Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein and mineral content of a novel collection of wild and weedy common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

Protein and total calcium, iron, and zinc were determined in 70 accessions of wild and weedy common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) from different sites in two Mexican states (Jalisco and Durango). Protein digestibility, essential amino acid profiles, tannins, phytic acid and extractable iron were determined in selected accessions. The phytate/zinc and the phytate (calcium/zinc) molar ratios were also determined as predictors of zinc bioavailability. For comparative purposes, two cultivated common beans were included. The wild and weedy beans contained more protein and similar protein digestibility compared with cultivated samples. The contents of sulfur amino acids were low in all samples; additionally, beans from Jalisco had higher contents of sulfur amino acids than cultivated ones. Beans from Durango showed higher leucine, valine and aromatic amino acids contents than cultivated beans. Some wild and weedy beans from Jalisco and Durango showed high contents of calcium (7470 mg kg ˇ1 ), iron (280 mg kg ˇ1 ), and zinc (33.1 mg kg ˇ1 ). The phytic acid (calcium/zinc) molar ratios of some wild and weedy beans were similar to those of cultivated beans. Amounts of extractable iron were in the order of 26-74%. # 2000 Society of Chemical Industry
La frugivorie opportuniste de trois Marsupiaux Didelphidés de Guyane

The diet of three sympatric species of Didelphid Marsupials from French Guiana bas been investigated . AH these animais have a mixed diet (frugivorous and insectivorous), a difference in the proportion of fruits between the arboreal species Coluromys philonder (75 %) and the two terrestrial-arboreal species . Philonder opossum and Didelphis morsupiolis (50 %), being however noticeable. These Didelphids eat a wide variety of fruit species, which share few common characteristics , except that all of them have a fleshy pulp, with a high percentage of water, completely unprotected or protected in a way easy to overcome . The species consumed may have small or large fruits , with a bright or dull (cryptic) color . The shape of the fruit does not seem to be of great importance . The pulp may be rich in sugars or lipids, but is rather poor in total nitrogen, a nutrient these marsupials find in the animal prey the consume . These Didelphids have an opportunistic frugivorous diet , without any obvious mutualistic relation with vegetation. Nevertheless fruits are essential for them during lactation, the sugars they contain helping the females to cover their increased energy needs during this period
REACTIONS OF NONSUSCEPTS TO FUNGAL PATHOGENS

A nonsuscept is traditionally defined as a plant in which the growth of a particular plant pathogen, even in the appropriate tissue, is far less than in a susceptible host; usually this restriction in fungal growth is accompanied by a lack of sporulation. Using this definition, it becomes clear that most higher plants are nonsuscepts for most fungal plant pathogens. Nonsuscept­ ibility (used here as synonymous with resistance) to pathogenesis is usually shown by all individuals of a plant species, and this species is regarded as a "nonhost" for the fungus concerned. However, nonsuscepts may also be found among varieties and cultivars of what is considered the host plant although this nonsusceptibility may be shown only toward certain races of the pathogen. In nonsusceptible hosts and nonhosts, resistance to pathogenesis usually is accompanied by some detectable reaction of the plant. Such reactions have been described in many reviews (e.g. 1, 17,48,78,79,80,87,146, 149, 150), but the most recent of these have tended to provide detailed discussion of only one type of response. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to provide an overview of the topic, with emphasis on investigations carried out in the last five to ten years; for comprehensive summaries of earlier work the reader is referred to the excellent reviews by Tomiyama (146) and Kuc (79). The reactions discussed below are primarily those of the nonsuscept which differ from those elicited by the same pathogen in its susceptible host; however, the definition of a nonsuscept implies nothing about the absolute degree of vegetative fungal growth or the type of plant response. Since the term depends on the corresponding definition of susceptibility, situations
Effect of farmyard manure, phosphorus and phosphate solubilizing bacteria on nodulation, growth and yield of kabuli chickpea

