Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rumen antimethanogenic effect of Saponaria officinalis L. phytochemicals in vitro

SUMMARY Although the effect of saponins or saponin-containing plants on rumen microorganisms and rumen fermentation has been intensively investigated, this issue still requires special attention. Many of the phenomena occurring in the rumen related to dietary saponin supplementation are still not fully understood. Saponaria officinalis is a triterpenoid saponin-containing plant; thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of S. officinalis L. powdered root, methanolic extract of the S. officinalis root (SOR) and the effect of the separated fractions (polysaccharides, saponins and phenolics) of S. officinalis on rumen methanogenesis, microbial population and rumen fermentation characteristics in an in vitro batch culture fermentation system. The powdered root (raw plant material) and S. officinalis extract (SOE) decreased in vitro methane production and consequently reduced the microbial population in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of methanogenesis was accompanied by changes in the volatile fatty acids profile. In vitro dry matter digestibility was not affected by any of the secondary compounds applied. The highest applied doses of SOE caused a higher reduction in methanogenesis (33·5 v. 14·4%) than the highest doses of powdered root form. Such results suggest that the basic components of the SOR could interact with phytochemicals or that the phytochemicals became physically less available for microbiota, resulting in a decreased antimethanogenic activity of the powdered root v. the extract. Among all the fractions selected, the saponin fraction exerted the greatest impact on ruminal fermentation. In conclusion, saponins decreased methane production by 29% in comparison with the control. This decrease was related to the reduction in protozoa and methanogen counts. It is proposed that S. officinalis has the potential to inhibit rumen methanogenesis without affecting rumen fermentation adversely.
Interception loss from the Tamaulipan matorral thornscrub of north-eastern Mexico: an application of the Gash analytical interception loss model

Abstract In a semi-arid plant community dominated by the Tamaulipan matorral of north-eastern Mexico the quantitative importance of interception loss and the applicability of the Gash analytical rainfall interception loss model were evaluated. Interception loss was estimated from measurements of incident precipitation and throughfall. Rainfall was measured in one rain gauge, and throughfall in 220 cylindrical and four trough collectors randomly located within a 30 m×20 m plot. A total of 36 rainfall events were observed from September 1995 to April 1997. An independent interception loss data set collected from April 1997 to March 1998 was utilized to test the goodness of fit of the Gash analytical model to rainfall interception. Total observed interception loss was 17.053% and 16.055% for the cylindrical and trough collector systems, respectively, while total predicted interception loss, employing the Gash model, was 116.058 mm (17.054%) and 104.056 mm (16.055%), respectively. The Gash model fitted the independent data set well because it estimated 84.051 mm (18.054%) while observed interception loss was 83.056 mm (18.053%). Possible methods of improving interception loss estimates are also addressed.
Cell-mediated cytotoxicity in isogeneic ginbuna crucian carp

Abstract This review describes recent studies on cell-mediated cytotoxicity of fish using clonal triploid ginbuna and discusses the excellent potential of this species as a model for studying fish immunology. Graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) followed by in vitro cell-mediated cytotoxicity against allogeneic erythrocytes and cell lines are described as specific cytotoxic activity in ginbuna. In vivo and in vitro cell-mediated cytotoxicity obtained with ginbuna are characterised in terms of the requirement for repeated sensitisation of effector cell donors to induce cytotoxicity, killing of allogeneic recipients or cells but not isogeneic targets by effector cells, and the lack of involvement of ADCC. These results suggest that cytotoxicity in ginbuna is mediated by allo-reactive cytotoxic T cells rather than non-specific cytotoxic cells. Spontaneous cytotoxic activity of ginbuna neutrophils is also described with NK activity against human leukemic cells and spontaneous killing of isogeneic erythrocytes.
Humus Forms in the Forest-Alpine Tundra Ecotone at Stillberg (Dischmatal, Switzerland): Spatial Heterogeneity and Classification

