Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MANAGEMENT OF LAYING HENS TO MINIMIZE HEAT STRESS

People in industrial countries eat about twice as many eggs as people in developing countries-approximately 226 eggs per person per year. Yet only 30 countries are seeing any growth in per capita egg consumption. Among these nations are China, Libya, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, and India. Elsewhere, egg consumption is either stable or falling. FAO predicts that most future growth in egg consumption will occur in the developing world in places like China, where income and population patterns are still shifting
Hyperactivation of human sperm by 4-Aminopyridine : key role for mobilisation of stored Ca2+ in the sperm neck

Within the female reproductive tract mammalian sperm gradually develop hyperactivated motility, triggered by increased flagellar Ca2+ resulting in deep flagellar bends. Two sources of Ca2+ may contribute to the regulation of hyperactivation. Ca2+ influx at the plasma membrane is crucial and the sperm specific CatSpers channels are of great importance. In addition, studies on sperm have provided strong evidence that Ca2+ stored in the region of the sperm neck contributes to regulation of flagellar activity. 4-aminopyridine caused robust and persistent hyperactivation of motility in human sperm. Ca2+ imaging showed that treatment with 4-aminopyridine induced a parallel elevation of [Ca2+]i, which initiated at the sperm neck/midpiece and was associated with asymmetric flagellar bending in this region. This report demonstrates that 4-aminopyridine induced hyperactivation in human sperm is not solely pH/CatSper channel dependent and that mobilisation of stored Ca2+, possibly causing activation of store-operated Ca2+ influx, is essential for hyperactivation in a population of human sperm. 4-aminopyridine induced IP3R and RyR store release in sacroplasmic reticulum and brain microsomal vesicles. Although the physiological factor(s) that activate hyperactivation in vivo remains elusive we can conclude that release of the neck/midpiece intracellular Ca2+ store was sufficient to initiate hyperactivation in a population of human sperm.
Deterioro del valor de los activos mineros según las normas internacionales de contabilidad y la gestión de resultados: evidencia para las empresas mineras chilenas

The year 2015 was marked by a decline in the prices of different metals, including copper. Chile is characterized by being a historically mining country, and multiple effects have been foretold in the national media. The objective of this research is, firstly, to verify the real effects of the decline of the price of copper in the financial statements of the Chilean mining companies by studying a sample of annual financial statements of 33 mining companies. Secondly, to confirm if the managers of the mining companies of the sample use the discretion provided by the International Accounting Standards in the application of impairment tests to their assets. Specifically, the impact of the decline in the price of copper it´s analyzed regarding the carrying amount of Inventories, Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E), and Intangible Assets. The results confirm that only 36% of the companies of the sample applied an impairment test to their assets, and those that show a greater impact on the Financial Statements are related to mining operations that have exploitation difficulties.
Central Nervous Control of Autonomic Function

Fundamental aspects of the control of sympathetic preganglionic neuronal discharge spinal cord circuits providing control of sympathetic preganglionic neurons central nervous control of the airways parasympathetic innervation of the heart central nervous control of the bladder spinal and brainstem control of sexual function control of regional sympathetic nerve activity during exercise - integration of studies in humans and animals cerebellar control of cardivascular and respiratory activity neural control of electrodermal activity.
Low costs of terrestrial locomotion in waders

Energy expenditure of terrestrial locomotion on a linear treadmill was measured in five wader species: Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Knot Calidris canutus, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica. Additional data on Redshank Tringa totanus were taken from the literature. The cost of running in these waders, measured as the slope of the regression line of energy expenditure against speed of locomotion, is significantly less than an allometrically calculated slope for all bird species (Taylor et al. 1982). It is also less than in grouse species which, like waders, must walk to gather their food. Cost of running for a 100 g wader is 22% below the cost of a grouse, and 68% below the cost of a hypothetical penguin of similar mass. Intraindividual cost of running in relation to body mass of a Turnstone and interindividual cost of running in Knots reveal much stronger increases of running costs with increasing body mass than interspecific allometric relations would predict, and this elevated activity cost probably importantly influences the set point for body mass regulation in birds.
Zur Archaeopteryx‐Nomenklatur: Missverständnisse und Lösung

Der allgemein ubernommene NameArchaeopteryx lithographica von Meyer, 1861, fur die alten gefiederten Vogel aus dem Solnhofener Kalkstein sind Gegenstand mehrerer nomenklatorischer Untersuchungen gewesen und haben zu zwei Entscheidungen der Internationalen Kommission fur Zoologische Nomenklatur gefuhrt, den Namen zu kon-servieren. Versaumt wurde bei diesen Entscheidungen, das Typusexemplar fur diesen zweiteiligen Namen (Binomen) festzulegen.
Development of alternative methods to assess the toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of chemicals in the aquatic environment

The toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of chemicals are properties that need to be assessed in risk assessment. In the context of the aquatic environment, both properties were traditionally evaluated in the whole fish. However, due to the reluctance to use a large number of animals for experimentation and high cost of in vivo testing, alternative techniques have been developed to assess these properties. This thesis describes three distinct investigations towards the development of alternative methods for predicting the toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of chemicals. The first study of this thesis is centred on the development of a list of reference compounds to evaluate non-animal methods to in vivo bioaccumulation studies in fish. The selection of representative chemicals was developed following a novel strategy built from previous criteria proposed for the validation of experimental tests and considering relevant aspects for the bioaccumulation of organic chemicals. A revision and a comparison of the most used alternative approaches to in vivo bioaccumulation studies were undertaken in this thesis. In particular, a variety of in vitro and in silico methods were explored and compared in terms of their reliability to predict the whole body biotransformation rate and bioconcentration factor of chemicals in fish. As a consequence of this investigation, an insight into the main challenges and future perspectives for each of the methods evaluated was conducted to provide a foundation for future research. The last research study is focused on the verification of the prediction of protein binding for cyclic compounds and the development of a decision tree strategy to prioritise chemicals for in vivo toxicity testing. The last two objectives were developed based on the integration of different alternative methods to assess the toxicity of chemicals. This thesis concludes with a summary and a discussion of the work undertaken and suggestions for future work.
FAUNA DE ARTRÓPODOS DE MONTAÑA CLARA (ISLAS CANARIAS) III: ARÁCNIDOS, MIRIÁPODOS Y CRUSTÁCEOS TERRESTRES

New data on the Arachnida, Diplopoda, Chilopoda and Malacostraca fauna of Montana Clara islet are provided, as a result of several entomological trips carried out between 2000 and 2002. A catalogue of all the species so far recorded on the islet is made, icluding their local distribution according to the existent habitats, and some particular comments for those recorded for the first time are done. An analysis of the richness and biogeography of this fauna is also made.
Growth factors and receptors : a practical approach

1: Engineered growth factors and receptors, and their applications. 2: Engineering of novel neurotrophins. 3: Designing new agonists.antagonists of growth factor receptors - the rational design of a super-antagonist of the IL-6 receptor. 4: A Chimeric approach for studying receptor-binding domains in EGF-like molecules. 5: Structure-activity relationships of chemokines. 6: Generation and selection of RNA ligands that inhibit interaction of vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/VEGF) to its receptor. 7: Immunolocalisation and RT-PCR for detection and quantification of growth factor and gene expression. 8: Defining growth factor function through tissue-specific expression of dominant-negative receptor mutants. 9: Growth factor-toxin chimeras and their applications. 10: Gene therapy applications of growth factors. Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Appendix 3
An Approach to overcome Imbalance Datasets of Eukaryotic Genomes during the Analysis by Machine Learning Technique (SVM)

In biology, Support Vector Machines (SVM) is most frequently used tool for the analysis of gene expression, microarray experiments and other biological applications. In human genome dataset, only a small proportion of the DNA sequences represent genes, and the rest do not. In our work, we highlighted the reasons why, particular SVM, fails and what can be done to overcome this.
Enteritis associated with a coronavirus-like agent in a rhea ( Rhea americana) chick.

A 6-week-old rhea (Rhea americana) chick experienced weakness and ataxia of a few hours' duration followed by death. Histopathology of the intestines revealed villous atrophy and fusion, hyperplastic crypts, and inflammatory cell infiltrate in the lamina propria. Intestinal epithelial cells contained eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions. Coronavirus-like particles were identified by electron microscopy from the intestinal contents. This is the first report of coronavirus-like agents associated with enteritis in a rhea.
A General Dynamic Theory of Oceanic Island Biogeography: Extending the MacArthur- Wilson Theory to Accommodate the Rise and Fall of Volcanic Islands

A theory attempts to identify the factors that determine a class of phenomena and to state the permissible relationships among the factors . substituting one theory for many facts. A good theory points to possible factors and relationships in the real world that would otherwise remain hidden and thus stimulates new forms of empirical research. If it can also account for, say, 85% of the variation in some phenomenon of interest, it will have served its purpose well. —MacArthur and Wilson (1967, p. 5)
Acoustic identification of 12 species of echolocating bat by discriminant function analysis and artificial neural networks

