Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Metarhizium anisopliae on searching, feeding and predation by Orius albidipennis (Hem., Anthocoridae) on Thrips tabaci (Thy., Thripidae) larvae

Abstract The generalist predator Orius albidipennis Reut. (Hem., Anthocoridae) and entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) are important biocontrol agents of Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thys., Thripidae) in most greenhouses. In this study, we estimated searching time, feeding time and predation rate in O. albidipennis feeding on untreated and treated thrips larvae which had been inoculated with three concentrations of M. anisopliae V275 at four time intervals; 0, 24, 48 and 72 h after infestation. Applied concentrations were 1×103, 2×104 and 2×105 conidia/mL which roughly correspond to the LC25, LC50 and LC75 for second instar-larvae. O. albidipennis responded to the presence of the M. anisopliae on the treated hosts by increasing the searching time and decreasing feeding time and predation rate levels. It was also able to detect and avoid treated patches.
EGG SIZE AND SHAPE IN THE KITTIWAKE (RISSA TRIDACTYLA) AND THEIR USE IN ESTIMATING AGE COMPOSITION OF POPULATIONS

The size and shape of kittiwake eggs are influenced by several factors, in particular by the position of the egg in the laying sequence, the breeding experience of the female and a possible inherited effect which tends to make the same female lay similar eggs in successive years. The adult kittiwake becomes larger towards the north of its range (Bergman's Rule) and probably as a consequence of this, the eggs also tend to be larger towards the north. In general, as female kittiwakes become older, their eggs become shorter and broader while the shape index (breadth × 100/length) and volume also tend to increase. These changes become less marked as the birds become older but there is no indication of the breadth and egg volume becoming smaller in older birds although very few birds over eight years of breeding age were studied. It is shown that several Laridae laying clutches of three eggs lay a final egg which differs markedly from the first two in both shape and size. In the Kittiwake, this difference (as nieasured by the variance) increases with age but no such difference occurs in clutches of two eggs. The use of the egg characteristics as a means of determining the age composition of breeding females in populations or colonies is discussed and applied to two colonies of kittiwakes where the age composition was unknown. It is suggested that, according to the species and the clutch size, the shape index and the variance of the breadth within a clutch are probably the most useful characters for such a method.
Metagenomics: seeking for the human gut microbial communities

It has been recognized that human gut microbiome is extensively more complex than traditionally considered. In addition, the metabolic properties of the microbiota prove to be highly important to human physiology. In recent years, a new field to study whole microbial community genomes has emerged: metagenomics. It is based on molecular culture-free techniques to picture the diversity and dynamics of a given microbiota, and although many challenges still await to be solved in this area, most are already being addressed. The final goal to study these communities is to comprehend its dynamics in order to understand multifactorial diseases and improve health while deciphering new gene functions and products. The purpose of this review is to portray the state-of-the-art in gastrointestinal metagenomics.
Neuroanatomy of Aging Brain

The present study was designed to assess the influence of long term L-deprenyl treatment on some microanatomical parameters of aging rat frontal cortex and hippocampus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats of 19 months of age were divided into three groups. Rats of the first group received an oral daily dose of 1.25 mg/kg L-deprenyl; animals of the second group were treated with an oral daily dose of 5 mg/kg L-deprenyl, whereas rats of the third group were left untreated and used as control. Treatment lasted for 5 months, and rats were sacrificed at 24 months. At this age they were considered to be old. Another group of 11-month-old rats was used as an adult reference group. The density of nerve cell profiles and of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactive astrocytes was decreased and increased respectively in the frontal cortex and in the different portions of the hippocampus in old in comparison with adult rats. A decrease in the intensity of sulfide silver staining in the mossy fibers of the hippocampus was also observed in old rats. Moreover, a cytoplasmatic accumulation of lipofuscin was noticeable in old rats as well as a significant increase of the monoamine-oxidase (MAO) B reactivity both in the frontal cortex and in the hippocampus. A higher density of nerve cell profiles, of sulfide silver staining, and fewer astrocyte profiles were noticeable in the frontal cortex and in the hippocampus of old rats treated with 5 mg/kg/day of L-deprenyl. This dose of the compound also significantly reduced lipofuscin accumulation and MAO-B reactivity in old rats. However, the lower dose of the compound did not cause any statistically significant effect on the microanatomical parameters investigated with the exception of sulfide silver staining and lipofuscin accumulation, which were increased and decreased respectively after 1.25 mg/kg per day of L-deprenyl. The above results suggest that long-term treatment with L-deprenyl is able to counter some microanatomical changes typical of the aging frontal cortex and hippocampus in the rat. These changes seem to be in part related to the MAO-B inhibitory activity of L-deprenyl.
91 SPERMATOZOA TELOMERE LENGTH DETERMINES EMBRYONIC TELOMERE LENGTH BEFORE EMBRYONIC GENOME ACTIVATION

