Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An electrophoretic comparison of the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus Neumann, 1899, with I. cornuatus Roberts, 1960 (Acari : Ixodidae)

An electrophoretic study was conducted on ticks morphologically identified as either Ixodes cornuatus or I. holocyclus from Tasmania and several localities on mainland Australia. Ticks were characterised genetically at 27 enzyme loci encoding 24 enzymes. The extent of genetic divergence (52–69% fixed differences) between ticks from Tasmania and those from the mainland was equivalent to that found between these two groups and two morphologically distinct species, I. hirsti and I. fecialis. The Tasmanian ticks therefore represent a different species from the specimens from the mainland and the electrophoretic data show that the morphological characters currently used to distinguish I. holocyclus from I. cornuatus are inadequate. Genetic heterogeneity was detected in samples from different localities on the mainland. This could represent either population variation, or the existence of cryptic species, but more ticks from these mainland localities need to be examined electrophoretically to resolve this.
Teor de compostos fenólicos e atividade antioxidante em diferentes genótipos de amoreira-preta (Rubus sp.)

Tendo em vista que alguns compostos fenolicos encontrados em amora-preta sao beneficos para a saude humana, este estudo foi conduzido com o proposito de quantificar os teores de compostos fenolicos totais e a atividade antioxidante em diferentes genotipos produzidos por 10 selecoes e 4 cultivares de amoreira-preta com ou sem espinhos. Quanto aos resultados, pode-se observar que, dentre as selecoes e cultivares de amoreira-preta com espinho, a selecao S16/96 apresentou o maior teor de compostos fenolicos e atividade antioxidante. Dentre as selecoes sem espinho, a S17/01 e a S02/96 apresentaram os maiores valores, nao diferindo da S12/01 para a atividade antioxidante. Nao houve diferenca estatistica para os teores de compostos fenolicos totais e atividade antioxidante, quando comparadas entre si as selecoes e as cultivares de amoreira-preta com espinhos. A correlacao entre o teor de compostos fenolicos totais e a atividade antioxidante nas amoras-pretas estudadas e baixa, indicando presenca de outros fitoquimicos e/ou vitaminas que podem influenciar o poder antioxidante.
CHANGES IN THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF SYMBIOTIC ZOOXANTHELLAE (SYMBIODINIUM SP., DINOPHYCEAE) IN FED AND STARVED SEA ANEMONES MAINTAINED UNDER HIGH AND LOW LIGHT 1

The ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium sp., zooxanthellae) in the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida Verrill was examined in well‐fed or starved (up to 120 days) anemones maintained under two light levels (5 and 50 μmol · m−2· s−1). Cell size of zooxanthellae was not affected by feeding history; however, both light and feeding history affected the relative cell volume of chloroplasts, lipids, and vacuoles. Stereological analysis of transmission electron micrographs showed that algae in low‐light starved anemones had 10 times as much lipid (17.4% of cell volume) as those in well‐fed anemones under the same light conditions (1.8%). The lipid content of algae from anemones in high light increased from 15.4% in well‐fed anemones to 30.1% in starved anemones. The starch content of zooxanthellae in low‐light anemones was law (4.1%) and not affected by feeding history, while the starch content of zooxanthellae in high‐light anemones was greater (10.7%), with some differences among groups. Algal photoacclimation to low light included an increase in chloroplast relative volume from 17% (in well‐fed high‐light anemones) to 33% in well‐fed low‐light anemones. Starvation of the host resulted in a significant decrease in chloroplast volume in zooxanthellae in anemones at both light levels. Morphometry provides quantitative confirmation of biochemical and physiological data on zooxanthellae, because the changes in zooxanthellae with starvation of the host are consistent with other indicators of nutrient limitation of zooxanthellae of A. pallida held without food for long periods of time.
An Integral Tilt Derivative Control Strategy for Frequency Control in Multimicrogrid System