A field experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during rabi 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 to study the effect of farmyard manure (FYM) (0 and 5 t/ha), phosphorus (0, 20 and 40 kg P2O5/ha) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) inoculation (uninoculated and inoculated) on the growth and grain yield of kabuli chickpea. Inoculation with PSB (Pseudomonas sp.) improved dry weight of nodules by 11.5% over no PSB. FYM improved dry weight of nodules significantly by 14.1% over no FYM application. Application of 20 kg P2O5/ha and 40 kg P2O5/ha improved nodulation significantly over no application of phosphorus however, the difference among these treatment was non-significant. The application of FYM increased the grain yield significantly in all three years of the study. The increase over no FYM application was 9.50%. Application of 20 kg P2O5/ha increased the grain yield significantly over no phosphorus application and further increase in phosphorus to 40 kg P2O5/ha was not economical. PSB inoculation improved the grain yield in one year only. The results show that applications of 5 t FYM and 20 kg P2O5/ha are essential for obtaining high grain yields as well as net returns of kabuli chickpea.
A Search for Ligninolytic Peroxidases in the FungusPleurotus eryngii Involving α-Keto-γ-Thiomethylbutyric Acid and Lignin Model Dimers

ABSTRACT Because there is some controversy concerning the ligninolytic enzymes produced by Pleurotus species, ethylene release from α-keto-γ-thiomethylbutyric acid (KTBA), as described previously for Phanerochaete chrysosporium lignin peroxidase (LiP), was used to assess the oxidative power ofPleurotus eryngii cultures and extracellular proteins. Lignin model dimers were used to confirm the ligninolytic capabilities of enzymes isolated from liquid and solid-state fermentation (SSF) cultures. Three proteins that oxidized KTBA in the presence of veratryl alcohol and H2O2 were identified (two proteins were found in liquid cultures, and one protein was found in SSF cultures). These proteins are versatile peroxidases that act on Mn2+, as well as on simple phenols and veratryl alcohol. The two peroxidases obtained from the liquid culture were able to degrade a nonphenolic β-O-4 dimer, yielding veratraldehyde, as well as a phenolic dimer which is not efficiently oxidized by P. chrysosporium peroxidases. The former reaction is characteristic of LiP. The third KTBA-oxidizing peroxidase oxidized only the phenolic dimer (in the presence of Mn2+). Finally, a fourth Mn2+-oxidizing peroxidase was identified in the SSF cultures on the basis of its ability to oxidize KTBA in the presence of Mn2+. This enzyme is related to the Mn-dependent peroxidase of P. chrysosporium because it did not exhibit activity with veratryl alcohol and Mn-independent activity with dimers. These results show that P. eryngii produces three types of peroxidases that have the ability to oxidize lignin but lacks a typical LiP. Similar enzymes (in terms of N-terminal sequence and catalytic properties) are produced by other Pleurotus species. Some structural aspects of P. eryngii peroxidases related to the catalytic properties are discussed.
IFN-α and IL-10 Induce the Differentiation of Human Type 1 T Regulatory Cells1

CD4+ T regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cells suppress Ag-specific immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Although IL-10 is critical for the differentiation of Tr1 cells, the effects of other cytokines on differentiation of naive T cells into Tr1 cells have not been investigated. Here we demonstrate that endogenous or exogenous IL-10 in combination with IFN-α, but not TGF-β, induces naive CD4+ T cells derived from cord blood to differentiate into Tr1 cells: IL-10+IFN-γ+IL-2−/lowIL-4−. Naive CD4+ T cells derived from peripheral blood require both exogenous IL-10 and IFN-α for Tr1 cell differentiation. The proliferative responses of the Tr1-containing lymphocyte populations, following activation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 mAbs, were reduced. Similarly, cultures containing Tr1 cells displayed reduced responses to alloantigens via a mechanism that was partially mediated by IL-10 and TGF-β. More importantly, Tr1-containing populations strongly suppressed responses of naive T cells to alloantigens. Collectively, these results show that IFN-α strongly enhances IL-10-induced differentiation of functional Tr1 cells, which represents a first major step in establishing specific culture conditions to generate T regulatory cells for biological and biochemical analysis, and for cellular therapy to induce peripheral tolerance in humans.
Potential for Biological Control of Plant Diseases on the Phylloplane

