Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feeding capabilities and limitations in the nauplii of two pelagic estuarine copepods, Pseudodiaptomus marinus and Oithona davisae

In most aquatic ecosystems, copepod nauplii outnumber all other mesozooplankton. Although thousands of studies have examined feeding by later life history stages, the feeding habits of nauplii are poorly known. We offered conspecific adult and naupliar stages of the current‐feeding calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus and the ambush‐feeding cyclopoid copepod Oithona davisae 14 species of phytoplankton from various functional and taxonomic groups that spanned a wide size range. Using a novel epifluorescence microscopy method, we calculated an index of gut pigment for copepods fed each phytoplankton species. We also measured adult and naupliar feeding rates on three species of phytoplankton: the cryptomonad Rhodomonas salina, the prasinophyte Tetraselmis suecica, and the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, by an improved gut fluorescence method using a microplate reader. Despite their smaller size, weaker swimming and sensory capabilities, and rudimentary feeding apparatus, nauplii fed on a large range of cell sizes and were capable of consuming many of the same phytoplankton as adults.
Synergism between aromatic compounds and green leaf volatiles derived from the host plant underlies female attraction in the oriental fruit moth

Blends of volatile compounds emitted by host plants are known to mediate the attraction of gravid female herbivores to oviposition sites, but the role of individual odor components is still little understood. We characterized the olfactory response of mated female Cydia (Grapholita) molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to synthetic mixtures of compounds emitted by peach shoot, a key host plant of this herbivore, and investigated the role of important constituents of bioactive mixtures in moth attraction. Relative ratios of constituents of the mixtures corresponded to the natural ratio of volatile compounds collected in the plant's headspace. A significant attractant effect was found for a comparatively complex 10‐compound mixture that included four green leaf volatiles [(Z)‐3‐hexen‐1‐ol, 1‐hexanol, (E)‐2‐hexenal, and (Z)‐3‐hexen‐1‐yl acetate], five aromatics (benzaldehyde, methyl salicylate, methyl benzoate, benzonitrile, and phenylacetonitrile), and a carboxylic acid (valeric acid). Using a subtraction approach, the number of compounds was progressively decreased, resulting in a bioactive 5‐compound mixture composed of two constituents, green leaf volatiles and aromatic compounds. Further evaluations revealed that benzaldehyde and benzonitrile must be present in association with three distinct green leaf volatiles to produce an attractant effect on the female moths. This 5‐compound mixture was as attractive as natural peach shoot volatiles, which are known to comprise over 20 compounds. Results are discussed in light of the documented synergistic effect between the three general green leaf volatiles and the two specific aromatic compounds.
Characterization of a Novel High-Molecular-Weight Glutenin Subunit Pair 2.6 + 12 in Common Wheat Landraces in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous District of China

Gluten that affects the rheological property of wheat dough consists of glutenin and gliadin. The disulfide bonds of cysteine residues between glutenin subunits form the backbone of the gluten network associated with the viscosity of dough. Glutenin is composed of high-molecular-weight (HMW) and low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenin subunits (GSs). The expression of each single or pair of HMWGS(s) is controlled by an allele at a particular Glu-1 locus on the long arm of a chromosome belonging to the homologous group 1 (Payne et al. 1981), and allelic variation of GSs have been identified by electrophoresis (Payne and Lawrence 1983, Gupta and Shephered 1990). The HMW-GS pair 5 + 10 exerts a beneficial effect on the bread-making quality, and the subunits more frequently appear in the European and the North American cultivars (Payne et al. 1987, Ng et al. 1989). The HMW-GS pair 2 + 12 is frequently observed in Chinese wheat cultivars commonly used for the production of noodles and steamed bread (He et al. 1992). The land of China extends from the eastern to the central parts of the Eurasian continent. The westernmost part, including the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous District of China (herein after referred as Xinjiang), is near Southwest Asia, where hexaploid wheat is considered to have originated. Nakamura (2002) reported that the Glu-A1c, Glu-B1b, GluD1a alleles are predominant among 274 Chinese wheat landraces and improved cultivars. Zhang et al. (2002) reported that the Glu-D1a allele predominated among 5129 Chinese cultivars and they seldom identified the Glu-D1f allele in the cultivars of Xinjiang. Wei et al. (2004) identified 14 alleles of HMW-GS in 169 cultivars grown in the southern part of Xinjiang and confirmed a similar allelic distribution at three Glu-1 loci to that reported by Nakamura (2002). In our previous report (Cong et al. 2005), we showed that the allelic frequency at Glu-1 loci in 282 Xinjiang landraces was similar to that in other Chinese cultivars, as far as the Glu-A1 and Glu-B1 loci were concerned. However, we succeeded in identifying a novel HMW-GS pair 2.6 + 12 in 69 winter wheat landraces. The allele encoding these subunits was estimated to be located on the 1D chromosome and was tentatively designated as Glu-D1bp. In the present report, we determined the N-terminal amino acid sequence of each subunit of the HMW-GS pair 2.6 + 12 to identify the locus by comparison with other known HMW-GS sequences. To characterize the effect of the subunits on wheat flour quality, we determined the protein content and SDS-sedimentation volume of flour prepared from cultivars with the subunits, compared with those from cultivars with such subunits as 2 + 12 or 5 + 10.
The Cadherin Interaction as a Rate Limiting Step in Breast Cancer Metastasis to the Liver

