Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of geothermal soil warming on the production of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous acid (HONO) from forest soil in southern Iceland

The project was funded by the Academy of Finland (no. 297735 and no. 132045). This work also contributes to the ForHot-Forest (Project No.163272-051 of the Icelandic Research Council), as well as to the Nordic CAR-ES project and the ClimMani COST Action (ES1308) and the International Program CryoCARB and COUP. The Kuopio Naturalists’ Society is thanked for a travel grant. Jaana Rissanen is thanked for assisting in the laboratory at the University of Eastern Finland. We also want to acknowledge the staff at the Reykir campus of the Agricultural University of Iceland for great logistic support.
Effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids from rubber seed kernel on reproductive performance in dairy heifers

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from rubber seed kernel (RSK) on growth performance and reproductive performance in dairy heifers. Twelve healthy and cycling Holstein Friesian dairy heifers were randomly divided into two dietary treatments as control group (TMR without RSK; (mean±SD) 31.82±4.25% PUFAs out of 2.65% total fatty acids) and RSK group (TMR containing RSK at 6.16%; 43.93±1.26% PUFAs out of 3.55% total fatty acids). TMR in both treatments consisted of roughage to concentrate ratio of 70:30 and each dietary treatment was formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric. PUFA intake in the RSK group was significantly higher (p<0.01). Results showed that heifers in the RSK group significantly increased total dry matter (DM) intake, crude protein (CP) intake and ether extract (EE) intake, and also body weight (BW) (p<0.01). However, the concentrations of PUFAs in serum were not different between the groups while the concentrations of serum cholesterol were significantly higher in the RSK group (p<0.01). Serum urea nitrogen (SUN) concentrations and βhydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentrations in both groups were in optimal range. During the estrous period, estradiol and progesterone concentrations were not different. In addition, progesterone concentrations during estrous cycles were similar between the groups. No difference between the groups was found on estrous behavior and conception rate. In conclusion, the level of RSK in this study can be used as feedstuff in heifer diet with positive effect on feed intake, nutrient and fatty acid intake, without any effect on reproductive performance.
Factors affecting herder adoption of winter lambing practices in the desert steppe region of Inner Mongolia, China

Although winter lambing practices (WL) have been shown to be a ‘win-win’ strategy for reducing the degradation of grasslands and improving herder livelihood in the pastoral regions of China, the adoption rate is still low. A survey was conducted to explore herders’ opinions of WL and other factors which influenced the adoption in the desert steppe region of Inner Mongolia, China. Herders who have spring lambing practices generally hold unfavourable opinions about WL. Most have only heard about WL but did not understand the detailed information of implementation or how it increases income. Herder ethnical background, distance to market and neighbours’ choices significantly affected the adoption rate. Han herders were more likely to adopt WL than Mongolian herders. Proximity to market led herders to be more market-focused and to adopt WL. Herders were more inclined to make the same choices as their neighbours. The results showed that herders were prepared to change and were carefully assessing the gains and losses of adopting WL. Results had implications for improving the adoption rate for WL and other livestock management practices in China.
Effects of STZ induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipemia on PPARgamma and ABCA1 in a hamster model of atherogenesis

Diabetes mellitus accelerates atherogenesis, but the exact mechanisms involved are unknown. This study examined the effects of hyperglycemia on the inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), known to be involved in atherogenesis, and the ATP binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) protein that is a downstream product of PPARgamma. ABCA1 is a membrane bound transporter that is involved in reverse cholesterol transport via high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Hamsters were divided into two groups; hyperlipemic animals fed a high fat/high cholesterol control diet (C) and hyperlipemic/hyperglycemic animals that received the high fat diet and were administered streptozotocin. Half of the hamsters (23) in each group were sacrificed at 8 weeks and the other half at 24 weeks. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).
Plastid DNA variation of the endemic species Oxytropis glandulosa Turcz. (Fabaceae)

Alla KHOLINA*, Marina KOZYRENKO, Elena ARTYUKOVA, Denis SANDANOV, Inessa SELYUTINA, Daba CHIMITOV Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulan-Ude, Russia Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
A potential link between gambling addiction severity and central dopamine levels – evidence from spontaneous eye blink rates in gamblers and controls