The multimicrogrid system is a complicated nonlinear system, which brings performance degradation due to deficient damping under the unexpected fluctuation in power generation due to the presence of renewable sources, dynamically changing loading conditions, and parameter variations. Owing to this, to provide consistent electric power with superlative attribute, sturdy and intelligent control techniques are amazingly imperative in the automatic generation control of microgrid (MG). The application of imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA)-based fractional-order integral proportional derivative with filter (IPDF), i.e., integral tilt derivative with filter controller (ITDF) controller in frequency control in two areas interconnected MG (isolation mode) with renewable penetration, is a novel work. A maiden attempt of the ICA is proposed to optimize the gains of the ITDF controller utilizing the integral time absolute error criterion. To demonstrate the supremacy of ICA, its outcomes are contrasted with two existing optimization strategies, namely the genetic algorithm and the particle swarm optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is revealed by contrasting the dynamic responses of multi microgrid (MMG) with proportional integral derivative with filter (PIDF) and tilt integral derivative with filter (TIDF) controllers. At last, a sensitivity investigation is performed to exhibit the power of the studied strategy to wide variations in the MG parameters, magnitude as well as the location of step/random load disturbance. The proposed MMG is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment.
The occurrence of Orthoreovirus, Rotavirus and chicken anemia virus in chickens of the poultry industry in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Fifty-four fecal samples taken from broiler chickens from 1 to 45 days of age, and of pullets from 10 to 13 weeks of age, original from eight different poultry regions in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were collected from March 2008 to January 2010 for avian Orthoreovirus (ARV) and avian Rotavirus (AvRV) analyses. For the assay of ARV, RNA was immediately extracted (Trizolâ) and transcribed into cDNA for assaying in a nested-PCR with ARV-specific primers. For AvRV, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was performed with RNA extracts obtained by phenol-chloroform extraction. CAV was additionally investigated through a nested-PCR of thymus and spleen. Results found 5.55% positive for ARV and 9.25% for AvRV. Also, CAV and ARV genomes were detected in co-infection, in a highly prostrated and claudicating chicken flock. No ARV or AvRV infections were detected in pullets. Material of a clinically affected flock was inoculated into SPF embryos, resulting in embryonic hemorrhage, whitish foci in the chorio-allantoic membrane and death. Sequencing of ARV amplicons and isolate cDNA grouped local strains with the ARV S1133 strain, historically used in live vaccines, suggesting the continued circulation of this vaccine virus strain in intensive poultry regions. Detection rates for ARV and AvRV, as well as the presence of CAV, were additionally indicative of failing biosecurity strategies for the intensive poultry regions examined.
Relationship between nitrate/nitrite concentration in saliva and oral candidosis

It has previously been claimed that nitrite protects against infections caused by Candida albicans. Nitrate and nitrite are natural constituents of saliva. The aim of the present study was to investigate if patients with oral candidosis have amounts of nitrate and nitrite in their saliva that differ from those of control persons. The study comprised 17 women and 7 men who were allotted to two experimental groups with yeast infection and two control groups with no clinical signs of candidosis. Within both the experimental and the control group one group consisted of dentates, and one group was made up of denture-wearers. In total there were four groups with six patients in each. All participants were examined for oral yeasts by cultivation on a selective medium (CHROMagar Candida) and Gram stain. The isolates were identified after automated reading of ID32C-inoculated test kits (bioMérieux). Four of the participants suffered or had previously suffered from oral cancer. In denture wearers there was no difference in the amount of nitrate and nitrite in patients with yeast infections compared to controls. However, in dentate patients there was a significantly higher amount of both nitrate and nitrite in the saliva compared with controls. Therefore, high levels of nitrate and nitrite may not consistently protect against infections with C. albicans.
Water and Solute Balance in the Transition to Land

Terrestrial crabs are physiologically rather similar to their aquatic relatives, despite their markedly different access to water and ions. They have high evaporation rates and void vital salts in isosmotic urine. Some of them manage to have fairly miserly water and ion budgets, but others succeed despite profligacy. There is no single solution to the challenges of terrestrial life; each pairing of animal and environment must be seen as a system in which a unique suite of behaviors compensates for limited physiological prowess. By exploiting temporal and spatial variability of available microhabitats, each species assembles a “composite habitat” in which it can balance the “debit” sides of its water and ion budgets with the requisite “credits. ”
Soybean Reaction to Races 1 and 2 of Heterodera glycines