In the forest-alpine ecotone at Stillberg (Dischmatal/Switzerland) the morphology of humus forms and the spatial variability of organic layer properties were investigated. At northeast-exposed gully sites mulls with high acidity in the A-horizon occur. They were classified after the Canadian classification of humus forms as Rhizomulls. Mors occur on ridges and on their east- and north-exposed aspects. They can be differentiated by the ratio between the thickness of the F-horizon and the combined thickness of the F- and H-horizon. The relative thickness of the F-horizon increases significantly in the order: east aspects < ridges < north aspect. The humus forms of the east aspects and the ridges were classified as Humimors and those of the north aspects as Hemimors. The Canadian classification was suitable to describe the properties of the horizons and to classify the humus forms. The results of a grid sampling at the study sites and the computation of nonergodic correlograms show that the spatial variability of organic-layer thickness, bulk density, and moisture is high (CV around 50%), with a pronounced small-scale heterogeneity (range usually below 2 m and more than 50% variability occurs within 0.3 m). Only 33% of the variance of organic-layer thickness were explained by site and vegetation structure, but in spite of the low percentage both proved to be a significant factor. In the forest-alpine tundra ecotone about 30 to 35 soil samples per site are needed for a reliable estimation of the mean of the organic-layer thickness.
Hyastenus Hilgendorfi (De Man, 1887) (Brachyura, Pisidae): A Heavily Encrusted Decorator Crab Inhabiting the Suez Canal

This paper reports on a study of the associated epibiota of the spider crab, Hyastenus hilgendorfi (De Man, 1887), inhabiting the Suez Canal. Ten species of macro-epibionts were identified. The barnacle Balanus amphitrite , the tunicate Microcosmus sp. , and the tube worm Hydroides elegans were the major epibionts recorded. The carapace was the most covered body part followed by the chelae in males and the pereopods in non-ovigerous and ovigerous females. Considerable variation in the various covering materials was found between males, non-ovigerous, and ovigerous females. Seasonality of coverage occurred, with males and non-ovigerous females heavily covered in winter but without coverage in spring. The extremely heavy encrustation in this species is unusual among pisid crabs. Ce travail porte sur l'etude des epibiontes associes a l'araignee de mer, Hyastenus hilgendorfi (De Man, 1887), vivant dans le canal de Suez. Dix especes de macro-epibiontes ont ete identifiees. Le cirripede Balanus amphitrite , le tunicier Microcosmus sp. , et le polychete Hydroides elegans sont les principaux epibiontes identifies. La carapace est la partie du corps la plus couverte, puis ce sont les pinces chez les mâles et les pereiopodes chez les femelles non-ovigeres et ovigeres. Une variation considerable concernant les divers materiaux recouvrant les specimens a ete observee entre les mâles, les femelles non-ovigeres et ovigeres. Une variation saisonniere existe, les mâles et les femelles non-ovigeres presentant une lourde charge en epibiontes pendant l'hiver, mais en etant depourvus au printemps. L'incrustation extremement lourde chez cette espece est inhabituelle chez les crabes Pisidae.
Potential of meat meal to replace fish meal in extruded dry diets for barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch). I. Growth performance