Accumulating evidence points at similarities between substance use disorders and pathological gambling on the behavioral and neural level. In substance addiction, dysregulation of striatal dopamine transmission has been consistently revealed. Due to the neurotoxicity of stimulating substances, it is still debated if this constitutes mainly a consequence of recurrent substance abuse or a vulnerability marker for addiction disorders. For gambling addiction, no clear association with striatal dopamine levels has been unveiled so far. With its presumably negligible dopaminergic toxicity, possible differences in striatal dopamine transmission in gambling addiction might therefore constitute a vulnerability marker. Spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) is controversially discussed as a potential proxy measure for striatal dopamine levels. Here we examined sEBR in 21 male problem gamblers and 20 healthy control participants. In addition, participants completed a screening questionnaire for overall psychopathology and self-reported measures of alcohol and nicotine consumption. We found no significant difference in sEBR between gamblers and controls. However, in gamblers, sEBR was negatively associated with addiction severity and positively associated with psychopathology. A final exploratory analysis revealed that healthy controls with low sEBR displayed higher alcohol and nicotine consumption than healthy participants with high sEBR. Although the association between dopamine transmission and sEBR is still debated, our findings reveal that sEBR is sensitive to inter-individual differences in addiction severity in problem gamblers.
Characterizing Residence Patterns of North Atlantic Right Whales in the Southeastern USA with a Multistate Open Robust Design Model

Effective conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis requires information about their spatio-temporal distribution. Understanding temporal distribution is particularly important, because a portion of the population migrates between high-latitude summer feeding grounds off the northeastern US and Canadian Maritimes coasts and lower-latitude calving and wintering grounds off the southeastern US coast (SEUS). Here, we modeled SEUS residence patterns using photo-identification data from coastal South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida from 7 winter seasons (2004/2005–2010/2011). We used multistate open robust design models to evaluate effects of reproductive status, demographic group, and environmental conditions on SEUS residence. Model estimates accounted for temporal variation and imperfect detection and provided probabilities of entering the SEUS, staying in the SEUS, and being sighted in the SEUS. We also derived estimates for residence time and seasonal abundance. We observed staggered arrival and departure patterns and demographic differences in residence patterns that are characteristic of a differential migration strategy. Calving females arrived ear liest and, in most seasons, had mean residence periods more than twice as long as other demographic groups. Conversely, adult males arrived the latest and had the shortest residence times. Within-season detection was positively influenced by survey effort, and overall seasonal mean (±SE) detection rate estimates ranged from 0.83 ± 0.08 for non-calving adult females to 0.98 ± 0.02 for calving females. Results provide insights into right whale behavior, biology, and temporal distribution in the SEUS and can be used to evaluate spatially and temporally dynamic management measures.
Pollination ecology and the functional significance of unusual floral traits in two South African stapeliads.

i PREFACE.iii DECLARATION OF PLAGIARISM.iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.v CHAPTER 1: Introduction.1 CHAPTER 2: Connecting the dots and sniffing out functions: The importance of visual versus olfactory signals for the attraction of fly pollinators by Orbea variegata.19 CHAPTER 3: Hairy and smelly: Functional significance of unusual floral traits in the attraction of flies by Stapelia hirsuta var. hirsuta.58 CHAPTER 4: General discussion and conclusion.93
Experimental Transmission of Citrus Blight in South Africa

Twelve healthy 4-yr-old Valencia sweet orange trees on Troyer citrange rootstock were transplanted to a 15-yr-old orchard of the same variety in which a high incidence of citrus blight occurred. The trees were planted in pairs on the north and south sides of a blight affected tree. Several roots of one of the pair of healthy receptor trees were approach-grafted to roots of the adjacent blighted donor trees. After 23 months, four of six of the receptor trees exhibited typical visual symptoms of blight. Three years after grafting, symptomatic receptor trees had reduced water uptake, significantly higher concentrations of zinc in trunk phloem and amorphous plugs in vessels of the trunk xylem. None of the six control trees developed these typical blight symptoms. Index words. root grafts. The first description of a decline resembling citrus blight in the Republic of South Africa was reported in 1979 by Da Graca and Van Vuuren (4). In 1982 reports of severe cases of this type of decline were received from several Eastern and Northern Transvaal citrus producing areas, consequently a survey was conducted in the major citrus producing areas of South Africa and Swaziland to verify the presence of citrus blight and to determine its distribution (7, 10, 11). I t was during this survey that the syringe injection technique as a rapid diagnostic test for citrus blight was developed (8). It was also in 1982 that cooperative blight research between researchers at CREC, Lake Alfred, Florida and researchers in South Africa commenced. To further verify that citrus blight in South Africa was in fact identical to that in Florida and to gain more etiological data on the blight organism it was decided to conduct transmission experiments in areas where blight was severe. These experiments were based on those conducted by Tucker, et al. (15) and Lee, et al. (9) who demonstrated the presence of an infectious agent in the roots of blight affected trees. All previous research, including most recent work by Hopkins (5), has been unable to artificially reproduce all of the known symptoms of the disease in bearing trees. This paper reports on the results obtained in one of the transmission experiments in which roots of apparently healthy 4-yr-old trees were approach grafted to 15-yr-old blighted
Identification and Sequence Analysis of Novel Proteins in the Zebra Mussel Adhesive Apparatus

The freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is a biofouling species that adheres to varied substrates underwater using a proteinaceous byssus that consists of a bundle of threads tipped with adhesive plaques. This underwater adhesion is an inspiration for the development of medical and dental bioadhesives, however, the byssus is highly resistant to biochemical characterization owing to extensive cross-linking and therefore, limited information is available on the mechanisms of adhesion and cohesion of byssal proteins. We report here on the identification and sequence analysis of eight novel byssal proteins identified in the soluble extract and insoluble matrix from induced, freshly secreted byssal threads with minimal crosslinking, using gel electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS sequencing techniques. Identified byssal proteins have theoretical molecular weights ranging from 4.1 kDa to 20.1 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 4.2 to 9.6 and have several common characteristics including consensus repeat patterns, block structures and defined sequence motifs.
Survival and Event History Analysis: A Process Point of View

An introduction to survival and event history analysis. - Stochastic processes in event history analysis. - Nonparametric analysis of survival and event history data. - Regression models. - Parametric counting process models. - Unobserved heterogeneity: The odd effects of frailty. - Multivariate frailty models. - Marginal and dynamic models for recurrent events and clustered survival data. - Causality. - First passage time models: Understanding the shape of the hazard rate. - Diffusion and L#x00E9 vy process models for dynamic frailty.
Theta and gamma oscillations in the rat hippocampus during attentive lever pressing

The hippocampus is known to be pivotal for spatial memory but emerging evidence suggests its contribution to temporal memories as well. However, it is not clear how the hippocampus represents time and how it synchronizes spatial and temporal presentations into a coherent memory. We assessed the specific role of hippocampal theta and gamma oscillations and their interaction in short-term timing of motor reactions. Rats were trained to maintain lever pressing for 2.5 s and then to quickly release the lever and retrieve water reward from a nearby water port guided by a cue light. In essence, this task allows observation of hippocampal rhythms during timed anticipation when no overt movements take place. Then we implanted wire electrodes to five hippocampal layers for recording local field potentials during the task. Consistent with earlier reports, theta showed a declining trend during the lever press. We also found that fast-gamma declined in tandem with theta while slow-gamma showed an opposite trend. Theta-phase to gamma-amplitude cross-frequency coupling measured with modulation index (MI) varied significantly between the three task phases. Interestingly, also changes in MI were opposite for fast- and slow-gamma. The MI was also related to the task performance, so that during omission trials the MI for fast-gamma in CA1 was smaller than during trials with premature lever release. In addition, the MI in dentate hilus was higher during all error trials than during correctly performed trials. Collectively, these data suggest an important role of synchronization of hippocampal theta and gamma rhythms to timing of cued motor reactions.
Structure and genetic variation among populations of Euschistus heros from different geographic regions in Brazil

The Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a major Brazilian soybean pest. Aiming to provide relevant information to implement pest and insecticide resistance management, new microsatellite loci were developed for E. heros and used in a study of genetic diversity and population structure. The population analysis was performed using eight microsatellite loci from 17 samples (n = 243 individuals) collected in the major soybean‐producing regions in Brazil (northeastern, midwestern, and southern regions). These microsatellite loci provided high genetic diversity values on the whole extension for the studied region (He = 0.895; total number of alleles = 400). Neotropical brown stink bug populations in general displayed low genetic structure levels among the samples (overall ΦST = 0.009). An exception was the sample from the northeastern region, which showed a significant genetic differentiation (pairwise ΦST = 0.031–0.063). Bayesian cluster analysis confirmed these results, did not show population subdivision, and indicated considerable levels of gene flow. Significant correlations between genetic differences and geographic distance were obtained. The lowest estimate of migration was found in the population from São Desidério, which was also the most distant from the remaining populations based on genetic distance. Some plausible hypotheses for the low genetic differentiation among these populations are the fast expansion of soybean production areas, the main food source of E. heros, polyvoltinism, and possible influence of anthropogenic dispersal. All these factors could have led to high population densities, a wide distribution that may contribute to reduced population differentiation, and increased genetic diversity.
Where to invest? Causes and consequences of Trade-offs in the polymorphic black scavenger fly Sepsis thoracica

