Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zur Ektoparasitenfauna der Fledermäuse in Sachsen-Anhalt

Lindecke, O. , Scheffler, I. : Ectoparasites of bats in Saxony-Anhalt. - Hercynia N. F. 44 (2011): 241 – 251. During the summer 2010 several mist nettings for the monitoring of bat species were performed in Saxony-Anhalt. Captured individuals were tested for ectoparasitic infestation. The aim was to update the fauna of ectoparasites of this state and to collect data on the distribution of individual species. Regarding this, results of previous surveys are summarised. In the present study nine out of thirteen bat species were found to be infested with a total of one flea species, one species of bat flies and eight species of mites. The infestation with fleas was below the expectations. Six spinturnicid mite species out of those occurring in Germany could be ascertained for Saxony-Anhalt. These are Spinturnix acuminatus (Koch, 1836), S. andegavinus (Kolenati, 1857), S. helvetiae Deunff, Keller & Aellen, 1986, S. mystacinus (Kolenati, 1857), S. plecotinus (Koch, 1839) and S. puncata (Sundevall, 1833). Details about the infestation with parasites (abundances) of the respective bat species are presented. Further information on the biology of spinturnicid mites are given and infestation characteristics are compared with those of other surveys. Keywords: ectoparasites, bats, Chiroptera, gamasine mite, Acari , Spinturnix , Ischnopsyllidae, Nycteribiidae, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Models to Describe Cycas micronesica Leaf and Strobili Development

Cycas micronesica leaf and strobili expansion patterns were measured in three locations and seasons on Guam and then were fitted with non-linear models to evaluate the use of the parameters for informing management decisions. All growth curves except for microstrobili height conformed to a negative exponential function. Microstrobili height development could not be fitted with any traditional linear or non-linear function, sosplinemodelswereusedtosmooththeeffectofelapseddays.Leafandleafletexpansion patterns were influenced by habitat and season, indicating development of the vegetative organ is plastic. In contrast, the models that described development of megasporophyll length,microstrobili height,andmicrostrobilidiameterwerenotinfluencedbyhabitator season. Moreover, seed diameter developmental patterns were only minimally influenced by location. These results indicate developmental patterns of the reproductive structures were primarily constitutive. We have demonstrated two empirical approaches to fitting models of Cycas micronesica organ growth and development and that both methods are useful for determining the influence of spatial or temporal factors in the timing of organ development.Thisapproachmaybeusedtoinformhorticulturalorconservationquestions of other rare cycad species.
CARACTERIZAÇÃO MORFOANATOMIA E HISTOQUÍMICA DE Hyptis rubicunda POHL ex BENTH. (LAMIACEAE), OCORRENTE NA SERRA DOURADA, GOIÁS, BRASIL

As Lamiaceae sao reconhecidas por sua importância economica e etnofarmacologica. O genero Hyptis pertence as Lamiaceae com cerca de 400 especies, no Brasil sao encontradas 202 especies, sendo 146 endemicas. O objetivo desse estudo foi caracterizar morfologicamente e anatomicamente o caule e a folha da especie Hyptis rubicunda Pohl ex Benth. , visando auxiliar na caracterizacao desta especie e contribuir com novos dados para o grupo. A especie foi coletada na Serra Dourada, Mossâmedes, Goias. Para o estudo anatomico utilizaram-se as tecnicas usuais em anatomia vegetal, realizando-se seccoes paradermicas da lâmina foliar, alem de seccoes transversais da do caule e folha. O padrao de venacao e do tipo craspedodroma semicraspedodroma com nervuras ate a quarta ordem. A lâmina foliar e hipoestomaticas, com estomatos do tipo diaciticos e raros anisociticos. Em ambas as faces do limbo ocorrem tricomas tectores uni e pluricelulares, glandulares, peltado e capitados. O mesofilo dorsiventral; nervura principal em seccao transversal apresenta contorno plano- convexo. O Sistema vascular e do tipo colateral, organizado em arco aberto, presenca de hidatodios marginais. O peciolo e o caule possuem tricomas. Os testes histoquimicos detectaram-se lipidios principalmente nos tricomas glandulares, compostos fenolicos nos tricomas tectores, amido e silica na regiao das celulas basais dos tricomas tectores. Os dados obtidos neste trabalho contribuirao para o estabelecimento de parâmetros de identidade botânica, podendo fornecer subsidios para a taxonomia, bem como compreender as estrategias de adaptacao da especie ao seu ambiente natural.
Seeing through others' eyes: Understanding the aesthetics and meanings of place

