Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling of growth in shoot apical dome

The vectorial field of displacement velocities V in growing apical dome is calculated from the scalar field adjusted to the geometry of the dome and to different variants of the distribution of linear growth rate along axis. The distribution of growth rate in volume and the temporal course of cell wall net deformation in the apical dome calculated from the V fit within the range of empirical data when the linear growth rate along the axis increases with distance from the tip. The distribution of volume growth rate attains the minimum inside the distal region of the dome where the zone of central mother cells occurs.
Yield variation of wheat and barley in Britain in relation to crop growth and soil conditions—A review

Yields of cereals in Britain vary between sites and between years, and average farm yields are less than half of the calculated potential maximum yield. Yield variation is discussed in relation to soil conditions and root growth. An analysis of yield and its components of winter wheat for several sites over several years shows that yield is strongly correlated with number of grains per ear, and number of ears per unit area. These components of yield are influenced by environmental conditions during the reproductive phase of development, particularly light interception, nitrogen absorption and plant water stress. Crop growth analysis shows that total dry matter production is strongly correlated with light absorption, which depends on seasonal variation in leaf area index. Leaf expansion in the field is mainly dependent on temperature, plant water stress, and nitrogen absorption. The environmental factors that are believed to have a strong influence on number of grains per ear, number of ears per unit area, and leaf expansion are discussed. Subjects in which further research is needed are identified. These include: effects of restrictions to root growth on absorption of nutrients and water; effects of soil temperature on leaf expansion and nutrient absorption; the nitrogen requirements of the cereal crop, including the effects of temporary deficiencies of N on the final grain yield.
Ultrastructural features of the hypopharyngeal glands in the social wasp Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The wasps of the genus Polistes have been considered the key to understanding the evolution of social behavior in Hymenoptera. Several studies have shown that the development of organized insect societies was accompanied by the evolution of structures like exocrine glands, which became specialized to perform specific functions. This article investigates the ultrastructural and cytochemical features of the hypopharyngeal glands of Polistes versicolor. These glands have been studied in depth in social bees, where they occur only in nurses and produce the royal jelly. Our results revealed that these glands basically did not vary among individuals or between sexes. They are constituted by spherical cells, each with a large nucleus and well‐developed rough endoplasmic reticulum. Secretion vesicles are abundant, but lipid droplets were not observed, indicating that these glands may not have a role in pheromone synthesis. Acid phosphatase was detected in lysosomes, and also free in the cytosol, but did not seem to be related with cell death. Thus, our results suggest that the hypopharyngeal glands of P. versicolor may not have a specialized social role, but could produce digestive enzymes.
Regional differences in tree-crop competition due to soil, climate and management

Large areas of trees are being planted in Australian agricultural lands for a range of environmental, ecological and economic reasons. In the medium to low rainfall zones, these plantings can negatively impact upon adjacent agricultural production through competition for soil moisture. The nature of the tree–crop competition zone and the means of managing it have been studied in the main southern cropping zones. However, the differences in soil, climate and agronomic systems in Australia’s northern dryland cropping zones could lead to differences in the competition processes and the management options needed to minimise them. In this study, the competition for soil moisture and resultant impacts on crop production were studied for a Eucalyptus argophloia windbreak on a farm near Warra, Queensland (26.93°S, 150.93°E). The results indicate well defined inner and outer competition zones, the extents of which agree with those found elsewhere in Australia and overseas. However, while the extent of the competition is comparable with other regions, local agronomic practices developed for variable climatic conditions and deep clay soils allow trees to extract soil water stored during fallow periods resulting in relatively higher production losses.
Within-plant and within-leaf dispersion pattern of two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) on okra

Tetranychus urticae distribution on spatial scale both within leaf and within plant was assessed by the index of dispersion (Id), Lloyd's mean crowding index (Imc), Lloyd's patchiness index (Ip) and Morisita's index (I δ). Id values in all leaves and leaf parts promised aggregated distribution regardless of leaf position and leaf areas. The values of Imc estimated were all larger than the mean. The value of Ip and I δ also indicated increased degree of aggregation and clumping in all leaves and leaf areas. While pattern of distribution is same in all the leaves and leaf parts, population estimated is high in young fully opened top leaves than the grown-up middle and bottom leaves. Within the young leaf, top area of upper side of the leaf housed relatively increased number of T. urticae than bottom area of upper side of the leaf. Because young fully opened leaves consistently contained major proportion of mites (48.33%), particularly the top leaf area (79.62%), these leaves and leaf areas can be used as sampling unit for population estimation to minimise the time spent on sampling. However, it warrants future research for predictive models to associate a number of mites of top leaf to other leaves and top area to other areas. Further, releasing predators in young fully opened leaves may increase predator efficiency if supplementary studies on predator–prey relationship on spatial scale are triggered.
Bumble bee selection of Mimulus guttatus flowers : The effects of pollen quality and reward depletion

