Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DISTRIBUIÇÃO ESPACIAL E ESTRUTURA POPULACIONAL DE PALMEIRAS (ARECACEAE) EM UM FRAGMENTO DE FLORESTA OMBRÓFILA DENSA DE TERRAS BAIXAS NO SUL DO BRASIL

In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Dense Humid Forest is reduced to less than 5% of its original cover. However, it still has the highest richness of palms in this state, which constitute an important and economically relevant group. Environmental and demographic aspects of plant populations in forest fragments are of great importance for their management and conservation. We conducted a study on the spatial distribution and age structure of five palm species in a forest fragment at the municipality of Tres Cachoeiras, in the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul. We delimited 25 10×10 m plots and counted the number of individuals in the stages of seedling, juvenile and adult for each palm species. Aggregation Indices were calculated with software SADIEShell. We performed variation partitioning analyses among species distribution and environmental variables canopy openness and soil moisture. A total of 1,443 plants were counted and the most abundant species was Euterpe edulis. The average density was of 57.72 ind. 100 m -2 . Three species showed a pattern of “inverse J”, which indicated that they have a potential for regenerating in that palm community. The predominant spatial pattern was aggregated (Ia>1) and canopy openness did not influence species abundances. Only the distribution of Bactris setosa and Geonoma gamiova, both understory species, was explained by soil moisture, suggesting that other abiotic or biotic factors may be influencing the spatial arrangement of the canopy species.
The Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Bupivacaine-Loaded Microspheres on a Brachial Plexus Block Model in Sheep

We evaluated bupivacaine-loaded microspheres (B-Ms) using a brachial plexus block model in sheep. In the first step, pharmacokinetic characterization of 75 mg bupivacaine hydrochloride (B-HCl) (IV infusion and brachial plexus block) was performed (n = 12). In the second step, a brachial plexus block dose response study of B-HCl was performed with 37.5 mg, 75 mg, 150 mg, 300 mg, and 750 mg. As a comparison, evaluations were performed using a 750-mg bupivacaine base (B). In the third step, evaluations of brachial plexus block were performed with B-Ms (750 mg of B as B-Ms) using two formulations, 60/40 and 50/50 (w/w %); drug-free microspheres were also evaluated. Toxicity evaluations were also performed after IV administration of B-HCl (750 mg and 300 mg), B-Ms (750 mg), and drug-free microspheres (30 mL over 1 min). As the B-HCl dose increased, the time of onset of block decreased and the duration of complete motor blockade increased at the expense of an increase in bupivacaine plasma concentrations. The time of maximum concentration appeared to be independent of the B-HCl dose. In brachial plexus block, a 37.5-mg dose of B-HCl did not induce motor blockade whereas a dose of 750 mg of B-HCl was clinically toxic. In the case of IV administration, doses of 300 mg of B-HCl were as toxic as 750 mg of B-HCl. Compared with the 75 mg of B-HCl administration for brachial plexus block, administration of 750 mg of B as B-Ms increased the duration of complete motor blockade without significant difference in maximum concentration. No significant clinical difference between the two formulations of B-Ms was demonstrated. The IV administration of B-Ms was safe. We conclude that the controlled release of bupivacaine from microspheres prolonged the brachial plexus block without obvious toxicity.
Seasonal changes in optical properties of two contrasting tropical freshwater systems

