Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nasonia vitripennis venom causes targeted gene expression changes in its fly host

Parasitoid wasps are diverse and ecologically important insects that use venom to modify their host's metabolism for the benefit of the parasitoid's offspring. Thus, the effects of venom can be considered an ‘extended phenotype’ of the wasp. The model parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis has approximately 100 venom proteins, 23 of which do not have sequence similarity to known proteins. Envenomation by N. vitripennis has previously been shown to induce developmental arrest, selective apoptosis and alterations in lipid metabolism in flesh fly hosts. However, the full effects of Nasonia venom are still largely unknown. In this study, we used high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) to characterize global changes in Sarcophaga bullata (Diptera) gene expression in response to envenomation by N. vitripennis. Surprisingly, we show that Nasonia venom targets a small subset of S. bullata loci, with ~2% genes being differentially expressed in response to envenomation. Strong upregulation of enhancer of split complex genes provides a potential molecular mechanism that could explain the observed neural cell death and developmental arrest in envenomated hosts. Significant increases in antimicrobial peptides and their corresponding regulatory genes provide evidence that venom could be selectively activating certain immune responses of the hosts. Further, we found differential expression of genes in several metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and gluconeogenesis that may be responsible for the decrease in pyruvate levels found in envenomated hosts. The targeting of Nasonia venom effects to a specific and limited set of genes provides insight into the interaction between the ectoparasitoid wasp and its host.
Physico-chemical properties and toxic effect of fruit-ripening agent calcium carbide

Ripening is the final stage of the maturation process, when the fruit changes color, softens and develops the flavor, texture and aroma that constitute optimum eating quality. This study was conducted to discuss the use of unsatisfactory calcium carbide to ripen fruits for domestic markets as well as their toxic effects on human health. The commonly used ripening agents are calcium carbide, acetylene, ethylene, propylene, ethrel (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid), glycol, ethanol and some other agents. The calcium carbide is one of the most commonly used ripening agent for fruits, while other calcium salts like calcium ammonium nitrate, calcium chloride and calcium sulfate are used to delay fruit ripening agents for local fruit industries. The use of calcium carbide is being discouraged worldwide, due to associated health hazards. Calcium carbide treatment of food is extremely hazardous because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous, and once dissolved in water, it produces acetylene gas. Arsenic, phosphorous and acetylene gas may affect the different body organs and causes various health problems like headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, sleepiness, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral edema, seizures and prolonged hypoxia.
Adjustment of Pedometers to Make Them More Valid in Assessing Running

Verschuur, R. , and H.C. G. Kemper. Adjustment of Pedo-meters to Make Them More Valid in Assessing Running. mt. J. Sports Medicine. Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 95—97, 1980. To increase the validity of pedometers in assessing the energy expenditure of walking and running activities, then sensitivity was reduced to a level where normal walking (up to 6 km• h1) would no longer be registered and running (from 6 km• h' on) would. Actual step rate on a treadmill and scores on two types of mechanical pedometers (German and Russian), attached to the waist, were compared in boys 12 to 18 years of age. In walking at 4 and 6 km h', actual step rate is largely under-estimated, deviations ranging from 83 % to 98 % (SD varying from 7.0 to 24.7). In running, actual step rate is accurately measured with deviations ranging from +1.9% to —2.4% (SD varying from 1.6 to 8.6). The two types of pedometers show identical results. It can be concluded that pedometers reduced in sensitivity do not register during walking with normal speed. However, they do reflect actual step rate during running fairly well.
Interference analysis of 3G/ad hoc integrated network

A C3G-A network integrating the 3G network and the ad hoc network is proposed. In such C3G-A network, 3G and ad hoc networks adopt the same frequency bands, which result in additional interference for each other. In this study, an interference model of the C3G-A network is presented. Based on this model, the effects of the interference on network capacity are analysed. Meanwhile, the corresponding formulae of network capacity are deduced. It is observed from extensive simulation and numerical analysis that network capacity is seriously affected by the additional interference. In order to suppress the effects of the additional interference, an algorithm based on distance (ABD) is proposed so as to decrease the additional interference and maximise network capacity. The simulation results show that the ABD algorithm can effectively overcome the effects of the additional interference and approximate network capacity in the 3G network and the ad hoc network with different frequency bands.
On channel estimation of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing amplify-and-forward cooperative relaying systems

