Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of deoxynivalenol and degradation enzyme on growth performance and immune responses in mule ducks

Effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth performance and immune responses, and the efficiency of DON degradation enzyme (DDE) in mule ducks were investigated. A total of 140 mule ducklings was equally assigned to treatment groups of control (no DON, no DDE), toxin 1 (5 ppm DON, no DDE), toxin 2 (10 ppm DON, no DDE), trial 1 (5 ppm DON, 1.5 kg/ton DDE), trial 2 (5 ppm DON, 2.5 kg/ton DDE), trial 3 (10 ppm DON, 1.5 kg/ton DDE), and trial 4 (10 ppm DON, 2.5 kg/ton DDE). There were no significant differences in total feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency among treatment groups. However, the 5 ppm DON alone, 5 ppm +1.5 kg/ton DDE, and 10 ppm +1.5 kg/ton DDE groups resulted in a significant higher heart, liver and pancreas weight than those of control group. Pathological lesions in visceral organ and blood biochemistry parameters alteration were observed in mule ducks of all the DON treatment groups. DON challenge also decreased number of macrophages harvesting from each duck, and a slight improvement could even be seen if DDE 2.5 kg/ton were added, as compared with control group. These results suggest that DON exhibited multiple-toxic characteristics, in terms of hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and immunotoxicity in ducks. The addition of DDE at 1.5 or 2.5 kg/ton in diet have revealed a toxic-sparing effects in blood biochemistry parameters and immune functions.
Activated Polymorphonuclear Leucocytes Stimulate the Loss of the Cell-associated High-molecular Weight Glycoconjugates from Hamster Tracheal Epithelial Cells in Culture

Abnormal and excessive mucus secretion is a characteristic feature of many chronic inflammatory lung diseases accompanied by the influx of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) into the airway. We examined whether rat PMNs activated by N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) can affect the secretion of high-molecular weight glycoconjugates (HMWG), which is used as a marker of mucus, from hamster tracheal epithelial cells in culture. We measured both the released and the cell-associated HMWG. FMLP-activated PMNs reduced the amount of the cell-associated HMWG to 60% of the control level, but did not affect the amount of the released HMWG. The reduced cell-associated HMWG was inhibited by ONO-5046 (N-[2-[4-(2,2-dimethylpropionyloxy)phenylsulphonylamino]benzoyl] aminoacetic acid), a specific elastase inhibitor, in a concentration-dependent fashion. In addition, the HMWG was degraded by the activated PMNs as well as human neutrophil elastase. These findings suggested that the FMLP-activated PMNs stimulate the loss of the cell-associated HMWG and degrade the released HMWG from hamster tracheal epithelial cells in culture.
Primers to amplify flowering locus T (FT) transcript in mango (Mangifera indica) and their potential use in other angiosperms

Mango (Mangifera indica) is a commercially important fruit crop around the world. So far, Flowering Locus T (FT), a floral integrator gene, has not been identified in this plant as well as in other economically important angiosperms. Two pairs of primers to amplify fragments of FT transcripts from M. indica were designed using an alignment of forty-one amino acid sequences of this transcript belonging to fifteen angiosperm species. Designed primers, FTf1/FTr2 and FTf2/FTr2, amplified fragments of approximately 210 and 150 bp, respectively, which were sequenced by Sanger platform. Sequences obtained were analyzed and compared, using BLAST, with those of FT deposited in the NCBI GenBank database, FT transcripts of 207 bp (Accession No. JX316911) and 147 bp (Accession No. JX316912) from M. indica showed high identity with FT of Populus nigra (86% and 84%, respectively). In addition, FTf2/FTr2 was able to amplify 150 bp fragments from Duranta dombeyana (Accession No. JX316913), Gazania linearis (Accession No. JX316915), and Lantana camara (Accession No. JX316914), with significant identity to FT of Xanthium strumarium (82%), Helianthus annuus (91%), and Ficus carica (79%), respectively. Furthermore, phylogenetic relationship analysis showed that the fragment of 147 bp from M. indica FT transcript has more similarity to those belonging to the subclass Rosidae, while FT from D. dombeyana, G. linearis and L. camara are more related to the subclass Asteridae. Overall, these primers may be useful to amplify fragments of FT transcript from other angiosperm species for a variety of downstream applications, such as monitoring their expression profiles under certain conditions, isolation of FT full-length transcripts, etc. This will lead to propose more precise models and alternatives to control the flowering in plants of interest.
CHARACTERIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NOVEL NON-LTR RETROELEMENTS DRIVING HIGH TELOMERE RFLP DIVERSITY IN CLONAL LINES OF MAGNAPORTHE ORYZAE

