Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro and in Vivo Interactions of Bisphenol A and Its Metabolite, Bisphenol A Glucuronide, with Estrogen Receptors α and β

The estrogenic activities of bisphenol A (BPA) and its major metabolite BPA glucuronide (BPA-G) were assessed in a number of in vitro and in vivo assays. BPA competed with [3H]-17beta-estradiol (E2) for binding to mouse uterine cytosol ER, a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-human ER D, E, and F domain fusion protein (GST-hERalphadef) and full-length recombinant hERbeta. The IC(50) values for E2 were similar for all three receptor preparations, whereas BPA competed more effectively for binding to hERbeta (0.96 microM) than to either mouse uterine cytosol ER (26 microM) or GST-hERalphadef (36 microM). In contrast, BPA-G did not competitively displace [3H]E2 from any of the ER preparations. In MCF-7 cells transiently transfected with Gal4-hERalphadef or Gal4-hERbetadef, BPA induced reporter gene activity with comparable EC(50) values (71 and 39 microM, respectively). No significant induction of reporter gene activity was seen for BPA-G. Cotreatment studies showed that concentrations of (10 microM) BPA and BPA-G did not antagonize E2-induced luciferase mediated through either Gal4-hERalphadef or Gal4-hERbetadef. In vivo, the uterotropic effect of gavage or subcutaneous (sc) administration of 0.002-800 mg of BPA/kg of body weight/day for three consecutive days was examined in immature rats. Dose-related estrogenic effects on the rat uterus were observed at oral doses of 200 and 800 mg/kg and at sc doses of 10, 100, and 800 mg/kg. These results demonstrate that BPA competes more effectively for binding to ERbeta, but induces ERalpha- and ERbeta-mediated gene expression with comparable efficacy. In contrast, BPA-G did not exhibit any in vitro estrogenic activity. In addition, there was a clear route dependency on the ability of BPA to induce estrogenic responses in vivo.
Registration of 'CDC Mindon' Barley

'CDC Mindon' (Reg. No. CV-337, PI 651860; CN107350; Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA] Reg. No. 6224, Canadian PBR Appl. No. 07-5903) is a two-row spring feed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) developed at the Crop Development Centre (CDC), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, with collaboration by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Brandon Research Centre, Brandon, MB, Canada, and the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada. CDC Mindon was tested in CDC yield trials as SB00106 in 2000-2003 and in the Western Canadian Cooperative Two-Row Barley Registration trial as TR04378 during 2004 and 2005. CDC Mindon was registered for production in western Canada as it has demonstrated good agronomic performance combined with good kernel quality and, of greater significance, enhanced resistance to Fusarium head blight (incited by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) with lower deoxynivalenol accumulation in combination with tolerance to spot blotch [incited by Cochliobolus sativus (Ito & Kuribayashi) Drechs. Ex Dastur]. CDC Mindon is also resistant to the barley smuts (incited by Ustilago spp.).
Utilization of wild relatives of wheat, barley, maize and oat in developing abiotic and biotic stress tolerant new varieties

Dramatic changes in climatic conditions, exhibited as heat waves, water scarcity and heavy rains, continue to threaten crop quality and yield. Additionally, fungal-based plant pathogen booming is another reflection of climate change creating some potential risks for agricultural production of main staple crop species. Most of the abiotic and biotic stresses are under the control of complex traits. Moreover, a wide range of desirable quantitative characters in cultivated crops, such as disease resistance, might degenerate with time. Therefore, buffering crops against the large environmental changes is important for feeding the world’s increasing population and requires implementation of effective food security strategies. Crop biodiversity plays a key role in the improvement of stress tolerant species and enables an extensive platform for identification of novel traits by using a range of molecular tools. This offers homozygous crop models for the traits of interest, prediction models related to the stress tolerance and genetic resources for the transformation of cultivated crops. This review provides an overview for application of different crop wild relatives and demonstrates their roles on development of stress tolerant plants. It also highlights the importance of global crop conservation and alternative plant species for future plant breeding.
Efeito da utilização de butirato de sódio na digestibilidade, actividade fermentativa e morfologia intestinal de leitões desmamados

Juri: Presidente: Doutora Cristina Maria Moniz Simões de Oliveira, Professora Associada do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa Vogais: Doutor João Pedro Bengala Freire, Professor Catedrático do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa Doutor Patrick Garres, NEAR, França Doutora Luísa Almeida Lima Falcão e Cunha, Professora Associada do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
A geomicrobiological investigation of sub-surface mud volcano sediments from the Gulf of Cadiz

