Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in gas exchange capacity and selected physiological properties of squash seedlings (Cucurbita pepo L.) under well-watered and drought stress conditions

ABSTRACT Water use efficiency (WUE) is considered as an important component of adaptation to drought stress. This study was conducted to determine the effect of drought stress on gas exchange parameters and selected physiological properties, and also its relations with WUE in summer squash seedlings (Cucurbita pepo L.). Plants were grown in pots under different irrigation levels (D0: 100%, D1: 67% and D2: 33% of the water required to reach the field capacity) in controlled greenhouse. The results show that drought treatments significantly decreased the leaf chlorophyll reading values (LCRV), leaf relative water content (LRWC), stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthetic rate (PN), transpiration rate (Tr), fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) of squash seedlings by 7, 42, 69, 62, 62 63 and 82%, respectively, in D2 treatment compared to D0. However, electrolyte leakage (EL) values increased 72% with severe drought treatments (D2). The highest WUE was obtained by D0 treatment as 0.26 g mm−1. The relationship between PN and WUE is the strongest one among all leaf gas exchange parameters. Together with Tr, the linear relation with WUE was considerably higher compared to other measured parameters.
Detection and Molecular Identification of Persistent Water Vessel Colonizing Bacteria in a Table Water Factory in Nigeria

Aims: To establish organisms persistent in a table water production facility and to determine the points they entered in order to eliminate any risk of having pathogens in a water production system. Study Design: Analytic observational studies Place and Duration of Study: Bottling facility in Nigeria and University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Study was between August 2011 and Sept 2013. Methodology: Sample control points were subjected to counts of bacteria, yeasts, and mold using membrane filtration to trace the source of increased bacteria counts in a table water production factory. Organisms were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and biofilm formation was assessed Original Research Article Nwaiwu and Nwachukwu; BMRJ, 13(5): 1-12, 2016; Article no.BMRJ. 24378 2 with micro titer dish biofilm formation analysis. Results: Total bacteria and Pseudomonas Spp. count were highest in the carbon filter and 5% (v/v) chlorine used for disinfection was found to be effective against planktonic cells of 18 hour cultures of Pseudomonas Spp. isolated from the carbon filter tank. No yeasts and mold were detected and after a sand blasting exercise to clean affected tanks, total bacteria counts on tryptone glucose extract medium decreased to less than factory allowable limits of 25 cfu per 100 ml of water with no further growth of Pseudomonas Spp. on centrimide medium. Other bacteria that emerged after the sand blasting exercise were regarded as persistent but had less biofilm forming ability (p=.02) when compared with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The persistent bacteria identified after sequencing were Aeromonas hydrophila and Serratia proteamaculans. Conclusion: Apart from Pseudomonas Spp. , other bacteria can persist in the water tanks of a water bottling facility and routine checks may fail to detect an underlying problem until it becomes obvious. Prompt corrective action ensures that public safety is not compromised. This was the first time Aeromonas hydrophila and Serratia proteamaculans were identified from the water tanks in the bottling facility.
Diurnal expression of SAR11 proteorhodopsin and 16S rRNA genes in coastal North Atlantic waters

Proteorhodopsins (PR) are phylogenetically widespread and highly expressed proton pumps in marine bacterial communities, including in the SAR11 clade, one of the most common clades in the oceans. The relationships between PR expression, light and cell activity remain un clear, especially in natural environments. We examined these relationships during 3 diurnal studies in spring, summer and fall in Delaware coastal waters. The abundance of genes and transcripts of SAR11 PR, SAR11 16S rRNA and total bacterial 16S rRNA were monitored using a quantitative PCR approach. We found that the expression of SAR11 PR was 2.5-fold higher during the day than at night. However, SAR11 16S rRNA levels remained constant during the day and night on all cruises, suggesting that the growth-related activity of SAR11 was not directly affected by sunlight. There was a tight correlation between expression of PR in SAR11 and photosynthetically active radiation, but not with other environmental parameters. Our data support the hypothesis that light affects PR expression by SAR11 populations, but the energy from PR appears to contribute relatively little to supporting bacterial growth-related activity in marine waters.
Effect of the plant growth regulators paclobutrazol and chlormequat chloride on pear psyllid (Cacopsylla pyricola (Foerster)) and pear rust mite (Epitrimerus piri (Nal.))

