Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essential oil of Ocimum grattissimum (Labiatae) as Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) protectant

Ocimum grattissimum L. (Labiatae) leaves are widely eaten as a vegetable in Nigeria, and in the eastern parts, are traditionally used in post-harvest protection and relieving stomach aches. The effect of the essential oil of O. grattissimum leaves on Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was assessed for repellency, mortality, progeny emergence and maize damage in the laboratory. The oil was found to be moderately repellent to the maize weevil and induced high mortality in the weevils. In addition, grains treated with the essential oil showed significant reduction in the number of progeny derived from surviving S. zeamais. There was no observable feeding damage on grains treated with the highest dosage of the essential oil extract. Gas chromatography-linked mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC co-injections with authentic samples showed the presence of the following major constituents: thymol (32.7%), paracymene (25.4%), -terpinene (10.8%), -selinene (4.5%), phellandrene (3.9%) and - myrcene (3.1%). The results provide a scientific rationale for the use of the plant in post-harvest protection.
A monograph of the calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) of Greenland

Greenland has more than 200 years of history of studies of the sponge fauna and is the type locality for a number of species. Many of these have not been encountered since, and as the type material has been hard to find or even lost, their taxonomic status has remained uncertain. In this study all species of calcareous sponges previously reported from Greenland are reviewed. The revision is based predominantly on new or unidentified material collected during various expeditions, but also on material used by previous authors. This includes samples from all coasts of Greenland, from the southernmost Kap Farvel area to Peary Land on the northern coast, some of the northernmost records of calcareous sponges ever. Greenland is a transition zone between the western and eastern Atlantic boreal calcareous sponge faunas, being home to species from both sides of the North Atlantic combined with some true Arctic species. There is also a strong link between the Canadian and Greenlandic sponge faunas. Twenty-eight species have been identified, from which six are new to Greenland and one is new to science. New records for Greenland are: Clathrina arnesenae (Rapp, 2006); Clathrina camura (Rapp, 2006); Clathrina pellucida (Rapp, 2006); Sycon abyssale Borojevic & Graat-Kleeton, 1965; Leucandra valida Lambe, 1900; and Sycettusa thompsoni (Lambe, 1900). Clathrina tendali sp. nov. has been described from western Greenland and Leucosolenia corallorrhiza (Haeckel, 1872) and Leucandra penicillata (Schmidt, 1869) have been resurrected. Keys for identification of higher taxa and the different species of Greenlandic Calcarea are provided.
Metavirómica en masas de agua: pasado, presente y perspectivas futuras

Viruses are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere. Because of their versatility to infect all types of organisms and their status as obligate intracellular parasites, they have important effects on ecosystem dynamics. Identification and analysis of interactions in viral communities is a hard work, due to the inherent difficulty in culturing these microorganisms. Furthermore, the lack of conserved DNA sequences among groups precludes identification of the viruses by using rDNA technology, as the current molecular standard for the identification of living organisms. Metagenomics arises as an alternative to the molecular characterization of the virus in its natural environments, which yields information relevant to its composition and structure. In this article, we review the role of viruses in aquatic ecosystems, in addition to emphasizing the importance of proper implementation of these metagenomic techniques. Finally, we review the main tools for the treatment of the obtained metagenomic data.
Physical and metabolic alterations in "Prata Anã" banana induced by mechanical damage at room temperature

