Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consequences of a Synechococcus bloom upon the optical properties of oceanic (case 1) waters

A dense Synechococcus population has been observed in oceanic offshore waters (400 km from the Mauritanian coast) within the upper 30‐m‐thick layer. With cell counts >3 × 105 cells ml−1, about half (0.6) of the total Chl a concentration (1.25 mg m−3) was attributable to the cyanobacteria. The optical properties of this water body markedly differed from those of case 1 waters with the same Chl a concentration. The euphotic depth was diminished (by ~10 m on average) and the spectral attenuation coefficients for downwelling irradiance were increased (by 40– 60% in the green and blue parts of the spectrum); the absorption band characteristic of phycoerythrin was easily detected on filtered material, as well as within the in‐water light field and in the water‐leaving upward radiant flux. The amplitude of the departures of the actual optical properties from those predicted for normal case 1 waters are described and then analyzed through radiative transfer computations. The peculiar Chl‐specific absorption capabilities of Synechococcus (originating from the small size and the presence of phycobilins and zeaxanthin), rather than a significant increase in the bulk scattering properties, are at the origin of the deviations observed. The possibility of detecting such a particular algal bloom, through remote‐sensing techniques based on the ocean reflectance, requires a high radiometric sensitivity and dedicated spectral channels. If detection is feasible, quantifying the cyanobacterial biomass from satellite information remains a difficult task. The variability in the relative proportions of phycobilins and Chl a for these organisms impedes a quantitative assessement of their contribution to the total Chl biomass.
Efficacy and economics of promising granular insecticides against yellow stem borer on semi-deep water rice

The treatments included 3 dosages each of 4 granular insecticides, viz., chlorpyriphos 10 G @ 0.75, 1.0 & 1.25 kg a.i. ha−1; cartap 4 G @ 0.6, 0.8 & 1.0 kg a.i. ha−1; and fipronil 0.4 G @ 0.05, 0.075 & 0.1 kg a.i. ha−1, a standard insecticide carbofuran 3 G @ 1.0 kg a.i. ha−1 besides untreated control. The results indicated that cartap 4 G @ 0.6 kg a.i. ha−1 followed by chlorpyriphos 10 g @ 1.25 kg a.i. ha−1, fipronil 0.4 G @ 0.075 kg a.i. ha−1 and chlorpyriphos 10 G @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha−1 were most effective with average yellow stem borer infestation of 2.9, 3.4, 3.4 and 3.4%, respectively, in comparison to 8.1% infestation in untreated control. The yield data revealed that fipronil 0.4 G @ 0.075 kg a.i. ha−1 followed by carbofuran 3 G @ 1.0 kg a.i. ha−1, chlorpyriphos 10 G @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha−1 and cartap 4 G @ 0.8 kg a.i. ha−1 were most effective with average production of 24.39, 22.38, 22.20 and 22.13 q ha−1, in comparison to 15.70 q ha−1 in untreated control. The economic analysis of different insecticidal treatments indicated that chlorpyriphos 10 G @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha−1 with average MBCR of 4.07 was most effective and economically profitable against yellow stem borer. It was followed by cartap 4 G @ 0.6 kg a.i. ha−1 and chlorpyriphos 10 G @ 1.0 kg a.i. ha−1 with average MBCR of 2.33 and 2.26, respectively.
TOXICITY AND BIOCHEMICAL EFFICACY OF NOVEL PESTICIDES AGAINST Aphis craccivora Koch (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) IN RELATION TO ENZYMES ACTIVITY

Resistance development is a key part in pest management; Experimental trials included five conventional insecticides; Mospilan, Imidor (Neonicotinoid), Actellic (Organophosphate), Chess (Azomethine pyridines) and Aphox (Carbamate) to investigate their toxicity against both field and laboratory strains of Aphis craccivora Koch. The potency levels of the ongoing insecticides against the A. craccivora were 1.29, 1.43, 1.75, 1.97, 2.75 folds in laboratory strain more than that of field strain respectively. Thus, results showed that the field strain was more resistant for all compounds than that of laboratory strain. On the other hand, the results of the biochemical aspects of detoxification enzymes; Mixed Function Oxidase (MFO), Glutathione-S-transferases (GST), α and β-esterases demonstrated that, all tested insecticides induced impact on these detoxifying enzymes in both laboratory and field strain of A. craccivora.
Water balances in Eucalyptus regnans, E. obliqua, and Pinus radiata forests in Victoria

