Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preliminary study on the systematic relationships of Sabellinae (Polychaeta, Sabellidae), based on the C1 domain of the 28S rDNA, with discussion of reproductive features

Abstract Systematic relationships of some taxa within the subfamily Sabellinae (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) based on the sequence of the Cl domain of the 28S rDNA coding gene are assessed, and the cladogram obtained are discussed in the light of some reproductive and morphological features. Sixteen different species belonging to 12 genera, were analysed. The cladograms, obtained with different methods (distance UPGMA, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) are consistent, except for the ambiguous position of Amphiglena. Three main groups of species, showing similarity in reproductive features and sperm morphology (acro‐some structure) were identified, the taxa included in group A (Myxicola, Chone, and Euchone) show different reproductive strategies and sperm morphology with elongated nucleus, rounded mitochondria and pointed acrosome. Group B contains large sized free‐spawning forms, generally with an ect‐aquasperm type of spermatozoa (Bispira, Sabella, Sabellastarte, and Branchiomma). Taxa included in group C (Eudistylia, Schizobranchia, Pseudopotamilla, Perkinsiana and Demonax) show high variability in sperm morphology, but with a peculiar acrosome structure. The position of Amphiglena is variable, being closer to group A in the distance and maximum parsimony trees, and to group C in the maximum likelihood tree. From previous morpho‐functional analyses, the genera clustering in group A represent the most plesiomorphic taxa, while those in group C contain the most apomorphic ones. Although the general patterns obtained with this preliminary molecular analysis are highly consistent with those arising from the morpho‐functional characters available form the literature, the resolution among genera and species within each of the main groups identified is not consistent, and some of the polytomies and phylogenetic problems among taxa still remain unresolved.
Studies of Scarlet Fever II. Different Toxins Produced by Hemolytic Streptococci of Scarlatinal Origin

Numerous reliably observed discrepancies to the single-toxin hypothesis of the mechanism of scarlet fever are readily explained by merely assuming that multiple antigenic toxins exist. This report demonstrates the existence of two such toxins, A and B, whose qualitative distinctiveness is evidenced both by immunologic and chemical criteria. These include specific antigenicity, neutralizability, and erythrogenic activity, the effects of dialysis, adsorbents, precipitants, and enzymic digestion. Other erythrogenic streptococcal toxins undoubtedly exist. A single toxigenic strain may produce A or B or both or neither.
Effect of postnatal development and weaning upon the capacity of pig intestinal villi to transport alanine

Summary The relationship between structure and the ability of piglet intestine to transport alanine has been determined during the first few weeks of postnatal life. Villus length halved without change in crypt depth during the 3rd week of postnatal life. A similar shortening of villi, accompanied by an increase in crypt depth, took place when 2-week-old piglets were weaned on to a solid diet. Weaning piglets at 3 weeks increased crypt depth without causing further shortening of villi. Alanine transport was shown, by quantitative autoradiography, to be largely confined to enterocytes in the region of the villus tip. The way in which this transport function developed was analysed further by fitting logistic growth curves to measurements of intra-enterocyte alanine concentration. The ability of enterocytes to transport alanine occurred earlier and alanine was accumulated to higher concentrations in enterocytes studied in 21- compared with 15-day-old unweaned piglets. Weaning piglets on day15 or 21 and measuring alanine transport 5 days later produced a pattern of development similar to that reported previously for adult animals. Transport of alanine throughout postnatal development showed sodium dependency. Effects of alanine on intestinal short-circuit current of weaned piglets were again similar to those recorded in adult animals. These results are discussed in terms of intestinal adaptation to a changing environment and in relation to the ‘notional capacity’ of a pig villus to transport amino acids during the early postnatal period of development.
Prothallia of Lycopodium in American II. L. lucidulum and L. Obscurum Var. Dendroideum