We recorded echolocation calls from 14 sympatric species of bat in Britain. Once digitised, one temporal and four spectral features were measured from each call. The frequency-time course of each call was approximated by fitting eight mathematical functions, and the goodness of fit, represented by the mean-squared error, was calculated. Measurements were taken using an automated process that extracted a single call from background noise and measured all variables without intervention. Two species of Rhinolophus were easily identified from call duration and spectral measurements. For the remaining 12 species, discriminant function analysis and multilayer back-propagation perceptrons were used to classify calls to species level. Analyses were carried out with and without the inclusion of curve-fitting data to evaluate its usefulness in distinguishing among species. Discriminant function analysis achieved an overall correct classification rate of 79% with curve-fitting data included, while an artificial neural network achieved 87%. The removal of curve-fitting data improved the performance of the discriminant function analysis by 2 %, while the performance of a perceptron decreased by 2 %. However, an increase in correct identification rates when curve-fitting information was included was not found for all species. The use of a hierarchical classification system, whereby calls were first classified to genus level and then to species level, had little effect on correct classification rates by discriminant function analysis but did improve rates achieved by perceptrons. This is the first published study to use artificial neural networks to classify the echolocation calls of bats to species level. Our findings are discussed in terms of recent advances in recording and analysis technologies, and are related to factors causing convergence and divergence of echolocation call design in bats.
Determinants of cognitive decline in older European men

In our ageing population, the number of persons with cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease still increase and cause many problems for the elderly themselves, their relatives and caregivers and for health care. Therefore, the need for preventive action is high. In this thesis we identified social, lifestyle and dietary risk factors for the postponement of cognitive impairment and decline in elderly European men. For the results presented in this thesis, data from the Finland , Italy and the Netherlands Elderly (FINE) Study were used. This prospective population-based cohort study was carried out between 1985 and 2000 among 2,285 Finnish, Italian and Dutch men born between 1900 - 1920 . Cognitive functioning was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). In the FINE Study, cognitive functioning decreased on average with 1.5 points during the 10-year follow-up period. This decline was due to an age effect, but also to a period and birth cohort effect. Men who were married or who lived with others during five years had at least a two times smaller subsequent 10-year cognitive decline compared with men who lost a partner, who were unmarried, who started to live alone and who lived alone during these five years. Cognitive decline did not differ among men with a high or low duration of physical activity at baseline. However, men who participated in activities with at least a medium -low intensity had a 1.8 to 3.5 times smaller cognitive decline compared with men who participated in activities with lowest intensity. Moreover, a decrease in duration or intensity of physical activity resulted respectively in a 2.6 or 3.6 times stronger cognitive decline than maintaining duration or intensity. Men who consumed coffee had a two times smaller 10-year cognitive decline than non-consumers. In addition, an inverse and J-shaped association between the number of cups of coffee per day consumed and 10-year cognitive decline was present, with the least decline for men consuming three cups of coffee per day. Fish consumers had significantly less 5-year subsequent cognitive decline than non-consumers. A linear trend was observed for the relation between the intake of the n-3 fatty acids EPA + DHA and cognitive decline. An average difference of about 380 mg/day in EPA + DHA intake was associated with a 1.1 points difference in cognitive decline. Men whose cognition decreased between 1990 and 1995 had a twofold higher risk of dying in the following five years compared with men whose cognition was stable. Mortality risk of men whose cognition improved between 1995 and 2000 was not different from men with a stable cognition. The associations between marital status, living situation and physical activity are strong and provide in combination with the existing literature enough evidence for justifying public health recommendations for postponing cognitive decline. However, our findings on coffee and fish consumption and on the intake of the fatty acids EPA + DHA in relation with cognitive functioning need confirmation in other studies.
Aquaculture of grey mullets.

List of contributors Foreword 1. The taxonomy of grey mullets J. M. Thomson 2. Means of identification of grey mullet fry for culture L. Zismann 3. FAO identification sheets 4. Sexuality and growth of grey mullet J. P. Quignard and H. Farrugio 5. Food and feeding in grey mullet J. Brusle 6. Energy metabolism of mullets M. N. Knutty 7. Artificial propagation C. E. Nash and R. M. Konigsberger 8. Methods of capture of grey mullets M. Ben-Yami and E. Grofit 9. Handling, transportation and stocking of fry M. Ben-Yami 10. Cultivation methods I. -C. Liao 11. The Mugilidae in polyculture in fresh and brackish water fishponds S. Sarig 12. Parasites and diseases of mullets (Mugilidae) I. Paperna and R. M. Overstreet Species index Subject index.
Ecological consequences of artificial night lighting

One of the less obvious effects of population growth is that a vastly increased proportion of the Earth is now illuminated at night, with increasingly powerful lights. This book will provide the first reference on the profound effects that these lights have on plants, animals, and whole ecosystems. The best-known research on this topic has focused on birds and sea turtles. But artificial lighting also affects other species in ways that are less well-known: foraging behavior of amphibians is altered, lights affect the dispersal patterns young cougars, and fireflies may be inhibited from finding mates. Because of the tremendous prevalence of night lights, and because of the intricate (and often poorly understood) interactions of different life forms, these impacts are far-reaching, affecting not only survival of various species, but also influencing adaptations and evolution. These are important issues for people who are researching and working to protect biodiversity. To date, research on the impacts of artificial light has been isolated within taxonomic specialties, with no synthesis of overall effects of the loss of natural darkness on ecological communities. This volume will help to remedy the information need.
Increased Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Modulates Hippocampal Glutamatergic Synaptic Protein Expression and Synaptic Transmission

