Cactus, a Drosophila homologue of I kappa B, binds to and inhibits Dorsal, a homologue of the p50 and p65 components of NF-kappa B. We describe experiments in yeast with various Dorsal and Cactus derivatives showing that Cactus blocks the DNA binding and nuclear localization functions of Dorsal. In contrast, Dorsal's transcriptional activating region is functional in the Dorsal-Cactus complex. ...

Dorsoventral axis formation in the Drosophila embryo is established by a signal transduction pathway that comprises the products of at least 12 maternal genes. Two of these genes, dorsal and cactus, show homology to the mammalian transcription factor NF-kappa B and its inhibitor I kappa B, respectively. As in the case for I kappa B and NF-kappa B, Cactus inhibits Dorsal by retaining it in the c...

The dorsoventral pattern of the Drosophila embryo is mediated by a gradient of nuclear localization of the dorsal protein which acts as a morphogen. Establishment of the nuclear concentration gradient of dorsal protein requires the activities of the 10 maternal 'dorsal group' genes whose function results in the positive regulation of the nuclear uptake of the dorsal protein. Here we show that i...

A biomimetic "cactus spine" with hierarchical groovestructure is designed and fabricated using simple electrospinning. This novel artificial cactus spine possesses excellent fog collection and water transportation ability. A model cactus equipped with artificial spines also shows a great water storage capacity. The results can be helpful in the development of water collectors and may make a con...

In the Drosophila larva, blood cells or hemocytes are formed in the lymph gland. The major blood cell type, called plasmatocyte, is small, non-adhesive and phagocytic. Plasmatocytes differentiate into adhesive lamellocytes to form multilayered capsules around foreign substances or, in mutant melanotic tumor strains, around self tissue. Mutations in cactus or Toll, or constitutive expression of ...

For k ≥ 2 we define a class of graphs Hk = {G : every block of G has at most k vertices}. The class Hk contains among other graphs forests, Husimi trees, line graphs of forests, cactus graphs. We consider the colouring game and the generalized colouring game on graphs from Hk.

The mechanical properties and structure of cactus Opuntia ficus-indica spines were characterised in bending and by means of x-ray diffraction. Using spruce wood cell walls for reference, the modulus of elasticity of Opuntia cactus spines was high in absolute terms, but comparable when specific values were considered, which can be explained by similarities in the cell wall structure of both mate...

Commercialization of cactus pears based on their antioxidant properties can generate competitive advantages, and these can turn into business opportunities and the development of new products and a high-value ingredient for the food industry. This work evaluated the antioxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging, protection against oxidation of a β-carotene-linoleic ac...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of spineless cactus incorporation in food of dairy goats and growing kids on milk production and composition and on kid's growth and meat characteristics. Two experiments were conducted on Tunisian local goats. In the first, 30 females were divided into two groups; goats of Control group were reared on grazing pasture receiving indoor 0.5 ...

Renewable approaches involving the use of natural materials for pollutant removal from wastewaters can offer a favorable solution fitting well with the definition of sustainability. Materials from biological origin (Bean, Moringa, Maize, etc.) have been investigated for their potential use for wastewater treatment. Interestingly, cactus, an abundant plant, offers various options for the treatme...