The surfaces of aerial plant parts provide a habitat for epiphytic micro­ organisms, many of which are capable of influencing the growth of patho­ gens. Evidence will be discussed that these saprophytic organisms play an important part in reducing incidence of foliar diseases on crops in the field. Biological control on foliar surfaces of herbaceous parts of plants will be primarily considered here, with only occasional reference to woody parts of plants. Control of pathogens by saprophytic organisms will be empha­ sized; the use of virulent or avirulent strains of pathogens will not be considered. The relationship of epiphytic microorganisms to plant disease has been previously discussed by Leben (73). To devise ways of enhancing the antagonistic effects of foliar microorgan­ isms against pathogens it is necessary to understand something of the nature of their specialized microhabitat, usually referred to as the phyllosphere (71, 1 13) or phylloplane ( 14, 34, 10 1). The activity of both saprophytes and pathogens on leaves is dependent on the microclimatological conditions at the plant surface as well as on the chemical environment (13). Various morphological features on the surfaces
Detecting protein dissimilarities in multiple alignments using

Motivation: We present an application of Bayesian variable selection to the novel detection of sequence elements that confer negative design to protein structure and function. As an illustration, we analyze the different dimer interfaces between the CXCL8 chemokine family with the CCL4 and CCL2 chemokine families to discover the changes that disfavor CXCL8 of quaternary structure. Results: In comparison with known experimental results, our method identifies evolutionarily conserved sequence changes in the CC families that inhibit CXCL8 quaternary structure. Therefore, we find positive selection of negative design elements. Furthermore, our approach predicts that a two-residue deletion conserved in the CCL4 chemokine family disfavors CXCL8 dimerization.
LOW-FREQUENCY VOCALIZATIONS BY CASSOWARIES (CASUARIUS SPP.)

Abstract Although some birds can detect wavelengths in the infrasound range, there has been litle evidence that birds produce very low frequencies. We made nine recordings of a captive Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius benneti) and one recording of a wild Southern Cassowary (C. casuarius) near Crater Mountain, Papua New Guinea. Both species produced sounds near the floor of the human hearing range in their pulsed booming notes: down to 32 Hz for C. casuarius and 23 Hz in C. benneti. Recordings of C. benneti indicate four levels of harmonics with the 23 Hz fundamental frequency. Such low frequencies are probably ideal for communication among widely dispersed, solitary cassowaries in dense rainforest. The discovery of very low-frequency communication by cassowaries creates new possibilities for studying those extremely secretive birds and for learning more about the evolution of avian vocalizations.
CONSEQUENCES OF MATE SHARING FOR FIRST-MATED FEMALES IN A POLYGYNOUS SONGBIRD, THE HOUSE WREN

Abstract We investigated whether male parental assistance, reproductive output, and overwinter survival differed for female House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) that did and did not have to share their mate's territories with a later-settling female during the nestling stage of breeding. During first breeding attempts of the season, when mate sharing occurred, primary females in polygynous trios and females from monogamous pairs fledged equal numbers of offspring and fledged offspring of similar mass. Rates at which males fed broods of primary females were not significantly different than rates at which males fed broods of monogamous females. Primary females did not make significantly more trips to nests to feed offspring than did monogamous females. In the first year of study, primary females were more likely than monogamous females to attempt a second brood. In the second year of the study, however, primary females tended to be less likely to attempt a second brood, took longer to start such broods, and tended to be less successful in fledging offspring from second broods. This suggests that in some years there may be a delayed cost of mate sharing. Females with primary and monogamous status for first breeding attempts in a particular year were equally likely to return to the study area the next year. Overall, our results indicate that mate sharing does not appear to affect the reproductive output of first mated females in our House Wren population in the first breeding attempts of the season, but may affect output in second attempts (and hence possibly annual and lifetime success), at least in some years.
) gene mutation and overexpression of PSMB5 protein PSMB5 Molecular basis of bortezomib resistance: proteasome subunit ²5 (