SummaryFollowing programmes of four to six sprays of paclobutrazol and chlormequat chloride on pear cv. Conference, population densities of pear rust mite (Epitrimerus piri) were reduced by ca. 60% compared with unsprayed trees. Population densities of pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola) on paclobutrazol-treated trees were about half those on untreated ones, but were not affected by chlormequat chloride. In laboratory bioassays, chlormequat chloride was toxic to pear rust mite at concentrations well below field rates. Chlormequat chloride was not toxic to pear psylla larvae, and adults were affected only at rates well above those used in the field. Paclobutrazol showed no acute toxicity to either pest species.
Assemblage et remodelage : le nucléosome sous influence

Le nucleosome, qui est l'unite de base de l'organisation chromatinienne, joue un role essentiel dans l'ensemble des fonctions du genome. Sa structure est determinee par de nombreux facteurs qui controlent son assemblage et son remodelage. Des approches biochimiques ont permis de mieux comprendre les mecanismes d'action parfois redondants de ces facteurs et leurs interactions. Des approches genetiques chez la levure et la drosophile ont permis de preciser leurs fonctions physiologiques. Enfin, la mise en evidence de mutations dans les genes codant pour certains de ces facteurs en pathologie humaine souligne leur importance et devoile une partie de leurs fonctions. Identifier les cibles et les regulations de ces facteurs est la tâche du moment.
Parasites, age and the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis : inferential fallacy ?

Hamilton and Zuk's hypothesis suggests that male showiness allows females to assess male's ability to resist parasites. In this hypothesis the full expression of secondary sexual traits and parasite load are respectively assumed to mainly depend on individual vigour and genetic resistance. Here, we propose that a negative correlation between brightness and parasite load can incorrectly suggest a causal relationship between parasitism and mating success. Parasitism can negatively covary with host age in certain circumstances of host mortality induced by parasite accumulation, while both male brightness and female preferences positively covary with age. Thus some properties of host-parasites associations, coupled with host reproductive behaviour can provide fortuitous support for the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis.
Antigenic change in the lipopolysaccharide of Rhizobium etli CFN42 induced by exudates of Phaseolus vulgaris

Growth of Rhizobium etli CE3 in the presence of exudates from Phaseolus vulgaris resulted in a modified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that no longer reacted with monoclonal antibody JIM28. However, the overall LPS structure appeared not to be greatly altered, as revealed by unchanged mobility in gel electrophoresis and partial or unaltered reactivity with other antibodies. Activity that triggered LPS antigenic conversion was exuded from both seeds and roots, but reactivity with one of the antibodies indicated that the resulting alterations were not identical. Antibody binding to the LPS decreased as a function of the concentration of exudate present during growth of the bacteria. The antigenic change did not occur if purified LPS or nongrowing bacteria were incubated with the exudates. Exudate-induced LPS modification did not require the Sym plasmid.
Ultrastructural study of the defense reaction against the larvae of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus in laboratory-infected beetles

Tenebrionid beetles (Zophobas morio) from Peru were experimentally infected with eggs of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus from China. A de- fense reaction of the beetles against the acanthella and cystacanth of the parasite was observed by means of transmission electron microscopy. Beginning at 1 wk postinfection, many hemocytes of the infected beetles were found adhering to the outer surface of the enve- lope that encloses the acanthella. Some of the host's hemocytes penetrated the envelope and attached to the tegument of the acanthella and cystacanth, so that the outer membrane of the larval tegument was damaged. Starting at 50 days postinfection some of the cysta- canths were seen to disintegrate.
Fungal Clusters and Their Uniqueness in Geographically Segregated Wetlands: A Step Forward to Marsh Conservation for a Wealth of Future Fungal Resources

Abstract Here, we investigated fungal microbiota in the understory root layer of representative well-conserved geographically segregated natural wetlands in the Korean Peninsula. We obtained 574,143 quality fungal sequences in total from soil samples in three wetlands, which were classified into 563 operational taxonomic units (OTU), 5 phyla, 84 genera. Soil texture, total nitrogen, organic carbon, pH, and electrical conductivity of soil were variable between geographical sites. We found significant differences in fungal phyla distribution and ratio, as well as genera variation and richness between the wetlands. Diversity was greater in the Jangdo islands wetland than in the other sites (Chao richness/Shannon/Simpson’s for wetland of the Jangdo islands: 283/6.45/0.97 > wetland of the Mt. Gariwang primeval forest: 169/1.17/0.22 > wetland of the Hanbando geology: 145/4.85/0.91), and this variance corresponded to the confirmed number of fungal genera or OTUs (wetlands of Jangdo islands: 42/283 > of Mt. Gariwang primeval forest: 32/169 > of the Hanbando geology: 25/145). To assess the uniqueness of the understory root layer fungus taxa, we analyzed fungal genera distribution. We found that the percentage of fungal genera common to two or three wetland sites was relatively low at 32.3%, while fungal genera unique to each wetland site was 67.7% of the total number of identified fungal species. The Jangdo island wetland had higher fungal diversity than did the other sites and showed the highest level of uniqueness among fungal genera (Is. Jangdo wetland: 34.5% > wetland of Mt. Gariwang primeval forest: 28.6% > wetland of the Hanbando geology: 16.7%).
Intravital damage to the body of Dickinsonia (Metazoa of the late Ediacaran)