We investigated how allochthonous and autochthonous sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) affected the optical conditions and chemical characteristics of two contrasting tropical freshwater systems (Dom Helvecio-DH and Pampulha reservoir) in a dry and rainy period in 2013. We analyzed PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) and UV (ultraviolet) attenuation coefficients, nutrients, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), dissolved organic matter (DOC) and spectral characteristics of CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter). Significant differences in CDOM sources and quantity were observed, with a dominantly terrestrial input in DH during the rainy period with approximately 50% higher DOC and Chl-a levels, and a doubling in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) compared to the dry winter period. The eutrophic Pampulha had several fold higher levels of DOC, Chl-a, TN and TP, with organic matter of mostly originating from phytoplankton in both seasons. Differences in source and quantity had strong implications on water transparency, DOC concentrations, CDOM quality and its susceptibility to photo- and biodegradation. DH was several fold clearer in both the UV and PAR spectrum. In DH transparency to both UV and PAR radiation was highest during the summer, suggesting elevated photo- and biodegradation during stratification. Pampulha was most transparent in the dry period even during period of algal bloom. In both systems we observed seasonal variations in concentrations of nutrients and Chl-a, and in DH differences were also found in DOC concentrations as well as the specific UV absorbance (SUVA 254 ) and molecular size (M). Our results documents that different sources of DOM and seasonal inputs reflect in the seasonality of apparent and inherent optical properties and nutrients availability with implications for water quality and aquatic community.
Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidomorpha) of the Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Kraków*

Abstract The paper presents results of faunistic investigations of aphids (Aphidomorpha) in the Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Kraków, in the Kraków – Wieluń Upland. During two seasons of research (2011, 2012) two aphid species from the family Adelgidae and 50 species from the family Aphididae, associated with 66 host plants were recorded. The following species – Eriosoma anncharlotteae Danielsson, 1979, Capitophorus elaeagni (Del Guercio, 1894), Rhopalosiphoninus (Neorhopalosiphoninus) staphyleae staphyleae (Koch, 1854), Eulachnus brevipilosus Börner, 1940 and E. cembrae Börner, 1950 – are new for the Kraków – Wieluń Upland. Seven of the species recorded are regarded as alien to Poland.
Octonions and the Two Rational Tight Projective 5-Designs.

There are precisely two unique tight projective 5-designs with rational angle sets, one constructed from the short vectors of the Leech lattice and the other corresponding to a generalized hexagon structure in the octonion projective plane. This paper describes a new connection between these two projective 5-designs---a common construction using octonions. A set of well chosen octonion involutionary matrices acts on a three-dimensional octonion vector space to produce the first 5-design and these same matrices act on the octonion projective plane to produce the second 5-design. This result draws on the octonion construction of the Leech lattice due to Robert Wilson and provides a new link between the generalized hexagon GH(2,8) and the Leech lattice.
Cooperative Phenomena in Two‐pulse, Two‐color Laser Photocoagulation of Cutaneous Blood Vessels ¶

A novel laser system has been developed to study the effects of multiple laser pulses of differing wavelengths on cutaneous blood vessels in vivo, using the hamster dorsal skin flap preparation and in vitro, using cuvettes of whole or diluted blood. The system permits sequenced irradiation with well‐defined intrapulse spacing at 532 nm, using a long‐pulse frequency‐doubled Nd:YAG laser, and at 1064 nm, using a long‐pulse Nd:YAG laser. Using this system, we have identified a parameter space where two pulses of different wavelengths act in a synergistic manner to effect permanent vessel damage at radiant exposures where the two pulses individually have little or no effect. Using a two‐color pump–probe technique in vitro, we have identified a phenomenon we call green‐light–induced infrared absorption, where a pulse of green light causes photochemical and photothermal modifications to the chemical constituents of blood and results in enhanced infrared absorption. We identify a new chemical species, met‐hemoglobin, not normally present in healthy human blood but formed during laser photocoagulation which we believe is implicated in the enhanced near‐infrared absorption.
The Design and Development of a Recirculating Water Channel: A Critical Assessment

