posed: First, do the methods yield similar estimates? Second, do they yield similar spatial patterns of distribution of biomass? And, third, what factors need most attention if we are to predict more accurately the distribution of forest biomass over large areas?
Leaf Senescence and Protein Metabolism in Creeping Bentgrass Exposed to Heat Stress and Treated with Cytokinins

Heat stress induces leaf senescence and causes changes in protein metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of exogenous application of a synthetic form of cytokinin, zeatin riboside (ZR), on protein metabolism associated with leaf senescence under heat stress for a cool-season grass species. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) (cv. Penncross) plants were exposed to optimum temperature control (20/15 8C, day/night) and heat stress (35/30 8C) in growth chambers. Before heat stress treatments, foliage was sprayed with 10 mmol ZR or water (untreated) for 3 days and then once per week during 35 days of heat stress. Leaf chlorophyll content, photo- chemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and soluble protein content declined, whereas protease activity increased during heat stress. Treatments with ZR helped maintain higher leaf chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm, and soluble protein content under heat stress. Protease activity in ZR-treated plants was lower than that of untreated plants. Zeatin riboside-treated plants had less severe degradation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase proteins than untreated plants exposed to heat stress. In addition, ZR treatment upregulated the expression of 32- and 57-kDa proteins under heat stress conditions. These results demonstrated that the exogenous application of ZR ameliorated the negative effects of heat stress, as manifested by suppression or delay of leaf senescence. Cytokinins may have helped to alleviate heat stress injury, probably by slowing down the action of protease and by induction or upregulation of heat-shock proteins.
Home Range and Habitat Selection of the Endangered Euphrates Softshell Turtle Rafetus euphraticus in a Fragmented Habitat in Southwestern Iran

Abstract We present information on movement patterns and habitat selection of the endangered Euphrates softshell turtle Rafetus euphraticus (Daudin 1802) from Karkheh Regulating Dam Lake in southwestern Iran. Twelve adult turtles were trapped, fitted with radio-tracking transmitters, and relocated 21 to 51 times between May 2011 and July 2012. The mean linear range size was 2.54 ± 0.83 km, the mean river channel area was 55.35 ± 17.98 ha, the mean minimum convex polygon (MCP) size was 47.49 ± 23.36 ha, and the mean 95% kernel density estimator (KDE 95%) measured 21.75 ± 9.44 ha with a core area (KDE 50%) of 5.74 ± 2.87 ha. Range overlap was generally high; on average, individual MCPs overlapped with those of 7.5 other turtles, individual KDEs with those of 7.3 other turtles, and core areas with those of 5.5 other turtles. Selection of habitat types was not proportional to availability. Study animals preferred shallow-water edge habitats covered with Phragmites australis over all other habitat types.
Low-Frequency Dielectric Response of the Tetragonal Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3.

The dielectric properties of the tetragonal hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 are studied through molecular dynamics at a temperature of 300 K in the presence of a finite electric field. The high-frequency dielectric constant ε∞ is found to be 4.5 along the a axis and 4.7 along the c axis. The respective static dielectric constants ε0 are 43±1 and 53±3, much larger than the value of ∼25 pertaining to the orthorhombic phase, in which the organic cations cannot rotate. At frequencies below 3 cm-1, we observe a significant increase in ε0 by ∼23 (a axis) and ∼30 (c axis) compared to a vibrational approach that does not account for the reorientation of the molecular units. The decomposition shows that the reorientation of the organic cations accounts for an increase of only ∼10. An increase of similar size results from the displacement of the cations within the cages of the lattice. The dominant contribution is found to arise from lattice vibrations coupled to the motion of the organic cations.
WNT Signaling in Melanoma

WNT-signaling controls important cellular processes throughout embryonic development and adult life, so any deregulation of this signaling can result in a wide range of pathologies, including cancer. WNT-signaling is classified into two categories: β-catenin-dependent signaling (canonical pathway) and β-catenin-independent signaling (non-canonical pathway), the latter can be further divided into WNT/planar cell polarity (PCP) and calcium pathways. WNT ligands are considered as unique directional growth factors that contribute to both cell proliferation and polarity. Origin of cancer can be diverse and therefore tissue-specific differences can be found in WNT-signaling between cancers, including specific mutations contributing to cancer development. This review focuses on the role of the WNT-signaling pathway in melanoma. The current view on the role of WNT-signaling in cancer immunity as well as a short summary of WNT pathway-related drugs under investigation are also provided.
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROBES

Background: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have become an attractive option of modern medical practice. Recently, attention has been paid to their health-promoting properties. Of particular importance are their probiotic properties and specially the ability to compete with pathogens in vivo. Aim: To determine the antagonistic activity of 46 LAB strains against antibiotic-resistant and other outpatient bacterial strains. Methods: Different standard protocols conform to the international rules for the data collection on antimicrobial susceptibility and on metabolic activity were applied. Results: Our hypothesis was that LAB microbiota from complex ecosystems is able to express a broad spectrum of activity. Thus, 12 vaginal lactobacilli and 34 food-originated lactobacilli, lactococci and enterococci were studied. The production of organic acids is clearly involved in antagonistic activity of these bacteria in vitro. Eight out of the tested isolates were active against Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. The inhibitory activity of two vaginal and four food-originated strains was protease-sensitive and independent of the presence of lactic acid and H2O2. Conclusion: These results are encouraging and prompt further research of the active LAB strains and their possible application to overcome the problem with increasing multi-drug resistance in clinical practice.
Genética do câncer de mama hereditário