The ability of flower visitors to monitor returns when collecting pollen from flowers has been seldom studied despite the importance of pollen as a food resource, particularly for bees. Californian populations of Mimulus guttatus are polymorphic for pollen quality: many plants produce a high proportion of cytoplasmless pollen grains that render the grains incapable of fertilizing ovules or of supporting bees nutritionally. We found that different genotypes maintained a consistent proportion of inviable pollen within a genotype and over time. The number of pollen grains per flower was also consistent within a plant at each date but declined over time. We studied the ability of British bumble bees (Bombus spp.) to discriminate among plants of Mimulus guttatus on the basis of pollen quality and quantity at three scales: indoors with choices of two genotypes, in outdoor plots of several genotypes that varied in pollen quality, and outdoors at a whole-patch scale where two patches of plants differed in quality. We found that bees could discriminate among plants on the basis of pollen quality provided that flowers still retained most of the pollen. In the two-genotype trials, bees chose genotypes primarily on the quantity of viable pollen, and nectar was much less important. Similarly, where patches of low- and high-pollen quality plants were established, bees responded by visiting the high-quality patch more often and by visiting more flowers within the patch. However, the results from the outdoor plots that contained genotypes of varying phenotypes were inconsistent. A meta-analysis of a large number of separate plots showed that the overall correlation between visitation rate and pollen quality was significant, but variation among plots was also significant. A possible explanation for this inconsistency was suggested in a greenhouse trial in which we showed that, when foraging density was high, depletion of the standing crop of pollen happened quickly, and this reduced the ability of the foragers to choose the higher-quality genotypes. The results have implications for the evolution of pollen production in Mimulus guttatus and reward production in other plants.
Ad Hoc Reservations: Forward or Backward Steps in Developing Representative Reserve Systems?

A major reason for land reservation has been the relative lack of value of selected sites for major commercial land uses or for human habitation. Other important reasons include scenery, recreation, tourist potential, the influence of lobby groups, and historical protection for uses such as hunting or water supply. There are two main disadvantages of such ad hoc approaches to reserve planning. One is the bias in the content of regional reserve systems, leaving some species, communities, or ecosystems without protection, often the ones most in need of strict reservation. The second is that ad hoc reservations can make the goal of representing regional biodiversity more expensive, reducing the likelihood of protecting many elements of biodiversity. Ad hoc approaches to reservation persist despite clearly stated representation goals, improving data bases, and systematic techniques for reserve selection. The main causes need to be understood and addressed if the potential value of reservation for protecting biodiversity is to be realized. La principal razon para la reservacion de tierras ha sido la falta relativa del valor de los sitios seleccionados para usos comerciales o habitacionales para el hombre. Otras razones importantes incluyen el panorama paisajistico, la recreacion, el turismo potencial, la influencia de grupos de lobby y la proteccion historica para usos tales como caza o provision de agua. Existen dos desventajas mayores de estas formas ad hoc de planificacion de reservas. Una es el sesgo dentro del sistema regional de reservas, dejando ciertas especies, comunidades o ecosistemas sin proteccion, muy a menudo aquellas con mayor necesidad de reservas estrictas. La segunda es que las reservas ad hoc hacen que el objetivo de representar la biodiversidad regional sea mas costoso, reduciendo la posibilidad de proteger muchos elementos de la biodiversidad. Los enfoques ad hoc de reservar persisten a pesar de objetivos de representatividad claramente delineados, el mejoramiento de las bases de datos y las tecnicas sistematicas para la seleccion de reservas. Las causas principales deben ser entendidas y consideradas si se quiere lograr el valor potencial de reservar y proteger la biodiversidad.
The isolation and characterization of abscisic acid-insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

Abscisic acid (ABA) insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. were isolated by selecting plants which grew well on a medium containing 10 μM ABA. From the progeny of approximately 3500 mutagen-treated seeds, five mutants of at least three different loci were isolated. Three mutants were characterized, moreover, by a reduced seed dormancy and by symptoms of withering, indicating disturbed water relations and, therefore, resembled phenotypically the ABA-deficient mutants we described earlier in this species. Two mutants showed in addition only a reduction of seed dormancy. Compared to wild type, all mutants showed similar or increased levels of endogenous ABA in developing seeds and fruits (siliquae). The role of the different genes involved is discussed in relation to the mechanism of ABA action.
Chromosomal and morphometric variation in the gekko Diplodactylus vittatus (Gray)