OF DISSERTATION CHARACTERIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NOVEL NON‐LTR RETROELEMENTS DRIVING HIGH TELOMERE RFLP DIVERSITY IN CLONAL LINES OF MAGNAPORTHE ORYZAE The filamentous ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is a pathogen of over 50 genera of grasses. Two important diseases it can cause are gray leaf spot in Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) and blast in Oryza sativa (rice). The telomeres of M. oryzae isolates causing gray leaf spot are highly variable, and can spontaneously change during fungal culture. In this dissertation, it is shown that a rice‐infecting isolate is much more stable at the telomeres than an isolate from gray leaf spot. To determine the molecular basis of telomere instability several gray leaf spot isolates telomeres were cloned, which revealed two non‐LTR retrotransposons inserted into the telomere repeats. The elements have been termed Magnaporthe oryzae Telomeric Retrotransposons (MoTeRs). These elements do not have poly‐A tails common to many other non‐LTR retrotransposons, but instead have telomere like sequences at their 5’ end that allow them to insert into telomeres. Intact copies of MoTeRs were restricted to the telomeres of isolates causing gray leaf spot. Surveys for the presence of these elements in M. oryzae showed they were present in several host‐specialized forms including gray leaf spot isolates, but were largely absent in the rice blast isolates. The absence of MoTeRs in rice blast isolates, which are relatively stable by comparison, suggested that the telomere instability in gray leaf spot isolates could be due to MoTeRs. Analyzing spontaneous alterations in telomere restriction fragment profiles of asexual progeny revealed that MoTeRs were involved. Expansion and contraction of MoTeR arrays were observed and account for some telomere restriction profile changes. New telomere formation in asexual progeny followed by MoTeR addition was also observed. Based on this evidence, MoTeRs are largely responsible for the high variability of telomere restriction profiles observed in GLS isolates.
No Need to Isolate Genetics

Does the loss of genetic variability in small populations contribute to their extinction? SoulA© comments on this question in his Perspective, referring to new data from a long-term study of the declining population of the Illinois prairie chicken (Westemeier et al .) on p. [1695][1] of this issue. Results from this study indicate that inbreeding depression does in fact exacerbate the likelihood of extinction. [1]: http://www.sciencemag. org/cgi/content/short/282/5394/1695
Modulation of phosphoinositide metabolism by intracellular pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultative intracellular bacterium with a wide ecological niche and causes a number of diseases in human and animals. It invades mammalian host cells and escapes from the vacuoles prior to replication in the host cell cytoplasm and infecting adjacent cells via actin-based mobility. Phosphoinositide (PIP) metabolism is essential to mammalian cells in signal transduction, actin remodelling, endosome dynamics and membrane trafficking. Modulation of host PIP metabolism by bacteria PIP phosphatases is important for pathogenicity and virulence of many human pathogens.In this study the function of two L. monocytogenes tyrosine and inositol phosphatases LipA and LipB were studied in vitro. The lipA and lipB deletion mutants generated in EGDe and InlA strains were not affected in invasion but were attenuated in intracellular growth in Caco-2 and Hela M cell lines but not in mouse macrophages. Deletion of lipA or lipB did not affect the actin polymerisation but caused reduced plaque number in the plaque assay. The turnover of five PIPs in Hela M cells during L. monocytogenes infection were studied by expression of fluorescent protein tagged domains that specifically recognizes individual PIPs. L. monocytognenes did not affect the metabolism of PI4P, PI(4,5)P2, PI(3,4,5)P3 but co-localised with PI3P at 1.5 hr post-infection and with PI(3,4)P2 at 6 hr to 24 hr post-infection. The PI(3,4)P2 effector protein lamellipodin was discovered to be recruited to actin-associated L. monocytogenes at 4 hr to 24 hr post-infection in Hela M cells. This discovery leads to the hypothesis of a novel mechanism of lamellipodin-dependant cell-to-cell spread. The lipA mutant was found to be attenuated in PI(3,4)P2 recruitment and therefore hypothesized to participate in the proposed lamellipodin pathway by converting PI(3,5)P2 into PI5P, leading to the activation of PI3K and subsequent production of PI(3,4)P2. LipB showed partial localisation at the Golgi complex when over-expressed in Hela M cells, and it was assumed to act mainly as a protein-tyrosine phosphatase.In summary, this study provides some evidence on L. monocytogenes modulating host PIP metabolism by the production of inositol phosphatases. It gives us a better understanding on the intracellular growth of this pathogenic bacterium, and on the interaction between host and parasite.
Artroplastía total de hombro bajo monitoreo de la perfusión cerebral. Reporte del primer caso en México