Summary The movement of precipitation in a forest, as throughfall, stemflow, canopy interception, forest floor interception, and forest floor leachate was estimated from measurements made in two eucalypt forest types (Eucalyptus regnans and E. obliqua) and a Pinus radiata plantation in the Maroondah catchment, which lies on the southerly slopes of the Great Dividing Range approximately 60 km northeast of Melbourne. The amount of water immobilized by the growing trees in all three forests and that transpired by the trees in the two eucalypt forests were estimated from available data. The greater stream flow from the E. regnans forests, compared to the E. obliqua forests is due partly to the greater precipitation falling on the E. regnans forests and may also be partly due to their small transpiration losses. Less water reached the mineral soil beneath the P. radiata plantation than beneath the adjacent E. obliqua forest. This together with other studies suggest that replacement of dry sclerophyll eucalypt .
Rootstock Effects on Primary Bud Necrosis, Bud Fertility, and Carbohydrate Storage in Shiraz

Shiraz grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grafted to three different hybrid (American Vitis) rootstocks at two sites were used to evaluate the effect of rootstock on primary bud necrosis (PBN), fruitfulness, and carbohydrate storage. Buds were dissected during winter dormancy and assessed for the number of inflorescence primordia and incidence of primary bud necrosis. Trunks, canes, and roots were sampled at dormancy for carbohydrate concentration. A water deficit treatment was also applied at one of the two locations. Fruitfulness and yield were affected by water deficit. Rootstock type influenced the incidence of primary bud necrosis, fruitfulness, and carbohydrate concentration at both sites.
Role of Claudin-5 in the progression of human breast cancer

A key step in metastasis is the interaction and penetration of the vascular endothelium by cancer cells. Tight Junctions (TJ) are located between the cancer epithelial cells themselves functioning in an adhesive manner, and between the endothelial cells. They represent a critical barrier which the cancer cells must overcome in order to penetrate and initiate metastasis. The Claudin family are TJ proteins expressed in both endothelial and epithelial cells. They participate in the formation of tissue barriers between different tissue compartments by regulating the efflux of molecules through TJ complexes. This thesis examined the level of expression and distribution of Claudin-5 in human breast cancer tissues and analysed them against clinical parameters. The effect of knockdown and forced expression of Claudin-5 in the MDA-MB-231 aggressive breast cancer cell line and in the HECV human endothelial cell line was also examined. Results revealed that Claudin-5 is aberrantly expressed in human breast cancer and has a link to the clinical outcome of the patient. Patients who died from breast cancer had higher levels of Claudin-5 compared with patients who remained disease-free. Furthermore, patients whose tumours expressed high levels of Claudin-5 had shorter survival than those with low levels. Investigating in vitro the effect of altering levels of expression of Claudin-5 in MDA-MB-231and HECV cells revealed that the role of Claudin-5 was not primarily in keeping the cell barrier tight suggesting little function in the TJ of these cells, in fact a link was identified between Claudin-5 and cell motility. Furthermore, a possible link between Claudin-5 and N-WASP, and Claudin-5 and ROCK was demonstrated when interactions between these proteins were seen in both cell lines. Moreover, cell motility was assessed following treatment with N-WASP inhibitor, Arp2/3 inhibitor and ROCK inhibitor. Results show that the knockdown of Claudin-5 in HECV cells masked their response to N-WASP inhibitor, Arp2/3 inhibitor and ROCK inhibitor. A parallel response was observed in the knockdown of Claudin-5 in MDA-MB-231 after treatment with N-WASP inhibitor and Arp2/3 inhibitor however treatment with ROCK inhibitor did not reveal any differences in motility in this particular cell line. This study portrays a very new and interesting role for Claudin-5 in cell motility involving the N-WASP and ROCK signalling cascade indicating a possible role for Claudin-5 in the metastasis and progression of human breast cancer.
Karyological studies of Gentianopsis Ma and some related genera of Gentianaceae from China