Chromosomal and morphometric analysis has shown that there are five distinct races of Diplodactylus vittatus: 2n = 38 EA, 2n = 34 SA, 2n = 36 WA, 2n = 38 WA A and 2n = 38 WA B. The 2n = 34 SA, and 2n = 36 WA races have evolved independently in Eastern and Western Australia and are interpreted as the products of chromosomal fusions. Each of the five races is morphologically distinguishable, has an extensive and discrete distribution and is chromosomally constant throughout its range; each is regarded as a biological species. The present-day distribution suggests that the fusion races may have evolved by stasipatric speciation.
Localizing general models with classification and regression trees

Abstract Typically, in forest inventory the volume of tally trees is predicted with a volume model estimated at national level. Such a global model is not unbiased regionally if there is spatial variation in the tree form due to one or more unknown predictors. This regional bias could be reduced or removed if the models were localized to each region or subarea. The localization is easiest if the area can be divided into homogeneous areas with respect to stem form. This study tested whether the localization results depend on the way the division is made and on the size of the subareas. The study area was divided spatially into homogeneous subareas with residuals of the global model or with the local spatial index, G i *, or both with classification and regression trees, the leaves of which formed the subareas. In addition, two other spatial divisions were created: an administrative forest centre and spatially equal-sized subarea divisions. The localized models were compared with the global model. The root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of localized models were smaller in median and in mean, but maximum values exceeded the overall global model RMSE. The localization reduced local RMSEs on average by 1–6%. The differences between the spatial divisions were small, although the aggregate standard errors and RMSEs were slightly smaller in regression trees. Only 50 ± 8% of the subareas were spatially homogeneous in regression tree divisions, which suggests that either the division criteria or the division method were inadequate.
Evolution of genomes, host shifts and the geographic spread of SARS‐CoV and related coronaviruses

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel human illness caused by a previously unrecognized coronavirus (CoV) termed SARS‐CoV. There are conflicting reports on the animal reservoir of SARS‐CoV. Many of the groups that argue carnivores are the original reservoir of SARS‐CoV use a phylogeny to support their argument. However, the phylogenies in these studies often lack outgroup and rooting criteria necessary to determine the origins of SARS‐CoV. Recently, SARS‐CoV has been isolated from various species of Chiroptera from China (e.g., Rhinolophus sinicus) thus leading to reconsideration of the original reservoir of SARS‐CoV. We evaluated the hypothesis that SARS‐CoV isolated from Chiroptera are the original zoonotic source for SARS‐CoV by sampling SARS‐CoV and non‐SARS‐CoV from diverse hosts including Chiroptera, as well as carnivores, artiodactyls, rodents, birds and humans. Regardless of alignment parameters, optimality criteria, or isolate sampling, the resulting phylogenies clearly show that the SARS‐CoV was transmitted to small carnivores well after the epidemic of SARS in humans that began in late 2002. The SARS‐CoV isolates from small carnivores in Shenzhen markets form a terminal clade that emerged recently from within the radiation of human SARS‐CoV. There is evidence of subsequent exchange of SARS‐CoV between humans and carnivores. In addition SARS‐CoV was transmitted independently from humans to farmed pigs (Sus scrofa). The position of SARS‐CoV isolates from Chiroptera are basal to the SARS‐CoV clade isolated from humans and carnivores. Although sequence data indicate that Chiroptera are a good candidate for the original reservoir of SARS‐CoV, the structural biology of the spike protein of SARS‐CoV isolated from Chiroptera suggests that these viruses are not able to interact with the human variant of the receptor of SARS‐CoV, angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In SARS‐CoV we study, both visually and statistically, labile genomic fragments and, putative key mutations of the spike protein that may be associated with host shifts. We display host shifts and candidate mutations on trees projected in virtual globes depicting the spread of SARS‐CoV. These results suggest that more sampling of coronaviruses from diverse hosts, especially Chiroptera, carnivores and primates, will be required to understand the genomic and biochemical evolution of coronaviruses, including SARS‐CoV.
Artificial Light‐Harvesting Antennae: Singlet Excitation Energy Transfer from Zinc Chlorin Aggregate to Bacteriochlorin in Homogeneous Hexane Solution

Abstract— Zinc chlorins possessing 31‐hydroxyl and 131‐carbonyl groups self‐assemble in nonpolar solvents, such as hexane, in a manner similar to bacteriochlorophyll c in the chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. Visible absorption and steady‐state fluorescence measurements of zinc chlorin aggregates containing a small amount of the bacteriochlorin‐zinc chlorin dyad molecules showed that singlet excitation energy transfer from the zinc chlorin aggregate to the bacteriochlorin moiety of the coaggre‐gated dyad occurs in the homogeneous solution. In the coaggregated dyad, the bacteriochlorin moiety plays the role of an efficient energy trap and the chlorin moiety the role of an anchor to the donor aggregate. The artificial assembly thus mimics the structure and function of natural chlorosomes and can be considered as the first in vitro supramolecular light‐harvesting antenna.
Effects of temperature and oxygen on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes at pH 4.5