RESUMEN. Introducción: Desde hace algún tiempo es tema de controversia el mantenimiento de la perfusión cerebral durante la cirugía de hombro realizada en posición de silla de playa. El objetivo de este reporte es presentar el primer caso en México de una artroplastía total de hombro realizada con bloqueo interescalénico y monitoreo de la saturación cerebral de oxígeno. Este monitoreo se describió en 1977, pero sólo hasta la última década ha alcanzado relevancia desde el punto de vista clínico. Caso clínico: Paciente de 84 años programado para artroplastía total de hombro en posición de silla de playa bajo anestesia regional tipo bloqueo interescalénico guiado por ultrasonido, en la cual se monitoreó la saturación regional de oxígeno (CrSO2). Discusión: El monitoreo de la oximetría cerebral es una herramienta adecuada que nos permite tener una valoración continua durante todo el transanestésico, con lo que podemos tomar decisiones de forma más expedita. Con base en esto consideramos que este tipo de monitoreo debe ser básico en pacientes colocados en posición de silla de playa, así como el uso preponderante de anestesia regional; en los casos donde ésta no se pueda utilizar, este monitor es primordial.
Potential for gene transfer between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica)

Jointed goatgrass is a major weed in the wheat-producing areas of the western U.S. It shares the D genome with wheat, and interspecific hybrids between the two species occur in the field. The objective of this research was to determine if wheat X jointed goatgrass hybrids could serve to transfer genes from wheat to jointed goatgrass. A backcrossing program was initiated in the greenhouse between wheat X jointed goatgrass hybrids and either jointed goatgrass or wheat to determine the potential for seed set and the restoration of self-fertility. Seed was set by backcrossing with either species as the recurrent parent. Female fertility increased from 2% in the hybrid to 37% in the BC2 plants with jointed goatgrass as the recurrent parent. Partial self-fertility was restored in the second backcross (BC2) generation using jointed goatgrass as the recurrent parent. This indicates that genes could be transferred between wheat and jointed goatgrass after only two backcrosses. The number of bivalents observed in the plants during meiosis appeared to be key to increasing female fertility and self-fertility. Based on the results of this study, it is possible for genes to move from wheat to jointed goatgrass. Any release of a herbicide-resistant wheat should be accompanied by a management plan that would minimize the potential for gene movement between these species.
Identificación y caracterización in silico de la zona de interación entre el péptido beta-amiloide y compuestos derivados del naftaleno In silico identification and characterization of the interaction sites between compounds derivate from naphthalene and beta-amyloid peptide

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain. AD is the leading cause of dementia in the aging population and an effective treatment is still unavailable. Increasing evidence suggests that the aggregation of the small peptide β-amyloid (Aβ) plays an important role in the development of disease. Understanding the interactions of Aβ with aggregation inhibitors at an atomic level is essential for the rational development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Herein, docking techniques were used (Autodock vina) to find and describe potential sites of interaction between Aβ and two sets of naphthalene derivative compounds (NDC), one of these sets was previously evaluated by QSAR (Quantitative structure-activity
Conservation of Duplicated Segments between Rice Chromosome 11 and 12

In the process of constructing a detailed genetic map of rice using two cultivars, Nipponbare and Kasalath, 79 DNA probes (approximately 6.1 o/o of total DNA markers) showed two or more RFLP bands in Southern hybridization and were mapped at duplicate or triplicate loci over the 12 chromosomes. Thirty-three DNA probes were mapped in the distal regions of rice chromosomes 11 and 12. Thirteen among 33 DNA probes were detected at duplicate loci. Linkage alignment of these 13 markers on both chromosomes agreed perfectly within a distance of ca. 12 CM from the distal ends of chrounosomes 11 and 12. However, the other 20 DNA probes were mapped only on either chromosome 11 or chromosome 12, because the other bands were monomorphic between Nipponbare and Kasalath. These results indicate that the regions on rice chromosomes 11 an 12 are highly conserved as a duplicated chromosomal segment. Such highly conserved segments were not found anywhere else in the other chromosomes in our map.
Evaluating the Content of Active Principles from Wild Hypericum perforatum L. in Various Harvesting Seasons