Bananas respond at the physical and physiological level to mechanical damage. Mechanical injuries cause alterations in color and flavor, tissue softening, faster ripening, increased weight loss, increased invasion of microorganisms, and higher enzyme activity in the affected area. The purpose of this study was to verify the physical and metabolic alterations in 'Prata Ana' bananas induced by mechanical stress at room temperature. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized, split-plot in time design, consisting of one control and four mechanical injury types: cutting, abrasion, impact and compression, sampled over time. The percentage of accumulated and daily fresh weight loss, electrolyte leakage from the injured peel region, total soluble sugar and starch contents and enzyme activity of polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase were measured. The damage caused by cutting and abrasion resulted in the highest percentage of fresh weight loss. All types of mechanical damage increased electrolyte leakage during the evaluation period, in comparison with the control. The impact damage anticipated the ripening, besides affecting the conversion of starch into total soluble sugars in the pulp. By impact and abrasion injuries, the polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase activity in the peel was increased by up to 231% and 90%, and 618% and 956%, respectively, compared to the control.
Induction of Significant Cytotoxic Activity for Autologous Leukemia Cells: Inverse Correlation between Cytotoxicity and FOXP3 mRNA Expression

AIM: The goal of this study is to investigate whether immunotherapy using autologous cytotoxic T-lymphocytes has become available to eradicate minimal residual disease in acute leukemia. METHODS: In this study, to generate cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL), a mixed culture was carried out. Two stimulator cells, the original leukemia cells (LCs) and the new lymphoblastoid B-cell line (LCLs) established by transformation with Epstein-Barr virus, were prepared. Cytotoxic activity was examined using (1) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) only, (2) PBMCs plus interleukin-2, or (3) PBMCs plus LCs or LCLs plus interleukin-2. After mixed culture for 5 days, cytotoxic activity was examined by flow cytometry with PKH-26 staining. RESULTS: Interestingly, cytotoxicity to not only autologous LCs but also own LCLs was observed in most cases. There is a close relationship between the cytotoxicity to LCs and that to LCLs. This cross-killing phenomenon supports that cell therapy as an immunotherapy should be useful for improving the prognosis, and if stocked LCs is not available, effective CTL activity can be induced by a mixed culture with established own LCLs. An inverse correlation was also observed between cytotoxicity and FOXP3 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: The generation of cytotoxic activity against autologous LCs can be induced by cultivating PBMCs with either LCs or LCLs.
DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA DE ESPECIES SILVESTRES DEL GÉNERO Nicotiana II: CARACTERIZACIÓN MOLECULAR MEDIANTE MARCADORES RAPD

Las especies silvestres del genero Nicotiana son reservorios de genes de resistencia a plagas, asi como para rasgos cualitativos y fitoquimicos importantes, los cuales no estan presentes en las variedades cultivadas. El objetivo de trabajo fue caracterizar la variabilidad genetica de 10 especies silvestres del genero Nicotiana mediante el uso de marcadores RAPD (Fragmentos Polimorficos de ADN Amplificados al Azar). De los diez cebadores usados en el ensayo RAPD, cuatro de ellos produjeron productos de amplificacion que resultaron apenas visibles para ser evaluados o no fueron consistentemente reproducibles y seis cebadores produjeron un total de 117 bandas, 100% polimorficas. Todas las bandas se evaluaron para la comparacion de la amplificacion, para un promedio de 19,5 bandas por cebador. El mayor nivel de polimorfismo entre las especies se observo en Nicotiana velutina Wheelen y Nicotiana glutinosa L. con 35,89% y 32,47% respectivamente, ambas del subgenero Petunioides. En contraste, el menor porcentaje de polimorfismo se observo en la especie Nicotiana knightiana Goodsp (18,80%), perteneciente al subgenero Rustica. El patron obtenido en el dendrograma coincide con la clasificacion tradicional de las especies del genero Nicotiana. En nueve, de las 10 especies silvestres del genero Nicotiana evaluadas, todos los cebadores generaron al menos dos bandas especificas. El total de los 32 marcadores especificos de cada especie encontrados en el presente estudio podria resultar de gran utilidad en los programas de mejoramiento genetico.
Chemical Recognition of Risky Habitats is Culturally Transmitted among Fathead Minnows, Pimephales promelas (Osteichthyes, Cyprinidae)

Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) have an alarm substance (AS), or 'Schreckstoff', in epidermal club cells. Mechanical damage to the skin, as caused by a predator attack, releases the AS. The area in which conspecifics detect AS may be considered dangerous or risky because of the high probability of a subsequent predator attack. We exposed fathead minnows to water from one of two habitats (an open-water site and a vegetated-cover site) that we mixed with either AS or a distilled water control. Upon subsequent exposure to water from these habitats alone, minnows showed an antipredator response to the water they experienced in conjunction with AS, but not to water they received in conjunction with the distilled water control. These results confirmed that minnows can be conditioned with AS to recognize chemical cues from high-risk habitats. Naive minnows present during the fright response of conditioned minnows also exhibited antipredator behaviour, and subsequently responded when tested alone. Our results demonstrate that learned recognition of high-risk habitats can be transmitted culturally, which may allow minnows to lower their risk of predation.
Spring Excursions of Mature Male White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in North Central Pennsylvania

Abstract During the breeding season, male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)have been reported to take excursions outside of their normal home ranges, likely in search of receptive females. However, we documented additional excursive movements by males during spring in north central Pennsylvania. From December 2011 – April 2012, we equipped 13 mature (≥2.5 y old) male white-tailed deer with global positioning system (GPS) collars programmed to record locations hourly. We defined an excursion as any occasion where a male traveled ≥1.6 km outside of its 95% home range boundaries for ≥12 h. Between 6 April and 6 June 2012, nine males (69.2%) made excursions with six making ≥2 excursions. Mean total path distance and duration of excursions was 4.0 km (range = 1.7-8.0 km) and 22 h (range = 12–40 h), respectively. Although the reason for spring excursions is obscure, hypotheses such as increased doe aggression before parturition, males returning to natal home ranges, or visitation to mineral sites do not appear tenable based on current observations.
Btk Keeps Neutrophils Under Control

The Tec kinase Btk holds the production of reactive oxygen species by neutrophils in check. Neutrophils are the earliest responding cells in the innate immune defense against pathogens. They migrate to the site of infection and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), through the activity of the NADPH oxidase, and antimicrobial peptides to kill invading pathogens. Deficient ROS production leads to life-threatening infections, whereas overproduction of ROS results in tissue damage; thus, the activity of the NADPH oxidase is tightly regulated. Noting that patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), which is caused by a deficiency in the Tec kinase Btk, have neutropenia (reduced numbers of neutrophils), Honda et al. investigated a role for Btk in neutrophil ROS production and apoptosis. Btk is well characterized in its role in mediating the survival and differentiation of B cells, as well as in signaling downstream of Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Neutrophils from XLA patients activated with the stimulant PMA or with various TLR ligands produced more ROS than did similarly stimulated neutrophils from healthy controls. XLA patient neutrophils were more susceptible than were healthy control neutrophils to induction of apoptosis by various stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and PMA, which was blocked by the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine and rescued with Btk. Western blotting analysis showed that a component of the NADPH oxidase complex and the guanosine triphosphatase Rac2 were already present at the plasma membrane in resting neutrophils from XLA patients (indicating “priming” of the cells), but not healthy controls. XLA patient neutrophils exhibited enhanced activation of protein tyrosine kinases and the serine and threonine kinase PI3K. In resting XLA patient cells, the TLR adaptor protein Mal was associated with PI3K and TKs at the plasma membrane, which led to PI3K activation, whereas in resting control cells, Mal was confined to the cytoplasm through its physical interaction with Btk. Together, these data suggest that Btk restrains the priming of neutrophils and modulates their production of ROS to prevent death by apoptosis. F. Honda, H. Kano, H. Kanegane, S. Nonoyama, E. -S. Kim, S. -K. Lee, M. Takagi, S. Mizutani, T. Morio, The kinase Btk negatively regulates the production of reactive oxygen species and stimulation-induced apoptosis in human neutrophils. Nat. Immunol. 13, 369–378 (2012). [PubMed]
Seed Quality Parameters of Soybean (Glycine Max. L.) As Influenced by Seed Treating Fungicides and Botanicals and Packing Materials