Soybean cyst nematode (SON, Heterodera glycines lchinohe) is a serious pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] in the USA and worldwide. A current classification system has designated 16 different races of SON populations. In the Southern USA, SCN Races 1 and 2 are becoming more prevalent. It is important to identify soybean accessions with resistance to these races. The objective of this study was to bioassay 32 soybean plant introductions (PIs) for resistance to SCN Races 1 and 2 together with standard host differentials and a susceptible control. The bioassays were performed for each of the two races during 1997 to 1998 in thermoregulated water baths in the greenhouse. The results indicated that 25 PIs had resistance to Race 1 and 24 PIs had resistance to Race 2. PIs which were resistant to Race 1 and either moderately resistant or moderately susceptible to Race 2 included PIs 468915, 494182, 507354, 507422, and 509100. PIs 467327, 468903, and 507471 were resistant to Race 2 and additionally were either moderately susceptible or moderately resistant to Race 1. Soybean PIs that were yellow seeded and had various levels of resistance to both races included PIs 494182, 507354, 507422, and 507471. These are the most desirable sources for development of soybean cultivars with resistance to SCN Races 1 and 2. These soybean lines are being fingerprinted by means of microsatellites to identify unique types to allow broadening the diversity of resistance gene introgression.
Actividades enzimáticas en aislamientos bacterianos de tractos digestivos de larvas y del contenido de pupas de Automeris zugana y Rothschildia lebeau (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Enzymatic activities of bacteria isolated from the digestive tract of caterpillars and the pupal content of Automeris zugana and Rothschildia lebeau (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). The enzymatic activities of bacteria isolated from the digestive tracts of caterpillars and the pupal contents of Automeris zugana and Rothschildia lebeau was studied. This digestive tract represents an extreme microenvironment due to its high pH and presence of antimicrobial substances secreted by the insect or derived from ingested plant tissue. At the same time, it contains large amounts of nutrient-rich food, for which microbes may compete among themselves and with the caterpillar. There is little information about the microbiota associated with tropical caterpillar guts, although bacteria from different genera have been isolated from gut and pupae samples. The study of the enzy- matic activities generated by these organisms constitutes a starting point to understand their metabolic and physi- ological relationships with their hosts, and to find enzymes that have potential biotechnological applications. In this study we evaluated several enzymatic activities in two collections of bacteria isolated from caterpillar guts and pupae of the tropical lepidopteran species A. zugana and R. lebeau. Bacteria grown under aerobic conditions were tested for an array of enzymes, including gelatinases, caseinases, lipases, esterases, cellulases, xylanases, amylases and chitinases. Both collections displayed similar patterns of enzymatic activity. No isolate showed activity for all enzymatic tests, but as a whole, at least some bacteria in each collection were able to degrade each substrate tested. Isolates with the same taxonomic identification obtained from caterpillar guts and pupae had almost the same enzymatic activities. In both collections, it was possible to group bacterial isolates accord- ing to their enzyme activity pattern. In addition to a heterogeneous ensemble of isolates exhibiting two or less enzymatic activities, there were two groups with at least five activities that showed an apparent specialization for the substrates they were able to use. The first consisted exclusively of isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae, which were positive for lipolytic and chitinolytic activities, but completely lacked amylasic, cellulolytic and xyl - anolytic activities. The second group, composed mainly of Gram-positive rods, exhibited the opposite pattern: they were positive for amylasic, cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities, lacked chitinolytic activity and had few isolates with lipolytic activity. This work forms the foundation for future research to explore the biotechnological potential of bacterial isolates from caterpillar guts. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (2): 401-415. Epub 2007 June, 29.
Flower-visitors, nectar production, and inflorescence size of Asclepias syriaca