A critical issue for species integrity is the existence of a telomere elongation program during embryogenesis that ensures sufficient telomere reserves in mammalian newborns. Two different mechanisms have been reported to act on telomere elongation during early embryogenesis: first, the telomerase, the ribonucleoprotein that adds telomeric repeats onto the chromosome ends, known to be responsible for the telomere lengthening at the morula-blastocyst transition in mice and bovine; second, in laboratory mice strains, mature oocytes increase the length of their relatively short telomeres between the 1-cell and 2-cell stages by a recombination or ALT-like pathway. In contrast, spermatozoa, the terminally differentiated male gametes, exhibit a very long telomere length (TL). The aim of this study was to clarify the potential role of the spermatozoa TL in the telomere lengthening occurring between oocyte and the 2-cell stage. For this purpose, we used 2 mouse species known to differ greatly in their TL [Mus musculus (hybrid C57CBAF1), long TL, and Mus spretus, short TL]. First, we compared relative TL in sperm samples from 5 age-matched males of each species by quantitative real-time PCR, with the numbers of telomere repeats being normalized, to the amount of DNA present in the sample (based on quantification of the Rn18S gene) by the comparative Ct method. Then, 1- and 2-cell embryos were produced by fertilizing Mus musculus oocytes with either Mus musculus or Mus spretus spermatozoa. The TL analysis in oocytes, zygotes, or 2-cell embryos was carried out by absolute quantification of telomere repeats by qPCR and normalized to the highest Ct observed value. Twenty to thirty samples per stage were analyzed, with each sample consisting in 2 matured oocytes, 2 zygotes, or one 2-cell embryo, to allow comparisons between stages. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Mus spretus spermatozoa had significantly shorter telomeres than did Mus musculus (1.0 ± 0.1 v. 9.0 ± 1.5, respectively; P ≤ 0.01). The TL increased after fertilization from oocyte to zygote and 2-cell embryo stages in Mus musculus (1.0 ± 0.1, 1.5 ± 0.1, and 2.4 ± 0.2, respectively; P ≤ 0.01). In contrast, no differences were found in the TLs between the 3 stages in Mus spretus hybrids (oocyte: 1.0 ± 0.1; zygote: 1.0 ± 0.1; and 2-cell embryo: 1.0 ± 0.1), indicating that no elongation occurred after fertilization with spermatozoa with short telomeres. Herein, we demonstrated that before embryonic genome activation occurs, spermatozoa TL determines TL of the early embryo, suggesting that spermatozoon telomeres may act as recombination templates for early telomere lengthening right after syngamia.
CONTINUOUS CULTURE OF MARINE DIATOMS UNDER SILICATE LIMITATION. I. SYNCHRONIZED LIFE CYCLE OF SKELETONEMA COSTATUM 1 2

Skeletonema costatum was grown in silicate‐limited continuous culture, Culture conditions resulted in synchronization of sexual reproduction. A detailed description of the life cycle is presented. During the life cycle growth rules varied from 0 to 0.12 hr−1. Sexual reproduction in diatoms has often been observed in batch cultures and some stages have been reported in nature. However, this is apparently the first report of its occurrence in continuous culture. Other experiments that demonstrate the importance of sexual reproduction in continuous culture work tare discussed.
Scholierenonderzoek kindermishandeling 2016