1. The prothallia of two more species of Lycopodium have been discovered. 2. The sex organs of L. lucidulum are primitive, being frequently mixed in nature. 3. The prothallium of L. obscurum var. dendroideum shows a form transitional between the L. annotinum and L. complanatum types. 4. The sex organs of the last named species are invaded by the endophytic fungus and consequently show deformities. The antheridia and rarely the archegonia occur in enormous masses. 5. The sex organs develop individually as described for the genus, and acropetally in the two species. 6. The endophytic fungus is probably not Pythium. The reproductive structures point to this genus, but the vegetative and certain doubtful structures point to the Ascomycetes. 7. The habit of growth, and the appearance of the reproductive structures, indicate that the same species of fungus is not present in the two prothallia.
Characteristics of Growth and Physiological Changes during Cold Treatment in Dormant Hanabusaya asiatica

This experiment was carried out to investigate the appropriate chilling requirements for breaking dormancy by treating the dormant plant of Hanabusaya asiatica with low temperature (4℃) for different time periods. The rates of sprouting and flowering were higher with longer treatment periods at low temperature. In addition, the growth and flowering of the plant were better when it was potted after treatment at a low temperature for 90 days. The abscisic acid levels and polyphenoloxidase activity of the dormant plant increased during the low temperature treatment, reached a climax 90 days and decreased thereafter. The catalase activity was the lowest after the low temperature treatment for 90 days and increased subsequently. The peroxidase activity increased and showed a sharp rise after the low temperature treatment for more than 90 days. Considering the physiological activities of the enzymes, the changes in the abscisic acid levels, and the characteristics of growth and flowering after sprouting of the plant, the appropriate cold periods required for breaking dormancy could be 90 days.
Will a 385 million year‐struggle for light become a struggle for water and for carbon? – How trees may cope with more frequent climate change‐type drought events

Trees are exceptional organisms that have evolved over some 385 million years and have overtaken other plants in order to harvest light first. However, this advantage comes with a cost: trees must transport water all the way up to their crowns and inherent physical limitations make them vulnerable to water deficits. Because climate change scenarios predict more frequent extreme drought events, trees will increasingly need to cope with water stress. Recent occurrences of climate change‐type droughts have had severe impacts on several forest ecosystems. Initial experimental studies have been undertaken and show that stomatal control of water loss hinders carbon assimilation and could lead to starvation during droughts. Other mechanisms of drought‐induced mortality are catastrophic xylem dysfunction, impeded long‐distance transport of carbohydrates (translocation) and also symplastic failure (cellular breakdown). However, direct empirical support is absent for either hypothesis. More experimental studies are necessary to increase our understanding of these processes and to resolve the mystery of drought‐related tree mortality. Instead of testing the validity of particular hypothesis as mechanisms of drought‐induced tree mortality, future research should aim at revealing the temporal dynamics of these mechanisms in different species and over a gradient of environmental conditions. Only such studies will reveal whether the struggle for light will become a struggle for water and/or for carbon in drought‐affected areas.
'NASPOT 7', 'NASPOT 8', 'NASPOT 9 O', 'NASPOT 10 O', and 'Dimbuka-Bukulula' sweetpotato.

Five sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.)] cultivars named NASPOT 7 (Namulonge Sweetpotato 7), NASPOT 8, NASPOT 9 O (Namulonge Sweetpotato 9 orangefleshed), NASPOT 10 O, and DimbukaBukulula were approved for release by the Ugandan Plant Variety Release Committee in July 2007 (Mwanga et al., 2007a). This is the fourth group of sweetpotato cultivars to be officially released by the Sweetpotato Program in Uganda. The first three groups were released in different years, six in 1995 (Mwanga et al., 2001), six in 1999 (Mwanga et al., 2003), and two in 2004 (Mwanga et al., 2007c). The five cultivars released in 2007, described here, have acceptable storage root shapes when grown in light soils. They also have high dry matter content ( 30%) and good to excellent consumer acceptance, particularly among children younger than 6 years old and women (Mwanga et al., 2007b, Odongo et al., 2002; Potts and Nagujja, 2007; Wamaniala, 2008). The cultivars have low to moderate levels of field resistance to sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) and Alternaria bataticola blight and high storage root yields compared with the average national storage root yield of 4.0 t ha (International Potato Center, 1999). The release of these five cultivars provides consumers and farmers with high-quality sweetpotatoes with creamand orange-fleshed storage roots and moderate to high provitamin A contents with potential to alleviate widespread vitamin A deficiency in Uganda and other developing countries (Jaarsveld et al., 2005; Low et al., 2007; Ruel, 2001; UDHS, 2001) and contribute to food security (Mwanga et al., 2007a).
Purification and some properties of Papaya meleira virus, a novel virus infecting papayas in Brazil