Spatial and temporal variation in insect visitation rates are analyzed with respect to nectar production and inflorescence size of Asclepias syriaca L. , the common milkweed. Nectar sugar production peaked in the afternoon and evening but this trend was not paralleled by visitations of native insects (either vectors or thieves). The main pollinia vectors were noctuid moths at night and honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the afternoon. Vector visitation rates were highest at the beginning (native species) or middle (total vectors) of the blooming season, declining markedly toward the end, probably as a result of decreasing frequencies of A. syriaca flowers. Large inflorescences attracted more vectors and more thieves and a higher proportion of all visits were made by vectors but the species composition of visitors did not usually change with inflorescence size. We discuss the possibility that honey bees may provide major 'new' selection pressures on floral display, nectar production patterns, and flowering phen.
Bioelectrosynthetic Conversion of CO2 Using Different Redox Mediators: Electron and Carbon Balances in a Bioelectrochemical System

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems can convert CO2 to acetate and other value-added chemicals using electricity as the reducing power. Several electrochemically active redox mediators can enhance interfacial electron transport between bacteria and the electrode in MES systems. In this study, different redox mediators, such as neutral red (NR), 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (HNQ), and hydroquinone (HQ), were compared to facilitate an MES-based CO2 reduction reaction on the cathode. The mediators, NR and HNQ, improved acetate production from CO2 (165 mM and 161 mM, respectively) compared to the control (without a mediator = 149 mM), whereas HQ showed lower acetate production (115 mM). On the other hand, when mediators were used, the electron and carbon recovery efficiency decreased because of the presence of bioelectrochemical reduction pathways other than acetate production. Cyclic voltammetry of an MES with such mediators revealed CO2 reduction to acetate on the cathode surface. These results suggest that the addition of mediators to MES can improve CO2 conversion to acetate with further optimization in an operating strategy of electrosynthesis processes.
A pilot protocol and review of triple neuroprotection with targeted hypothermia, controlled induced hypertension, and barbiturate infusion during emergency carotid endarterectomy for acute stroke after failed tPA or beyond 24-hour window of opportunity

An alternative to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) failure has been a daunting challenge in ischemic stroke management. As tPA is time-dependent, delays can occur in definitive treatment while passively waiting to observe a clinical response to intravenous thrombolysis. Until today, uncertainty exists in the management strategy of wake-up stroke patients or those presenting beyond the therapeutic tPA window. Clinical dilemmas in these situations can prolong the transitional period of inertia, resulting in an adverse neurological outcome. We propose and review an innovative approach called triple neuro-protection (TNP), which encompasses three technical domains-targeted hypothermia, systemic induced hypertension, and barbiturates infusion, to protect the brain during carotid endarterectomy after failed tPA and/or beyond the 24-hour therapeutic mechanical thrombectomy window. This proposal assimilates discussion on the clinical evidence of the individual domains of TNP with our own clinical experience with TNP. Our first TNP was successfully employed in a 55-year-old man in 2015 while performing emergency carotid endarterectomy after he was referred to us 72 hours post tPA failure. The patient had a successful clinical outcome despite being in therapeutic inertia with 90–99% ipsilateral carotid stenosis and contralateral occlusion on presentation. In the last five years, we have safely used TNP in 25 selected cases with favourable clinical outcomes.
BeefLedger blockchain-credentialed beef exports to China: Early consumer insights

The BeefLedger Export Smart Contracts project is a collaborative research study between BeefLedger Ltd and QUT co-funded by the Food Agility CRC. This project exists to deliver economic value to those involved in the production, export and consumption of Australian beef to China through: (1) reduced information asymmetry; (2) streamlined compliance processes, and; (3) developing and accessing new data-driven value drivers, through the deployment of decentralised ledger technologies and associated governance systems. This report presents early insights from a survey deployed to Chinese consumers in Nov/Dec 2019 exploring attitudes and preferences about blockchain-credentialed beef exports to China. Our results show that most local and foreign consumers were willing to pay more than the reference price for a BeefLedger branded Australian cut and packed Sirloin steak at the same weight. Although considered superior over Chinese processed Australian beef products, the Chinese market were sceptical that the beef they buy was really from Australia, expressing low trust in Australian label and traceability information. Despite lower trust, most survey respondents were willing to pay more for traceability supported Australian beef, potentially because including this information provided an additional sense of safety. Therefore, traceability information should be provided to consumers, as it can add a competitive advantage over products without traceability.
Supplier selection and evaluation in the garment supply chain: an integrated DEA–PCA–VIKOR approach

