Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Proteins Used in Plant Genetic Engineering: Toxicity and Behavioral Study in the Honeybee

Genetically modified oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. , expressing pest and fungi resistance has been assessed for its impact on the environment before field testing and placing on the market. The evaluation of rape lines for their inocuousness to beneficial insects such as the honeybee, Apis mellifera L. , were investigated because changes in the composition of nectar and pollen may occur that affect plant-honeybee interactions. The effects of these plants on bees were evaluated by acute toxicity testing of the gene products and behavioral studies of bees. Acute toxicity was determined by evaluating the mortality over 24- and 48-h periods after ingestion or injection of the gene products. For the bee behavioral study, methods used to study learning processes and foraging behavior were adapted to test the effect of the gene products at both individual and colony levels under confined conditions. The study focused on the effects of proteins inducing resistance to pest insects, cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI), and resistance to fungi, chitinase, and β-1,3 glucanase. Under our experimental conditions, the 3 proteins were shown to be nontoxic at the doses tested. At the individual level, behavior experiments, based on a conditioned proboscis extension response, had the following 3 effects depending on the protein tested; (1) chitinase did not affect learning performance; (2) β-1,3 glucanase affected the level of conditioned responses, with the extinction process occurring more rapidly as the concentration increased; and (3) CpTI induced marked effects in both conditioning and testing phases, especially in high concentrations. The decrease in learning performance induced by CpTI observed at the individual level was confirmed at the colony level. Given their relative simplicity, it is suggested that such bioassays could be used for screening in the development of genetically modified plants.
THE RECENT INTRODUCTION OF THE PEST ANT WASMANNIA AUROPUNCTATA INTO NEW CALEDONIA *

The originally neotropical pest ant Wasmannia auropunctata has appeared in New Caledonia and is spreading and becoming a nuisance in coffee and citrus plantings, as well as domestic gardens. The ant, although minute in size, has a potent sting that is annoying to agricultural workers in plantations and gardens, and it helps raise scale insect populations to pest densities. The ant is now abundant enough in New Caledonia to pose a threat to neighbouring agricultural countries by accidental introduction through commerce. As a possible control measure in plantations and gardens, baits containing minute amounts of mirex® should be investigated.
A cladistic scenario of Southern Pacific biogeographical history based on Nothofagus dispersal and vicariance analysis

Nothofagus is regarded as a key group for interpreting Southern Pacific biogeographical history. Based on a molecular phylogenetic tree, a quantitative dispersal-vicariance analysis (DIVA) of the genus is presented. The results indicate that the ancestral area of Nothofagus is a broad realm almost including the total extant distribution pattern of the genus rather than a so-named center of origin. Integrated with the paleogeography, the time of origin and subsequent diversification is inferred to have started in the Late Cretaceous. Most vicariance and dispersal events should be contained in that period. Vicariance events versus dispersal events play a dominant rule in speciation. The dispersal events are hypothesized to happen from the Late Cretaceous to Eocene in terms of the geological history. Rich fossils are collected in the Eocene. South America, comprising three subgenera of Nothofagus, should be considered as a diversification region, in which the distribution of the species of subgenus Fuscospora and subgenus Nothofagus are explained by dispersal events during the Late Cretaceous-Late Eocene.
Studies on the Susceptibility of Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L., to Chlorantraniliprole in Different Vegetable Fields

The susceptibility of DBM collected from six different vegetable fields in South China was tested with leaf- dipping method.Compared with sensitive strains (LC50=0.03 mg / kg),there were significant difference among the different geographical populations in their susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole.It was found that three populations from Lianzhou,Huizhou and Dongshen in Guangdong province was susceptible (LC50 was 0.05 mg / kg,0.11 mg / kg and 0.13 mg / kg respectively),two populations from Liuzhou in Guangxi province and Cencun in Guangdong province was low-level resistant (LC50 was 0.17 mg / kg and 0.18 mg / kg respectively),and one population from Xinfeng in Jiangxi province was intermediate resistant (LC50 was 0.36 mg / kg) .
Response of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) genotypes to planting geometry, agro-chemicals and sulphur levels