Abstract. Several specimens of Dickinsonia cf. D. menneri, originating from a single burial event at the Lyamtsa locality of the late Ediacaran (Vendian) in the southeastern White Sea area, Russia, represent deviations from normal morphology: a reduction in the total length of the body; the loss of portions of the body; various deformations of the transverse elements, called isomers; and splitting of the longitudinal axis with the formation of two posterior ends. It is assumed that these deformations were formed as a result of non-lethal damage, which occurred long before the burial event, and the response of Dickinsonia to them. The progress of the regeneration process at the damaged areas, and especially its deviations, indicates that the growth zone was located at the posterior end of the Dickinsonia body. The cause of non-lethal damage to Dickinsonia could not be established, but the local distribution of deformed specimens preserved in the same burial event alongside cyanobacterial colonies, and the presence of weak deformations, expressed only in shortening of the length of some isomers, lead to the conclusion that damage resulted from short episodes of physicochemical impact, rather than occasional attacks by a hypothetical macrophage.
Multichannel parallel processing of neural signals in memristor arrays

Memristor array provides a scalable and power-efficient platform for parallel processing of multichannel neural signals. Fully implantable neural interfaces with massive recording channels bring the gospel to patients with motor or speech function loss. As the number of recording channels rapidly increases, conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chips for neural signal processing face severe challenges on parallelism scalability, computational cost, and power consumption. In this work, we propose a previously unexplored approach for parallel processing of multichannel neural signals in memristor arrays, taking advantage of their rich dynamic characteristics. The critical information of neural signal waveform is extracted and encoded in the memristor conductance modulation. A signal segmentation scheme is developed to adapt to device variations. To verify the fidelity of the processed results, seizure prediction is further demonstrated, with high accuracy above 95% and also more than 1000× improvement in power efficiency compared with CMOS counterparts. This work suggests that memristor arrays could be a promising multichannel signal processing module for future implantable neural interfaces.
Chromosome Numbers for Species of Characeae from Southern Illinois

Chromosome numbers were determined for five species of Nitella and five species of Chara representing 27 naturally occurring populations. Chromosome counts were as follows: Nitella mirabilis, n=6; N. flexilis, n=12; N. acuminata, n=18; N. axillaris, n=18; N. oligospira, n=18; Chara braunji, n=14; C. contraria, n=42; C. globularis, n = 28; C. foliosa, n = 14; and C. haitensis, n = 42. Relationships among these and similar forms reported from elsewhere in North America are discussed. INTRODUCTION Several authors have reported dhromosome numbers for species of Characeae in North America (Hotchkiss, 1958, 1963; Tindall and Sawa, 1964; Griffin and Proctor, 1964; Tindall et al., 1965; Sawa, 1965, 1966; Tindall, 1966, 1967, 1970; Proctor, 1970, 1971a, 1971b; Proctor and Wiman, 1971; Proctor et at., 1971; Grant and Proctor, 1972). Reports of chromosome numbersfor species of Characeae occurring in other countries are reviewed by Guerlesquin (1966) and Corillion and Guerlesquin (1972). The importance of polyploidy, intraspecific barriers to gene flow, minor ecological differences and geographical distribution in relation to speciation in the Characeae are stressed in several of the above reports. These studies have shown that knowledge of chromosome number is quite useful in resolving taxonomic problems and in clarifying distribution patterns for some species complexes. The present study was carried out to determine relationships between species occurring in southern Illinois and those previously reported from elsewhere in North America. Previous work on the taxonomy of the Characeae of Illinois was reviewed by Stotler (1968). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven naturally occurring populations of Characeae in southern Illinois were examined. These populations represented five species of Nitella and five species of Chara. All collections consisted of cvtological sDecimens and voucher specimens. Cytological material for Nitella flexilis was obtained from culture of the field collection. Cytological material was fixed in an absolute ethanol-glacial acetic acid (i3: 1) solution for '24 h. Following fixation, cytological specimens were stored in 70% ethanol at 5 C until examined. Antheridial filaments were dissected from immature antheridia and were squashed and stained with aceto-carmine. No attempt was made to standardize the fixing and staining procedure for determining chromosome morL Current address: School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901.
Hematite beads from the Frost Clovis site, Logan County, Colorado