This study investigates channel estimation for amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems. For a two-hop relaying system, channel estimation of a relay path (source-relay-destination) with AF relaying is unique because both individual source-to-relay (S-R) and relay-to-destination (R-D) links are necessary at the destination to perform the optimum combination of signals received from the direct path (source-to-destination) and relay path if employing a cooperative diversity transmission. Until now, most literature about channel estimation on relaying systems has focused on the composite channel of the relay path, and not its individual links. Current methods to separate the estimation of both individual links require the relay to either deliver a quantised version of the S-R link estimate through an independent feed-forward channel, or to perform discrete Fourier transform/inverse discrete Fourier transform operations before amplifying the received signals. In this study, the respective channel estimations are done at the destination. First, the destination utilises a relay amble (R-amble) to obtain channel estimation of the R-D link. Next, exploiting the R-D link estimate, a maximum-likelihood estimator is proposed for the S-R link in a decision-directed (DD) way. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme out performs the current relay-assisted methods in most circumstances. In addition, numerical results reveal that the mean-square error can be significantly reduced in a DD way for symbol error rates of interest.
Reticulate evolution and sea‐level fluctuations together drove species diversification of slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum) in South‐East Asia

South‐East Asia covers four of the world's biodiversity hotspots, showing high species diversity and endemism. Owing to the successive expansion and contraction of distribution and the fragmentation by geographical barriers, the tropical flora greatly diversified in this region during the Tertiary, but the evolutionary tempo and mode of species diversity remain poorly investigated. Paphiopedilum, the largest genus of slipper orchids comprising nearly 100 species, is mainly distributed in South‐East Asia, providing an ideal system for exploring how plant species diversity was shaped in this region. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of this genus with eight cpDNA regions and four low‐copy nuclear genes. Discordance between gene trees and network analysis indicates that reticulate evolution occurred in the genus. Ancestral area reconstruction suggests that vicariance and long‐distance dispersal together led to its current distribution. Diversification rate variation was detected and strongly correlated with the species diversity in subg. Paphiopedilum (~80 species). The shift of speciation rate in subg. Paphiopedilum was coincident with sea‐level fluctuations in the late Cenozoic, which could have provided ecological opportunities for speciation and created bridges or barriers for gene flow. Moreover, some other factors (e.g. sympatric distribution, incomplete reproductive barriers and clonal propagation) might also be advantageous for the formation and reproduction of hybrid species. In conclusion, our study suggests that the interplay of reticulate evolution and sea‐level fluctuations has promoted the diversification of the genus Paphiopedilum and sheds light into the evolution of Orchidaceae and the historical processes of plant species diversification in South‐East Asia.
Knowledge and practices of folate and multivitamin supplementation among Jordanian pregnant women

The objectives of this study conducted with women in Irbid, Jordan were to describe maternal folate knowledge and sources of this knowledge; to describe maternal practices of using vitamin supplements; and to examine the impact of selected variables on the use of folate supplement. A descriptive retrospective survey design was used. A convenience sample of 300 women was recruited from the Princess Badia Teaching Hospital. Data were collected using a self-report Maternal Nutritional Knowledge and Behaviour Questionnaire. Among study participants, 58.3% reported that they had heard or read about folic acid and 53.7% reported that they had heard or read that taking folic acid can help prevent some birth defects. The most frequent source of folate knowledge was a doctor, nurse or health care provider (37.7%). Seventy-seven per cent were users of multivitamins and 58.3% were users of folic acid. The significant predictors of lower folate use were less prenatal care, lower education level and higher number of previous pregnancies, p = 0.000. The results of this study indicate that further effort is needed in Jordan to educate women about the importance of taking prenatal vitamins, especially folic acid.
The southwestern Carpathians as an ancient centre of diversity of freshwater gammarid amphipods: insights from the Gammarus fossarum species complex

Gammarus fossarum is a diverse species complex of epigean freshwater amphipods throughout Europe. Due to their poor dispersal capabilities and ubiquity, these crustaceans may serve as a model for investigating the influence of historical factors on the contemporary distribution and diversity patterns of freshwater macrozoobenthos. Here, we investigate the fine‐scale phylogeographic structure of this complex across its range in the southwestern Carpathian Mountains, which comprises two areas that are geographically isolated from its main European distribution area as well as from each other. Given the Tertiary age of many freshwater Gammarus species, we hypothesize that the southwestern Carpathian populations reflect a relict distribution pattern. We used two mitochondrial and three nuclear markers from 32 localities to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and estimate the timings of divergence among southwestern Carpathian and non‐Carpathian lineages. Cryptic diversity was evaluated from mitochondrial markers by employing phylogenetic and distance‐based methods. We distinguished at least 16 cryptic microendemic taxa, some of them coexisting, distributed in the southwestern Carpathians in a mosaic‐like pattern. These lineages form a monophyletic group together with several lineages from southeastern Europe. Estimated divergence times indicate a Middle Miocene origin of this clade, with many deep splits dating back to more than 10 Ma. This time frame corresponds with a period of intense geological subsidence in the region that gave birth to the Pannonian Basin. We conclude that subsidence could have been an important driver of diversification in freshwater Gammarus and that the southwestern Carpathians represent an ancient centre of diversity for these crustaceans.
Acidiphilium iwatense sp. nov., isolated from an acid mine drainage treatment plant, and emendation of the genus Acidiphilium.