and Gerrit Jansen Heijden, Bauke Ylstra, Godefridus J. Peters, Gertjan L. Kaspers, Ben A. C. Dijkmans, Rik J. Scheper Berkers, George L. Scheffer, Kabir Debipersad, Katharina Vojtekova, Clara Lemos, Joost W. van der Ruud Oerlemans, Niels E. Franke, Yehuda G. Assaraf, Jacqueline Cloos, Ina van Zantwijk, Celia R. ) gene mutation and overexpression of PSMB5 protein PSMB5 Molecular basis of bortezomib resistance: proteasome subunit 25 (
Exploring knowledge about microbes living in the extreme environments - the resources review

Extremophiles are organisms that tolerate or require to live the extreme ranges of variation of the environmental factors such as temperature, pH, salinity, concentrations of heavy metals, high hydrostatic pressure, ionizing radiation, ultraviolet, availability of water, light, oxygen, and nutritionally limited environments, etc. Exposure to such diverse factors caused, in the light of evolutionary changes, the appearence of many biochemical adaptations. In most cases, extremophiles are unicellular organisms belonging to the Archaea domain, but there are also representatives of other domains (Bacteria, Eucaryota) and multicellular organisms. The diversity of the Internet resources and printed materials (scientific publications) reflect areas of this interest. Special characteristics of extremophiles are of interest to researchers in various fields of biological sciences (astrobiology, ecology, biotechnology, biospeleology). The purpose of this article is to review the most representative resources about microorganisms living in extreme environments and indicate the directions of the future research.
PWE-279 The hepatic effects of a high fructose vs a high glucose diet in healthy overweight men

Introduction A high intake of fructose has been implicated in NAFLD aetiology. As the majority of dietary fructose originates from sucrose it remains uncertain if these observations are fructose-specific. Infrequent and inconsistent differences in hepatic metabolism have been shown with a high intake of fructose or glucose, the constituents of sucrose.1 2 There is no prior comparative data in healthy overweight men, and none in the isoenergetic state. Methods 32 healthy, centrally overweight males were randomised to two periods each of 2 weeks of either a high fructose or glucose intake in a non-crossover fashion. Isoenergetic status was maintained by providing foodstuffs during the first period, followed by a 6-week washout and then a second period of ad libitum overfeeding. The sugars contributed 25% of predicted total energy requirements, and were consumed 4 times a day dissolved in water. The primary outcome was hepatic triglyceride content (1H MRS), with further assessments of calf lipid (1H MRS), deuterated glucose hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamps, and indirect calorimetry. Outcomes assessed by Student t test. Results The groups were well matched at study entry. Overall the subjects' mean age was 34 years, BMI 29.4 kg/m2 and daily dose of sugars was 217 g. The changes in the primary measures are shown in the Abstract PWE-279 table 1 below. There were no changes during the energy balanced period. With energy and monosaccharide overfeeding weight, serum triglycerides, liver lipid and biochemistry increased significantly, but to a similar extent in both groups. Further to this the groups did not differ in terms of satiety, whole body oxidative profile, hepatic insulin resistance, calf lipid, or renal function.Abstract PWE-279 Table 1 Energy balance Fructose, mean SD Glucose, mean SD Sig between, groups Weight (kg) Iso −0.26 0.92 0.12 0.70 0.62 Excess 1.03* 1.37 0.57* 1.00 0.29 Hepatic lipid (%) Iso 0.30 2.20 −0.05 2.13 0.65 Excess 1.70* 2.60 2.05* 2.89 0.73 ALT (U/l) Iso −4.0 7.9 −2.9 6.5 0.67 Excess 5.8* 8.7 4.1 9.8 0.62 Triglyceride (mmol/l) Iso −0.07 0.35 0.13 0.74 0.35 Excess 0.36 0.75 0.33** 0.39 0.91 Absolute change in parameters during intervention (*p<0.05, **p<0.01 as compared to baseline values in that group). Conclusion There were no differences between a high fructose and glucose diet in relation to hepatic lipids or biochemistry. The changes during the overfeeding period were strongly associated with changes in weight, reinforcing the interpretation that these were an energy, as opposed to a nutrient, specific effect. Clinical trial registration number NCT01050140. Competing interests None declared. References 1. Stanhope KL, Schwarz JM, Keim NL, et al. Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans. J Clin Invest 2009;119:1322–34. 2. Ngo Sock ET, Lê KA, Ith M, et al. Effects of a short-term overfeeding with fructose or glucose in healthy young males. Br J Nutr 2010;103:939–43.
WHAT’S NEW IN...