In het Actieplan aanpak kindermishandeling 2012-2016 ‘Kinderen veilig’ (bijlage bij Tweede Kamerstukken, Vergaderjaar 2011-2012, 31015 nr. 69) is aangekondigd dat in 2015 een derde prevalentiestudie kindermishandeling wordt voorzien (zie ook de brief van de Staatssecretaris van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS) aan de Tweede Kamer van 10 juli 2014; Tweede Kamerstukken, Vergaderjaar 2013-2014, dossier 33750 XVI (aanpak geweld in afhankelijkheidsrelaties), nr. 109). De ministeries van VWS en VenJ willen meer inzicht verkrijgen in de samenloop in gezinnen van kindermishandeling en andere vormen van huiselijk geweld.Het doel van het scholieronderzoek kindermishandeling is om te onderzoeken hoe vaak kindermishandeling voorkomt anno 2016 onder scholieren in de eerste vier jaar van het voortgezet onderwijs, welke scholieren onder welke omstandigheden het meeste risico lopen en welke scholieren daadwerkelijk slachtoffer zijn of zijn geweest in het verleden van een of meerdere vormen van kindermishandeling.Het scholierenonderzoek maakt deel uit van een breder onderzoekprogramma dat als doel heeft de prevalentie van huiselijk geweld en kindermishandeling in Nederland te bepalen. Na het huidige scholierenonderzoek volgt nog een informantenstudie. In deze informantenstudie worden professionals bevraagd naar het voorkomen van kindermishandeling. De uitkomsten van beide studies tezamen zullen uiteindelijk leiden tot een schatting van de prevalentie van kindermishandeling in Nederland.
Vinification Effects on Changes in Volatile Compounds of Wine

Alcohols, esters and fatty acids in wines from red, rose and carbonic maceration of Monastrell grapes were measured during yeast fermentation. Isolated volatile compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography alone and with-mass spectrometry. Increases in these compounds was most important during the first days of fermentation and concentrations varied between vinifications. The lower fermentation temperature and shorter skin contact time of rose vinification produced higher concentrations of esters and acids than in red wine. The intracellular fermentation in carbonic maceration vinification resulted in formation of almost all esters and fatty acids before alcoholic fermentation started. The final wine was closer to rose than red wine in aromatic composition.
Naturalization of the flood regime in regulated rivers the case of the upper Mississippi River

T he Upper Mississippi River System (Figure 1) includes the Illinois and the upper Mississippi Rivers (UMRBC 1981)-two of the very few large floodplainriver ecosystems in the developed world that still retain seasonal flood pulses and half their original floodplains (50% of the original combined floodplain area of 1,038,000 ha along the two rivers remains unleveed [Mills et a! . 1966, Delaney and Craig 1997]). These are working rivers! 126 million tons of cargo are transported annually on 2167 km of navigable waterways (USACE 1997). Most of the cargo comprises corn, soybeans, and wheat shipped from the Corn Belt of the United States to New Orleans for shipment overseas, prompting Hoops (no date) to characterize the Upper Mississippi River System as "a river of grain. " Despite levees and modifications for navigation, the rivers and their floodplains still form a complex mosaic of main and side channels, floodplain lakes, and seasonally inundated wetlands that support 485 species of mussels, fishes, amphib-
Mecanismos de acción y de resistencia a rifampicina e isoniacida en Mycobacterium tuberculosis: nueva información sobre viejos conocidos

Mechanisms of action of and resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: new information on old friends. Human tuberculosis is still one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide. Despite the implementation of therapeutic regimes combining four drugs, the rise of resistant and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains has compromised their efficacy. Two of the most effective anti-tubercular drugs in use, rifampicin and isoniazid, have been closely studied due to their therapeutic importance. These studies have led to the identification of the genes involved in resistance mechanisms and of those encoding the molecular targets for these drugs. Rifampicin is an inhibitor of the b-subunit of the RNA polymerase of prokaryotes, including M. tuberculosis. Resistance to rifampicin is mediated by mutations clustered in a small region of the rpoB gene. A fraction of resistant strains showed no mutations in rpoB, suggesting that other mechanisms of resistance, possibly efflux pumps, may exist. Isoniazid is a pro-drug activated by KatG, a catalase-peroxidase. Mutations in katG, the most commonly found in M. tuberculosis clinical isolates, give high levels of resistance. In spite of this, the molecular target for isoniazid is InhA, an enoyl-ACP-reductase involved in the biosynthesis of mycolic acids. Other mutations causing resistance to isoniazid have been mapped to ndh, a gene encoding the NADH dehydrogenase.
Phylogeny of the Brachyura with particular reference to the Podotremata: evidence from a review of spermatozoal ultrastructure (Crustacea, Decapoda)