'Some people say that there is nowhere else in Australia like Broken Hill. Do you agree? ' This was one of a series of questions that explored how Broken Hill people see themselves and their city. Can a stark mining landscape be beautiful? What is it that shapes a town like Broken Hill, and how can we understand the nuances of meaning that make this place special in the eyes of those who know it most intimately? Essential to the assessment of the National Heritage aesthetic and social values of the Broken Hill City was understanding the city's aesthetic qualities, and who values them. Using the inspirational landscapes approach, combined with an online survey, careful analysis of art and literary sources and other social research, a picture emerged of a community with a strongly articulated sense of identity and a passionate connection to this place. This paper examines the foundations for and methods used to gain an understanding of the social and aesthetic values of the Broken Hill City. It offers a case study on the use of some new and emerging methods available to heritage professionals involved in community-based assessments. The paper will also discuss the challenges in trying to 'see through the eyes of others' and the potential for applying these methods to other complex, populated places.
REDOX PROPERTIES ARE CONSERVED IN RUBISCOS FROM DIATOMS AND GREEN ALGAE THROUGH A DIFFERENT PATTERN OF CYSTEINES 1

Eukaryotic RUBISCO appears in two sequence‐diverging forms, known as red‐like (present in nongreen algae) and green‐like (of green algae and higher plants) types. Oxidation of cysteines from green‐like RUBISCOs is known to result in conformational changes that inactivate the enzyme and render a relaxed structure more prone to proteolytic attack. These changes may have regulatory value for green algae and higher plants, promoting RUBISCO catabolism under stress conditions. We compare here red‐like RUBISCOs from several diatoms with a representative green‐like RUBISCO from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, paying special attention to the cysteine‐dependent redox properties. Purified diatom RUBISCO preparations displayed a specific carboxylase activity about one order of magnitude lower than that of the C. reinhardtii P. A. Dang. enzyme. Despite having different patterns of cysteine residues in their primary sequence, the red‐like enzymes from diatoms inactivated also through oxidation of cysteine sulfhydryls to disulfides with a transition midpoint identical to that of the green‐like forms. Cysteine oxidation resulted also in structural modifications of the diatom RUBISCOs, as recognized by a higher sensitivity of the oxidized enzyme to in vitro proteolysis. The coincident redox properties of red‐ and green‐like RUBISCO types suggest that these changes are part of a physiologically significant regulatory mechanism that has been convergently implemented in both groups with a different set of cysteine residues.
A network approach to controlling pathogenic inflammation

Aberrant inflammation appears to be a pathogenic factor in autoimmune diseases and other noxious inflammatory conditions in which the inflammatory process is misapplied, exaggerated, recurrent or chronic. The protein molecules involved in pathogenic inflammation—disease-associated proteins (DAP)—which include chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors and their receptors, appear normal; their networks of interaction are at fault. Here we demonstrate a new approach to network regulation of inflammation based on peptide sequence motifs shared by the second extra-cellular loop (ECL2) of different chemokine receptors; previously known chemokine receptor binding sites have not involved the ECL2 loop. These motifs of 9 amino acids, which we detected by sequence alignment, manifest very low E-values compared with slightly modified sequence variations, indicating that they were not likely to have evolved by chance. To test whether this shared sequence network (SSN) might serve a regulatory function, we synthesized 9-amino acid SSN peptides from the ECL2 loops of three different chemokine receptors. We administered these peptides to rats during the induction of a model of autoimmune arthritis. Two of the peptides significantly downregulated the arthritis; one of the peptides synergized with non-specific anti-inflammatory treatment with dexamethasone. These findings suggest that the SSN peptide motif reported here is likely to have adaptive value in controlling inflammation. Moreover, detection of SSN motif peptides could provide a network-based approach to immune modulation.
Impact of biological control of Salvinia molesta on native plant species biodiversity in temperate climates.

