Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex- and Region-Specific Differences in the Transcriptomes of Rat Microglia from the Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord

The neural control system underlying breathing is sexually dimorphic with males being more vulnerable to dysfunction. Microglia also display sex differences, and their role in the architecture of brainstem respiratory rhythm circuitry and modulation of cervical spinal cord respiratory plasticity is becoming better appreciated. To further understand the molecular underpinnings of these sex differences, we performed RNA sequencing of immunomagnetically isolated microglia from brainstem and cervical spinal cord of adult male and female rats. We used various bioinformatics tools (Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Reactome, STRING, MAGICTRICKS) to functionally categorize identified gene sets, as well as to pinpoint common transcriptional gene drivers that may be responsible for the observed transcriptomic differences. We found few sex differences in the microglial transcriptomes derived from the brainstem, but several hundred genes were differentially expressed by sex in cervical spinal microglia. Comparing brainstem and spinal microglia within and between sexes, we found that the major factor guiding transcriptomic differences was central nervous system (CNS) location rather than sex. We further identified key transcriptional drivers that may be responsible for the transcriptomic differences observed between sexes and CNS regions; enhancer of zeste homolog 2 emerged as the predominant driver of the differentially downregulated genes. We suggest that functional gene alterations identified in metabolism, transcription, and intercellular communication underlie critical microglial heterogeneity and sex differences in CNS regions that contribute to respiratory disorders categorized by dysfunction in neural control. These data will also serve as an important resource data base to advance our understanding of innate immune cell contributions to sex differences and the field of respiratory neural control. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The contributions of central nervous system (CNS) innate immune cells to sexually dimorphic differences in the neural circuitry controlling breathing are poorly understood. We identify key transcriptomic differences, and their transcriptional drivers, in microglia derived from the brainstem and the C3–C6 cervical spinal cord of healthy adult male and female rats. Gene alterations identified in metabolism, gene transcription, and intercellular communication likely underlie critical microglial heterogeneity and sex differences in these key CNS regions that contribute to the neural control of breathing.
Elevated Magnesium Concentrations Altered Freshwater Assemblage Structures in a Mesocosm Experiment

Magnesium (Mg) is a mining‐related contaminant in the Alligators Rivers Region of tropical northern Australia. A mesocosm experiment was used to assess Mg toxicity to aquatic freshwater assemblages. Twenty‐five 2700‐L tubs were arranged, stratified randomly, on the bed of Magela Creek, a seasonally flowing, sandy stream channel in the Alligator Rivers Region of northern Australia. The experiment comprised 5 replicates of 4 nominal Mg treatments, 2.5, 7.5, 23, and 68 mg L−1, and a control. Phytoplankton biomass, and diatom, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate assemblages present in the treatment tubs were sampled before and after Mg addition. A significant negative relationship between phytoplankton biomass and Mg was observed 4 wk after Mg addition as measured by chlorophyll a concentrations (r2 = 0.97, p = 0.01). This result was supported by reductions in some major phytoplankton groups in response to increasing Mg concentrations, in the same experiment and from independent field studies. There was a significant negative relationship between zooplankton assemblage similarity (to control) and Mg concentrations (r2 = 0.96, p = 0.002). Seven weeks after Mg addition, macroinvertebrate assemblages were dominated by 3 microcrustacean groups (Ostracoda, Cladocera, and Copepoda), each reaching maximum abundance at intermediate Mg concentrations (i.e., unimodal responses). The responses of phytoplankton and zooplankton were used to derive assemblage effect concentrations (Mg concentrations resulting in x% of the assemblage change [ECx]). Magnesium concentrations resulting in assemblage EC01 values were <3 mg L−1. Together with candidate guideline values from other laboratory‐ and field‐based lines of evidence, the mesocosm EC01 values were incorporated into a weight‐of‐evidence framework for a robust regulatory approach to environmental protection. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1973–1987. © 2020 Commonwealth of Australia. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Towards sustainable broiler production – does use of processed velvet bean (mucuna pruiens) as an adjunct protein substitute for soyabean affect broiler performance?