The breast cancer is one of the neoplasms that present growing occurrence in the industrialized countries and also in developing countries, like Brazil. Clinical, epidemic and genetic studies have been identifying biological and social characteristics as risk factors associated with this neoplasm. Among the main causes of the disease it is the family history, age, condition economical partner, ionizing radiation, and several other metabolic factors and hormone, and more recently the susceptibility genes denominated BRCA. These genes, considered suppressor tumors, codify nuclear proteins that are related with several functions in the cellular cycle, and inactivate can drive to the instability genome, defects in the DNA double strand break repair, and, consequently, advantage additional mutations in other genes that are involved with the multiplication process and cellular differentiation. The present article makes a revision of the genes of susceptibility of the breast cancer BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, fundamental in the understanding of the genetic predisposition of this pathology.
Seed ferns and the origin of angiosperms

Abstract Doyle, J.A. (Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA). Seed ferns and the origin of angiosperms. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 133: 169–209. 2006. —If molecular analyses are correct in indicating that Gnetales are related to conifers and no other living gymnosperm group is directly related to angiosperms, studies on the origin of angiosperms must focus on fossil taxa, including “seed ferns. ” Some authors have homologized the angiosperm carpel with the cupule of seed ferns, but because angiosperm ovules have two integuments rather than one, cupules are more likely to be homologous with the outer integument. Cupules of the earliest seed ferns may be derived from fertile appendages of “progymnosperms,” but those of later taxa appear to be modified leaves or leaflets, with ovules borne on the abaxial surface in some (peltasperms, corystosperms), the adaxial surface in others (glossopterids, Caytonia). Positional relationships and developmental genetic data suggest that the bitegmic ovule is comparable to a cupule with adaxial ovules. Analysis of a critically revised morphological data set for seed plants indicates that trees in which Gnetales are nested in conifers, as in molecular analyses, are almost as parsimonious as those in which Gnetales are linked with angiosperms, suggesting that the molecular arrangement should be accepted. When living taxa are constrained into the molecular topology, angiosperms are linked with glossopterids, Pentoxylon, Bennettitales, and Caytonia, supporting the homology of the cupule and the bitegmic ovule. Origin of the carpel poses more problems; it could correspond to the leaf portion of the glossopterid leaf-cupule complex, but its homologies in Caytonia are more obscure. New data on currently unknown characters of glossopterids, “Mesozoic seed ferns,” and Bennettitales are needed to test these hypotheses.
Autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa, identification and partial characterisation of a novel gene implicated in RP25

The purpose of this project is to identify the causative gene for one type of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa, RP25. Through CGH (comparative genome hybridisation) and mutation screening, independent mutations were identified in arRP affected Spanish families mapping to RP25. These mutations were identified within a cluster of uncharacterised gene transcripts all which have EGF-like repeat domains; Q5T669, Q5T1H1, Q9H557_human, Q5TEL3_human, Q5TEL4_human, Q5VVG4_human, and Q5T3C8. Through 5` and 3` RACE PCR analysis, the full length gene was revealed to incorporate the EGFL11 gene. On assembling all available data we noted that RP25 gene encompasses 30 exons belonging to nine previously predicted genes and 13 newly identified exons, totaling 43 exons and spanning the interval between 64,487,835 and 66,473,839 on chromosome 6q12. The RP25 full length gene transcript is retinal specific. The genomic length covers over 2.0 MB in size and is therefore the largest eye specific gene identified to date. It is also the fifth largest gene in the human genome to date. Homologs of the RP25 gene to Drosophila eys/eys-shut (Spacemaker) were identified, leading to the annotation of the name EYS (SPAM). An apparently intact eys gene is found across the mammalian clade, including monotremes (platypus) and marsupials (opossum). However, despite the mutations and the presumed loss of function associated with human disease, this gene has been dispensed with on at least four separate occasions in the last 100 million years of mammalian evolution including in the armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and ruminant (cattle and sheep) lineages. EYS has acquired several (<3) reading-frame disruptions in three rodents (mouse, rat and guinea pig) representing two of the three major rodent clades. Through immunohistochemical and electron microscopy analysis, a signal for SPAM was identified in the outer segments of photoreceptor cells.
Genetic Deep Convolutional Autoencoder Applied for Generative Continuous Arterial Blood Pressure via Photoplethysmography

Hypertension affects a huge number of people around the world. It also has a great contribution to cardiovascular- and renal-related diseases. This study investigates the ability of a deep convolutional autoencoder (DCAE) to generate continuous arterial blood pressure (ABP) by only utilizing photoplethysmography (PPG). A total of 18 patients are utilized. LeNet-5- and U-Net-based DCAEs, respectively abbreviated LDCAE and UDCAE, are compared to the MP60 IntelliVue Patient Monitor, as the gold standard. Moreover, in order to investigate the data generalization, the cross-validation (CV) method is conducted. The results show that the UDCAE provides superior results in producing the systolic blood pressure (SBP) estimation. Meanwhile, the LDCAE gives a slightly better result for the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) prediction. Finally, the genetic algorithm-based optimization deep convolutional autoencoder (GDCAE) is further administered to optimize the ensemble of the CV models. The results reveal that the GDCAE is superior to either the LDCAE or UDCAE. In conclusion, this study exhibits that systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) can also be accurately achieved by only utilizing a single PPG signal.
Broadband Electrical Sensing of a Live Biological Cell with In Situ Single-Connection Calibration

Single-connection in situ calibration using biocompatible solutions is demonstrated in single-cell sensing from 0.5 to 9 GHz. The sensing is based on quickly trapping and releasing a live cell by dielectrophoresis on a coplanar transmission line with a little protrusion in one of its ground electrodes. The same transmission line is used as the calibration standard when covered by various solutions of known permittivities. The results show that the calibration technique may be precise enough to differentiate cells of different nucleus sizes, despite the measured difference being less than 0.01 dB in the deembedded scattering parameters. With better accuracy and throughput, the calibration technique may allow broadband electrical sensing of live cells in a high-throughput cytometer.