A field experiment was conducted at Udaipur during winter seasons of 2005-07 to evaluate the effect of two genotypes of fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) (indeterminate type 'Rmt 1' and determinate type 'Rmt 305'), two crop geometry (30 cm 10 cm and 20 cm 15 cm), three agro-chemicals levels [Control, thiourea 1,000 ppm and thioglycolic acid (TGA) 100 ppm] and two levels of sulphur (0 and 40 kg S/ha) on the productivity and nutrient uptake. Results indicated that the determinate type 'Rmt 305' recorded higher seed yield and N, P and S uptake, while the indeterminate type 'Rmt 1' was found superior in respect to haulms and biological yields. The crop geometry of 20 cm 15 cm exhibited higher seed yield (1.32 t/ha) and haulms yield (5.29 t/ha), which were 7.20 and 4.75% higher, over the crop geometry 30 cm 10 cm respectively. Crop geometry of 20 cm x 15 cm also enhanced uptake of N, P and S. Foliar application of thiourea 1,000 ppm and TGA 100 ppm at flower ini- tiation and 15 days thereafter and application of sulphur at the recommended dose resulted significant improve- ment in yield and N, P and S uptake of seed, haulms and total uptake over control.
A study of bat populations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico: FY95--97 report to Los Alamos National Laboratory and Bandelier National Monument

In 1995, a three-year study was initiated to assess the current status of bat species of concern, elucidate distribution and relative abundance, and obtain information on roosting sites of bats. The authors captured and released 1532 bats of 15 species (Myotis californicus, M. ciliolabrum, M. evotis, M. thysanodes, M. volans, M. yumanensis, Lasiurus cinereus, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Pipistrellus hesperus, Eptesicus fuscus, Euderma maculatum, Corynorhinus townsendii, Antrozous pallidus, Tadarida brasiliensis, and Nyctinomops macrotis) and followed 32 bats of eight species (M. evotis, M. thysanodes, M. volans, E. fuscus, E. maculatum, C. townsendii, A. pallidus, and N. macrotis) to 51 active diurnal roosts. The most abundant species were L. noctivagans, E. fuscus, L. cinereus, M. evotis, M. volans, and M. ciliolabrum. Most of these species are typical inhabitants of ponderosa pine-mixed coniferous forests.
Kenyaloside, a Novel O,O,O-Triglycosylated Naphthalene Derivative from the Exudate of Kenyan Aloe Species ¶

A new naphthalene O,O,O-triglycoside, kenyaloside (1), was isolated from the dried exudate of Kenyan Aloe species, a bittering and laxative agent. Its structure was established by combined spectral and chemical methods as 1-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-8-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyloxy)-3-(β-D-xylopyranosyloxymethyl)naphthalene.
Effect of different crop establishment methods and weed management options on growth and control of weeds in rice

Field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2016 at College Farm, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad to identify the effect of different crop establishment methods and weed management options in rice. The weed spectrum of the experimental field consisted of all the three groups of weeds viz., Cynodon dactylon, Dinebra retroflexa, Echinochloa crusgalli and Paspalum distichumamong grasses; Cyperus difformis, Cyperus iria and Scirpus spp. , among sedges and Eclipta alba, Ammania baccifera, Trianthema portulacastrum, Euphorbia geniculata, Euphorbia hirta and Amaranthus viridis among BLWs. Among different establishment methods transplanted rice recorded lowest weed density, weed dry weight and higher weed control efficiency. Among weed management practices, application of pretilachlor as PE fb hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS/T recorded the lowest weed density, dry matter and higher weed control efficiency.
Population structure, growth and longevity of Placostylus hongii (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae) on Tawhiti Rahi Island, Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand

Placostylus hongii, a threatened snail species, was studied on Tawhiti Rahi Island in the Poor Knights Islands group off the east coast of northern New Zealand between 1998 and 2000. Most live snails and empty shells were adults (83% and 85% respectively) and the low proportion of empty adult shells (36%) compared with live adult snails found in an area last burnt in the late 1950s suggests that the population there is still recovering. Growth was measured using snails recaptured with the aid of harmonic radar transponders attached to their shells. Increase in shell length varied from 6 to 25 mm per year in juveniles with shells >38 mm long, but it slowed when juveniles approached maturity (adult shell length 55-89 mm). The juvenile period is greater than three years and growth in shell length virtually stops when a thick aperture lip develops. This lip continues to thicken at 0.1-0.4 mm per year and can reach a maximum thickness of 15.5 mm, indicating that adults may live 10 years and possibly more than 30 years. A comparison of our data with two previous studies on the same population and on Aorangi Island, in the Poor Knights Islands group, confirms that these snails are slow developing, have low recruitment of adults, and that populations are probably maintained by a pool of long-lived adults. Our results indicate that following predator control on the mainland, the recovery of a snail population is likely to be slow. Once a population has recovered it could be maintained by intensively controlling rodents for periods of greater than three years (to allow recruitment of adults into the population) alternating with longer periods without control.
Size estimation, morphometrics, sex ratio, sexual size dimorphism, and biomass of Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

Abstract. We used morphometric data from 1276 Crocodylus moreletii captured in northern Belize (1992–2001) to develop predictive models for determining body size (total length [TL], snout-vent length [SVL]) from measurements of single attributes (dorsal cranial length [DCL], cranial width [CW], snout length [SL] and width [SW], body mass [BM], rear-foot length [RFL]), quantify sexual size dimorphism, examine ontogenetic changes in cranial morphology, re-evaluate maximum body size attained by this species, and estimate standing crop biomass of crocodiles at our principal study site. Strong positive allometric relationships were found between measures of body length and other morphometric attributes, and provide a reliable means to estimate body length from tracks, skulls, and body parts. The maximum DCL:CW ratio is attained at a relatively small body size and preceded a dietary shift from insects and arachnids to vertebrates and ampullarid snails. The SL:SW ratio of C. moreletii is highly variable and because of overlap with C. acutus, deemed of little value for distinguishing these two sympatric species. Both overall and adult sex ratio (female:male) was male biased and differed significantly from parity. The mean SVL of adult males (98.3 ± 21.3 cm) was significantly greater than that of adult females (87.3 ± 15.9 cm). A compressed sexual size dimorphism index (SDI) of 2.12 was calculated for C. moreletii in northern Belize. Based on skull measurements, the current size record for C. moreletii in Belize is 362 cm TL. Standing crop biomass of C. moreletii at our principal study site (Gold Button Lagoon) was estimated to be 9.5 kg/ha.
STZ ile Diyabet Oluşturulan Sıçanlarda Glurenormun (Gliquidone) Aort Üzerine Etkisi

Vascular diseases are one of the common complications of diabetes mellitus. In diabetes, increased free radical formation raises the incidence of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Regardless of the type of diabetes, the objective of the therapy is to achieve normoglycemia and to prevent or delay the complications. Glurenorm (gliquidone) is one of the members of sulphonylurea group oral antidiabetics. Sulphonylurea oral antidiabetics act via stimulating insulin release from β cells of the pancreas. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the eff ect of glurenorm (gliquidone, 10 mg/kg) on the aorta of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in terms of nonenzymatic glycation, lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione. Both diabetic and control group rats have taken the drug daily, until the end of the experiment, at day 42. Blood samples and aorta was taken from each rat at day 42. Blood glucose was measured by o-toluidine method. Glurenorm decreased the blood glucose and increased the body weights of diabetic rats. However, glurenorm did not decrease non-enzymatic glycation of aorta proteins in diabetic rats, but it decreased lipid peroxidation of aorta. Although the aorta lipid peroxidation level was decreased in glurenorm given diabetic rats, glutathione level did not increase. This may show that oxidative damage continues during the glurenorm treatment. Glurenorm also did not change the electrophoretic pattern of aorta proteins. The results indicate the usage of glurenorm is eff ective on decreasing of blood glucose but not on decreasing nonenzymatic glycation or oxidative damage in aorta samples of diabetic rats.
Effect of the foot-and-mouth disease vaccination on the semen quality of buffalo bulls