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of processed velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) on performance in broiler chickens. After harvesting, the velvet beans were processed to reduce the effect of anti-nutritional factors. The beans where de-coated by cracking and socking in cold water. The water was changed after every 24hours, for six days until the black colour was removed, which could be observed by failure to further taint the water black or grey. After this, the seeds where then cooked for six hours, dried, ground and then mixed with other ingredients to formulate the experimental diets. Diets were formulated to contain 0, 5, 10 and 15% levels of processed velvet bean seed meal respectively. Two hundred unsexed day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into eight different pens with 25 birds per pen. The four diets of graded Velvet bean levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% of the soya bean portion where randomly assigned to the 8 pens of chicks such that there were two pens or replicates per each diet in a Completely Randomised Design (CRD). Results of the feeding trial showed that average weights of livers, spleen and gizzards generally decreased with increase in proportion of velvet bean in the diet. Broiler performance was compromised with inclusion levels of above 5% as was demonstrated with drastic reduction in feed intake, weights and feed utilisation efficiency. The results revealed that up to 5% processed velvet bean could be included in broiler diets without significant deleterious effects on performance.
Selfish mothers: reproductive expenditure and resource availability in bighorn ewes

Marco Festa-Bianchet* and Jon T. Jorgenson •Groupe de recherche en ecologie, nutrition et energetique, Departement de biologie, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada and UMR 5558, Laboratoire de biametriegenetique et biologie des populations, Universite Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, France, and Alberta Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources Service, Suite 201, 800 Railway Avenue, Canmore, Alberta T1W 1P1, Canada
The Effect of Flowering on Stomatal Response to Water Stress in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum americanum [L.] Leeke)

Stomata on the upper leaves of drought-stressed pearl millet were more open in flowering (FL) than in pre-flowering (PF) plants. This was not due to differences in leaf water potential (LWP); stomata of PF plants closed when LWP fell to c. -1.7 MPa, while in FL plants stomata closed when LWP approached -2.3 MPa. Osmotic adjustments did not account for the differences as relations between turgor potential (TP) and LWP were similar in FL and PF plants. While stomata of PF plants closed as TP became zero, FL plants' stomata remained open even after bulk leaf turgor was lost. Leaves of water-stressed PF plants contained higher levels of ABA than leaves of FL plants' despite similarities in water status. From these results and from relationships between leaf conductance and stage of panicle development it was concluded that the tendency of stomata to remain open despite water stress and loss of bulk leaf TP is related to the presence of an emerged panicle
Disease transmission between and within species, and the implications for disease control

Summary 1. Disease transmission can occur between and within species for diseases with multiple hosts. If these diseases are undesirable, for economic or health reasons, then the relative importance of each type of transmission should be determined. Bovine tuberculosis (Tb) caused by Mycobacterium bovis is one such undesirable disease. 2. In parts of New Zealand, M. bovis infection is highly prevalent in feral ferret Mustela furo populations, and there is concern they may be acting as a reservoir of infection for domestic livestock, similar to the role played by brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula . We undertook a manipulative large-scale field experiment to test for and quantify interspecific transmission of M. bovis from brushtail possums to feral ferrets, and intraspecific transmission of M. bovis within feral ferret populations. 3. Age-specific prevalence data obtained from cross-sectional surveys was modelled to estimate the effect of experimental reductions in possum population density on the force of M. bovis infection in ferrets. A simple analysis estimated the force of M. bovis infection in ferrets to be reduced by 88% at sites previously subjected to a possum population density reduction. A more detailed analysis, incorporating ferret survey data from both before and after possum population density reduction and controlling for the effect of ferret sampling, estimated that possum population density reduction decreased the force of M. bovis infection in ferrets by 29% at sites of high ferret density, and 88% at sites of low ferret density, compared with experimental control sites. 4. There is clearly substantial possum-to-ferret transmission of M. bovis , and controlling possum populations is the logical first step to managing M. bovis infection in ferret populations, especially at sites with low ferret density. Intra-specific transmission is virtually absent in low density ferret populations though evident at higher densities. 5. Synthesis and applications. These results have management implications for other multiple-host diseases around the world, such as bovine tuberculosis and rabies. Control of within-species transmission may not be as effective for disease control as a reduction in between-species transmission. The management decision should be based on empirical estimates of the magnitude of each form of transmission.
Carbon dioxide partial pressure and 13C content of north temperate and boreal lakes at spring ice melt

Carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulates under lake ice in winter and degasses to the atmosphere after ice melt. This large springtime CO2 pulse is not typically considered in surface‐atmosphere flux estimates, because most field studies have not sampled through ice during late winter. Measured CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) of lake surface water ranged from 8.6 to 4,290 Pa (85–4,230 µatm) in 234 north temperate and boreal lakes prior to ice melt during 1998 and 1999. Only four lakes had surface pCO2 less than or equal to atmospheric pCO2, whereas 75% had pCO2 >5 times atmospheric. The δ13CDIC (DIC = ΣCO2) of 142 of the lakes ranged from –26.28‰ to +0.95‰. Lakes with the greatest pCO2 also had the lightest δ13CDIC, which indicates respiration as their primary CO2 source. Finnish lakes that received large amounts of dissolved organic carbon from surrounding peatlands had the greatest pCO2. Lakes set in noncarbonate till and bedrock in Minnesota and Wisconsin had the smallest pCO2 and the heaviest d13CDIC, which indicates atmospheric and/or mineral sources of C for those lakes. Potential emissions for the period after ice melt were 2.36 ± 1.44 mol CO2 m−2 for lakes with average pCO2 values and were as large as 13.7 ± 8.4 mol CO2 m−2 for lakes with high pCO2 values.
ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIMICROBIAL AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF ERICA BOCQUETII P. F. STEVENS AND ERICA ARBOREA L.