‘Meleira’, or ‘sticky disease’, is currently the most damaging papaya disease in the mid-eastern Brazilian growing regions. Consistent disease transmission via latex injection, presence of similar isometric particles in the laticiferous vessels of diseased plants, and detection of double-stranded DNA in naturally and experimentally infected papaya trees suggest that a virus is the causal agent. Conclusive evidence for viral aetiology was previously lacking, mostly because every attempt to purify the putative virus from infected papayas had failed. Following the successful purification and partial characterization of the meleira virus, healthy papaya seedlings injected with purified virus particles later developed typical symptoms of the disease. Negatively stained, isometric, full and ‘empty’ purified virus particles measured 42 and 38 nm, respectively. The viral genome was a single dsRNA molecule of about 12 kbp. Several capsid proteins, ranging in size from 14·4 to 45 kDa, were consistently revealed by PAGE. Papaya meleira virus (PMeV) appears to represent a novel group of viruses, with no known similar counterpart among known plant-, vertebrate-, invertebrate- or prokaryote-infecting viruses.
Effects of buprofezin and imidacloprid on the functional response of Eretmocerus mundus Mercet

Sohrabi F. ,Shishehbor P., Saber M. , Mosaddegh M.S. (2014): Effects of buprofezin and imidacloprid on the functional response of Eretmocerus mundus Mercet. Plant Protect. Sci., 50: 145–150. Eretmocerus mundus Mercet is one of the key natural enemies of b emisia tabaci (Gennadius). In this study, the sub lethal effects of LC 25 of imidacloprid and field-recommended concentration of buprofezin on the functional response of E. mundus to different densities of second instar b . tabaci nymphs were evaluated. The results revealed a type III functional response in the control and imidacloprid treatment. The type III functional response was altered into a type II by buprofezin. Although imidacloprid did not alter the type of functional response of E. mundus compared to the control, it negatively affected the handling time and maximum attack rate of the parasitoid. Therefore, the use of this insecticide should be evaluated carefully in IPM programs.
Apparent Heritability of Parental Care in Savannah Sparrows

Parental effort measures the total amount of time and energy allocated toward care of offspring, and it is often an obvious and variable component of an animal's life history (Winkler and Wilkinson 1988, Clutton-Brock 1991). Among birds, intraspecific variation in parental effort is more quantitative than qualitative. Individual adults differ in feeding rate (Yasukawa et al. 1990, Wright and Cuthill 1992), intensity of offspring defense (Winkler 1992), and tendency to engage in prolonged associations with young (Weatherhead and McRae 1990). Like all quantitative traits, intraspecific variation in parental effort can be attributed to genetic and environmental causes. However, recent work has focused mostly on environmental sources of variation (Ketterson and Nolan 1994, Gowaty 1996a), and individual birds often are viewed as decision-making machines that respond adaptively to changes in their physical or social environments (Winkler and Wilkinson 1988). Indeed, birds modify parental effort in response to numerous proximate factors, including genetic parentage (Lifjeld et al. 1998), brood size (Ruusila and P6ysa 1998), and offspring age and condition (Whittingham and Robertson 1993). In no case have environmental factors accounted completely for differences among individuals in the intensity of parental care, however, and some role for genetic or cultural determination seems likely. For quantitative traits, genetic and environmental effects can be distinguished by examining the phenotypic resemblance of relatives. In cases of high narrow-sense heritability (h2), additive genetic effects contribute substantially to overall phenotypic variation, and relatives strongly covary (Falconer and Mackay 1996). Among vertebrates, estimates of heritability are lacking for measures of parental effort and for most quantitative behaviors in the field (Hailman 1986, Boag and van Noordwijk 1987, Mousseau and Roff 1987; but see Waser and Jones 1989). In general, heritabilities for behavioral traits are low (Lemon 1993, Berthold and Pulido 1994), suggesting that quantitative differences among individuals are largely driven by the environment. Here, we examine the degree to which male and female feeding rates are heritable in an insular population of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). We show that quantitative differences in feeding rates among males can be attributed to the be-
The Melisiinae, new subfamily of mitesin the canestriniidae associated with passalid beetles