The thesis critically assesses the design, development and equipment of a recirculating water channel: the channel in the Department of Engineering at the University of Liverpool It is intended to provide a valuable reference manual for such facilities. The channel is a versatile item of equipment wliich can be used in four different configurations:- as a free surface water channel, including the ability to simulate shallow water and also to generate regular head waves; as a water tunnel; as a free surface cavitation channel or as a cavitation tunnel, with a minimum pressure of 1/30 atmosphere. Uie working section is 3.66m long, 1.4m wide and 0.84m deep with a maximum water speed of 5.7 m/s. The thesis includes: 1. A description of the water channel in its four configurations and earlier development of a jet injection system to overcome a velocity defect at the water surface. The flow velocity in tlie working section and methods of flow measurement are discussed together with new measurements of turbulence velocity and the time to reach equilibrium speed. The wavemaker has been shown to produce waves which are good approximations to a sinusoidal shape at low water speeds and can be maintained over a long period of time. At higher speeds it was found that the wave shape progressively degenerated; methods for improving the wave-maker are suggested. 2. The force measuring equipment is reviewed including a dynamometer for ship models and a miniature version for much smaller forces obtained on sea shells at low water speeds. 3. The principles of model testing are discussed together witli a technique for measuring the actual wetted surface area in the case of fast ships. A new experimental and theoretical investigation into the effect of model size relative to the size of the working section is reported. 4. A final chapter reviews the design of the flume and all its equipment. Suggestions are made for further improvements suitable for a future water channel.
Annual cycle of the upper-ocean circulation and properties in the tropical western Indian Ocean

A regional ocean model was used to simulate the annual cycle of the upper-ocean dynamics and its influence on ocean properties in the tropical western Indian Ocean. Surface winds and heat fluxes from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis forced the model (Model_NCEP) with initial and lateral boundary conditions derived from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA). The model findings were in good agreement with previous research, satellite and observational data as well as another model configuration forced by Comprehensive Ocean and Atmosphere Data Sets (COADS). The initial and lateral boundary conditions for Model_COADS were extracted from World Ocean Atlas 2001. Anticyclonic wind stress curl occurred to the north of Madagascar, and extended towards the Tanzanian coast throughout the year, leading to Ekman convergence and downwelling in that region. The lowest sea-surface height values during the year occurred between 5° and 12° S with an elongated and contracted shape. The East African Coastal Current (EACC) was in phase with the westward North-East Madagascar Current (NEMC) throughout the year with volume transports peaking in June through July in the model forced by NCEP reanalysis. The variability of the volume transport, ocean currents, temperature and salinity to the north of Madagascar on the path of the NEMC mirrored those in the middle Tanzanian shelf on the path of the EACC throughout the year. The NEMC seemed to influence the water masses on the Tanzanian shelf, with cooler and lower-salinity water in the South-West Monsoon, and warmer and saltier water during the North-East Monsoon.
Learning to read from television : The effects of using captions and narration

The author investigated caption use, sound, and the reading behavior of 76 children who had just completed 2nd grade. The present study indicated that beginning readers recognize more words when they view television that uses captions. The auditory element was important for comprehension tasks related to incidental elements and spontaneous use of target words, and the combination of captions and sound helped children identify the critical story elements in the video clips. Positive beliefs about one's competence in reading or watching television appeared to facilitate the recognition of words and, for boys, improve their oral reading rates. In sum, television captions, by evoking efforts to read, appeared to help a child focus on central story elements and away from distracting information, including sound effects and visual glitz. Implications are discussed.
A cross‐cultural colour‐naming study: Part II—Using a constrained method

This study aimed to investigate the differences in colour naming between the English (British) and Mandarin (Taiwanese) languages. A constrained method was employed, with 20 British and 20 Chinese adults. All the experiments were conducted under an artificial daylight, using 1526 colours from the Natural Color System (NCS). Each subject was asked to find the colour(s) corresponding to basic names, modifiers, and secondary names in terms of one colour (focal colour) or a colour region (colour volume). Little difference in chromaticness and hue was found between the two languages, but a systematic discrepancy was found in blackness. Because this could have been caused by different surrounds, i.e., gray and white walls used for the British and Chinese experiments, respectively, a verification experiment was carried out using a panel of ten Taiwanese subjects against a gray surround. The results proved that the lightness difference found earlier was indeed caused by the surround. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 26, 193–208, 2001
Studies on hydro-ecological effects of artificial Chinese pine stand in Loess Plateau

Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) is widely distributed in the Loess Plateau and is one of the main species for afforestation in the region. In order to expound the role of its stand in controlling serious soil and water losses and the mechanism of the role a study on the hydro-ecological effects of the stand, including its canopy, litter and root system is carried out in the period from 1995 to 2000, using the long term observation on rainfall and runoff plots set up in its stand and the method of the physical and chemical analyses of its soil. The experimental stand is a representative middle-aged artificial chinese pine stand which is located in the Huanglongshan mountainous area of northern Shaanxi, where the average air temperature is 9.8℃, and the annual precipitation is 574.4mm. The density of the stand is 0.7, and the litter thickness under the stand averages 2~3cm. The results of the study show, that the intercepting rate of the canopy varies from 19.7% to 31.6% and on an average, is 25.1%. Its stemflow accounts for 3.3% of rainfall. The average intercepting rate of litter is 11.6%. It means that the stand can intercept 36.7% of annual rainfall in all, resulting in reducing net rainfall causing runoff on surface of soil. Litter and roots after death may decompose into organic matter and nutrient substances with the help of microbe, thus distinctly improving the physical and chemical properties of its soil. In comparison with farmland the volume weight of soil in woodland is decreased by 8.6%, while the content of organic matter and total N and CEC are increased by 130.1%, 84.2% and 53.2%, respectively. The proportion of thin soil particle in the woodland is increased too. Under the comprehensive action of the stand the surface runoff and soil erosion from the woodland are decreased by 84.5% and 99.9%, respectively, over the farmland, indicating the great hydro-ecological functions of chinese pine stand.
Traits Through Time

personality but it is being ignored in current personality typologies. Second, the child’s temperamental biases, based on inherited biological processes, are analogous to the anatomical and physiological features that define a species. It appears that about 20 percent of 4-month old infants show a combination of vigorous motor activity and distress to unfamiliar stimuli. These infants are biased to become shy, fearful, and timid during the toddler years and quiet introverts during late childhood and adolescence. The third contribution to personality, analogous to the criterion of reproductive isolation, is based on social relationships that maintain or change the profile developed during childhood and adolescence. These are the processes that Lewis (this issue) called contextual factors. New social relationships do affect personality. An anxious man marries a woman whose fierce love and loyalty help him mute his chronic anxiety; a man who was a confident adolescent marries a woman whose infidelity forces him to question his adequacy. Because each of the current personality constructs based on questionnaires is heterogeneous with respect to childhood history, early temperament, and continuing social interactions, each one needs to be parsed. Three problems must be solved if we are to invent more valid personality categories. Psychologists must find theoretically fruitful ways to conceptualize childhood histories, discover the large number of temperaments that bias children to develop particular profiles, and finally determine how social factors maintain or alter the profiles acquired during the childhood years.
Bio-efficacy of insecticides for Management of Helicoverpa armigera in Chick pea and their economics

The results revealed that the minimum larval population (2.5 & 0.9 larvae/m2) was recorded in rynaxypyr at 3 and 10 days after spraying followed by flubendiamide (2.6 & 1.1 larvae/m2)and emamactin benzoate (2.7 & 1.6 larvae/m2), respectively. Rynaxypyr was found significantly more effective in reducing the pod infestation (3.2%) in compared to emamactin benzoate (5.6%) and triazophos (8.4%) as compared to 8.4 and 9.6 larvae/m2, respectively in control. Among the microbial insecticides, significantly minimum (5.7 & 2.7, respectively at 3&10 days) larval population and pod damage (13.5%) was found in HaNPV treated plots. The highest grain yield (20.5 q/ha), cost benefit ratio (2.3)and net profit was found in rynaxypyr followed by emamactin benzoate (18.1q/ha, 2.2 B: C) and flubendiamide (17.0 q/ha, 2.2 B: C).
Ultraviolet B Irradiation Modulates the Immune System of Fish (Rutilus rutilus, Cyprinidae) Part III: Lymphocytes ¶