Juvenile barramundi (220-280 g start weight) were fed extruded dry-pelleted diets containing varying amounts of fish meal and meat meal in three experiments (E). E1 and E2 were each 66-day farm studies utilizing 16 floating cages (400 fish per cage) in an aerated freshwater pond. E3 examined the same diets as fed in E2 but under controlled water temperature (28 ± 0.7 °C) and photoperiod (12:12) laboratory conditions in a 42-day study involving 24 aquaria (eight fish per aquarium). In all studies, the same 430 g kg1 crude protein (CP), 15 kJ g1 digestible energy (DE) control (Ctl) diet (containing 35% Chilean anchovy fish meal) was compared with two high-inclusion meat meal diets and a proprietary diet. The meat meal diets evaluated in E1 were a high-ash (260 g kg1) meat meal that contained 520 g kg1 CP and a low-ash (140 g kg1) meat meal that contained 600 g kg1 CP when included at either 450 or 400 g kg1, respectively, in combination with 100 g kg1 Chilean fish meal in diets that were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic with the Ctl diet. Growth rates and feed conversions were similar (P > 0.05) for all diets. In E2 and E3, the 520 g kg1 CP meat meal was included at 500 g kg1 without any marine protein source in diets formulated to provide either 15 or 16.2 kJ g1 DE and the same CP/DE ratio (29 mg kJ1) as the Ctl diet. Fish performance ranking of diets was similar in both experiments, with the 16.2 kJ g1 DE diet supporting better (P < 0.05) growth rates than the Ctl diet and feed conversion ratios equivalent to the Ctl diet but better (P < 0.05) than all other diets.
Phylogenetic analysis of Toxicodendron (Anacardiaceae) and its biogeographic implications on the evolution of north temperate and tropical intercontinental disjunctions

Abstract Toxicodendron is a genus in the Rhus complex of Anacardiaceae with a disjunct distribution between eastern Asia and North America, extending to southeastern Asia and the neotropics. Nuclear (internal transcribed spacer, external transcribed spacer, and NIA‐i3) and chloroplast (ndhF and trnL‐F) sequences were used to construct phylogenetic relationships of Toxicodendron. Phylogenetic analysis of these data strongly support Toxicodendron as a monophyletic group distinct from other genera of the Rhus complex, and the phylogeny does not fully corroborate classification at the sectional level. Two temperate disjunct lineages were detected, one from section Toxicodendron and the other between the eastern North American Toxicodendron vernix and the eastern Asian Toxicodendron vernicifluum. Their divergence times were estimated to be 13.46 (7.95–19.42) and 7.53 (2.76–12.86) mya, respectively. The disjunction between section Griffithii (taxa from warm temperate to tropical Asia) and Toxicodendron striatum (from the neotropics) was supported and their divergence time was estimated to be 20.84 (11.16–30.52) mya in the early Miocene. Our biogeographic results and the paleontological data support the Bering land bridge as the most likely route to explain the temperate disjunctions, yet the tropical disjunction in Toxicodendron seems to be best explained by the North Atlantic land bridge hypothesis.
Composition and Partial Structure Characterization of Tremella Polysaccharides

Heteropolysaccharides isolated from liquid cultures of nine Tremella species contained 0.3 to 1.2% protein, 2.7 to 5% ash, 0.9 to 3.4% acetyl groups, 76.5 to 84.2% carbohydrates and trace amounts of starch. The polysaccharides in aqueous solution were slightly acidic (pH 5.1 to 5.6). They consisted of the following monomeric sugars: fucose, ribose, xylose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, glucose and glucuronic acid. The backbones of the polysaccharide structures consisted of α-(1 → 3)-links while the side chains were β-linked.
Gender and locational dimensions of shocks on household welfare: empirical evidence from Nigeria

ABSTRACT Many households in developing countries are exposed to numerous adverse events. The absence of a complete market for insurance and imperfect risk-sharing among households can lead to a significant effect on household welfare from shocks. This article examines the heterogeneous effects of income shocks on household welfare using two waves of the Nigerian General Household Survey Panel datasets from 2010/11 and 2012/13. The study adopted the household fixed effects approach, and the results show that households in the top quintile experienced an increased consumption expenditure compared to those in the bottom quintile in terms of rainfall distribution. There are also heterogeneous effects of income shocks on the gender and locational characteristics of the households.
ADULTS MOURNING SUICIDE: SELF-REPORTED CONCERNS ABOUT BEREAVEMENT, NEEDS FOR ASSISTANCE, AND HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIOR

This study empirically characterized the experiences of 227 adult next-of-kin as they mourned suicides that had occurred in New York City during 1997. Next-of-kin reported psychosocial problems including family difficulties, comorbid stressors, psychiatric symptomatology, and unresolved bereavement. Professional intervention was the most frequently reported need and the most frequently reported type of desired help. In terms of actual receipt of assistance, participants reported having received help from families, friends, and communities as well as from professionals. Although some next-of-kin had not sought help because they felt able to cope without assistance, others encountered barriers to receiving desired help. These findings warrant increased and sustained community outreach to this population. Recommendations include public education regarding de-stigmatization of suicide and the needs of the suicidally bereaved, enhancement of internal and external coping supports, facilitation of access to both professional and community help, and better coordinated and more culturally appropriate services.
Responses to a fluctuating environment: effects of water depth on growth and biomass allocation in Eleocharis cellulosa Torr. (Cyperaceae)

Fluctuating water levels, which characterize freshwater marshes of the Florida Everglades, U.S.A. , constrain growth in emergent macrophytes. We studied acclimation of Eleocharis cellulosa Torr. (Cyperaceae) in mesocosms to water depths of 7 and 54 cm and to switching between these water depths. After 80 weeks at fixed depths, deepwater plants produced (i) taller, thicker, and fewer shoots; (ii) fewer ramets; (iii) less biomass; and (iv) greater shoot biomass relative to root and rhizome biomass. Despite large differences in shoot lengths between water depths, shoot heights above the water surface were similar. Emergent shoot tissues had thick secondary walls in the epidermal cells and several palisade layers beneath; submerged shoots lacked this anatomy. When shallow-water plants were transferred to deep water, shoots elongated rapidly, with younger shoots elongating more than older ones. When deepwater plants were transferred to shallow water, emergent shoots quickly died and were replaced by new shoots.
Redes de cooperação no varejo: um estudo teórico-empírico em centrais de negócios supermercadistas no Estado de São Paulo

Os novos moldes de competitividade tem sugerido que as atencoes se voltem para uma eficiente gestao da cadeia de suprimentos no setor supermercadista, que envolva o produtor e o consumidor final dos produtos, a fim de reduzir os custos operacionais. Sabe-se que a eliminacao de algumas fases de intermediacao dentro dos canais de distribuicao pode representar, para os pequenos e medios varejistas, uma importante vantagem competitiva, em vista da eliminacao dos custos adicionais cobrados pelos intermediarios. Os objetivos deste trabalho sao, primeiro, identificar se a participacao do pequeno supermercadista em redes de cooperacao proporciona a ele o acesso as compras diretamente das industrias, e, segundo, verificar quais os beneficios obtidos pelos associados nessas negociacoes. A pesquisa bibliografica serve de base para a definicao da metodologia adotada, que foi realizada por meio de um estudo observacional junto aos gestores de dezenove Centrais de Negocios Supermercadistas no Estado de Sao Paulo. Para a coleta dos dados, foi elaborado um questionario com perguntas fechadas. Apos a coleta dos dados e tabulacao, foram aplicadas tecnicas quantitativas de analise de dados por meio do sistema SAS. O estudo revela a migracao de uma parcela das compras do canal Atacado para a Industria, proporcionando reducoes de precos e negociacoes de acoes de marketing conjuntas para os associados.
Nato burden sharing revisited

This paper revisits the NATO burden sharing debate with particular emphasis on the use of non‐parametric tests that measure the equality of relative benefits and burdens. While the joint product model makes a compelling case for the equality of benefits and burdens in NATO after 1967 (as a consequence of a change in doctrine) the empirical validation of the model is not robust when using non‐parametric methods. The lack of knowledge of each ally's utility function, as well as the fact that an ally may have different benefits other than the protection of its industrial base, exposed border and population to consider render the test less robust, as shown in this study. Sensitivity analysis such as the one employed in this paper should be a standard procedure when devising new proxy measures and tests for burden sharing in NATO.
MOOC rampant

