Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Life and Flight Activity of Drones

This article is based on the paper read by Professor Ruttner at the B.R. A. Conference on the Drone Honeybee (see page 50). It holds many points of interest, in addition to the new light thrown on the behaviour of the drones themselves. We are nowadays used to the idea of permitted flight levels for aircraft, of a country's ‘air-space’, and of the territories and mating grounds of birds. Here we learn that workers and drones have their own separate flight regions in the air, and why this is in fact necessary. We learn that the flight paths of drones are not always random ones, but that the drones may be drawn irresistably to certain locations, which they are then most reluctant to leave. Beekeepers in the past have occasionally noticed and reported assemblies of drones in the air, but were not in a position to find out much about them, for only very recently have methods been devised for locating and studying drones in flight. And the information that has so far come to light is, as Professor Ruttner point.
Short Communication: Chicken Anemia Virus and Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Interfere with Transcription of Chicken IFN-α and IFN-γ mRNA

Chicken anemia virus (CAV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) are the two most important viruses that cause immunosuppression in commercial chickens. Because inapparent, subclinical infections by these viruses cause immunosuppression, there is need for assessment of the immune status of chickens. Interference with induction of transcription for chicken interferon-α (ChIFN-α) and ChIFN-γ was noted after subclinical infections with either CAV or IBDV. Because the immunosuppressive viruses of chickens may interfere with transcription for ChIFN-α and ChIFN-γ, we propose using this interference to assess the immune status of chickens.
Microsatellite diversity among aerobic and lowland indica rice genotypes with differential water requirements

Molecular polymorphism in a set of 15 rice genotypes comprising of aerobic and lowland Basmati, indica and japonica rice varieties was evaluated using BAD2 aromaspecific and 50 mapped SSR markers. A total of 260 alleles were detected and number of alleles per locus and polymorphism information content values ranged from 2 to 9 (average 5.1) and 0.226 to 0.836 (average 0.672), respectively. Notably, two SSR markers (RM212 and RM302) amplified specific alleles in all the five aerobic rice genotypes, which were absent in non-aerobic rice genotypes. SSR diversity data analyzed using NTSYS-pc clustering algorithms showed greater divergence between the Basmati and aerobic rice varieties as compared to lowland indica and aerobic rice varieties.
Parasitic Helminths Collected from the Japanese Giant Salamander, Andrias japonicus (Temminck, 1837) (Amphibia: Cryptobranchidae), in Japan

Abstract Helminth parasites collected at postmortem from the alimentary tracts of 5 Japanese giant salamanders, Andrias japonicus (Temminck, 1837), are reported. One trematode, Liolope copulans (Cohn, 1902); and 5 nematodes, Amphibiocapillaria tritonispunctati (Diesing, 1851), Dioctophyme renale (Goeze, 1782) (larva), Spiroxys hanzaki Hasegawa, Miyata et Doi, 1998, Kathlaniidae sp. (larva), and Physalopteroidea sp. (larva) were found. Examination of premolt and molting larvae of S. hanzaki showed that the advanced third-stage larvae molt directly to the adult stage. Strict host specificity of some helminths is surmised to be linked to the piscivorous nature of the giant salamander. This is the first report of A. tritonispunctati and D. renale from A. japonicus. The chromosome number of L. copulans is recorded for the first time.
The Effects of a Hydrogel Polymer on the Growth of Certain Horticultural Crops under Saline Conditions

The effects of incorporating a hydrogel polymer into sand on the development of selected horticultural plants grown under saline conditions has been demonstrated. In separate experiments, the seeds of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were germinated in sand/swollen hydrogel polymer mixture (25:75, v:v) with added Hoagland nutrient solution. At cotyledon + first true leaf stage, the plantlets were transplanted into polythene growbags containing a range of sand/swollen hydrogel polymer combinations (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0, v:v). Saline solutions containing NaCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2 were prepared as molar solutions and applied at combined concentrations as follows; Control (Hoagland), 2000, 4000, 8000, and 32 000 ppm. Application of the appropriate solution to the growbags was made twice per week, alternating with a comparable watering regime. Harvesting was carried out after 14 and 28 d. Polymer incorporation encouraged growth of all species under all saline conditions, the order of effectiveness of the polymer contents being as follows; 75%>50%>25%>100%>0%. At high salinity (32 000 ppm) plants of the test species were reduced in growth but appeared to be tolerant at all levels of polymer incorporation; in pure sand the level of tolerance in tomato and cucumber was < 8000 ppm and in lettuce <4000 ppm. Generally, dry weight, leaf area, succulence, chloroplast pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids), photosynthetic activity, total amino acids, proline, and protein contents were increased with polymer incorporation compared with pure sand. This hydrogel polymer appears to be highly effective for use as a soil conditioner in horticulture, to improve crop tolerance and growth in a sand or light gravel substrate under saline conditions. It is intended to confirm the results of these studies by field trials.
HYBRIDIZATION AMONG BUTEOS: SWAINSON'S HAWKS (BUTEO SWAINSONI) × RED-TAILED HAWKS (BUTEO JAMAICENSIS)