Hypericum perforatum L. , traditionally called St. John�s Wort has been used for decades as a phyto-therapeutic herb due to antidepressant, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. As a result, the presented study evaluates the influence of the harvesting season for the Hypericum perforatum L. plant material, which is crucial for obtaining significant amounts of active principles.
Effects of Triticale Replacement without Any Enzymes on Carcass Performance of Broiler Chickens

Bu arastirmada, misir yerine farkli seviyelerde tritikale kullanilan yemlerde enzim kullanilmamasinin etlik piliclerin kesim ve karkas ozellikleri uzerine etkisi calisilmistir. Deneme cinsiyet ayrimi yapilmis 960 adet gunluk yasta Ross-308 etlik civciv ile 4 odada 3 farkli yem, 4 tekerrurlu olmak uzere toplam 48 grup ile tesaduf parselleri faktoriyel deneme deseninde yurutulmustur. Yemler baslangic (%23 HP ve 3000 Kcal/kg ME), buyutme (%21 HP ve 3175 Kcal/kg ME) ve bitirme yemi (%20 HP ve 3225 Kcal/kg ME) olarak hazirlanmistir. Besleme donemleri sirasiyla 0-11. , 12-28. ve 29-42. gunlerde ve %100 misir (M, kontrol), %100 tritikale (T) ve misir+tritikale (MT) gruplarindan olusmus ve sirasiyla donemlere gore tritikale gruplarda toplam %50, 55 ve 58 oranlarinda; MT guruplarinda ise % 25, 27.5 ve 29 oranlarinda tritikale-misir karisimi kullanilmistir. Yemlere fitaz dâhil hicbir enzim eklenmemistir. 42. gunde her alt gruptan 3’u erkek ve 3'u disi olmak uzere 6 adet pilic alinarak kesim ve karkas islemleri icin Arastirma Enstitusu'nun kanatli kesim tesisine tasinmistir. Kesilip, yolunmus karkaslar parcalanarak kesim ve karkas ozellikleri degerlendirilmistir. Genel olarak, %100 tritikale ile beslenen gruplarin kesim canli agirliklari (CA) cok dusuk, yem degerlendirme katsayilari (YDK) ise yuksek bulunmustur. Karkas agirligi ve karkas agirliginin yuzdesi olarak T ve MT gruplarinin alt but, ust but ve gogus eti agirliklari, M grubuna gore sirasiyla yaklasik olarak %36 ve %6 oraninda daha dusuk bulunmustur. T ve MT gruplarinin Abdominal yag miktarlari da kontrol M grubuna gore T ve MT gruplarinda sirasiyla %9 ve %38 oraninda daha az bulunmustur. Misir yerine farkli seviyelerde fitaz dâhil enzim ilave edilmemis tritikale ile beslenen etlik piliclerde tritikale kullanimi arttikca kesim canli agirligi, karkas agirligi ve karkas parcalari benzer yuzdelik oranlarda negatif olarak etkilenmislerdir
Validation of the Portuguese Version of Hyperacusis Questionnaire and Comparison of Diagnostic Skills with Loudness Discomfort Levels

Hyperacusis is a condition entailing increased sensitivity or unusual intolerance to ordinary environmental sounds that would not usually be bothersome, threatening or uncomfortably loud to most individuals, but cause significant distress and impairment in social activities due to physical discomfort, pain or fear of sounds [1-3]. Such negative reaction is related to the physical characteristics of the sounds, and not to the frequency or quality of sounds [4]. Baguley, et al. considered hyperacusis as a central auditory reaction modulated by emotional states such as fear and anxiety [5] and Tyler, et al. discriminates four clinical components of hyperacusis: Loudness, annoyance, fear and pain [6].
SUPPRESSION DU BEAM STEERING DANS UN LASER À CASCADES QUANTIQUES SOUMIS À UNE CONTRE-RÉACTION OPTIQUE EXTERNE

Les lasers a cascades quantiques sont des sources semiconductrices exploitant les transitions inter-sous-bandes au sein de la bande de conduction. Pour les applications de forte puissance, la qualite du faisceau en champ proche est alteree, notamment par le beam steering. Dans cet article, nous montrons que le beam steering peut etre efficacement supprime tout en conservant une bonne qualite de faisceau en champ proche grâce a l'application d'une contre-reaction optique externe.
Functional characterisation of alkane-degrading monooxygenases in Rhodococcus jostii strain 8