Abstract Purchasing decisions are playing a key role in business policy. In this regard, product qualities and popularities, company’s reputation and enhancing quick-response are highly dependent on the raw material suppliers’ performance. In garment supply chain, these decisions are based on competitive goals to provide the most customer satisfaction. In this article, quantitative and qualitative decision-making criteria are comprehensively developed to enable the logistician to systematically evaluate and select the suppliers. Then, a three-step integrated approach is proposed to deal with the supplier selection and evaluation problem in the garment industry. In the first phase, the criteria are reduced by maintaining the maximum information and adoption of principal component analysis. In the second phase, the additive model of data envelopment analysis is enhanced by the resultant principal components to determine the efficient suppliers. Finally, the third phase is concerned with ranking of efficient suppliers through Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method as a compromise ranking approach. A numerical study in a garment supply chain is conducted to show the applicability and utility of the model development.
Golgi-localized, γ-ear-containing, arf-binding protein adaptors mediate insulin-responsive trafficking of glucose transporter 4 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Small glucose transporter 4 (Glut4)-containing vesicles represent the major insulin-responsive compartment in fat and skeletal muscle cells. The molecular mechanism of their biogenesis is not yet elucidated. Here, we studied the role of the newly discovered family of monomeric adaptor proteins, GGA (Golgi-localized, γ-ear-containing, Arf-binding proteins), in the formation of small Glut4 vesicles and acquisition of insulin responsiveness in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In these cells, all three GGA isoforms are expressed throughout the differentiation process. In particular, GGA2 is primarily present in trans-Golgi network and endosomes where it demonstrates a significant colocalization with the recycling pool of Glut4. Using the techniques of immunoadsorption as well as glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assay we found that Glut4 vesicles (but not Glut4 per se) interact with GGA via the Vps-27, Hrs, and STAM (VHS) domain. Moreover, a dominant negative GGA mutant inhibits formation of Glut4 vesicles in vitro. To s.
Lossless Compression of Data From Static and Mobile Dynamic Vision Sensors-Performance and Trade-Offs

Dynamic Vision Sensors (DVS) are emerging retinomorphic visual capturing devices, with great advantages over conventional vision sensors in terms of wide dynamic range, low power consumption, and high temporal resolution. The bio-inspired approach of the DVS results in lower data rates than conventional vision sensors. Still, such data can be further compressed. Compression of DVS data is an emerging research area and a detailed performance comparison of different compression strategies for these data is still missing. This paper addresses lossless compression strategies for data output by neuromorphic visual sensors. We compare the performance of a number of strategies, including the only strategy developed specifically for such data and other more generic data compression strategies, tailored here to the case of neuromorphic data. We perform the comparison in terms of compression ratio, as well as compression and decompression speed and latency. Moreover, the compression performance analysis is performed under diverse scenarios including stationary and mobile DVS. According to the detailed experimental analysis, Lempel-Ziv-Markov chain algorithm (LZMA) achieves the best compression ratios among all the considered strategies for the case when the DVS is static. On the other hand, Spike coding achieves the best compression ratios under the scenario when spike events are produced by a sensor in motion. However, both strategies result in low compression speed and high latency which restrict the applications of these strategies in real-time scenarios. The Brotli strategy achieves the best trade-off between compression ratio, speed and latency under static as well as mobile scenarios. We also observe a significant decrease in compression and decompression performance (in terms of ratio, speed and latency) of all the strategies under mobile DVS scenarios.