Abstract We report three cases of hybridization between wild Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and Red-tailed Hawks (B. jamaicensis) identified by using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers. The hybrid individuals were field-identified as Swainson's Hawks and sampled from Alberta, Canada (n = 2) and Utah, USA (n = 1). Nineteen nuclear microsatellite loci were used in a factorial correspondence analysis to create genotypic clusters of 468 Red-tailed and 357 Swainson's hawks. Three suspected hybrids were identified by an intermediate genetic position between the genotypic clusters of the two species, indicating a hybridogenetic composition. We examined mitochondrial control region sequence data to identify the maternal background of the putative hybrids; two of the hybrid specimens had Red-tailed Hawk mtDNA haplotypes and the third a Swainson's Hawk haplotype. These results suggest that hybridization between these two species may occur in their shared breeding range and can result in reciprocal hybrid offspring, barring any social, behavioral, or biological isolating mechanisms.
Carica papaya by-products as new biocatalysts for the synthesis of oleic acid esters

Abstract Carica papaya lipase is a versatile biocatalyst that is employed for many biotechnological purposes. Its lipase activity was first observed to be tightly linked to the insoluble fraction of latex. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that this activity is also present in the fruit peel and seeds, suggesting that the lipase activity occurs in other parts of the plant. In the present work, the hydrolytic activity on trioctanoin was determined in various plant by-products, including latex, leafs, petioles, meristems, fruits, and the stem. The most hydrolytic activity was found in the latex (11 U/mL), followed by the petioles (1.7 U/mL). The hydrolytic selectivity was determined using triacetin, tripropionin, tributyrin, and trioctanoin. The enzymes present in the latex showed a higher rate of hydrolysis of tributyrin, while those present in the petioles had a preference for tripropionin, possibly indicating the occurrence of at least two different triacylglycerol hydrolases. Five self-immobilized biocatalysts were obtained: lyophilized latex (LL), lyophilized petioles (LP), bagasse from petioles (BP), and, after a simple cold water washing treatment, treated lyophilized latex (TLL), and treated lyophilized petioles (TLP). This procedure yielded a 5- and 10-fold increase in the latex and petiole activity, respectively, on tributyrin. The selected biocatalysts, TLL and BP, were tested for the synthesis of oleic acid esters (OAE), reaching conversions over 80%. Unexpectedly, only BP preferentially synthesized dodecyl oleate (DO) and showed the highest thermostability. Therefore, BP was further assayed for DO synthesis in a packed bed reactor (PBR), achieving 96% conversion over 40 h. This study shows the great potential of C. papaya by-products, particularly BP, as biocatalysts for the synthesis of OAE.
Loss of Fuminosin B1 in Extruded and Baked Corn‐Based Foods with Sugars

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of added sugars on fumonisin B1 (FB1) levels in baked corn muffins and extruded corn grits. Muffins containing added glucose had significantly lower FB1 levels than muffins with sucrose, fructose, or no added sugar. Extrusion cooking of the grits resulted in significant (p < 0.05) reductions of FB1 in all treatments relative to unextruded controls, but use of glucose resulted in greater reductions of FB1 (45.3 to 71%) than did the use of fructose (29.5 to 53%) or sucrose (19.2 to 39%). When extrusion conditions were optimized, 92.1% loss of FB1 was found when grits were extruded with glucose. Adding glucose to thermally processed food can result in a substantial reduction in FB1 levels.
Temporal asynchrony, spatial segregation and seasonal abundance of aphids on apple trees

The species composition and seasonal abundance of aphids and their natural enemies were investigated in an apple orchard located in central Peloponnese. For that purpose shoots were collected at weekly intervals. The aphid species Aphis pomi De Geer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Dysaphis plantaginea (Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) (Hemiptera: Eriosomatidae) were recorded. In both years of the study, A. pomi developed higher populations than the other two species. The population of A. pomi was high in June and July. D. plantaginea was present in April and May, with high numbers mainly in May, whilst E. lanigerum was recorded in low numbers from May to July. The number of aphids was not found to differ significantly between samples collected from the northern and southern part of the trees. The species composition of aphid population on each sampled shoot, documented spatial segregation between A. pomi and D. plantaginea. It was proved that the eggs were more commonly laid near the buds of the central part of the twigs. The natural enemies found were predators belonging to the families of Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae, Syrphidae and Anthocoridae. Generally, their numbers were low.
Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation

In studies of women's legislative behaviour, the concept of critical mass is widely used and, more recently, criticised as a tool for understanding the relationship between the percentage of female legislators and the passage of legislation beneficial to women as a group. In this research note, we revisit classic contributions by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Drude Dahlerup and outline and discuss their assumptions regarding anticipated connections between numbers and outcomes. We find that later gender and politics scholars have often misconstrued their work, with crucial implications for subsequent research on relations between the descriptive and substantive representation of women. We argue that clarifying the theoretical origins of the critical mass concept is crucial for forging a more coherent and cumulative research agenda on women's political representation.
Potential Evapotranspiration as a Means of Predicting Irrigation Timing in Greenhouse Tomatoes Grown in Peat Bags

Additional index words. Lycopersicon esculentum, nutrient solution, peat, Penman equation, tensiometers Abstract. The use of potential evapotranspiration (PET) estimates to identify irrigation timing for greenhouse tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) grown in peat-based substrate was evaluated for a spring and fall crop. PET (using the Penman equation) was calculated from leaf, wet and dry bulb temperatures, and incident and reflected photosynthetic photon flux. Substrate matric potential (SMP) was monitored continuously using electronic tensiometers. Two irrigation starting setpoints (-4.5 and -6.5 kPa SMP) and two nutrient solution electrical conductivity (EC) treatments (1.5 and 3.0 dS·m -1 ) were factorially combined in a completely randomized design. Irrigation frequency was greater in treatments irrigated at -4.5 than at -6.5 kPa. The integral of calculated PET values was correlated with SMP for both experiments. Accumulated PET values were higher at the start of irrigation in the -6.5-kPa treatments for spring and fall crops. Nutrient solution EC did not influence irrigation frequency. Leaf pressure potential (LPP) was correlated to PET- predicted LPP (r 2 > 0.56) in plants subjected to high EC, low (-6.5 kPa) matric potential setpoint, or both treatments. PET and electronic tensiometer technology can be used jointly to improve irrigation management for tomatoes grown in peat- based substrates by more accurately responding to crop needs for water and nutrients.
Correlation of bioassay crop growth with cinmethylin and chlorimuron application rates for two soils.

Ten crops were evaluated for potential use as field bioassay species for cinmethylin and chlorimuron application rates in two soil types. Cinmethylin injured sweet corn (Zea mays L.) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) at con- centrations as low as 0.28 kg·ha -1 on either soil type, while broadleaf crops were tolerant. Chlorimuron injured sweet corn, grain sorghum, radish (Raphanus sativus L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), and watermelon (Citrullis lanatus (Thunb.) Mansf. ) at rates ≥ 2.5 g·ha -1 , and squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) at rates ≥ 5.0 g·ha -1 on a Dothan sand. In a Congaree silt loam, chlorimuron injured cucumber at rates ≥ 5.0 g·ha -1
Financial compensation for damage to livestock by lions Panthera leo on community rangelands in Kenya

Abstract Compensation schemes can contribute to equitable sharing of benefits from wildlife. We describe a scheme that uses tourist fees for partial and conditional compensation of damage to livestock caused by wildlife on Kuku Group Ranch, Kenya. The explicit aim of the scheme is to decrease the killing of lions Panthera leo by Maasai on community land in the Amboseli–Tsavo ecosystem. During 2008–2013 the scheme spent a mean of USD 100,000 per year, and although livestock losses remained constant the killing of lions decreased significantly. The percentage of claims where part of the compensation was withheld as a penalty for negligent husbandry practices decreased significantly over time but remained high; poor herding in particular remains a problem. We weigh our results against arguments found in a literature survey; our findings support the negative arguments of moral hazard (i.e. the risk that compensation reduces the incentive to prevent damage) and post-project collapse. Despite these weaknesses the compensation scheme was effective, affordable and sustainable. We conclude that compensation is a useful conservation tool in situations where there is an imminent threat to biodiversity, and sustainable funding sources are available.
Direct and indirect community effects of rebuilding plans