Salvinia molesta is a Weed of National Significance in Australia, invading freshwater rivers and lakes and resulting in loss of biodiversity. Biological control of salvinia has been successful in tropical areas but has been less effective in temperate regions. Salvinia is still considered an important aquatic weed and continues to spread in many parts of the world. We investigated the potential long-term impact of biological control on biodiversity conservation in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River in Sydney, Australia. Differences in plant communities in salvinia infested and non-infested areas were surveyed and analysed. The project highlights conservation priorities for revegetation and restoration to maximise species diversity following the introduction of biological control of salvinia.
La harina de cefalotórax de camarón en raciones para gallinas ponedoras

Shrimp cephalothorax meal in laying hen diets. The aim of this study was to meassure the effect of shrimp meal (SM) in commercial laying hen diets. From April to September 2013, in Costa Rica, Pleuroncodes planipes was used to obtain a meal (SM) with a yield of 15%, particle size of 256 μg and negative for Salmonella sp. Proximate analysis was performed to the SM: crude protein (40.67%), ether extract (11.05%), crude fiber (7.12%), ash (27.48%), calcium (9.03%), phosphorus (2.66%), amino acid profile, pepsin digestibility (84%) and acidity (8.34). Subsequently, a trial was performed with 140 40-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens, fed with four different diets containing increasing levels of inclusion of SM (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) during four weeks; and formulated according to the ideal protein and digestible amino acids concepts; being isocaloric and isoproteic. The variables experimentally evaluated were: production percentage, feed intake, body weight, mortality, egg weight and feed conversion ratio. Only egg weight changed significantly between treatments in the third week (p<0.05). The hens fed with 5% SM laid heavier eggs. It is suggested to evaluate a level of SM inclusion up to 15% in laying hens diets.
LOW-INTENSITY PRESCRIBED FIRE DOES NOT AFFECT SALAMANDERS IN AN OAK-HICKORY WOODLAND

The impact of fire on salamanders and salamander habitat was assessed in ten plots (five burned and five unburned) surrounding an amphibian breeding wetland within a mature oak-hickory woodland in southeast Michigan. Area-constrained surveys were conducted in each plot between 11 March and 3 June 2006 in which leaf litter and woody debris were searched for salamanders. Leaf litter density, soil temperature, and soil moisture were also measured to assess habitat conditions in burned and unburned plots. A total of 104 salamanders were captured during eleven sampling events: four blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale), three spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), one eastern newt (Notophtalmus viridescens) and 96 red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). There was no significant difference in captures of salamanders in burned and unburned plots (Wilcoxon paired samples test, p > 0.05). There was also no statistically significant difference in measured habitat characteristics in burned and unburned plots (paired t-test, p > 0.05). The lack of a statistical difference in salamander captures and habitat structure between burned and unburned plots may be due to the patchy nature of the prescribed fire, which left greater than 75% of two plots unburned. The practice of conducting low-intensity prescribed fire in oak-hickory woodlands does not appear to be harmful to salamanders when patches of land are left unburned. Further research should be conducted into the effects of fire specifically on Ambystoma salamanders and the eft phase of Eastern newts, as too few of these salamanders were captured to make reliable conclusions regarding their response to prescribed fire.
Molecular and morphological analysis of secondary contact zones of Cottus gobio in Fennoscandia: geographical discordance of character transitions