Several strains of aerobic, acidophilic, chemo-organotrophic bacteria belonging to the genus Acidiphilium were isolated from an acid mine drainage (AMD) (pH 2.2) treatment plant. 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons showed that most of the novel isolates formed a phylogenetically coherent group (designated Group Ia) distinguishable from any of the previously established species of the genus Acidiphilium at <98% similarity. This was supported by genomic DNA-DNA hybridization assays. The Group Ia isolates were characterized phenotypically by an oval cell morphology, non-motility, growth in the range pH 2.0-5.5 (optimum pH 3.5), lack of photosynthetic pigment and the presence of C19:0 cyclo ω8c as the main component of the cellular fatty acids and ubiquinone-10 as the major quinone. On the basis of these data, the name Acidiphilium iwatense sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate the Group Ia isolates, and the description of the genus Acidiphilium is emended. The type strain of Acidiphilium iwatense sp. nov. is MS8(T) ( =NBRC 107608(T)=KCTC 23505(T)).
Number of tunable wavelength converters and internal wavelengths needed for cost-effective design of asynchronous optical packet switching system with shared or output fibre delay line buffer

Optical packet switching (OPS) is being considered as one of the switching technologies for a future optical internet. For contention resolution in an optical packet switching (OPS) system, the wavelength dimension is generally used in combination with a fibre delay line (FDL) buffer. In this study, the authors propose to reduce the number of tunable wavelength converters (TWCs) by sharing TWCs for cost-effective design of an asynchronous OPS system with a shared or an output FDL buffer. Asynchronous and variable-length packets are considered in the OPS system design. To investigate the number of TWCs needed for the OPS system, an algorithm is proposed, which searches for an available TWC and an unused internal wavelength, as well as an outgoing channel. This algorithm is applied to an OPS system with a shared or an output FDL buffer. Also, the number of internal wavelengths (i.e. the conversion range of the TWC) needed for an asynchronous OPS system is presented for cost reduction of the OPS system.
Flaviramulus aquimarinus sp. nov., isolated from seawater.

A yellow-coloured, rod-shaped, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative and facultative anaerobic bacterium, designated KYW499(T), was isolated from seawater collected at Suncheon Bay, Republic of Korea. The isolate required sea salts for growth. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of total) were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH. The main polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and two unidentified polar lipids. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-6. The genomic DNA G+C content was 31.7 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain KYW499(T) belonged to the family Flavobacteriaceae, and was related to the genus Flaviramulus. Data from a polyphasic taxonomy study suggested that the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Flaviramulus, for which the name Flaviramulus aquimarinus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KYW499(T) ( = KCTC 23924(T) = JCM 18274(T)).
Seascape drivers of Macrocystis pyrifera population genetic structure in the northeast Pacific

At small spatial and temporal scales, genetic differentiation is largely controlled by constraints on gene flow, while genetic diversity across a species' distribution is shaped on longer temporal and spatial scales. We assess the hypothesis that oceanographic transport and other seascape features explain different scales of genetic structure of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera. We followed a hierarchical approach to perform a microsatellite‐based analysis of genetic differentiation in Macrocystis across its distribution in the northeast Pacific. We used seascape genetic approaches to identify large‐scale biogeographic population clusters and investigate whether they could be explained by oceanographic transport and other environmental drivers. We then modelled population genetic differentiation within clusters as a function of oceanographic transport and other environmental factors. Five geographic clusters were identified: Alaska/Canada, central California, continental Santa Barbara, California Channel Islands and mainland southern California/Baja California peninsula. The strongest break occurred between central and southern California, with mainland Santa Barbara sites forming a transition zone between the two. Breaks between clusters corresponded approximately to previously identified biogeographic breaks, but were not solely explained by oceanographic transport. An isolation‐by‐environment (IBE) pattern was observed where the northern and southern Channel Islands clustered together, but not with closer mainland sites, despite the greater distance between them. The strongest environmental association with this IBE pattern was observed with light extinction coefficient, which extends suitable habitat to deeper areas. Within clusters, we found support for previous results showing that oceanographic connectivity plays an important role in the population genetic structure of Macrocystis in the Northern hemisphere.
Tracking the progression of speciation: variable patterns of introgression across the genome provide insights on the species delimitation between progenitor–derivative spruces (Picea mariana × P. rubens)