The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of nhexanoic, ethanolic, methanolic, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts of the aerial parts of Erica arborea L. and Erica bocquetii P.F. Stevens known to be endemic species for Turkey. The antimicrobial activity was investigated by disc diffusion method, and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) by Broth Microdilution method. The antioxidant activity was determined by an improved assay based on the decolorization of the radical monocation of [2,2 / -azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] (ABTS + ). The cytotoxic activities were evaluated using Brine shrimp bioassay. The all extracts both species of Erica were also found to possess antimicrobial activity against some of the bacteria, but no activity was observed against the yeast. The antioxidant potentials of the extracts of E. bocquetii were obtained two times higher than those of E. arborea. Erica extracts did not exhibit the cytotoxic activity against Brine shrimp.
Core collections: a practical approach to genetic resources management

Large numbers of entries are now lodged in many of the world's germ-plasm collections of crop and pasture plants. This abundance of material, assembled to guard against its irretrievable loss, has intensified the problems of how best to conserve it and how to use it in plant breeding. Core collections have a major role to play in solving these problems. The core is composed of about 10% of the total collection, chosen to represent as much as possible of the diversity in the collection. The selection of the core entries should use the available data on the geographic origin, the genetic characteristics, and the possible value to breeders and other users of each accession in the collection. Stratified sampling from groups of accessions, in logarithmic or absolute proportion to the group size, is the best strategy. The core entries should be kept separately and not in one bulk population. The composition of the core should be adjusted as new material is included, or better data are obtained. The remaining ac.
Endopolyploidy in Vanda Miss Joaquim (Orchidaceae).

• Occurrence of endopolyploidy in somatic tissues of the hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim (Vanda hookeriana × Vanda teres) was investigated with respect to tissue type and developmental stage. Effects of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and gibberellic acid (GA3 ) on endopolyploidy during embryo development were also studied. • For the study of endopolyploidy, flow cytometric analysis was employed to determine nuclear DNA content of cells of somatic tissues. • Multiploid cells were observed in leaves, roots and column, but not in shoot apex, stem, perianth and pedicel. Furthermore, differential distribution of multiploid cells was found among different parts of leaves and roots. The degree of endopolyploidy in embryos increased with development. NAA was shown to induce endoreduplication in germinating embryos to a much larger extent than GA3 . • The pattern of endopolyploidy was characteristic of tissue type and developmental stage. The implications of endopolyploidy during differentiation and development, as well as the relevance of endopolyploidy to somaclonal variation, are discussed.
Single-Bit, Self-Powered Digital Counter Using a Wiegand Sensor for Rotary Applications

This work explores energy harvesting from rotary motion using a Wiegand sensor, which is a magnetic sensor that induces a voltage pulse when the magnetization is reversed. The main feature of the Wiegand sensor is that a pulse is generated regardless of how slowly magnetism reversal occurs. Self-sustained sensors play major roles in advancing the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless sensor networks (WSN). In this study, we identified a linear relationship between rotational motion, magnetic field reversal, and the rotational frequency generated by the Wiegand sensor. In addition, the maximum energy per pulse and its dependence were derived analytically. A maximum energy of 130 nJ per pulse was reported for the sensor used. We developed a single-bit, self-powered digital counter that was sufficiently driven with 38 nJ of energy. In this study, single rotations were measured without the need for external power.
An optimality model of photoadaptation in contrasting aquatic light regimes