Abstract A new subfamily, Melisiinae (Canestriniidae) is created for Melisia Lombardini, Phaleratus Nesbitt and two new monotypic genera: Taseopus and Paramelisia. These genera have at least 3 pairs of moderately long dorsal setae (sci, L2 and L4) conspicuously barbed or minutely barbed and greatly flattened. Also described are 3 new species of Melisia: leptinotarsa, superba and sentosa.
Quantification of oil palm biomass and nutrient value in a mature plantation. I. Above-ground biomass.

’ Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia. P.O. Box 10620. 50720 Ku& Lumpur. Malaysia. ” Dopmtment of Biological Sciences. Univenity of Exetar, U.K. 0 il palm biomass in a mature plantation u~as quantified and the auailability of its nutrient contents and values ulas estimated. In the present study, the nutrient stocks of above-ground standing oil palm biomass and the contribution of each palm component were quantified and measured directly in order to obtain more precise values. The total above-ground biomass amounted to about 85t ha. ’ and the trunk contributed the major portion to about 48% of oil palm standing biomass. The total nutrient stocks of aboveground biomass produced at felling of old stands based on per hectare basis are 577kg N, 50kg P, 1255kg K. 141kg Mg and 285kg Ca which could be recycled in the plantation both as organic matter and savings in monetary value worth about RM 2550 ha-‘. Removal of this biomass for other value-added products has implications forplantation management in terms of losses of nutrients and organic matter to maintain soil fertility. Appropriate management of this biomass could enable its carry-ouer of nutrients necessary to support the growth of the following rotation of crop.
Diapause incidence of progeny in relation to parental geographic origin, host plant and rearing density in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi

The cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), which is widely distributed in China, undergoes an imaginal diapause in the soil. In this study, we investigated the influences of parental geographic origin, host plant, and rearing density on the diapause incidence of progeny in this beetle. In studies conducted at 25 °C and L12:D12 photoperiod, the proportions of adults entering diapause were significantly different among latitudes from which the parents had been collected. The incidence of diapause increased with increasing latitude. Reciprocal cross tests between post‐diapause adults from different latitudes showed that there were significant differences in diapause incidence between pure‐bred and hybrid adults, suggesting that diapause incidence among progeny was determined by both the female and male, although the female appeared to have a stronger effect than the male. These results revealed that parental origin has an important influence on progeny diapause. Parental host plant species not only affected diapause incidence of the current generation, but also affected the incidence of diapause in the progeny produced by the non‐diapause parents; yet, the parental host plant had no influence on the incidence of diapause in the progeny produced by the post‐diapause parents. Rearing density of the parental generation had no significant effect on the incidence of diapause in the progeny.
Sexual Dimorphism and use of Morphological Measurements to Sex Adults, Immatures and Chicks of Rockhopper Penguins