The present study was undertaken to observe the effect of FMD vaccination on the various seminal attributes of buffalo bulls. The seminal attributes were studied by observing the spermiogram such as concentration, motility, live sperm count and sperm morphology. The biochemical parameters, viz. methyiene blue reduction test and hypo-osmotic swelling tests were also studied. FMD vaccination produces adverse effects on the semen quality of buffalo bulls and the effect was observed up to 1 month after vaccination. So to avoid the failure of conception the semen collection should be suspended for 1 month after FMD vaccination.
Effect of foliar application of urea and planting geometry on growth and flowering of gladiolus cv sapna

A field trial was conducted to study the influence of urea and planting geometry on growth and flowering of gladiolus cv sapna. The experiment comprises three spacing viz. 30 x 20 cm, (S1) 30 x 30 cm (S2) and 30 x 40 cm (S3) in combination with the five levels of foliar application of urea viz. N0 (control), N1 (1%), N2 (2%), N3 (3%) and N4 (4%) were tested in Factorial RBD. Data revealed that the wider spacing (30 x 40 cm) and higher level of foliar application of urea improved growth and flowering of gladiolus. Regarding growth attributes height of plant, number of leaves; leaf area and specific leaf weight were greatly influenced by nitrogen. 4% (N4) urea and 40x30 cm spacing revealed 81.87 cm and 81.72 cm, 11.78 and 11.87 (leaves/plant), 334.21 and 315.48 cm2 and 623.71, 612.81 mg/dm2 values respectively. As above application of 4% urea (N4) and 30X40 cm (S3) spacing also showed maximum value in respect of flowering attributes, revealed 95.25 and 97.44 cm length of floral stalk, 20.87 and 21.04 florets per stalk, 94.77 and 94.07 days required for opening of first floret, 14.48 and 14.36 days required for opening of last floret and 7.51 and 7.33 cm diameter respectively. The interactive effect of nitrogen and spacing improved growth and flowering parameters but it was not found significant variation with all characters.
Estimation of Salivary and Blood Glucose Level among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus – A Comparative Study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a clinical syndrome characterized by hyperglycemia because of the absolute or relative deficiency of insulin. It requires frequent monitoring of glucose levels in the body which requires multiple pricking at regular intervals. It could be physically and psychologically traumatic to the patient. This necessitates an alternative to measure the glucose level. This study aims to correlate the salivary glucose level with the blood glucose level in diabetes patients. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 60 patients. Patients were categorized into two groups as Group A30 patients with diabetes and Group B30 healthy subjects. The blood and saliva samples were collected from the patients and the glucose levels were recorded. All these data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed statistically using SPSS software. The mean (±SD) value of the random blood and salivary glucose level in diabetic patients were found to be 251.4±82.66 and 2.85±0.85 respectively and the mean blood and salivary glucose level in healthy Original Research Article Sagana and Dharman; JPRI, 32(20): 20-27, 2020; Article no.JPRI. 59846 21 subjects were found to be 101.12±10.14 and 0.875±0.13 respectively. There was a significant correlation between the salivary glucose levels and blood glucose levels among diabetes (p-0.00) and healthy individuals (p-0.00). From the data, the diagnostic accuracy was found to be 100%. Thus, Saliva could be used as an alternative to blood for monitoring the glucose status in diabetes patients.
Changes in Levels of Solutes during Osmotic Adjustment to Water Stress in Leaves of Four Tropical Pasture Species