1. Life history trade-offs emerge when limited resources are allocated to multiple functions of an organism. Under highly competitive conditions trade-offs can result in alternative phenotypes that differ morphologically and physiologically. Such is the case in insect species that grow under high densities, where competition for resources but also the risk of disease contagion is high, prompting important adjustments in immune response and melanic cuticular pigmentation, with consequent sacrifices in other fitness-related traits. 2. In the present study, the potential trade-offs between totaland active phenoloxidase (PO), body size and body pigmentation in Sepsis thoracica black scavenger flies that show alternative male morphs differing in cuticular pigmentation, and body size were evaluated. 3. As expected, small/dark (obsidian) males showed higher total-PO activity than larger/orange (amber) males. A negative relationship was found between total-PO activity and body size in females and obsidian but not amber males, suggesting that growth and immunity are more costly for the former. In contrast, density did not affect PO activity, as predicted by the density-dependent prophylaxis hypothesis, which had not been tested in dipterans before. However, rearing density did affect the body size negatively in females and amber but not obsidian males, showing that male morph is largely determined by condition-dependent plasticity rather than genes. 4. This study provides good evidence that trade-offs between different life-history traits can result in alternative resource allocation strategies, even within one species. These strategies can produce strikingly different alternative phenotypes, evincing that there is not only one optimal solution to address fitness optimisation.
Fungal community shifts underpin declining mycelial production and turnover across a Pinus sylvestris chronosequence

Fungi play critical roles in ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling, but have also been highlighted as significant contributors to organic matter build‐up in boreal forest soils. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mycelial biomass and necromass dynamics have recently been highlighted as essential for regulating build‐up of soil organic matter. Understanding the extent to which shifts in mycelial community or growth trait composition cause changes in mycelial production and turnover over ecological gradients would aid a mechanistic understanding of these important processes at an ecosystem scale. Here, we test the hypotheses that shifting species and mycelial trait (exploration type) composition within the mycelial community underpin changes in biomass turnover with increasing forest age. We quantified mycelial turnover and assessed fungal community composition in a chronosequence of eight, 12‐ to 158‐year‐old, managed Pinus sylvestris forests. Turnover was estimated by determining mycelial biomass (ergosterol) in a sequence of ingrowth mesh bags and applying mathematical models. Fungal communities in the bags were identified using Pacific Biosciences sequencing of fungal ITS2 amplicons. To evaluate the accuracy of this method to represent all ECM fungi, community composition in bags was followed over time and compared with communities in soil. Mycelial communities changed with stand age, but we found no evidence that there were concurrent shifts in mycelial exploration types. Forest age and turnover were significantly correlated with ECM mycelial community composition and collectively explained 39.4% of total variation. The similarity between fungal communities in mesh bags and in soil was strongly forest age dependent, with communities in mesh bags diverging from soil communities in stands older than 60 years. However, in all stands, when bag incubation time exceeded 75 days, communities became more similar to soil communities. Synthesis. Our results support the idea that shifts in fungal community composition underpin the forest age‐related decrease in mycelial turnover; however, since ingrowth mesh bags exclude some mycorrhizal species in older forests, it remains a possibility that turnover estimates were not reflecting the entire community. While we found no evidence that mycelial exploration types of fungi changed systematically with forest age, we suggest that other traits that relate to biomass turnover and necromass degradation require further study, as they may explain the extent to which ectomycorrhizal fungi regulate and contribute to soil organic matter accumulation.
Shorebirds of the Kimberley Coast - Populations, key sites, trends and threats

The tidal flats of the Kimberley coast support the largest populations of migratory shorebirds in Australia. In this paper we review and discuss population sizes of all 41 shorebird species occurring on the Kimberley coastlines, and summarise the importance of the region in an international context. The Kimberley coastline is used by c. 3.7 million shorebirds, including c. 635,000 migrants from the northern hemisphere and c. 16,000 Australian-bred resident shorebirds which forage on the tidal flats of the Kimberley coast. A further c. 3.06 million migratory shorebirds from near-coastal grasslands (Oriental Plover, Little Curlew and Oriental Pratincoles) use roosts on the Kimberley coast at times. Most coast-dependent shorebirds of the Kimberley are concentrated in a small number of sites. Eighty-mile Beach and Roebuck Bay are the most important two sites; they have the highest numbers of birds, and the greatest diversity of species occurring in internationally significant numbers. Internationally important numbers of several species occur on some offshore islands (Adele Island, Ashmore Reef and the Lacepedes), including several species (e.g. Lesser Sand Plover, Grey Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler and Ruddy Turnstone) which are disproportionately abundant on offshore islands when compared to the mainland. Although most of the key shorebird sites on the Kimberley coast are remote and have not been greatly affected by humans, there are indications that populations of many migratory species on the Kimberley coast are declining, probably because of habitat loss in the east Asian areas where they stage on migration. Continued and enhanced monitoring of shorebirds in the Kimberley that contributes strategically to the conservation management of this group is strongly recommended.