The genic species concept implies that while most of the genome can be exchanged somewhat freely between species through introgression, some genomic regions remain impermeable to interspecific gene flow. Hence, interspecific differences can be maintained despite ongoing gene exchange within contact zones. This study assessed the heterogeneous patterns of introgression at gene loci across the hybrid zone of an incipient progenitor–derivative species pair, Picea mariana (black spruce) and Picea rubens (red spruce). The spruce taxa likely diverged in geographic isolation during the Pleistocene and came into secondary contact during late Holocene. A total of 300 SNPs distributed across the 12 linkage groups (LG) of black spruce were genotyped for 385 individual trees from 33 populations distributed across the allopatric zone of each species and within the zone of sympatry. An integrative framework combining three population genomic approaches was used to scan the genomes, revealing heterogeneous patterns of introgression. A total of 23 SNPs scattered over 10 LG were considered impermeable to introgression and putatively under diverging selection. These loci revealed the existence of impermeable genomic regions forming the species boundary and are thus indicative of ongoing speciation between these two genetic lineages. Another 238 SNPs reflected selectively neutral diffusion across the porous species barrier. Finally, 39 highly permeable SNPs suggested ancestral polymorphism along with balancing selection. The heterogeneous patterns of introgression across the genome indicated that the speciation process between black spruce and red spruce is young and incomplete, albeit some interspecific differences are maintained, allowing ongoing species divergence even in sympatry. The approach developed in this study can be used to track the progression of ongoing speciation processes.
Transcriptional variation associated with cactus host plant adaptation in Drosophila mettleri populations

Although the importance of host plant chemistry in plant–insect interactions is widely accepted, the genetic basis of adaptation to host plants is not well understood. Here, we investigate transcriptional changes associated with a host plant shift in Drosophila mettleri. While D. mettleri is distributed mainly throughout the Sonoran Desert where it specializes on columnar cacti (Carnegiea gigantea and Pachycereus pringleii), a population on Santa Catalina Island has shifted to chemically divergent coastal prickly pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis). We compared gene expression of larvae from the Sonoran Desert and Santa Catalina Island when reared on saguaro (C. gigantea), coastal prickly pear and laboratory food. Consistent with expectations based on the complexity and toxicity of cactus relative to laboratory food, within‐population comparisons between larvae reared on these food sources revealed transcriptional differences in detoxification and other metabolic pathways. The majority of transcriptional differences between populations on the cactus hosts were independent of the rearing environment and included a disproportionate number of genes involved in processes relevant to host plant adaptation (e.g. detoxification, central metabolism and chemosensory pathways). Comparisons of transcriptional reaction norms between the two populations revealed extensive shared plasticity that likely allowed colonization of coastal prickly pear on Santa Catalina Island. We also found that while plasticity may have facilitated subsequent adaptive divergence in gene expression between populations, the majority of genes that differed in expression on the novel host were not transcriptionally plastic in the presumed ancestral state.
Fossilized Teeth as a New Robust and Reproducible Standard for Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography

A clinical need exists for a cheap and efficient standard for polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). We utilize prehistoric fossilized teeth from the Megalodon shark and European horse as an unconventional, yet robust standard. Given their easy accessibility and the microstructural consistency conferred by the process of fossilization, they provide a means of calibration to reduce error from sources such as catheter bending and temperature changes. We tested the maximum difference in birefringence values in each tooth and found the fossilized teeth to be fast and repeatable. The results were compared to measurements from bovine meniscus, tendon, and destroyed tendon, which were verified with histology.
Osteossíntese das fraturas diafisárias da criança com hastes intramedulares flexíveis

The treatment of some fractures in children has changed over the last years aiming at improving results, shortening the time of physical limitation, and meeting family expectations. This is particularly true when long bone shaft fractures are involved and when treatment is carried out with elastic nails. This technique carries low morbidity, respects the biology and the biomechanics of the reparative process and allows secondary healing with osseous callus formation. Nevertheless, the technique requires adequate surgical implants, proper instruments and trained surgeons, since complications are related mainly to technical pitfalls. The technique has been used for the following bones: femur, radius and ulna, tibia and humerus. The objective of the present update was to review and to analyze the literature so as to present basic information about the treatment of diaphyseal fractures of some long bones of children with flexible nails.