In the early 1890s, Logan County, Colorado farmer John Frost was digging a lateral line from an irrigation ditch to his field when he encountered probable human bones. Associated with these skeletal remains were three large Clovis chipped stone preforms or projectile points, and at minimum five hematite beads. We report on the portion of the private collection that was available for study over a century later in 1999, including four hematite beads and one large projectile point preform. The history and significance of the discovery are outlined, and comparisons are made with other Paleoindian localities containing beads or hematite.
Intraspecific variation in seed yield of soybean (Glycine max) in response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide

The growth characteristics of six and the reproductive development of five soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] cultivars were examined at 39 Pa (ambient) and 70 Pa (elevated) CO2 partial pressures in temperature-controlled glasshouses. Significant intraspecific variation for both growth and seed yield in response to elevated CO2 was observed among the cultivars. At elevated CO2, total biomass increased an average of 42% at the end of the vegetative stage, while average seed yield increased by only 28%. No changes in % protein or % oil were observed for any cultivar at elevated CO2, relative to ambient CO2. The relative enhancement of either vegetative or reproductive growth at elevated CO2 was not correlated with changes in the absolute or relative increase in single leaf photosynthetic rate among cultivars at elevated CO2. For soybean, the greatest response of seed yield to elevated CO2 was associated with increased production of lateral branches, increased pod production or increased seed weight, suggesting different strategies of carbon partitioning in a high CO2 environment. Data from this experiment indicates that differences in carbon partitioning among soybean cultivars may influence reproductive capacity and fecundity as atmospheric CO2 increases, with subsequent consequences for future agricultural breeding strategies.
Avoidant attachment and own and perceived partner’s conflict resolution in relationship satisfaction

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of conflict resolution strategies in the links between the avoidant attachment dimension and relationship satisfaction. The sample comprised 274 participants (ranging from 18 to 73 years old, 58% women). A predictive model of relationship satisfaction was tested, taking into account avoidant attachment and both own and perceived partner’s conflict resolution strategies. Structural equation modeling was used. Fit indexes indicated that the suggested overall relationship model was confirmed. Own withdrawal conflict resolution was associated positively with individuals’ perception of partner demand. Specifically, there was an indirect effect between own withdrawal and relationship satisfaction mediated by demand strategy perceived in the partner. Own withdrawal was negatively associated with perceived partner’s problem solving, and perceived partner’s positive conflict resolution strategy was positively associated with relationship satisfaction. Practical implications for professionals working with couples are discussed.
Opportunities to Improve Antibiotic Prescribing in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities: A Report From the American Society of Nephrology and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Antibiotic Stewardship White Paper Writing Group

Antibiotic use is necessary in the outpatient hemodialysis setting, as patients on hemodialysis are at increased risk for infections and sepsis. However, inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to adverse drug events, including adverse drug reactions and infections with Clostridioides difficile and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Optimizing antibiotic use can decrease adverse events and improve infection cure rates and patient outcomes. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Antibiotic Stewardship in Hemodialysis White Paper Writing Group, comprising experts in antibiotic stewardship, infectious diseases, nephrology, and public health, to highlight strategies that can improve antibiotic prescribing for patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Based on existing evidence and the unique patient and clinical setting characteristics, the following strategies for improving antibiotic use are reviewed: expanding infection and sepsis prevention activities, standardizing blood culture collection processes, treating methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections with β-lactams, optimizing communication between nurses and prescribing providers, and improving data sharing across transitions of care. Collaboration between CDC, ASN, other professional societies such as infectious diseases, hospital medicine and vascular surgery societies, and dialysis provider organizations can improve antibiotic use and the quality of care for patients on maintenance hemodialysis.
REC protein family expansion by the emergence of a new signaling pathway

This report presents multi-genomes and experimental evidence that REC protein family expansion occurs when the emergence of new pathways give rise to functional discordance. Specificity between REC-domain containing response regulators with paired histidine kinases are under negative purifying selection, constrained by the presence of other bacterial two-component systems signaling cascades that share sequence and structural identity. Presuming that the two-component systems can evolve by neutral drift when these constraints are relaxed, how might the REC protein family expand when constraints remain intact? Using an unsupervised machine learning approach to observe the sequence landscape of REC domains across long phylogenetic distances, we find that within-gene-recombination, a subcategory of gene conversion, switched the effector domain, and consequently the regulatory context of a duplicated response regulator from transcriptional regulation by σ54 to σ70. We determined that the recombined response regulator diverged from its parent by positive episodic diversifying selection, giving rise to two new residues. Functional experiments of the parent of recombined response regulators in our model system, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, revealed that the parent and recombined response regulators sense and respond to carboxylic acids and that the two new residues in the recombined regulator form a new interaction interface and prevent crosstalk. Overall, our study finds genetic perturbations can create conditions of functional discordance, whereby the REC protein family can evolve by positive diversifying selection.