The effects of short‐term exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation on lymphocyte‐related parameters were studied under controlled laboratory conditions using roach (Rutilus rutilus), a cyprinid teleost, as the model fish. In vitro lymphoproliferative responses stimulated with a T‐cell–specific mitogen, concanavalin A (ConA), or a B‐cell–specific activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), were decreased in exposed fish. Also nonstimulated proliferation was lower than in unexposed fish. ConA‐activated responses returned to normal levels within 7 days after exposure, but LPS‐activated responses were reduced throughout the 14 day follow‐up. The capability of UVB‐exposed fish to produce an antibody response was studied by intraperitoneal immunization with bovine γ‐globulin (BGG). The concentration of anti‐BGG antibodies in plasma as well as the number of anti‐BGG–specific antibody‐secreting cells in the spleen or blood were not decreased in fish exposed either to a single dose of UVB prior to immunization, or to single dose of UVB prior to immunization followed by three additional doses after immunization. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) production, when assayed as plasma IgM level or as the number of IgM‐secreting cells in the spleen or blood, was not suppressed after exposure to UVB irradiation. These results indicate that a single dose of UVB or short‐term exposure to UVB irradiation has no negative effects on IgM production or reactivity against antigen administered via the intraperitoneal route. However, the suppression of in vitro lymphoproliferative responses suggest that exposure to UVB has the potential to interfere with lymphocyte‐related functions in fish.
Role of Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1) and GlutathioneS-Transferase A1-1 in Alkylating Agent Resistance: KINETICS OF GLUTATHIONE CONJUGATE FORMATION AND EFFLUX GOVERN DIFFERENTIAL CELLULAR SENSITIVITY TO CHLORAMBUCILVERSUSMELPHALAN TOXICITY

Abstract We investigated the role of phase II (conjugation) and phase III (efflux) detoxification of the anticancer drugs melphalan (MLP) and chlorambucil (CHB). Although both drugs are substrates of Alpha-class glutathioneS-transferases (GST) and the monoglutathionyl conjugates formed in these enzymatic reactions are transported by MRP1, we found that GSTA1-1 and MRP1 acted in synergy to confer resistance to CHB but not to MLP (Morrow, C. S., Smitherman, P. K., Diah, S. K., Schneider, E., and Townsend, A. J. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 20114–20120). To explain this selectivity of MRP1/GST-mediated resistance, we report results of side-by-side experiments comparing the kinetics of MLP- versusCHB-glutathione conjugate: formation, product inhibition of GSTA1-1 catalysis, and transport by MRP1. The monoglutathionyl conjugate of CHB, CHB-SG, is a very strong competitive inhibitor of GSTA1-1 (K i 0.14 μm) that is >30-fold more potent than that of the corresponding conjugate of MLP, MLP-SG (K i 4.7 μm). The efficiency of GSTA1-1-mediated monoglutathionyl conjugate formation is more than 4-fold higher for CHB than MLP. Lastly, both CHB-SG and MLP-SG are efficiently transported by MRP1 with similarV max although the K m for CHB-SG (0.37 μm) is significantly lower than for MLP-SG (1.1 μm). These results indicate that MRP1 is required for GSTA1-1-mediated resistance to CHB in order to relieve potent product inhibition of the enzyme by intracellular CHB-SG formed. The kinetic properties of MRP1 are well suited to eliminate CHB-SG at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. For MLP detoxification, where product inhibition of GSTA1-1 is less important, GSTA1-1 does not confer resistance because of the relatively poorer catalytic efficiency of MLP-SG formation. Similar analyses can be useful for predicting the pharmacological and toxicological consequences of MRP and GST expression on cellular sensitivity to various other electrophilic xenobiotics.