Abstract : Our overall objective is to identify molecular elements that enable breast cancer cells to establish metastatic growths. Finding rationale approaches to inhibit rate-limiting events of the metastatic growth is preferable to using systemic therapeutics that are cytotoxic on a systemic level. Cadherins make up a family of adhesion molecules that mediate Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion at points of cell-cell adhesion. Epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin), the prototype classical cadherin present on the surface of most epithelial cells, has a cytoplasmic domain that anchors the cell adhesion molecule to the actin cytoskeleton via catenin-based complexes. It is generally considered that E-cadherin directs homotypic binding, organizing cells of the same lineage into a functional tissue during morphogenesis. Thus, E-cadherin is central to epithelial cell differentiation and suppress ion of proliferation and migration. Finding E-cadherin downregulated or even lost in invasive and metastatic carcinomas buttressed this role of E-cadherin in modulating the epithelial phenotype [3]. It has been hypothesized that loss of E-cadherin allows individual tumor cells to break from the primary tumor mass at the same time as enabling autocrine pro-proliferative and migratory signaling to ensue from receptors and ligands physiologically separated by cell polarity and the E-cadherin-based tight junctions. This was supported experimentally when poorly differentiated and invasive carcinoma cells could be made less so by transfection with E-cadherin cDNA, with well-differentiated carcinomas becoming more aggressive when antibodies blocked. This supported a designation as a tumor suppressor, even placing E-cadherin at the apex of a tumor suppressor system. More recent reports of E-cadherin being expressed at the site of metastatic foci in the liver, lung and lymph nodes have caused reconsideration of E-cadherin downregulation as required for tumor dissemination.
Why do fish die after severe exercise

Trout fitted with dorsal aortic cannulae were subjected to 6 min of intensive exercise and monitored over the following 12 h recovery period. Delayed mortality was 40%; the majority of deaths occurred 4–8 h post-exercise. Surviving fish exhibited a short-lived haemoconcentration reflected in increased haematocrit, haemoglobin, plasma protein, Na+ and Ch- levels; an extended rise in plasma [K+]; a quickly corrected respiratory acidosis; and a more prolonged metabolic acidosis in concert with a rise in blood lactate. Dying fish exhibited very similar trends except for a significantly greater metabolic acidosis, lower plasma [Cl-], and the apparent accumulation of an unknown anion in the blood prior to death. Cardiac failure did not occur. Blood metabolic acid levels, while elevated, were only ∼ 50% of peak lactate anion levels and well within the normal range of tolerance, as were all other changes observed in the blood of non-survivors. The hypothesis that post-exercise mortality is due to excessive ‘lactic acid’ accumulation in the blood is discounted. It is suggested that intracellular acidosis may be the proximate cause of death.
The antibacterial activity of Humulus lupulus against mycobacteria