Submarine mud volcanoes (MVs) are a type of cold seep environment where sediment, hydrocarbons and other reduced compounds are channelled upwards to the seafloor from significant depth. These sites can be ecological hotspots because of the potential microbial substrates present in the MV ejecta, and are a potential habitat for deep-sourced prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea). The microbial communities in sub-surface sediments from four separate MVs in the Gulf of Cadiz (Capt. Arutyunov, Bonjardim, Meknes and Porto) were investigated using a multidisciplinary approach. This involved cultivation and culture-independent molecular genetic-based methods, supplemented by basic pore water geochemistry, activity measurements and direct cell counts. Cultivation-independent 16S rRNA and functional (mcrA and dsrA) gene analyses revealed that the prokaryotes present in the MV sediments were often most closely related to uncultivated organisms. Phylogenetic groups representing major components of the sediment community in these sites included ANME-2a, ANME-la, Miscellaneous Crenarchaeota Group, Deltaproteobacteria and the JS1 candidate division, though community composition varied significantly between MV samples and with depth. Variation in community composition with depth through MV craters paralleled changes in pore water geochemistry indicating this is an important parameter influencing prokaryotic distribution in MV sediments. While containing certain phylogenetic groups 'characteristic' of the deep biosphere, the MV sediments also contained groups commonly associated with near-surface seep environments, suggesting the mud breccia had become colonised by organisms adapted to the present in situ conditions over time. Cultivation analysis showed novel organisms and important functional groups (methanogens and sulphate-reducers) could be cultivated from MV sediment. Pure cultures obtained from Capt. Arutyunov included a putative new species of Arcobacter named "Candidates Arcobacter subtericola" and species belonging to the genera Pseudomonas, Marinobacter, and Halomonas. Enrichments from Meknes contained Bacteria from the groups Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfovibrio, and Archaea belonging to the genera Methanogenium and Methanococcoides.
An evolutionary framework for assessing illness and injury in nonhuman primates

It is well established that primates suffer and may survive illness and injury in the wild, but more equivocal is our understanding of how these affect reproductive fitness. This paper presents a functional and evolutionary framework for assessing nonhuman primate illness and injury by examining their timing in primate life history and their associations to subsistence, locomotion, and social behavior. The selective impact of illness and injury may take several forms, by affecting reproductive success through subadult mortality, mortality during reproductive years, restriction of a female's ability to care for her offspring, and impairment of male and female competition for mates. Analysis may be made at the individual, local populational, or phylogenetic level. The available data indicate that there is considerable variability in the reproductive impact of illness and injury, and that the time of their occurrence in the life cycle is crucial. Broad distinctions in dietary strategies, locomotion, and social behaviors among primates are shown to be of limited use in interpreting evolutionary effects, and the observed variability in pathological profiles at the phylogenetic level suggests that smaller scale distinctions should be employed in future analyses. In addition, methodological inconsistencies seriously hamper these comparative studies. With the steady increase in information on health and mortality patterns emerging from long-term field studies, integrated research efforts in ethology and osteology should permit us to go beyond this theoretical framework and demonstrate empirically the role of illness and injury in primate evolution.
Effects of global climate changes on geographical distribution patterns of economically important plant species in cerrado

Different climate models, modeling methods and carbon emission scenarios were used in this paper to evaluate the effects of future climate changes on geographical distribution of species of economic and cultural importance across the Cerrado biome. As the results of several studies have shown, there are still many uncertainties associated with these projections, although bioclimatic models are still widely used and effective method to evaluate the consequences for biodiversity of these climate changes. In this article, it was found that 90% of these uncertainties are related to methods of modeling, although, regardless of the uncertainties, the results revealed that the studied species will reduce about 78% of their geographic distribution in Cerrado. For an effective work on the conservation of these species, many studies still need to be carried out, although it is already possible to observe that climate change will have a strong influence on the pattern of distribution of these species.
TOP-DOWN IS BOTTOM-UP: DOES PREDATION IN THE RHIZOSPHERE REGULATE ABOVEGROUND DYNAMICS?

We explore two aspects of how predation within the rhizosphere influences nutrient availability, plant productivity, and aboveground community dynamics. First, plant roots and soil microbes have a long history of interaction that is centered on the reciprocal acquisition of carbon by microbes and nitrogen by plants. Predators within the rhizosphere alter these interactions in ways that benefit plants but also influence the dynamics of other species within ecosystems and processes that are important to ecosystem function and stability. These same predators regulate their prey in a traditional ''top-down'' manner but in doing so alter the release of nutrients that may limit plant productivity and thereby affect plant growth in a ''bottom-up'' fashion as well. Second, much attention has been given to the importance of specific interactions, or, as presented within this series, genes and/or gene products as critical control points. We suggest that control should be viewed within the framework of interactivity. The interdependence between the aboveground and belowground realms can be explained in terms of the patterning of trophic interactions within the rhi- zosphere and the influence of these interactions on the supply of nutrients and rates of nutrient uptake by plants. While specific interactions may be important, it is the patterning of these interactions into assemblages of species that share similar growth rates and habitats that is the salient feature of the rhizosphere that confers stability, affects nutrient retention, and regulates aboveground and belowground dynamics.
C. elegans BRC-1-BRD-1 functions at an early step of DSB processing and inhibits supernumerary crossovers during male meiosis