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine that orchestrates key events of development, disease and repair in the central nervous system (CNS). To investigate the effects of chronically producing TGF-β1 on synaptic structure and synaptic transmission, I performed immunohistochemistry and immunoblot of brain tissues from transgenic mice (TGF-β1 mice) that over-express active form of TGF-β1 from astrocytes in the CNS. Immunohistochemical assays showed that synaptophysin increased in the CA3 subfield whereas calbindin-D28K decreased in the mossy fibres. Immunoblot analysis revealed that several α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit proteins were up-regulated in the hippocampus of TGF-β1 mice. To examine the direct effect of TGF-β1 alone on glutamatergic synaptic activity, cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with or without TGF-β1. Electrophysiological recordings displayed that TGF-β1 significantly increased the amplitude of glutamate-evoked current (p<0.05). Taken together, these data suggest that TGF-β1 modulates hippocampal glutamatergic synaptic protein expression and regulates synaptic transmission.
The distribution of serotonin-immunoreactive cells in larynx, trachea and bronchi of goat (Capra aegagrus) and bovine (Bos taurus)

Summary The respiratory tract contains numerous peptides secreted from special pulmonary epithelial cells which are called endocrine cells. The function of neuroendocrine cells is modulated by amines. Serotonin has strong vasomotor and bronchomotor effects in the airway mucosa. The objective of this study was to determine presence and distribution of serotonin-positive endocrine cells in respiratory tract of goat and bovine via PAP (peroxidase anti-peroxidase) technique. As a result, while serotonin-immunoreactive cells were found in glands of larynx and bronchial epithelium in bovine, no positive cells were detected in goat. The present study suggests that the distribution of serotonin-immunoreactive cells may show differences between both respiratory tract regions and mammalian species.
Use of polyomics approaches to understanding drug resistance in kinetoplatid protozoa

The lack of new drugs coming through to the market, to add to those few available, for use against diseases caused by trypanosomatids, calls for ways of safe-guarding the use of the current drugs to prolong their usefulness. This can be achieved by studying mechanisms of resistance to the drugs currently in use. In this thesis, the complementary use of untargeted metabolomic and whole genome sequence analyses was applied to elucidate the mechanisms of amphotericin B (AmB) resistance in L. mexicana promastigotes and isometamidium (ISMM) resistance in bloodstream forms of T. brucei. Resistance to AmB and ISMM was induced by step-wise increase of the drug concentration in the growth medium of L. mexicana promastigotes and bloodstream forms of T. brucei, respectively. Untargeted metabolomics results were used to link a single SNP in the lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) gene of the sterol (ergosterol) biosynthetic pathway from a multitude of SNPs that were found in generated AmB resistant cells as compared to the parental wild-type cells. The identified SNP was found to be a non-synonymous mutation, causing the change N176I, outside the active sites of CYP51 and was accompanied by accumulation of the enzyme’s product, 4, 4-dimethylcholesta-8, 14, 24-trien-3β-ol. These results suggested a break down in a possible protein-protein interaction of CYP51 with the next enzyme in the pathway, sterol C14-reductase, for efficient flow of the metabolite. Although the main subcellular localisation is different for these enzymes, they had a common localisation in the ER. AmB resistance was accompanied by depleted levels of ergosterol in AmB resistant cells. Expression of the wild-type CYP51 in AmB resistant cells restored ergosterol levels to those of the parental wild-type. Associated with restoration of ergosterol synthesis was reversal of resistance to AmB and susceptibility to pentamidine observed in AmB resistant cells. Thus N176I mutation in CYP51 underlies resistance to AmB in L. mexicana promastigotes. T. brucei resistance to isometamidium was accompanied by loss of the kinetoplast and maintenance of a much reduced mitochondrial membrane potential as compared to the parental wild-type cells. Reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential was not connected to any apparent alteration of the energy metabolism of related metabolites. However, a perturbation in sphingolipid metabolism was observed to lead to depletion of sphingomyelin and accumulation of its precursor ceramide in the resistant cells. The responsible reaction enzyme, choline phosphorylceramide synthase (SLS4), was found to have 4 non-synonymous mutations which were outside the active site. The ISMM resistant cells exhibited a slow growth phenotype which has also been associated with perturbation of the sphingolipid synthesis pathway. ISMM resistant cells also showed cross resistance to diminazene aceturate and ethidium bromide used for control of African animal trypanosomiasis.