Following recent phylogenetic work, Rockhopper Penguins were suggested to consist of two or three species. For the Southern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes c. chrysocome, sexual dimorphism has not been studied in detail, and only a few previous studies on penguins have investigated sexual dimorphism in immatures and chicks. Using data in the literature, we examined whether the sexual dimorphism of adults varies among the three taxa of Rockhopper Penguins and then we investigated the most reliable measurements to sex adult Rockhopper Penguins. We observed that bill length is the most useful measurement to separate males from females. To allow for sex discrimination in the field, we also examined a large dataset of Southern Rockhopper Penguins from New Island, Falkland Islands, including adults sexed via observation of behaviour, and immatures and chicks sexed genetically. We found that male adults and immatures were larger than females in bill length and bill depth and, to a lesser degree, in flipper lengths. We thus derived discriminant functions from bill length and bill depth and correctly sexed 96.2% of adults and 91.8% of immatures. In newly hatched chicks, males had a longer bill than females, but sexing was only successful for 63.5% of hatchlings. Just before the crèche age (18 and 19 days) and after the pre-fledging moult (55 days and older), all morphological measurements of chicks were significantly different between sexes, and sex determination was successful for 68.2% and 84.3% of chicks in these age groups, respectively. Consistently among age groups, bill length was the most dimorphic character in this population.
Soilborne insects as indicators of environmental quality.

Os ecossistemas sao importantes na manutencao da biodiversidade, garantindo a sobrevivencia e perpetuacao das especies. A perda de identidade do ambiente proporciona debito de diversidade biologica. Cada vez mais, as acoes antropicas nao fundamentadas em principios de sustentabilidade, fragmentam florestas e campos devido a ampliacao das fronteiras agricolas pela exigencia de maior producao em funcao do crescente aumento populacional. O progresso das praticas agricolas e os avancos tecnologicos refletidos na industrializacao moderna nao garantiram a permanencia dos mais diferentes e ricos ecossistemas do planeta. A diversidade destes ambientes esta ameacada, bem como o equilibrio de toda a cadeia que deles dependem. Neste contexto, o equilibrio ambiental dos solos pode ser medido pela observacao das caracteristicas populacionais de grupos de organismos especificos, considerados bioindicadores do grau de alteracao ou fragmentacao de um local. Os mais importantes indicadores sao os insetos, tanto por ser o grupo mais diverso em numero de especies, bem como pela facilidade de amostragem. Portanto, a diversidade de insetos edaficos pode revelar o nivel de qualidade ambiental a partir do qual podem ser determinadas intervencoes a fim de manter, recuperar ou restaurar a sanidade ambiental atingindo a sustentabilidade ecologica dos ecossistemas.
Isozyme variation in five provenances of Santalum album in India

Santalum album L. , the 'East Indian sandalwood', is among the oldest known perfumery material, highly acclaimed worldwide. Genetic diversity within and between five Indian sandal provenances, namely Marayoor (Kerala state), Bangalore, Mandagadde and Thangli (Karnataka state) and Javadis (Tamil Nadu state), was investigated by using metabolic enzymes, viz. peroxidase (PRX), shikimate dehydrogenase (SKDH), glucophosphate isomerase (GPI), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and esterase (EST). Ten of the eleven resolved loci (90.9%) were found to be polymorphic at least in one of the individuals analysed. Observed heterozygosity, both at the locus and provenance level, was higher than the expected heterozygosity in Hardy–Weinberg expectations. The average rate of gene flow between the provenances was found to be very low (0.069). An examination of the partitioning of genetic diversity within and between provenances indicated that 78.3% of the observed variation occurred between provenances and the rest of the variation within provenances. The genetic relatedness of the five provenances was revealed by the UPGMA dendrogram, which comprised of mainly two clusters. Bangalore and Thangli were the most genetically similar and Marayoor and Mandagadde were the most diverse provenances. The low degree of genetic variability within Santalum album provenances might be due to the fragmentation of a previously large original population, resulting in loss of genetic variation, least amount of gene flow between provenances and differentiation of population due to random drift.