To investigate photoacclimation of phytoplankton adapted to different aquatic light regimes, a physiologically explicit phytoplankton optimality model was applied in two contrasting environments: constant irradiance vs. dynamic irradiance associated with oceanic mixed layers. Nitrogen was assumed to be partitioned between cellular components associated with light harvesting, carbon fixation, biosynthesis, and photoprotection. The model was used to predict how resources are (re)distributed to optimize growth in the different environments. Optimal intracellular nitrogen allocation in dynamic environments was associated with constitutive investment in Calvin cycle enzymes; in contrast, in the static environment Calvin cycle allocation was reduced at low light. Furthermore, reduced allocation to components associated with photoprotection in static environments led to heavily inhibited photosynthesis‐irradiance response consistent with that of Prochlorococcus adapted to relatively stable oligotrophic gyres. In contrast, photosynthetic response in the diatom Skeletonema costatum was better explained by maintenance of photoprotection components across a range of integrated light doses. Limited range of chlorophyll : C in Thalassiosira pseudonana was consistent with optimization of resource allocation to light‐harvesting components in dynamic environments, in contrast to the relatively wide range in allocation to light harvesting predicted by the model in static environments and chlorophyll cell−1 observed in high‐light‐adapted Prochlorococcus. The model was used to explain variability of the photosynthesis‐irradiance response of samples from the Celtic and Irish Seas. Photoacclimation state is a consequence of optimization of resource allocation to the set of environmental parameters (e.g., surface irradiance, depth of mixing, and light attenuation) that influence light variability.
The Infratemporal Fossa Sign: Pilot Study of a Potential Clue to Eustachian Salpingitis

Aural discomfort may be the result of obstructive eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or other causes. The infratemporal fossa (ITF) sign, in which a patient points to a characteristic location below the auricle, is proposed as an indicator of nonobstructive eustachian salpingitis. A preliminary study included patients with a complaint of aural discomfort who were prompted to localize symptoms using a single finger. Group 1 localized by using the ITF sign; group 2 localized deep within the external ear canal (suggesting ET dysfunction); and group 3 localized to the preauricular region (suggesting temporomandibular joint dysfunction). Findings of ET inflammation recorded during nasal endoscopy were greater in groups 1 and 2. Tympanometry and otoscopy were uniformly abnormal for group 2 and uniformly normal for groups 1 and 3. The ITF sign may help to identify eustachian salpingitis as a phenotype of ET disease characterized by symptomatic inflammation without abnormal middle ear pressure.
EGFR Blockade Reverses Cisplatin Resistance in Human Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells

Background: EOC is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancy worldwide. Although the majority of EOC patients achieve clinical remission after induction therapy, over 80% relapse and succumb to the chemoresistant disease. Previous investigations have demonstrated the association of EGFR with resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapies, hormone therapy, and radiotherapy in the cancers. These studies have highlighted the role of EGFR as an attractive therapeutic target in cisplatin-resistant EOC cells. Methods: The human ovarian cell lines (SKOV3 and OVCAR3) were cultured according to ATCC recommendations. The MTT assay was used to determine the chemosensitivity of the cell lines in exposure to cisplatin and erlotinib. The qRT-PCR was applied to analyze the mRNA expression of the desired genes. Results: Erlotinib in combination with cisplatin reduced the cell proliferation in the chemoresistant EOC cells in comparison to monotherapy of the drugs (p < 0.05). Moreover, erlotinib/cisplatin combination synergistically decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic and also increased pro-apoptotic genes expression (p < 0.05). Cisplatin alone could increase the expression of MDR genes. The data suggested that EGFR and cisplatin drive chemoresistance in the EOC cells through MEKK signal transduction as well as through EGFR/MEKK pathways in the cells, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings propose that EGFR is an attractive therapeutic target in chemoresistant EOC to be exploited in translational oncology, and erlotinib/cisplatin combination treatment is a potential anti-cancer approach to overcome chemoresistance and inhibit the proliferation of the EOC cells.
Circulating Vitronectin Predicts Liver Injury and Mortality in Children With Sepsis: A Prospective Observational Study

Vitronectin (VTN) is a key regulator of coagulation, but clinical relevance of serum VTN in pediatric sepsis remains poorly defined. The aim of this study was to access the value of serum VTN level on pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in children with sepsis. Pediatric patients with sepsis were enrolled from January 2018 to December 2018. The serum VTN levels were determined on PICU admission, and the association of serum VTN level with PICU mortality and organ dysfunction was assessed. Serum VTN levels were significantly lower in nonsurvivors compared with survivors, in patients with septic shock compared with patients with sepsis, or in patients with sepsis-associated acute liver injury (ALI) compared with patients without ALI. Serum VTN level was associated with PICU mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.958, 95% CI: 0.927-0.996; P = .010) or ALI (OR: 0.956, 95% CI: 0.915-0.999; P = .046), but not shock (OR: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.977-1.016; P =.716). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve for VTN in predicting the occurrence of ALI during PICU stay and PICU mortality were 0.760 (95% CI: 0.627- 0.893) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.544-0.931), respectively. Moreover, VTN plus pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) III had a better clinical utility according to decision curve analysis compared with VTN or PRISM III alone. These findings suggest that serum VTN level is associated with sepsis-associated ALI and PICU mortality, and VTN plus PRISM III is a powerful predictor of PICU mortality in pediatric patients with sepsis, which have a better clinical benefit compared with VTN or PRISM III alone.