Anaesthesia, like all other medical specialities continues to advance, with improvements in the agents used and techniques employed in order to minimise adverse effects to the patient. This review examines some of these advances and looks forward to what the future might hold in other areas. As well as purely technical advances, other facets of anaesthetic service provision are reviewed, paying particular attention to how to provide a high quality service within the constraints of current working time legislation and revalid-ation.
Remnant tree decline in agricultural regions of South Australia.

Agricultural landscapes in southern Australia were once dominated by temperate eucalypt woodlands of which only fragmented patches and scattered trees in paddocks remain. This study focuses on the decline of scattered trees in the Mount Lofty Ranges and South East agricultural regions of South Australia. A combination of digitized aerial photography and satellite imagery was used to extend a previous assessment of decline undertaken in the early 1980s and increase the period over which decline was assessed to 58–72 years. A total of 17 049 scattered trees were counted from the earliest time period assessed over 11 sites of which 6 185 trees were lost by 2008 — a 36 % decline. Recruitment of 2 179 trees during this period was evident. Imagery indicates that clearing for agricultural intensification is the primary cause of the decline. A range of management options and policy settings are required to reverse the decline notwithstanding the challenges of implementation at a landscape scale across privately owned land.
Dinoflagellate Cysts in Recent Sediments from the Southern Coastal Waters of Korea

Abstract Thirty-seven different types of dinoflagellate cysts were recorded in surface sediments, sampled at offshore and inshore stations from the southern coastal waters of Korea. Because of their atypical morphologies, Votadinium calvum, Quinquecuspis concretum, Protoperidinium sp. and two types of Brigantedinium are described and discussed in more detail. The concentrations of dinoflagellate cysts were approximately four times higher at offshore stations than those at inshore stations. This study provides a database on dinoflagellate cyst distribution and composition in the southern coastal waters of Korea, where dinoflagellate cysts have been little studied.
The Evolution of an α-Esterase Pseudogene Inactivated in the Drosophila melanogaster Lineage

Previous analyses of the alpha-esterase cluster of Drosophila melanogaster revealed 10 active genes and the DmalphaE4a-Psi pseudogene. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of the pseudogene from the sequences of 12 alleles from widely scattered D. melanogaster populations and single alleles from Drosophila simulans and Drosophila yakuba. All of the DmalphaE4a-Psi alleles contain numerous inactivating mutations, suggesting that pseudogene alleles are fixed in natural populations. Several lines of evidence also suggest that DmalphaE4a is now evolving without selective constraint in the D. melanogaster lineage. There are three polymorphic indels which result in frameshifts; a key nucleotide of the intron splice acceptor is polymorphic; the neutral mutation parameter is the same for replacement and silent sites; one of the nonsilent polymorphisms results in a stop codon; only 1 of the 13 replacement polymorphisms is biochemically conservative; residues that are conserved among active esterases have different states in DmalphaE4a-Psi; and there are about half as many transitional polymorphisms as transversional ones. In contrast, the D. simulans and D. yakuba orthologs DsalphaE4a and DyalphaE4a do not have the inactivating mutations of DmalphaE4a-Psi and appear to be evolving under the purifying selection typical of protein- encoding genes. For instance, there have been more substitutions in the introns than in the exons, and more in silent sites than in replacement sites. Furthermore, most of the amino acid substitutions that have occurred between DyalphaE4a and DsalphaE4a are located in sites that typically vary among active alpha-esterases rather than those that are usually conserved. We argue that the original alphaE4a gene had a function which it has lost since the divergence of the D. melanogaster and D. simulans lineages.