The cultivated species “Glycine max. L”. belongs to family Leguminosae. It is one of the largest and most useful plant families consisting of 17,000 species and 650 genera distributed throughout the world. Soybean is an important oil seed crop is listed in poor stores. It loses viability rapidly under warm and humid storage conditions. The quality of soybean seed is easily decreased so that it is difficult to keep them for a long time. In the present study, freshly harvested Soybean seeds of variety “JS-9560” were collected from Krishi Vigyan Kendra Ujjain. The seeds were treated with Castor oil (5ml/kg), Captan (3g/kg), Vitavex (3g/kg) and Control (Untreated) stored in Cloth bags and high density perforated polybags (To allow respiration to seeds) for 3-6 months under ambient conditions at MVM Ujjain. The results indicated that the seeds treated with Captan recorded significantly higher germination (80.41%) and lower moisture content (8.84%). Data also revealed that Cloth bags recorded maximum germination (78.55%), Vigour index (2600) and moisture content (10.06%) at the end of 6-month storage period.
Dynamic distribution modelling : predicting the present from the past

Confidence in projections of the future distributions of species requires demonstration that recently-observed changes could have been predicted adequately. Here we use a dynamic model framework to demonstrate that recently-observed changes at the expanding northern boundaries of three British butterfly species can be predicted with good accuracy. Previous work established that the distributions of the study species currently lag behind climate change, and so we presumed that climate is not currently a major constraint at the northern range margins of our study species. We predicted 1970–2000 distribution changes using a colonisation model, MIGRATE, superimposed on a high-resolution map of habitat availability. Thirty-year rates and patterns of distribution change could be accurately predicted for each species (κ goodness-of-fit of models >0.64 for all three species, corresponding to >83% of grid cells correctly assigned), using a combination of individual species traits, species-specific habitat associations and distance-dependent dispersal. Sensitivity analyses showed that population productivity was the most important determinant of the rate of distribution expansion (variation in dispersal rate was not studied because the species are thought to be similar in dispersal capacity), and that each species’ distribution prior to expansion was critical in determining the spatial pattern of the current distribution. In future, modelling approaches that combine climate suitability and spatially-explicit population models, incorporating demographic variables and habitat availability, are likely to be valuable tools in projecting species’ responses to climatic change and hence in anticipating management to facilitate species’ dispersal and persistence.
Specific induced responses to different predator species in anuran larvae

Models of defence against multiple enemies predict that specialized responses to each enemy should evolve only under restrictive conditions. Nevertheless, tadpoles of Rana temporaria can differentiate among several predator species. Small tadpoles used a refuge when Notonecta backswimmers were in the pond, but showed a weaker hiding response to adult Triturus alpestris newts and no response to aeshnid dragonfly larvae (Aeshna and Anax). All predators caused a decline in feeding and swimming activity. Large tadpoles reserved the strongest behavioural response for dragonflies, while Triturus caused no response. The shift during development suggests that tadpoles distinguished among predators, rather than exhibiting a graded dosage response to a single cue associated with predation. Information on habitat distributions of predators suggests that they are regularly encountered, which would facilitate evolution of adaptive behavioural responses. Morphological responses to all predators were similar, perhaps because similar morphologies defend against all four predators. The evolutionary maintenance of specialized responses to multiple predators may be possible because adaptive responses do not conflict and the predators themselves do not interact strongly.
The conceptual framework for the quality of life urban village inhabitants' assessment