One third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with M. tuberculosis, a pathogen which causes more human death and misery than any other bacterial disease. Whilst treatment is available, resistance to commonly used antimicrobials is a growing problem. Thus there is an urgent need to identify new compounds that can kill drug resistant isolates and are able to potentiate the activity of currently available antibiotics. The plant kingdom is a rich source of antibacterial compounds and a plant which has attracted particular interest is Humulus lupulus, more commonly known as the hop, which has been used as an antibacterial in beer for hundreds of years. Its antibacterial properties are thought to be due to the combined action of alpha and beta acids and polyphenols such as xanthohumol although the precise nature of their interactions and relative importance has yet to be determined. An optimised agar antimicrobial assay was developed and employed based on Mycobacterium smegmatis, to characterize the antibacterial activity of fifty commercially available hop varieties with a view to identifying novel antibacterial compounds. Surprisingly, no correlation was found between alpha and beta acid content and antibacterial activity. Chemical analysis of the most (Citra) and least (Galena) active hop variants using a combination of bioactivity based thin layer chromatography, mass spectrometry and HPLC revealed differences in the relative amounts of antimicrobial compounds such as humulone (alpha acid), lupulone (beta acid) and xanthohumol but failed to identify the presence of novel antibacterial compounds. Whilst no new antimicrobial compounds were identified, the Citra hop extract was able to potentiate the activity of the antibiotics imipenem and ciprofloxacin against clinical isolates of M. abscessus, a fast growing member of the mycobacterium family which infects individuals suffering from cystic fibrosis. The Citra hop extract also inhibited the growth drug resistant isolates of M. abscessus suggesting that it may have activity against other antibiotic resistant mycobacteria such as M. tuberculosis With regards to the mode of action, scanning electron microscopy revealed distinct changes to the outer cell structure of the bacteria, suggesting that hops contain compounds that interact with the bacterial cell membrane and/or cell wall. These changes were more profound in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of imipenem, a compound which also targets the cell wall. Overall hops were shown to contain compounds which inhibited the growth of mycobacterium and were able to potentate the activity of antibiotics currently used to treat these pathogens. These findings suggest hops may be a fruitful source from which to isolate next generation compounds with which to treat increasingly drug resistant strains of mycobacteria.
Models for Sarcomas

Sarcomas are rare tumours in patients under the age of 20. Because of their characteristic chromosomal translocations Ewing's sarcomas have been a paradigm for understanding the biology of sarcomas. Since the survival rates in Ewing's sarcoma patients with metastasis and relapse are still unsatisfactory, new therapeutic options have to be developed. Model systems based on fibroblast cell lines have helped in understanding the biology of the transforming protein EWS/FLI1. Cell lines established from primary Ewing's sarcoma are now in use to test new therapeutic options. Since these models only poorly reflect the conditions within the patients, xenograft mouse models have recently been developed to study the biology of Ewing's sarcoma in a more relevant in vivo environment. These new model systems will help define novel therapeutic targets and support the preclinical evaluation of new treatments. Keywords: mouse model; Ewing's sarcoma; xenograft; metastasis; EWS/FLI1
Reproductive and Foraging Energetics of High Latitude Penguins, Albatrosses and Pinnipeds: Implications for Life History Patterns

Pinnipeds and seabirds feed at sea, but are tied to shore to rear their young. Such a fundamental life history constraint should lead to convergent adaptations in foraging and reproductive ecology. However, intrinsic differences in mammalian and avian reproductive biology may limitthe potential for convergence. In this paper I examine both reproductive and foraging energetics of pinnipeds and seabirds. This is done in an attempt to identify traits that might be considered convergent adaptations to life in the marine environment and to show how divergent life history patterns are optimal for different reasons. From this analysis we find that seabirds invest a greater total amount of energy and protein into the offspring than pinnipeds, but this comes at the cost of making more trips to sea. Whereas pinnipeds forage in a manner more consistent with the predictions of central place foraging theory and exhibit a greater ability to compensate to the shortened breeding season typical of high latitude environments.
Effects of formalin preservation on invertebrate stable isotope values over decadal time scales