Meiosis is regulated in a sex-specific manner to produce two distinct gametes, sperm and oocytes, for sexual reproduction. To determine how meiotic recombination is regulated in spermatogenesis, we analyzed the meiotic phenotypes of mutants in the tumor suppressor E3 ubiquitin ligase BRC-1-BRD-1 complex in Caenorhabditis elegans male meiosis. Unlike in mammals, this complex is not required for meiotic sex chromosome inactivation, the process whereby hemizygous sex chromosomes are transcriptionally silenced. Interestingly, brc-1 and brd-1 mutants showed meiotic recombination phenotypes that are largely opposing to those previously reported for female meiosis. Fewer meiotic recombination foci marked by the recombinase RAD-51 were observed in brc-1 and brd-1 mutants, and the reduction in RAD-51 foci can be suppressed by mutation of nonhomologous end joining proteins. We show that concentration of BRC-1-BRD-1 to sites of meiotic recombination is dependent on DNA end resection, suggesting that BRC-1-BRD-1 regulates the processing of meiotic double strand breaks to promote repair by homologous recombination, similar to a role for the complex in somatic cells. We also show that BRC-1-BRD-1 is important to promote progeny viability when male meiosis is perturbed by mutations that block the pairing and synapsis of different chromosome pairs, although the complex is not required to stabilize the RAD-51 filament as in female meiosis under the same conditions. Analyses of crossover designation and formation reveal that BRC-1-BRD-1 inhibits supernumerary crossovers when meiosis is perturbed. Together, our findings suggest that BRC-1-BRD-1 regulates different aspects of meiotic recombination in male and female meiosis.
Changes in flowering and abundance of Delphinium nuttallianum (Ranunculaceae) in response to a subalpine climate warming experiment

High-altitude and high-latitude sites are expected to be very sensitive to global warming, because the biological activity of most plants is restricted by the length of the short snow-free season, which is determined by climate. Long-term observational studies in subalpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains have shown a strong positive correlation between snowpack and flower production by the forb Delphinium nuttallianum. If a warmer climate reduces annual snowfall in this region then global warming might reduce fitness in D. nuttallianum. In this article we report effects of experimental warming on the abundance and flower production of D. nuttallianum. Plant abundance (both flowering and vegetative plants) was slightly greater on warmed than control plots prior to initiation of the warming treatment in 1991. Since 1994 experimental warming has had a negative effect on D. nuttallianum flower production, reducing both the abundance of flowering plants and the total number of flowers per plant. Flower bud abortion was higher in the heated plots than the controls only in 1994 and 1999. Results from both the warming experiment and analyses of unmanipulated long-term plots suggest that global warming may affect the fecundity of D. nuttallianum, which may have cascading effects on the pollinators that depend on it and on the fecundity of plants that share similar pollinators.
Iron physiological autecology of the vertically migrating diatoms Ethmodiscus spp. and Rhizosolenia spp. in the Central North Pacific (CNP) gyre

R. Michael L. McKay, Advisor Low Fe availability constrains algal primary production in numerous oceanic provinces. Although not numerically abundant, the diatom microplankton (> 20 μm) are important contributors to new production in these regions. To better understand the contributions made to new production by diatoms in Fe-depleted waters, this dissertation work addressed the Fespecific physiological and biochemical autecology of this group. A field component consisted of two research cruises in 2002 and 2003 along a transect at 29°N spanning the eastern half of the Central North Pacific (CNP) gyre, and focused on the vertically migrating bouyant giant diatom genera Rhizosolenia spp. and Ethmodiscus spp. The lab component examined physiological, biochemical and growth responses of large open-ocean and coastal diatom isolates to perturbations of Fe in the growth medium. Whereas mats of Rhizosolenia showed elevated values (ca. 0.61, n = 88) of Fv/Fm, a measure of photochemical energy conversion efficiency, along the easterly transect from Hawaii to San Diego, a clear decline in this parameter measured at locations west of 165°W provided physiological evidence of nutrient limitation. By contrast, cells of Ethmodiscus showed consistently near maximal values of Fv/Fm (ca. 0.7, n = 70). The higher Fv/Fm associated with Ethmodiscus was supported in part by an enhanced Ferredoxin Index (Fd Index), a common biochemical measure for Fe status. By comparison, the Fd Index for Rhizosolenia along the western reaches of the transect was consistently depressed. Cellular Fe quotas of both diatoms rinsed with oxalate, a reagent used to reduce cell
Walking in Sync: Two is Company, Three's a Crowd