Northern Europe was postglacially colonized from different directions by distinct phylogeographical lineages of the bullhead Cottus gobio L. (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes). These lineages have then come into contact in coastal habitats of the currently brackish Baltic Sea and in the freshwaters north of it. We studied the patterns of intergradation in the contact zones in four morphometric and six molecular characters. In the north, intergradation between the western (W) and eastern (E) bullhead lineages is found both among rivers (west-to-east) and along individual rivers (south-to-north). The locations of the transition zones probably relate to the timing of the initial contact, subsequent Baltic shoreline displacement (i.e. emergence of the lower river reaches), and dispersal barriers caused by variations of coastal salinity. The transitions (clines) in different characters are, however, not geographically coincident. Mitochondrial DNA clines are generally found upstream and to the east of the other transitions, and GPI-1 allozyme clines are mostly shifted downstream in the rivers, and west of the other transitions on the broader scale of the Baltic Sea. The location of the mtDNA clines may best reflect the initial contact between lineages, and the displacement of the other clines could result from dispersal being overall asymmetric (predominantly downstream) and sex-biased (stronger in males). Alternatively, the non-coincidence might reflect selection against deleterious cytonuclear character combinations. No clear evidence of reproductive incompatibility between the lineages was seen in local population structures; no remaining genetic correlations were observed locally among traits. In another transition area, a coastal transect in southern Finland, clinal patterns similar to those in the northern contact zone were recorded, but the population compositions could not be explained by simple in situ mixing of any of the putatively pure, invading refugial lineages. Probably, the bullhead stocks that initially came into contact in this southern study area already represented mixtures of the invading lineages. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 81, 535–552.
Statistical Models of the Protein Fitness Landscape: Applications to Protein Evolution and Engineering

Understanding the protein fitness landscape is important for describing how natural proteins evolve and for engineering new proteins with useful properties. This mapping from protein sequence to protein function involves an extraordinarily complex balance of numerous physical interactions, many of which are still not well understood. Directed evolution circumvents our ignorance of how a protein’s sequence encodes its function by using iterative rounds of random mutation and artificial selection. The selection criteria is based on experimental measurements, which permits the optimization of protein sequence properties that are not understood. While directed evolution has been useful for exploring protein fitness landscapes, these searches have been relatively local in comparison to the vast space of possible protein sequences. Here, we present several classes of statistical models that map protein sequence space on a larger scale. We use these simple models to interpret data from SCHEMA recombination libraries, understand the evolutionary benefit of intragenic recombination, and design optimized protein sequences. By training on directly on experimental data, these models implicitly capture the numerous and possibly unknown factors that shape the protein fitness landscape. This provides an unrivaled quantitative accuracy across a massive number of protein sequences.
Comparative Study of the Antioxidative Activity of Culinary Herbs and Spices, and Hepatoprotective Effects of Three Selected Lamiaceae Plants on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats

The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidative activity of 68 culinary herbs and spices, and to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of highly antioxidative plants (selected after an in vitro study) on carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress in rats. Six Lamiaceae plants (oregano, common thyme, peppermint, lemon balm, sweet marjoram and rosemary) were found to be among the top 10 plants showing high total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (T-ORAC: sum of hydrophilic and lipophilic ORAC (Hand L-ORAC)). Their T-ORACs were composed of > 90% H-ORACs. Next, we prepared hydrophilic fractions of three selected Lamiaceae plants (peppermint, lemon balm and rosemary), in which bitterness and lipophilic odorants were reduced. Oral administration of these fractions in rats decreased aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities in serum, inhibited lipid peroxidation, and restored superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase activities in carbon tetrachloride-treated rats. Antioxidants in plants could exert a hepatoprotective effect by scavenging free radicals.
Glutathione metabolism in brain

The cells of the adult human brain consume approximately 20% of the oxygen utilized by the body although the brain comprises only 2% of the body weight. Reactive oxygen species, which are produced continuously during oxidative metabolism, are generated at high rates within the brain. Therefore, the defense against the toxic effects of reactive oxygen species is an essential task within the brain. An important component of the cellular detoxification of reactive oxygen species is the antioxidant glutathione. The main focus of this short review is recent results on glutathione metabolism of brain astrocytes and neurons in culture. These two types of cell prefer different extracellular precursors for glutathione. Glutathione is involved in the disposal of exogenous peroxides by astrocytes and neurons. In coculture astrocytes protect neurons against the toxicity of reactive oxygen species. One mechanism of this interaction is the supply by astrocytes of glutathione precursors to neurons.
Molecular characterization of the cancer susceptibility protein wrap53β in Cajal body formation and DNA repair