Parsimony analysis, whether using only spermatozoal characters or spermatozoal and non-spermatozoal characters, suggests that: (i) the Brachyura is a monophyletic taxon relative to the outgroup, three paguroids; (ii) the Podotremata is a monophyletic taxon and the sister-group of the heterotreme-thoracotreme assemblage; (iii) within the Podotremata, the Dromiidae appears paraphyletic as its clade includes Paradynomene ; (iv) the Homolidae is a monophyletic family; (v) the Raninoidea and Cyclodorippoidea are sister groups within a monophyletic (unnamed) clade; (vi) Latreillia sp . forms a polytomy with Homolidae + Raninoidea-Cyclodorippoidea; and (vii) within the heterotreme-thoracotreme assemblage, the Thoracotremata is a monophyletic taxon but the Heterotremata s. strict, is a paraphyletic grouping. Analyses based on sperm data alone differ from the combined data in not including the Homolidae in the Archaeobrachyura (Homolidae + Raninoidea-Cyclodorippoidea), thus the Dromiidae- Paradynomene + Homolidae + Latreillia form a polytomous clade which is the sister-group of the Raninoidea + Cyclodorippoidea. Spermatozoal data also give majids the most basal position in the Heterotremata whereas for the combined data Neodorippe (a shell carrier) appears the least modified member of the heterotreme-thoracotreme assemblage. These findings are viewed in the perspective of other, notably molecular, studies. Spermatozoal synapomorphies are listed and illustrated.
INFLUENCE OF GROWTH STATUS AND NUTRIENTS ON EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDE SYNTHESIS BY THE SOIL ALGA CHLAMYDOMONAS MEXICANA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) 1

Increased levels of nitrogen in liquid growth medium bring about increased growth and a delay in extracellular polysaccharide production by Chlamydomonas mexicana Lewin on a per‐cell basis. Addition of nitrogen to stationary phase cultures causes renewed growth and a temporary lag in polysaccharide synthesis until growth again ceases. Removal of nitrogen terminates growth, causing an immediate increase in polysaccharide synthesis. Phosphate‐starved cells show a response similar to nitrogen‐starved cells, indicating that the beginning of stationary phase and not nitrogen depletion causes the stimulation in extracellular polysaccharide synthesis. As similar results are assumed to occur on soil, the significance of this response is discussed.
Sensory Scales Along the Wing Margin of Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

ABSTRACT The morphology, number, and arrangement of sensory scales along wing margins of the imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), were examined by scanning electron and light microscopy, after applying a microscopic operation to the margins. The sensory scales were much more slender than the noninnervated scales, which completely covered the former. The total number of sensory scales was ≈190 and ≈60 in the forewing and hindwing, respectively, and the patterns of sensory scale arrangement differed between the forewing and hindwing and varied from region to region in each wing margin. Sensory scales were densely distributed along the proximal half of the anterior forewing margin and along a fairly small region of the anterior hindwing margin, immediate to the wing base; they were sparsely distributed or absent along other regions of the wing margin. Sensory scale morphology and arrangement were compared with those of the sensory bristle, another kind of hair-like sensilla, and are discussed in terms of wing movement regulation.
Surfactant‐Coated Lipase Suitable for the Enzymatic Resolution of Menthol as a Biocatalyst in Organic Media