Chromosome numbers were documented for 11 taxa representing 5 genera of Gentianaceae from China. Gentianopsis lutea, G. paludosa var. paludosa and var. ovato-deltoidea were diploid with 2n=26; G. grandis was tetraploid with 2n=52 (n=26); while both diploid (2n=26, n=13) and tetraploid (2n=52) cytotypes were found for G. barbata. The tetraploid number was found for the first time for the genus. The present results confirmed the basic number x=13 for the genus and revealed that the mountainous regions of western and southwestern China and the adjacent Himalayan area probably represent the most important origin and primary diversification centre of the genus, with regard to the distribution pattern of cytotypes. The chromosome number of Comastoma polycladum was 2n=16 with two satellited chromosomes is reported here for the first time. The chromosome number of C. pulmonarium was 2n=18, without any visible satellite which differed from previous reports. Lomatogonium rotatum and L. macranthum all had 2n=16 chromosomes. It is the first report of chromosome number for the second species. Swertia diluta was found to have 2n=20 chromosomes, again mentioned for the first time. The chromosome number 2n=22 was confirmed for Halenia elliptica.
Chemical and Immunochemical Studies on Lipopolysaccharides of Some Yersinia Species - A Review of Some Recent Investigations

Abstract The present paper revealed the results of some recent chemical and immunochemical studies of the lipopolysaccharides from various species and erologie variants of Yersinia genus as follows: Y. pseudotuberculosis IIC and VII; Y. enterocolitica 0:1, 2a, 3; 0:2a, 2b, 3; 0:3; 0:4, 32; 0:5; 0:5,27; 0:6,31; 0:7,8; 0:19,8; 0:8; Y. frederiksenii 0:16,29; Y. intermedia 0:4,33; Y. aldovae.
Naupliar growth versus egg production in the calanoid copepod Centropages typicus

Growth rates of the copepod Centropages typicus were assessed during May 1998 in the Alboran Sea. The goal of the work was to compare field growth rates of juvenile (artificial cohort method) and adult copepods (female egg production rates) under an extensive range of natural conditions. The results showed that adult and juvenile growth rates were similar in some stations, while in others no such relationship was apparent. In contrast to the common belief that juvenile growth may be saturated under natural conditions whereas adults may be food-limited, in most of our study, adult growth rates were greater than juveniles. We discuss these results in the light of food availability at the surveyed stations. In summary, the assumption that copepod growth rates estimated through egg production rates of adults are equivalent to juvenile growth is not always valid.
Systematics of the Cape legless skink Acontias meleagris species complex

iii Acknowledgements iv Table of contents v List of tables viii List of figures ix Chapter 1: General introduction 1 1.1 Preamble 1 1.2 Aim of study 4 1.3 Research questions 4 Chapter 2: Phylogenetic and biogeographical aspects: Tracking the impact of Pliocene / Pleistocene sea level and climatic oscillations on the cladogenesis of the Cape legless fossorial skink species complex, Acontias meleagris in South Africa 5 2.
ALKALINITY BUDGET OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER1

Columbia River alkalinity essentially consists of carbonate alkalinity (94% ) with some silicate alkalinity where dissolved silicate concentration is high. Phosphate and borate contribute insignificantly to the overall alkalinity. The river delivered 2.3 x 10” equivalents of alkalinity to the Pacific Ocean during the water year 1963, or 11 megatons of calcium carbonate. Regardless of high seasonal flow-rate variance, the river alkalinity near the river mouth shows little variation with an average value of 1 mcq/liter.
Variability in estuarine water temperature gradients and influence on the distribution of zooplankton: a biogeographical perspective

Structure and variability of water temperature gradients and potential influence on distribution of two tropical zooplankters (the mysid Mesopodopsis africana and the copepod Acartia natalensis) and their temperate congenerics (M. wooldridgei and A. longipatella) was investigated over a 10-year period in the Mgazi Estuary, South Africa. Intra- and inter-monthly water temperatures were highly variable, driven primarily by the interactive effects of river runoff, tidal exchange and mouth state. Variability was greatest in summer, temperatures ranging between <13 °C (linked to nearshore upwelling and a wide open mouth) and >30 °C when the mouth was near-closed. A strong horizontal temperature gradient characterised the estuary, the upper reaches remaining consistently warmer compared to the lower estuary. In winter, abundance of the tropical zooplankters showed a positive and significant correlation with increasing distance upstream. No pattern was evident in summer. The temperate species reflected a negative trend in abundance moving upstream during both seasons, but correlations were not significant. In terms of climate change, future population responses remain uncertain. This uncertainty is primarily linked to ongoing changes in the relative dominance of key drivers influencing estuarine water temperatures. Estuary mouth state will also respond to changes in nearshore wind regimes and morphodynamics of the adjacent beach.
High throughput constant envelope pre-coder for massive MIMO systems