The conceptual framework is a process that determines the direction of the research. There are few elements that have been selected and being considered as focus on the process of analysis in the research. Here, researcher has developed the special conceptual framework for the quality of life of urban village inhabitants’ assessment, which is divided into three stages process involving the input stage, the community assessment process, and the output. Through literature review in the input stage, researcher started with the components of environment influence on the human. The environment element has its own influence together with providing opportunities which are able to attract people to adapt to the environment. In the evaluation process stage, researcher tries to combine objectives (requirements) and subjective (well-being) indicators of life’s quality, to see the interaction of influence with both indicators. Empirical research of perception will be performed to find out evidences, on how far both indicators interact and complement each other. The attractions and capabilities factors such as local cultures, beliefs and traditional practices are also being studied that probably influence the rate of outside migration, the influx of rural migrants, local activities as well as the establishment of local associations. Eventually, the (output) will produce the actual status quality of life of urban village inhabitants and also provide insights to what extent different levels of urban could influence the status of urban village inhabitants, and how far the status of quality of life of urban village inhabitants more focused on specific indicators by different stages of urbanization. Hopefully, the results could be used as a foundation in assessing the quality of life of urban village inhabitant as a whole. These are important for the local authorities, the government and the developer to realize that the existence of urban village community before considering any decision, whether plans and policies at local or national level.
A new delimitation of the genera Coronilla, Hippocrepis, and Securigera. (Fabaceae)

A detailed morphological analysis of all species recognized in Coronilla, Hippocrepis and Securigera has been performed, revealing that the genera are quite distinct. It is also shown that a considerable number of species, traditionally referred to Coronilla, should be placed in Securigera and one species in Hippocrepis
Ontogeny and Tissue Distribution of Human GAD Expression

One of the major β-cell autoantigens associated with IDDM is GAD. Although GAD expression has been detected in adult islets, transcriptional expression of the GAD genes has not been reported during human pancreatic ontogeny. We therefore analyzed patterns of GAD gene transcription by quantitating the mRNAs encoding both the 65- and 67-kDa isoforms (GAD65 and GAD67, respectively) in human fetal, postnatal, and adult pancreases, as well as in isolated adult islets, and examined their tissue-specific expression. Significant levels of pancreatic GAD65 transcripts were already detected at 13 weeks of gestation and were expressed at higher levels in the fetal and infantile pancreas than in the adult pancreas. Isolated adult pancreatic islets were highly enriched in GAD65 mRNA. In contrast, GAD67 transcripts were not detectable in fetal and postnatal pancreases. In addition to the pancreas, marked GAD expression was detected in the brain, whereas other tissues examined contained either low or undetectable GAD transcripts. Triple immunofluorescent staining of fetal and adult pancreases revealed colocalization of GAD65 with α- and β-cells. In the fetal pancreas, strong immunoreactivity for GAD65 was also evident in epithelial cells, which lacked expression of insulin or glucagon, some of which were present in the ductal epithelium, suggesting that GAD65 expression might correlate with endocrine determination. In summary, 1) this is the first demonstration of GAD65 expression in the human fetal pancreas, implicating a potential role during islet development, and 2) GAD65 may be a useful marker for the identification of primitive islet cells.
How does timing of browsing affect above- and below-ground growth of Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Sorbus aucuparia?

Plant responses to browsing can affect root and shoot morphology, which is important to subsequent herbivory, nutrient acquisition and competition. This paper examines the above- and below-ground responses of three browse species, with different growth strategies, to simulated browsing damage at different times of year. Saplings were grown in pots in sand culture to enable whole sapling analysis. At winter dormancy or budburst, 50% of previous year's shoots (and associated leaves/buds) were clipped. Subsequent sapling growth and morphology was compared with that of unclipped control saplings. Treatment differences in growth parameters of each species were observed, including changes in branching patterns, shoot lengths, diameters and ratios, leaf sizes and end-of-season bud numbers. Some responses were damage-induced per se; others differed according to timing of damage. Compensatory growth by the two deciduous species (Betula pendula, Sorbus aucuparia) resulted in few biomass differences by the end of the year of damage as compared to controls, but both above- and below-ground growth of clipped Pinus sylvestris was poor, particularly those damaged at budburst, giving strong differences between control, dormant, and budburst clipped saplings.