Stable isotope values derived from chemically preserved organisms are a valuable resource for documenting long-term ecosystem changes. However, isotopic correction factors of preservation effects applied to samples stored for decades are frequently based on studies lasting only months, assuming that the effects of preservation stabilize within a short time frame. Very few studies test this critical assumption. We validated this assumption for formalin-preserved invertebrate tissues, finding no significant difference between mean isotopic δ13C and δ15N values of material stored 1–15 years across taxa. Preservation effects were evaluated for Amphipoda, Chironomidae, Dreissenidae, Ephemeroptera, Gastropoda, Isopoda, Sphaeridae, Oligochaeta, and Trichoptera. On average, freshwater benthos δ13C was lower by approximately 2‰ after formalin fixation, whereas δ15N values were not different from control samples. Fixation effects were similar among taxa, but were more pronounced in Gastropoda and Sphaeridae for δ13.
Caracterización de canales de ganado bovino en los valles centrales de Oaxaca

El ganado bovino sacrificado en los valles centrales de Oaxaca muestra alta diversidad debido a que procede de diferentes regiones y sistemas de produccion (SP). El objetivo del estudio fue caracterizar el ganado bovino sacrificado, y para ello se evaluaron 1,375 canales, determinando raza, edad, procedencia, SP, espesor de grasa dorsal, marmoleo, conformacion y peso de la canal caliente (PC). El 95 % de los animales sacrificados provinieron del tropico y de estos, el 75 % fue criado en sistema de pastoreo. Las cruzas predominantes fueron Cebu x Suizo Pardo (37 %) y Cebu x Holstein (16 %) entre los 3 y 4 anos de edad. Los toros provenientes del tropico humedo presentaron el promedio mas alto de PC (309.4 kg, P<0.05). Los toros raza cebu y cruzas Cebu x criollo y Cebu x Suizo Pardo obtuvieron los mayores promedios de PC (325.8, 301.6 y 297.8 kg, respectivamente). La mayor proporcion de canales con buena conformacion fueron obtenidas de toros y toretes provenientes del tropico humedo (P<0.05) y en los SP pastoreo-complemento y engorda intensiva (78.8 y 85.2 %, respectivamente). Los novillos raza Cebu criados en engorda intensiva y pastoreo-complemento obtuvieron mayores (P<0.05) espesores de grasa (5.1 y 3.5 mm). La raza tiene influencia en la composicion de la canal, despues de ella, el sistema de produccion, la alimentacion y la madurez son determinantes en el rendimiento y calidad de la canal.
Current role of enzyme analysis for urea cycle disorders

Abstract Urea cycle disorders (UCD) are due to defects of any of its six enzymes or two transporters. The definitive diagnosis of defects of the three mitochondrial enzymes, N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS), carbamylphosphate synthetase I (CPS1) and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) depends on either molecular mutation analysis or measurement of enzyme activity, whereas the diagnosis of deficiencies of the three cytosolic enzymes argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) and arginase I (ARG1) is usually straightforward, based on marker metabolites. Enzyme assays for all UCD have been used since their first description, for disease confirmation and in some instances even for prenatal diagnosis. The genetic bases of the UCD have only been unraveled from the 1980s; the last gene cloned being the NAGS gene in 2002. In this review we discuss the enzymatic assays for all urea cycle enzymes from a historical perspective, their potential and drawbacks, and the current role of enzymatic analysis in UCD in general.
Lactic acid bacteria, their metabolic products and interference with microbial growth

Lactic acid bacteria produce a variety of metabolic products that are capable of interfering with the growth of other microbes. These bacterial end products have been applied to food systems to prevent the growth of certain undesirable bacteria. The following review will discuss the successful application of several of the metabolic products produced by lactic acid bacteria in food systems.
Uso de imunomoduladores nas enfermidades infecciosas dos animais domésticos