This study describes a high throughput constant envelope (CE) pre-coder for Massive MIMO systems. A large number of antennas (M), in the order of 100s, serve a relatively small number of users (K) simultaneously. The stringent amplitude constraint (only phase changes) in the CE scheme is motivated by the use of highly power-efficient non-linear RF power amplifiers. We propose a scheme that computes the CE signals to be transmitted based on box-constrained regression (coordinate-descent), with an O(2MK) complexity per iteration per user symbol. A highly scalable systolic architecture is implemented, where M Processing Elements (PEs) perform the pre-coding for a system with up to K=16 users. This systolic architecture results in a very high throughput of 500 Msamples/sec (at 500 MHz clock rate) with a gate count of 14K per PE in 65nm technology.
Aestivation in Pieris brassicae (L.) affects the parasitoid load caused by Cotesia glomerata (L.)

The large white butterfly Pieris brassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) undergoes a unique aestivation in southern Spain. Its pupae remain dormant for three months in summer, emerging in early September. Its main parasitoid, Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), shows no such diapause behavior and is thus deprived of its main host for this period and has to switch to less suitable host species. To study the effect the aestivation has on the parasitoids, caterpillars were collected from the region in May and September and levels of parasitization were determined. Results show that parasitoid attacks decrease clearly after the summer diapause. The number of parasitized butterfly clutches in September was only one third as the number in May and the infestation rate of an attacked clutch decreased by 55% after aestivation. The distribution of brood sizes of C. glomerata showed clear signs of superparasitism before but not after the diapause. Therefore, the butterfly generation after summer diapause has to deal with distinctly diminished numbers of parasitoids. This increases the survival rate of the caterpillar and thus improves the fitness of the butterfly.
The Norwegian minke whale DNA register: a data base monitoring commercial harvest and trade of whale products

The application of genetics for the management of natural resources is expanding, and within this field, DNA registers will play an increasing role. The Norwegian minke whale DNA register, established in 1996, was designed primarily as a control system to detect any attempts at illegal trade of products derived from other stocks of minke whale, or other whale species, under cover of the legal Norwegian harvest originating from the Northeast Atlantic. The register contains genetic data for 7644 of 7751 whales landed in the period 1997–2010. Profiles are established from sequencing part of the mtDNA control region, analysis of 10 STRs and a sex-determining marker. Probabilities of genotypes matching between two randomly selected whales are 6.0−04 and 3.0−08 for five and eight of the STR loci, respectively. This permits verification of traded whale products via match to the register. The register has also been used in a number of ad hoc scientific studies resulting through the accumulation of genetic, demographic and biological data. Here, we review the register’s logistics, specifications and evaluate the potential to apply similar registers to control the exploitation of other marine species.
CHROMOSOME NUMBERS OF THE EAST AFRICAN GIANT SENECIOS AND GIANT LOBELIAS AND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE

The gametophytic chromosome number for the giant senecios (Asteraceae, Senecioneae, Dendrosenecio) is n = 50, and for the giant lobelias (Lobeliaceae, Lobelia subgenus Tupa section Rhynchopetalum) it is n = 14. Previous sporophytic counts are generally verified, but earlier reports for the giant senecios of 2n = 20 and ca. 80, the bases for claims of intraspecific polyploidy, are unsubstantiated. The 14 new counts for the giant senecios and the ten new counts for the giant lobelias are the first gametophytic records for these plants and include the first reports for six and four taxa, respectively, for the two groups. Only five of the 11 species of giant senecio and three of the 21 species of giant lobelia from eastern Africa remain uncounted. Although both groups are polyploid, the former presumably decaploid and the latter more certainly tetraploid, their adaptive radiations involved no further change in chromosome number. The cytological uniformity within each group, while providing circumstantial evidence of monophyly and simplifying interpretations of cladistic analyses, provides neither positive nor negative support for a possible role of polyploidy in evolving the giant-rosette growth-form.
The Underwater Life of Secondarily Aquatic Plants: Some Problems and Solutions