Short-chain alkanes are gaseous hydrocarbons that contribute to photochemical pollution and ozone production in the atmosphere. A number of studies have shown that Rhodococcus species possess the ability to metabolite a wide range of hydrocarbons since they contain multiple hydrocarbon-degrading enzymes such as soluble diiron monooxygenases (SDIMOs) and alkB-type alkane monooxygenases. This study aimed to investigate the role of multiple alkane-degrading enzymes in the metabolism of gaseous alkanes in Rhodococcus jostii strain 8. R. jostii strain 8 was isolated from a propane enrichment culture using petroleum-contaminated soil as an inoculum. R. jostii strain 8 could grow on ethane, propane, butane, octane, naphthalene and some potential intermediates in alkane metabolism. Oxidation studies showed that R. jostii strain 8 is likely to oxidise propane via both terminal and sub-terminal oxidation of propane and that these activities are induced in propane-grown cells. Alcohol dehydrogenase assays were carried out in order to determine cofactor and substrate ranges of these enzymes. Results showed that alcohol dehydrogenases involved in the metabolism of gaseous alkanes are NDMA-dependent. The size of the genome sequence of R. jostii strain 8 is 8.5 Mbp with a G+C content of 67%. The closest relative of R. jostii strain 8, based on 16S rRNA sequence, is Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 with 99% identity. However, growth profiles and a number of catabolic genes in the genome of R. jostii strain 8 clearly indicated that this bacterium is different from R. jostii RHA1. R. jostii strain 8 contains two alkane-degrading enzyme systems – a propane monooxygenase and an alkB-type alkane monooxygenase. Polypeptide analysis on cell-free extracts from cells grown on gaseous alkanes using SDS-PAGE indicated that propane monooxygenase is inducible during growth on propane. Expression studies using RT-qPCR of prmA and alkB showed that prmA was highly expressed during growth on propane. The exact involvement of alkB-type alkane monooxygenase in the degradation of alkanes was still unclear. A gene transfer system for R. jostii strain 8 was established. Marker-exchanged mutagenesis of prmA and alkB was attempted. Construction of mutated-prmA and mutated-alkB plasmids was achieved. Electroporation conditions were successfully optimised in order to transfer linear DNA into R. jostii strain 8. However, mutants lacking active prmA or alkB are still needed to further study their phenotypes and to provide more evidence supporting the role of these two enzymes.
Survey of antibiotic resistome in a mixed-use watershed in Western Newfoundland, Canada

Antibiotic production is a natural phenomenon employed by microorganisms to control their environment in stress situations. Thus, antibiotic resistance has evolved in parallel to counteract naturally produced antibiotics. On the other hand, excessive use of antibiotics by humans, either for protecting human or animal health, may induce unnaturally high antibiotic stresses leading to enhanced antibiotic resistance, the so-called acquired resistance. This study is the first to report an initial exploration into the distribution and quantification of antibiotic resistance genes, i.e. resistome, in a mixed-use watershed in Western Newfoundland, along the Humber river. The river was sampled along a gradient of increased human impact, mainly associated with the discharge of municipal wastewaters. The goals of my thesis were to (1) understand the relationship between human impact in the Humber river and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment, and (2) understand the role of the river in mitigating the abundance of these resistance genes, if any role is present. Total DNA was extracted from the river water samples, sequenced by shotgun sequencing on an Illumina Hiseq platform with sequencing data quality controlled and cleaned at the sequencing facility via a QIIME pipeline, followed by identification and quantification of antibiotic resistance markers through a computational pipeline carried out in ShortBRED against a curated Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database (ARDB). About 400 antibiotic resistance genes, of variable abundance, were identified, distributed across the tested systems, an indication of the wide distribution of antibiotic resistance in the environment. This analysis revealed the distribution and abundance of Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) within the microbial population in the Humber River. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to quantify absolute (copies L⁻¹) and relative abundances (copies /16S rRNA) for TetO, TetM and AdeC genes. Relative abundance of ARGs (copies / 16S rRNA) was higher in the upstream locations versus downstream locations. The results showed evidence that anthropogenic impacts, especially associated with the use of antibiotics, led to an increase in the diversity and total abundance of antibiotic resistance markers in the Humber River.