Growth effects were studied using tryptose phosphate broth adjusted with hydrochloric acid. The microorganism survived for extended periods at low incubation temperatures (5 and 10°C), and grew at intermediate temperatures (19 and 28°C). Aerobic incubation at 37°C resulted in relatively rapid inactivation of the organism; however, when oxygen was restricted the organism recovered and survived for extended periods. Oxygen restriction enhanced the growth rate at 19°C. Results demonstrated temperature and oxygen availability interacted to influence survival of L. monocytogenes in low pH environment.
Bleach-induced Germination and Breakage of Dormancy of Seeds of Alectra vogelii

The effects of solutions of sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite (bleach) on dormancy and germination of Alectra vogelii seeds were investigated. Dry (non-pretreated) and 10-day water-pretreated seeds were exposed to various bleach concentrations, as well as to the host (Vigna unguiculata) root exudate. The 15-month-old Alectra seeds used were partially dormant in that only 40% or less of the 10-day pretreated seeds could be stimulated to germinate by the standard host root exudate. Comparable percentage germination of nonpretreated seeds was achieved with certain concentrations of bleach and the halogens, chlorine and bromine. Bleach and the halogens served not only as germination stimulant for pretreated Alectra seeds but appropriate concentrations induced also high percentage (70–90%) germination indicating a breakage of seed dormancy as well. The activity of the bleach in stimulating high percentage germination could be significantly reduced when the optimally bleach-treated seeds were rinsed daily with water during the germination period. Vigna root exudate, but not bleach, was shown to act as root stimulant for Alectra seedlings. The possible mechanism of the bleach effect on germination and dormancy of Alectra seeds is discussed.
Efeito da adubação nitrogenada na produção de mudas de sete-cascas (Samanea inopinata (Harms) Ducke)

Understanding seedling nutrition and the use of appropriate substrata for cultivation are essential to define fertilization recommendations. Due to the difficulty in making specific fertilization recommendations, the effect of nitrogen fertilization was tested on the growth and quality of sete-cascas (Samanea inopinata) seedlings. The experiment consisted of nine treatments with three repetitions each and six plastic bags per parcel, in randomized block design. The nitrogen source was ammonium sulfate applied at different levels every 14 or 28 days. The experiment was monitored for twelve months, and then harvested. The following parameters were evaluated: height (H), root collar diameter (D), dry matter of aerial part (MSPA) and root (MSR), total dry matter (MST) and seedling quality indexes H/D, H/MSPA, MSPA/MSR and IQD were calculated. The data were analyzed using factorial and regression analysis. All the tested morphological parameters were significantly affected by the nitrogen fertilization, except for the MSPA/MSR and H/D indexes. Due to the height and diameter importance, it was recommended 0.91 g of ammonium sulfate per seedling every 14 days when cultivated in Red-Yellow Latosol, combined with organic compost.
The effect of pre- and post-natal nutrition on the growth of beef cattle. 3. The effect of severe restriction in early post-natal life on the development of the body components and chemical composition

The effects of restricted growth of cattle both before and after birth, of the method of their realimentation, and of sex on (1) body and carcass composition, (2) the weights of visceral components, (3) the weights of selected individual muscles and bones, and (4) the heights of the animals at the withers and pelvis were ascertained. Castrate male and entire female cattle were slaughtered when their liveweights reached 400 and 370 kg respectively. Other male and female calves were slaughtered at 200 days of age following a controlled feeding period on either a high or a low plane diet. Although pre-natal nutrition significantly (P < 0.05) affected the height of the calves at 3 days of age, it had no lasting effect on this or other components. When adjusted to the same empty body weight or carcass weight, animals restricted in growth then intensively realimented had (P < 0.01) more fat and less protein, water and ash than animals unrestricted in growth and later fed intensively. Animals finished on pasture had (P < 0.01) less fat and more protein, water and ash than the intensively finished calves, but their composition was unaffected by the controlled feeding treatments. Significant differences (P < 0.01) between restricted and unrestricted animals in the percentage water or protein in the fat-free mass at the end of the controlled feeding period were eliminated when the animals had recovered. The weights of visceral components, individual muscles and bones were not influenced by the level of nutrition during the controlled feeding period. Animals finished on pasture had (P < 0.01) more blood, heavier livers, heavier individual muscles and bones than the intensively finished animals. They also had (P < 0.01) lighter fasted liveweight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage and heavier wet rumen-reticulum contents than the intensively finished cattle. Although the pasture finished animals were (P < 0.01) shorter at 200 and 300 days of age than the intensively finished animals, they were (P < 0.01) taller just prior to slaughter. It is suggested that meat-producing animals can overcome restrictions imposed on growth immediately after birth to attain marketable weight on either pasture or intensive feeding.