Andersen, K. H. , and Rice, J. C. 2010. Direct and indirect community effects of rebuilding plans. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1980–1988.Many fish communities are heavily exploited and rebuilding plans need to be implemented for depleted species. Within an ecosystem approach to management, development of rebuilding plans should include consideration of the expected consequences of the rebuilding of the target species on the rest of the marine community. Using size- and trait-based single-species and community models, a general assessment is made of the direct and indirect ecological consequences of a rebuilding plan based on a reduction in fishing mortality. If fishing mortality is sufficiently reduced, the time-scale of rebuilding is in the order of the time to reach maturation of an individual, and the expected trajectory can be reliably predicted by a single-species model. Indirect effects of increased abundance are a decrease in individuals in the trophic levels above and below the target species. The decrease in biomass of the neighbouring trophic levels is expected to be much smaller than the increase in the target species and to be largest in species on the trophic level above. We discuss which effects could be responsible when a rebuilding plan does not result in the expected increase and how our results could be applied in a practical management situation.
Primate seed dispersal: Coevolution and conservation implications

Early studies of primates have demonstrated that many species rely heavily on fruit, and that primates constitute a large component of the frugivore biomass in tropical forests. Consequently, primates have long been thought to be important seed dispersers. It is only recently that studies have been conducted that have illustrated the complex nature of the interactions between fruit‐eating primates and their food trees. Such studies have raised questions as to the causes and conse‐quences of the intriguing differences between primate communities, the importance of other animals in the interactions (such as dung beetles and rodents that secon‐darily disperse seeds), how primate‐plant interactions evolve, and the significance of primates in forest regeneration and conservation. Since subsistence and com‐mercial hunting of primates has heavily impacted frugivore communities, but left the physical structure of the forest relatively unaltered, studies of primate seed dispersal have important implications for the future of forests where seed dispersers have declined or disappeared.
Effect of hydroelectric dam operations on the freshwater productivity of a Columbia River fall Chinook salmon population

Altering the timing and magnitude of discharge fluctuations can minimize the adverse effects of operating hydroelectric dams on the productivity of downstream salmon populations. Hydroelectric operations at Priest Rapids Dam during the mid-1970s resulted in dewatering of fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) redds, causing mortality of intragravel life stages. Since then, a series of operational constraints have been implemented at Priest Rapids Dam to reduce the effects of discharge fluctuations on the population of fall Chinook salmon that spawns and rears downstream from the dam. Initial protections that focused on preventing redd dewatering were subsequently increased to include postemergence life stages. We used stock–recruit analyses to identify changes to the population’s freshwater productivity that occurred over a 30-year period and coincided with changes to dam operations. We observed a 217% increase in productivity that corresponded with constraints enacted to prevent redd dewatering a.
Correlates of Amphibian Diversity in an Altered Landscape of Amazonian Ecuador

There is disagreement on the effects of logging and habitat alteration on amphibians and few studies have addressed this issue in tropical forests. I addressed whether the habitat variation associated with logging and agriculture is correlated with the species richness and community structure in an assemblage of amphibians in the Tropical Wet Forest life zone in Amazonian Ecuador. I evaluated 10 variables describing environmental variation and forest structure at 23 0.5‐ha sites and sampled amphibians using nocturnal visual searches of transects. Overall amphibian species richness increased weakly with distance to pasture but taxa differed in correlates of diversity. Species richness in the genus Eleutherodactylus increased markedly with distance to pasture. Eleutherodactylus species richness was highest at intermediate values of stand basal area, which contributed to my detecting only weak differences in species richness between primary and selectively logged sites. Overall, distance to pasture, basal area, and understory density explained much of the variation in Eleutherodactylus species richness. In contrast to Eleutherodactylus, species richness of hylid frogs was relatively greater in sites with low basal area, predominantly in selectively‐logged forest. Patterns of amphibian species richness poorly represented eleutherodactyline frogs because the absence of Eleutherodactylus from disturbed sites was sometimes masked by increasing richness of disturbance‐tolerant species. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that species occurrence varied with measured environmental variation; some species distinctly prefer less‐disturbed forest. The generality of these patterns should be confirmed in additional studies. The results suggest that overall amphibian richness is not a good indicator of conservation value for disturbance‐sensitive eleutherodactylines, which are nocturnal, rare, and difficult to identify. Elutherodactylines in Tropical Wet Forest provide a good opportunity for the development of indicator relationships for the conservation of a disturbance‐sensitive assemblage. The mechanisms that result in the patterns of diversity described here are unknown and warrant further study. These observations, and the quantitative relationships developed here, suggest the use of empirical environment/diversity relationships for preliminary assessment of tropical amphibian diversity and in predicting the effects of forest management on disturbance‐sensitive species.