Enantioselective esterification of menthol with fatty acids using a surfactant‐coated lipase was carried out in organic media. The surfactant‐coated lipase originating from Candida cylindracea appeared to be highly enantioselective and good biocatalyst for the resolution of racemic menthol. The enzymatic activity of the lipase in organic media was significantly increased by a coating with a nonionic surfactant. The reaction rate of the coated lipase was more than 100 times that of the powder lipase. In order to investigate the effect of the organic solvent on enantioselectivity, 19 kinds of solvents were employed. The nature of the organic solvent strongly affected the efficiency of the biocatalyst and the enantioselectivity. Among them, isooctane was the best organic solvent from the viewpoint of reaction rate and enantioselectivity. The effect of reaction temperature on esterification was also investigated. The optimal reaction temperature was around 35 °C. The enzymatic activities using n‐saturated fatty acids with different alkyl chain lengths were compared, and long‐chain fatty acids were found to be better substrates than shorter ones. The relationship between the initial rate of the esterification and the carbon number of the fatty acid was not linear. These results suggest that there are inherent Km values for each fatty acid.
Many ways to die – partitioning tree mortality dynamics in a near‐natural mixed deciduous forest

Partitioning of tree mortality into different modes of death allows the tracing and mechanistic modelling of individual key processes of forest dynamics each varying depending on site, species and individual risk factors. This, in turn, may improve long‐term predictions of the development of old‐growth forests. Six different individual tree mortality modes (uprooted and snapped (both with or without rot as a predisposing factor), standing dead and crushed by other trees) were analysed, and statistical models were derived for three tree species (European beech Fagus sylvatica, hornbeam Carpinus betulus and common ash Fraxinus excelsior) based on a repeated inventory of more than 13 000 trees in a 28 ha near‐natural deciduous forest in Central Germany. The frequently described U‐shaped curve of size‐dependent mortality was observed in beech and hornbeam (but not ash) and could be explained by the joint operation of processes related to the six distinct mortality modes. The results for beech, the most abundant species, suggest that each mortality mode is prevalent in different life‐history stages: small trees died mostly standing or being crushed, medium‐sized trees had the highest chance of survival, and very large trees experienced increased rates of mortality, mainly by uprooting or snapping. Reduced growth as a predictor also played a role but only for standing dead, all other mortality modes showed no relationship to tree growth. Synthesis. Tree mortality can be partitioned into distinct processes, and species tend to differ in their susceptibility to one or more of them. This forms a fundamental basis for the understanding of forest dynamics in natural forests, and any mechanistic modelling of mortality in vegetation models could be improved by correctly addressing and formulating the various mortality processes.
Impending collapse of bluefin tuna in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean

The abundance of bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, in the east Atlantic and Mediterranean has declined in recent decades. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the regional bluefin tuna management authority, has developed a plan to promote recovery by 2022, while still permitting fishing to continue during the period 2008–2010. Here we predict that the adult population in 2011 will likely be 75% lower relative to 2005 and that quotas in some intervening years will allow the fishery to capture legally all of the adult fish. Population demographics (proportion of older fish and repeat spawners in population) indicate that buffering capacity against years of poor reproduction has been reduced. This population is at risk of collapse (90% decline in adult biomass within three generations, the criterion used by the IUCN for defining populations as Critically Endangered), even under the currently agreed recovery plan, unless new conservation measures are implemented in the next few years.
Antioxidant and Anti-diabetes Activities of Methanolic Extract and Fractions of Astragalus membranaceus Roots

The potential biological activities of methanol extract and 5 fractions (hexane, CH₂Cl₂, EtOAc, BuOH and water) from roots of Astragalus membranaceus were examined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical (·OH) scavenging activity, reducing power assays, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assays. The EtOAc fraction showed high DPPH free radical scavenging activity (EC? =170.34 ㎍/㎖), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (EC? =32.14 ㎍/㎖), lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity (EC? =52.46 ㎍/㎖) and a concentration dependence, with OD value ranging from 0.234 to 0.345 0.1 to 0.5 ㎎/㎖), for reducing power. The EtOAc fraction has the highest total phenolic content (142.13 Gal μg/mg) and the CH2Cl2 fraction has the highest flavonoid content (71.63 Que ㎍/㎎). Meanwhile, hexane and EtOAc showed certain α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition activities. These results suggest that the methanol extract and fractions from Astragalus membranaceus root have significant antioxidant and anti-diabetes activities, which could be used as a potential source of pharmaceutical materials.