In 2012–2013, the massive open online course (MOOC) approach has been accepted by universities around the world, and outsourcing companies have been launched to provide the infrastructure for it. Current press and blog coverage of the MOOC trend is examined and the range of reactions to it, most of them enthusiastic. MOOCs vary in their massiveness and openness, and in the extent to which they are courses; and a wide range of MOOCs is emerging under different names. These include xMOOCs, in which course content is defined by the course designers, and cMOOCs featuring information generated by the students. The origins of the MOOC are examined, and its implications for the educational institutions that have specialized in distance education previously.
Acute Sensitivity of Juvenile Shortnose Sturgeon to Low Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations

Abstract There is considerable concern that factors such as eutrophication, industrial pollution, and dredging are adversely affecting the habitats of the endangered shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum. Specific knowledge of the environmental requirements of this species is required if environmental managers are to adequately protect it. We conducted experiments to obtain information on the acute sensitivity of young-of-year shortnose sturgeon to a low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Flow-through tests were conducted with hatchery-produced fish exposed to the ranges of DO, salinity, and temperature expected in the southeastern United States coastal river–estuary interfaces during spring and summer. The estimated concentration lethal to 50% of the test organisms (the LC50 value) after 24 h that we derived for approximately 77-d-old fish tested at 2‰ salinity and a nominal temperature of 25°C was 2.7 mg/L (32% saturation). An estimated LC50 of 2.2 mg/L (26% saturation) was obtained for approximat.
Les composés phénoliques des miels : étude préliminaire sur l'identification et la quantification par familles

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Les composés phénoliques des miels : étude préliminaire sur l’identification et la quantification par familles M.J. Amiot, S. Aubert, M. Gonnet, M. Tacchini
The phenology of white spruce and the spruce budworm in northern Alberta

Studies on the development of spruce budworm (Choristoneurafumiferana (Clem.)) on white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) were conducted in northern Alberta in 1969 and again in 1990. The phenology of this insect and its host were described using stochastic models. The synchrony between host and insect is remarkable; each instar specializes on a particular shoot developmental stage, with feeding ceasing when shoots start to become lignified. There was little difference between estimates for the duration of the feeding stages of populations observed in 1969 and those studied in 1990. The models also described the variation that might be encountered in treatment blocks when operational considerations of scheduling treatments over large areas are a concern. When measured in degree-days, the initiation of emergence is later and the postemergence period is shorter in these northern populations than those reported for populations in southern Canada on the same host. The nature of the seasonal controls of spruc.
Guidelines for constructing allometric models for the prediction of woody biomass: How many individuals to harvest?

The recent development of biomass markets and carbon trading has led to increasing interest in obtaining accurate estimates of woody biomass production. Aboveground woody biomass (B) is often estimated indirectly using allometric models, where representative individuals are harvested and weighed, and regression analyses used to generalise the relationship between individual mass and more readily measured non-destructive attributes such as plant height and stem diameter (D). To satisfy regulatory requirements and/or to provide market confidence, allometric models must be based on sufficient data to ensure predictions are accurate, whilst at the same time being practically and financially achievable. Using computer resampling experiments and allometric models of the form B = aDb the trade-off between increasing the sample size of individuals to construct an allometric model and the accuracy of the resulting biomass predictions was assessed. A range of algorithms for selecting individuals across the stem diameter size-class range were also explored. The results showed marked variability across allometric models in the required number of individuals to satisfy a given level of precision. A range of 17–95 individuals were required to achieve biomass predictions with a standard deviation within 5% of the mean for the best performing stem diameter selection algorithm, while 25–166 individuals were required for the poorest. This variability arises from (a) inherent uncertainty in the relationship between diameter and biomass across allometric models, and (b) differences between the diameter size-class distribution of individuals used to construct a model, and the diameter size-class distribution of the population to which the model is applied. Allometric models are a key component of quantifying land-based sequestration activities, but despite their importance little attention has been given to ensuring the methods used in their development will yield sufficiently accurate biomass predictions. The results from this study address this gap and will be of use in guiding the development of new allometric models; in assessing the suitability of existing allometric models; and in facilitating the estimation of uncertainty in biomass predictions.