Eventual gait synchronization between two individuals while walking and talking with each other has been shown to be an indicator of agreeableness and companionship. The inferred physical signal from this subconscious phenomenon can potentially be an indicator of cooperation or relation between two individuals. In this paper we investigate this effect, and whether having a third person actively engaging in the same act or conversation can reduce this synchronization level. Using high frequency accelerometer data from a dedicated smartphone app, we perform a number of controlled experiments on a number of individuals in different group configuration. Our results bring an interesting insight: it is the non-verbal social signals such as the gaze, head orientation and gestures that is the key factor in synchronization, not necessarily the number or configuration of the walkers. These early results can lead us on detecting relationships between individuals or detecting the group formation and numbers for crowd-sensing applications when only partial data is available.
Conservation and Genetic Diversity of Microsatellite loci in the Genus Eucalyptus

Four microsatellite loci have been characterised in Eucalyptus nitens Maiden and in six other eucalypt species. The dinucleotide repeats were identified by screening a Sau3AI genomic DNA library from E. nitens with (CA)n and (GA)n oligonucleotide probes and sequencing the positive clones. Genetic analysis of 20 unrelated individuals from five populations of E. nitens showed all loci to be highly polymorphic with an average of 9.5 alleles per locus and an average heterozygosity of 0.575. Analysis of four individuals from each of six species from three subgenera showed complete conservation of microsatellite loci between species within the same subgenus, Symphyomyrtus, and conservation of 50% of loci across species between the two main subgenera, Symphyomyrtus and Monocalyptus. None of the primers amplified microsatellite loci in Eucalyptus maculata from the subgenus Corymbia. All microsatellite loci that were detected were polymorphic. Highly polymorphic microsatellite loci that are conserved across species will be useful for mapping quantitative traits, fingerprinting breeding lines, and for within-population studies requiring fine-scale analysis of genetic variation.
Effects of Two Sediment Size-Classes on Survival of Steelhead and Chinook Salmon Eggs

Abstract We compared, in the laboratory, egg survival, and alevin and fry size of steelhead Oncorhyncus mykiss (formerly Salmo gairdneri) and chinook salmon O. tshawytscha after incubations in 16 mixtures of two distinct size-classes of sediment. Fine sediments were less than 0.84 mm in diameter, and coarse sediments were 0.84–4.6 mm in diameter. We incubated recently fertilized and eyed steelhead eggs and chinook salmon eggs in Whitlock–Vibert boxes placed in controlled-flow channels. Egg survival in both sediment types was inversely related to the percentage of sediments within the incubation gravel; the poorest survival occurred in fine sediments. Percentage egg survival was positively related to intragravel water velocities, which ranged from 36 to 1,550 cm/h. No definitive relationship was found between sediment size and concentration, and alevin and fry quality. Overall, our results indicated that different sizes and mixtures of sediment can affect egg survival differently. The results confirmed tha.
Application of Statistical Experimental Designs for the Optimization of Medium Constituents for the Production of L-Asparaginase by Serratia Marcescens

Abstract Statistical experimental designs were applied for the optimization of medium constituents for L-Asparaginase production by Serratia marcescens NCIM 2919 in solid state fermentation (SSF) using sesame oil cake (SOC) as the sole substrate. Using Plackett–Burman design (PBD), moisture content of substrate, glucose and NaNO3 were identifi ed as signifi cant variables which highly infl uenced L-Asparaginase production and these variables were subsequently optimized using a Doehlert experimental design (DD). Besides reducing the number of experiments required for optimization, this technique allowed to quantify the amount of L-Asparaginase in any part of the experimental domain. The optimum conditions were found to be moisture content of the substrate 68.64 (%), glucose 3.093 (%w/w) and NaNO3 1.013 (%w/w). L-Asparaginase activity at these optimum conditions was 110.795 U/g ds (Units/g of dried sesame oil cake waste as substrate)
Evaluation of Lactobacillus plantarum as a water additive on host associated microflora, growth, feed efficiency and immune response of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879)

A 90-day experiment was conducted by rearing 1020 prawn juveniles (0.54 � 0.03 g) in water supplemented with three different concentrations of probiotic bacteria viz. T1 (107 cfu L�1), T2 (108 cfu L�1), T3 (109 cfu L�1) and the control (C) (unsupplemented water), to evaluate probiotic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum. In the present study, the growth parameters (WG%, SGR) and feed utilization parameters (FCR, PER) significantly improved (P < 0.05) in T3. The growth and feed utilization parameters though improved marginally in T1 and T2, the difference was not significant (P > 0.05) compared to the control. The gastrointestinal Lactobacillus sp. count increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the treatment groups, whereas the decrease in harmful bacteria was significant (P < 0.05) in T3 compared to the control. Similarly, the Lactobacillus sp. count in culture water increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the experimental groups, whereas the decrease in harmful bacteria was significant (P < 0.05) in T2 and T3.