Imunomoduladores sao substâncias que atuam no sistema imunologico conferindo aumento da resposta orgânica contra determinados microorganismos, incluindo virus, bacterias e protozoarios, mediante a producao de interferon e seus indutores. Existem muitas situacoes na medicina veterinaria em que se torna desejavel potencializar a resposta imune, principalmente quando se pretende aumentar a resistencia as infeccoes e no tratamento de enfermidades imunossupressoras ou de doencas infecciosas multifatorias, ou seja, nas quais varios agentes estao envolvidos e devido a isso, dificilmente obtem-se sucesso no emprego de tratamentos convencionais. Na medicina veterinaria alguns imunomoduladores utilizados sao interferons , interleucinas, Bacilo de Calmett-Guerin (BCG) e seus derivados, Propionibacterium acn es ( Corynebacterium parvum ), vacina bacteriana mista, PIND-ORF, Phosprenyl, Quillaja saponis, Bordetella pertussis , avridina e levamizol. O presente trabalho avalia a aplicacao dos diferentes imunomoduladores na profilaxia e na terapeutica das doencas infecciosas dos animais domesticos.
Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on the Reproductive Ecology of Four Plant Species in Mallee Woodland

Abstract: Habitat fragmentation has the potential to affect plant reproduction by changing the community of pollinators and natural enemies, the neighborhood of potential mates, the availability of resources, and microclimate. I examined the effect of habitat fragmentation on reproduction of four species found in mallee woodlands of central New South Wales, Australia: Acacia brachybotrya, Senna artemisioides, Eremophila glabra, and Dianella revoluta. At six sites I surveyed plants in a reserve and in a nearby linear strip of vegetation. Two additional sites were established in a large reserve. Many effects were apparent at the extreme end of fragmentation, revealed by two‐way analysis of covariance comparing reserves and linear strips at each site. The nature of the response differed among species. Flower production was greater in most linear strip fragments for S. artemisioides and E. glabra. Fruit set efficiency was significantly greater in linear strips for S. artemisioides and significantly lower for A. brachybotrya, E. glabra, and D. revoluta. Fruit predation was lower in most linear strips for E. glabra. For A. brachybotrya, fruit predation was significantly lower in linear strips. The net effect of these changes was a significant increase in whole‐plant seed production for S. artemisioides, a significant decrease in whole‐plant seed production for A. brachybotrya and in whole‐plant fruit production for D. revoluta, and no consistent effect on whole‐plant fruit production for E. glabra. In contrast, the only pattern apparent when the effect of fragment size was considered over a range from linear strips <40 m wide to a reserve> 140,000 ha was a positive correlation between the fragment size and fruit‐set efficiency of A. brachybotrya. These results suggest that habitat fragmentation can significantly alter important reproductive functions of species, by changing both the plant's physical environment and its interactions with animals.
Multiple resistance to dissimilar herbicide chemistries in a biotype of Lolium rigidum due to enhanced activity of several herbicide degrading enzymes

A biotype of Lolium rigidum Gaudin (VLR 69) shows multiple resistance to at least nine dissimilar herbicide chemistries. This biotype has enhanced metabolism to herbicides that inhibit Photosystem II, acetolactate synthase, and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase. The potential for malathion and piperonyl butoxide (PBO) to act as synergists for herbicides from five different chemical classes was investigated in potted plants. Of the herbicide/synergist combinations examined, PBO only synergized chlorotoluron, and malathion only synergized chlorsulfuron in this resistant biotype. The ability of PBO, malathion, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), and tetcyclacis to inhibit metabolism of herbicides in vivo was also examined. ABT, PBO, and tetcyclacis inhibited metabolism of simazine and chlorotoluron, but malathion did not. Malathion alone inhibited metabolism of chlorsulfuron, ABT inhibited metabolism of diclofop, and none of these compounds affected tralkoxydim metabolism. These results suggest that at least four different herbicide- metabolizing enzymes have increased activity in this resistant biotype. In addition to enhanced metabolism this biotype also contains a resistant form of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase which shows 31-, 4-, and 20-fold resistance to diclofop acid, fluazifop acid, and haloxyfop acid, respectively, but which shows no resistance to sethoxydim or tralkoxydim. Multiple resistance in this biotype of L. rigidum is clearly the result of the accumulation of several resistance mechanisms.