WRAP53β is a multifaceted protein involved in several biological processes including Cajal body maintenance, cancer cell survival and DNA damage repair. By directing factors to Cajal bodies and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), WRAP53β facilitates site-specific interactions necessary for proper biological responses. The Cajal body is a subnuclear organelle implicated in cellular processes such as splicing machinery maturation and telomere maintenance. In Paper I, we reveal that WRAP53β is an essential structural component of Cajal bodies. Furthermore, WRAP53β is required for the intracellular targeting of factors to this site. WRAP53β associates with the survival of motor neuron (SMN) complex in the cytoplasm, mediates its nuclear import and subsequent Cajal body accumulation. In addition, we find that the interaction between WRAP53β and SMN is disrupted in the severe neurodegenerative disorder spinal muscular atrophy, suggesting clinical relevance of WRAP53β-mediated SMN transport. In Paper II, we study the relationship between WRAP53β expression and cancer cell survival. We demonstrate that WRAP53β is overexpressed in a panel of different cancer cell lines in comparison to primary cells. WRAP53β depletion results in massive induction of cancer cell death, whereas normal human fibroblasts are largely insensitive to WRAP53β knockdown. The cell death associated with WRAP53β silencing occurs via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway as demonstrated by Bax/Bak activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c. Finally, we show that high WRAP53β expression levels correlate with poor prognosis and radioresistance of head and neck cancer patients. In Paper III, we establish WRAP53β as a novel player in the DNA damage response. We show that WRAP53β rapidly and transiently localizes to DNA DSBs in an ATMand PARP-dependent manner. WRAP53β binds the E3 ligase RNF8 and facilitates its interaction with MDC1, which is essential for the downstream recruitment of repair proteins 53BP1, BRCA1 and RAD51 to damaged sites. Knockdown of WRAP53β results in deficient DNA DSB repair, whereas WRAP53β overexpression enhances repair efficiency and provides resistance to DNA damaging agents. Furthermore, reduced expression of WRAP53β is related to decreased ovarian cancer patient survival. In summary, our data identify WRAP53β as a novel structural and regulatory component of Cajal bodies as well as an important factor in carcinogenesis and DNA repair.
A Review of “Comparative Biogeography: Discovering and Classifying Biogeographical Patterns of a Dynamic Earth; Mapping Species Distributions: Spatial Inference and Prediction”

Matthew, R. A. , J. Barnett, B. McDonald, K. L. O’Brien, and G. D. Dabelko. 2009. Global environmental change and human security. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Moser, S. 2010. Now more than ever: The need for more societally relevant research on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. Applied Geography 30 (4): 464–74. Wisner, B. , M. Fordham, I. Kelman, B. Johnston, D. Simon, A. Lavell, H. G. Brauch, U. Oswald-Spring, G. WilchesChaux, M. Moench, and D. Weiner. 2007. Climate change and human security. Radix—Radical Interpretations of Disasters. http://www.radixonline. org/cchs.html (last accessed 3 March 2011).
Spatial and temporal microsatellite variation in spawning Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, around Iceland

The present study suggests that the observed genetic difference between Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, off the south and the north coast of Iceland may be caused by natural selection affecting genetic variation at a microsatellite loci (Gmo34). When disregarding this locus from the analysis, no genetic difference was observed between northern and southern Iceland. The methods applied here were very sensitive, and differences as small as FST = 0.0005 are unlikely to go unnoticed. The difference between cod off the south and the north coast of Iceland is thus likely to be smaller than that. Such a small difference is negligible and is not likely to have any biological meaning. Genetic drift was detected by allele frequency comparison among different cohorts (FST = 0.0007, P = 0.0209). A small but significant difference was observed among allele frequency for cod grouped by depth at the south coast of Iceland (FST = 0.0017, P = 0.0002). This difference is very subtle and needs to be interpreted with caution.