The freshwater secondarily aquatic plants, most of which are higher plants, are those returned to the water environment after spending a period of time living on land. The readaptation to living underwater has made it necessary for these plants to put in place morphological and functional strategies to cope with some major problems due to features of the aquatic environment, but also deriving from the specialized organization of their “terrestrial” bodies. The poor O2 availability underwater accounted for the evolution of wide aerenchyma tissues throughout the plant organs to improve the photosynthetic O2 flux from the shoot to the roots buried in anoxic sediments and to the neighboring rhizosphere. This favors sediment oxygenation, sustains the aerobic metabolism of roots, and improves the availability and uptake of mineral nutrients, whose delivery to the entire plants, without a transpirational flux, is ensured by an acropetal mass transport depending on root pressure, guttation from hydathodes and channeling by apoplast closure around the vascular tissues. A great expansion of leaf surfaces and an enhanced surface:volume ratio of chloroplast-rich photosynthetic cells help to contact the water medium and to increase the cell/environment exchanges to gain inorganic carbon. Furthermore, different physiological mechanisms operate to cope with the scarce availability of CO2 and the prevalence of HCO3 − as inorganic carbon form in water. Some of them, like cell wall acidification through H+ extrusion by a light-dependent APTase or activation of an apoplastic carbonic anhydrase, operate outside the cells, leading to a conversion of HCO3 − to CO2, which then diffuses into the cells. Others, on the contrary, act inside the cells to load the active site of Rubisco with CO2, thus favoring photosynthesis and lowering photorespiration. Aquatic macrophytes with isoetid life form, moreover, can obtain most ot the fixed CO2 from sediments. In submerged species, in additin to the C3 cycle, the C4 and CAM-like photosynthetic metabolisms can also operate, and are modulated by the environmental inorganic carbon availability and the plant photosynthetic demand. Interestingly, in the aquatic plants the C4 pathway, which can be concomitant with the C3 one, does not depend on the Kranz anatomy of leaves, but relies on the intracellular compartmentation of carboxylative and decarboxylative enzymes. The CAM-like pathway, defined AAM, which also coexists with the C3, allows the submerged plants to fix CO2 in the dark, thus exploiting the higher CO2 availability in the water medium during the night, and extending to 24 h the period of inorganic carbon assimilation. In almost all the aquatic macrophytes the AAM is only expressed in the submersion state, whereas it is quickly inactivated in emerging leaves in a cell by cell way.
Trematode infection induced malformations in the common hourglass treefrogs

Reports on malformations in amphibians due to trematode infections prompted this study on an endemic frog species in Sri Lanka. The effect of an infection with a monostome-type cercaria is reported here. Ten days post-hatch, tadpoles (Gosner stage 27) of the common hourglass treefrog Polypedates cruciger (Anura: Ranidae), were exposed to a monostome-type cercaria, in a dose-dependent manner, under laboratory conditions. Malformations, survival and growth of the tadpoles were monitored for four treatments having different doses of cercariae (control=0, low=16, intermediate=32 and high=48). The severity and the number of malformations varied depending on the dose of the infection. A higher percentage (90%) of malformations was observed at higher doses of cercariae. Overall, malformations in the limbs, spine and skin pigmentation were common after parasite exposure. Survival declined with increasing doses of parasite infections, declining to 88% in the high treatment group, although not statistically significant. The growth rates of tadpoles as measured by weight and snout to vent length showed that exposed individuals were significantly smaller and had higher variance in growth compared with that of the controls. Thus, this trematode infection significantly affected the growth and induced severe malformations in P. cruciger, under laboratory conditions. Such malformed tadpoles and adults may face high predation under natural conditions. Here, we present the first empirical evidence of the effect of a trematode infection on the development of malformations, growth and survivorship in an endemic amphibian species in Sri Lanka.
Fluctuating asymmetry as a bio‐indicator in isolated populations of the Taita thrush: a Bayesian perspective

We examined whether developmental instability can be used as a bio‐monitoring tool in the endangered Taita thrush (Turdus helleri L.) through the measurement of individual levels of fluctuating asymmetry in tarsus length. Because estimates of the association between developmental instability, stress and fitness derived from traditional regression are biased, we compared parameter estimates obtained from likelihood based analysis with those obtained from a Bayesian latent variable model.