Three tropical grasses, green panic (Panicum maximum var. trichoglume), buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), and spear grass (Heteropogon contortus), and a tropical legume, siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum), were field-grown in a semi-arid environment. One set of plants was well watered, while another set was subjected to a continuous 35-day drying cycle. Samples of specific leaves were taken at the beginning, middle and end of the drying cycle, and 1, 5 and 14 days after rewatering. The major low-molecular-weight solutes which accumulated in the grasses during water stress were the inorganic ions sodium (green panic), potassium (buffel and spear grass) and chloride (all grasses). Accumulation of these ions largely accounted for the osmotic adjustments determined from a previous study of water relations of the leaves. Concentrations of the minor constituents glucose and fructose increased only slightly in the stressed grasses, whereas levels of sucrose, the major carbohydrate component, increased substantially, particularly in spear grass. Inositol accumulated to a small extent in spear grass. Differences between the grasses were evident in the organic acid spectrum and also in changes in concentration of organic acids due to water stress. In water-stressed tissue, malate levels increased in green panic and spear grass but were reasonably constant in buffel grass. Aconitate concentrations (not detected in buffel grass) decreased in stressed green panic, but increased in spear grass. Oxalate (only trace quantities in spear grass) was a major component in green panic and buffel grass, but did not appear to vary with increase in water stress. Succinate accumulated only in stressed spear grass. The contribution of carbohydrates and organic acids to the osmotic adjustment was relatively small. Proline accumulated to varying degrees in all stressed grasses. Betaine occurred only in trace amounts in spear grass, but accumulated substantially in green panic and buffel grass. Water-stressed leaves of siratro did not accumulate inorganic ions, sugars, organic acids, proline or betaine, but pinitol levels increased. Implications of the results relating osmotic adjustment to changes in chemical composition are discussed.
Fungicidal activity of sarisan against several phytopathogenic fungi

In order to understand the fungicidal activity of sarisan,the antifungal activities of sarisan against several phytopathogenic fungi were tested in vitro and in vivo.The results showed that the sarisan had better inhibitory effert against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum,Thanatephorus cucumeris,Rhizoctonia cerealis,Alternaria oleracea,Phytophtora capsici,Geaumannomyces graminis,and Botrytis cirerea,and its EC50 was between 30.93 mg/L and 70.67 mg/L on gowing of mycelia.The toxicity of sarisan against spore bourgeon of Fulvia fulva,Glomerella cingulata,Exserohilum turcicum,and Colletotrichum lagenarium was effective and the EC50 was 39.19-86.37 mg/L.Sarisan had potent preventive activity against Erysiphe graminis on wheat in vivo.The efficacy was 68.64%. In addition,protective effect of the cells products against the Botrytis cirerea was better than therapeutic effect of the cells products on tomato.The efficacy was 68.40%. All these showed that sarisan had effective fungicidal activity against phytopathogenic fungi.
Thermal ablation versus standard cryotherapy and loop excision for the treatment of women who screened positive for cervical precancer by visual inspection with acetic acid

Background: Cryotherapy is currently standard practice for treating cervical pre-cancer in see and treat programmes in low and middle income countries. Because of well documented logistic difficulties with cryotherapy (e.g. need for and costs and supply chain difficulties of refrigerant gas, equipment failure, treatment duration >10mins), a novel lightweight, portable, battery operated thermal coagulator (Liger T.A.) has been developed. Methods: A prospective pilot randomised unblinded trial of cryotherapy vs Liger thermal ablation vs Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ) undertaken in routine ‘Screen and treat’ clinics in Lusaka, Zambia providing cervical screening using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). 750 women, eligible for ablative therapy were randomly allocated to TA, cryotherapy or LLETZ. Treatment success was defined as either HPV typespecific clearance among study participants positive for the same HPV type at baseline or negative VIA test at follow up, if the baseline HPV test was negative. Findings: HIV prevalence was high in all study groups (TA 49·2%; cryotherapy 53·6%; LLETZ 58·0%; p-value=0·71). Very few participants complained of moderate to severe pain in any group arms (TA1·6%; cryotherapy2·4%). Treatment success rates were 60·0%, 64·1% and 63·8% in the cryotherapy, TA and LLETZ arms respectively (p-value=0·31). Interpretation: The results of this pilot would suggest that TA is a superior method of treatment for cervical pre-cancer in the context of a see and treat programme in LMIC, since it has treatment success rate equivalent to cryotherapy without the practical disadvantages of cryotherapy in an LMIC setting. TA was very much preferred by care providers and was quicker. There was no difference in complication or discomfort frequencies between the study arms. The LLETZ arm revealed that only 25% of participants deemed to be screen positive and eligible for ablation had high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Funding: The study is funded by the National Institute of Health, USA (Grant number 1UH2CA202721-01). The study is registered with the U.S. Clinical Trial Registry (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02956239).