Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduced-Herbicide Weed Management Systems for No-Tillage Corn (Zea mays) in a Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) Cover Crop

Weed management treatments with various degrees of herbicide inputs were applied with or without a hairy vetch cover crop to no-tillage corn in four field experiments at Beltsville, MD. A hairy vetch living mulch in the no-treatment control or a dead mulch in the mowed treatment improved weed control during the first 6 wk of the season but weed control deteriorated in these treatments thereafter. Competition from weeds and/or uncontrolled vetch in these treatments without herbicides reduced corn yield in three of four years by an average of 46% compared with a standard PRE herbicide treatment of 0.6 kg ai/ha of paraquat plus 1.1 kg ai/ha of atrazine plus 2.2 kg ai/ha of metolachlor. Reducing atrazine and metolachlor to one-fourth the rate of the standard treatment in the absence of cover crop reduced weed control in three of four years and corn yield in two of four years compared with the standard treatment. Hairy vetch had little influence on weed control or corn yield with any herbicide treatments.
A Report on the length and weight relationship of Grouper Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch and Scheneider, 1801) fromMandapam coastal waters (Southeast Coast of India)

The length-weight also helps in predicting the condition, reproductive history and life history of fish species. In the present study, the length - weight relationship in E.malabaricus has been studied with the objectives of provides a set of estimating equations and to determine whether any differences exists in their relationship between males, females and juveniles. The regression parameters of the length - weight relationship of E.malabaricus and the details of sums of squares and products of length - weight data of males, females and juveniles were analyzed. While analyzing of length - weight data of E.malabaricus separately for males, females, and juveniles for the year 2009 and 2010 the regression lines indicated a close relationship without any inflection. Slope values (b value) of males, females and juveniles are centered around 2.05, 2.78 and 2.01 for 2009 and 2.66, 2.80 and 2.35 for 2010 respectively. The correlation coefficients (r) were greater than 0.9. The study observed significant variations in the 'b' value of the grouper (male female and juvenile) collected from Mandapam Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar coastal waters during the study period.
NOTES ON THE FORAMINIFERAL GENERA ROTALIAMMINA, ASTEROTROCHAMMINA AND REMANEICA

Three genera of small, attached, agglutinated foraminifers are studied under the scanning electron microscope. The genera Asterotrochammina and Rotaliammina are redescribed. A new species, Rotaliammina trumbulli , is described. Two and possibly three different groups of the now known species of Rotaliammina are recognized. Remaneica gonzalezi is redescribed. These three genera are included in the subfamily Remaneicinae.
Survival tactics of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

Pathogenic mycobacteria have evolved the mechanisms to subvert host immune response in the favor of longtime persistence and proliferation in the intercellular environment of the host, with resulting in functional dysregulation and disease in the host. Among the genus mycobacteria, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is a robust pathogen, have a remarkable capacity to persist in the host and adverse environmental conditions (pasteurization temperature, high pH) and recently, emerged as a major concern of public health significance. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is the causative agent of Johne’s disease in animals and also has been incriminated as the causative agent of Crohn’s disease in human beings. Therefore, understanding the factors that contribute to the longevity of this pathogen is essential to restrict the clinical outcomes of infection and design the control strategies. The present review summarizes our understanding of factors that contribute to the survival of MAP within the host and different environmental sources.
ETHNOBOTNICAL STUDIES OF SOME PLANTS USED BY TRIPURI TRIBE OF TRIPURA, NE INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MAGICO RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The present study was conducted in villages of different blocks of West Tripura and Khowai districts of Tripura to document the plant species used for magico-religious purposes and to identify the most important species by quantitative ethnobotanical indices. The data was collected through questionnaire and interviews. A total of 59 plants belonging to 42 families used in magico-religious practices were documented. Of these, 37 trees, 11 herbs, 4 grasses, 3 climbers and rest of 4 shrub, vine, woody climber were documented. The most dominant families were Apocynaceae and Poaceae with 4 species each followed by Arecaceae, Malvaceae, and Moraceae with 3 species and others with 1 or 2 species. The most utilized parts were leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, bark, roots and rhizome. The basic values namely frequency of citation (FC), use reports (UR), number of uses (NU) were determined to calculate ethnobotanical indices namely relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI) and cultural importance index (CI). Ocimum sanctum had first position in all indices (CI=1.0, RFC=0.83 and RI 1.00) with highest number of citations (FC=115), use reports (UR=144) and maximum number of uses (NU=4). It was followed by Aegle marmelos and Ficus religiosa. The species like Litchi chinensis, Mimusops elengii were less important due to least cultural importance index (0.01).
Evolutionary flexibility in five hummingbird/plant mutualistic systems: testing temporal and geographic matching

Partners in co‐evolutionary interactions must be ecologically interdependent and at least at some stage have matching traits and more or less overlapping ranges. As co‐evolution is a process, neither the mutual dependence nor the trait and range matching are expected to be static or perfect. Here we investigate the extent of evolutionary flexibility in tight pollination mutualisms between hummingbirds and plants, ranging from straight‐billed species to sicklebills.
Reduced prefrontal synaptic connectivity and disturbed oscillatory population dynamics in the CNTNAP2 model of autism

Loss of function mutations in CNTNAP2 cause a syndromic form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in humans and produce social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and seizures in mice. Yet, the functional effects of these mutations at the cellular and circuit level remain elusive. Using laser scanning photostimulation, whole-cell recordings, and electron microscopy, we found a dramatic decrease in functional excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs in L2/3 medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of Cntnap2 knock-out (KO) mice. In accordance with decreased synaptic input, KO mice displayed reduced spine and synapse densities, despite normal intrinsic excitability and dendritic complexity. To determine how this decrease in synaptic inputs alters coordination of neuronal firing patterns in vivo, we recorded mPFC local field potentials (LFP) and unit spiking in head-fixed mice during locomotion and rest. In KO mice, LFP power was not significantly altered at all tested frequencies, but inhibitory neurons showed delayed phase-firing and reduced phase-locking to delta and theta oscillations during locomotion. Excitatory neurons showed similar changes but only to delta oscillations. These findings suggest that profound ASD-related alterations in synaptic inputs can yield perturbed temporal coordination of cortical ensembles.
Two nuclei inside a single cardiac muscle cell. More questions than answers about the binucleation of cardiomyocytes

Abstract Human cardiac muscle cells are the most physically energetic cells in the body, and according to various researchers they contain two nuclei in 25–40%. In humans, the heart during prenatal development consists mainly of cardiomyocytes with one nucleus. Just before birth, binucleation begins and can extend into early neonatal life. The physiological importance of binucleation is still poorly understood. In this critical review, we provide a summary of the latest research on binucleation of cardiac muscle cells, with special emphasis on the potential application of such knowledge to the fields of regenerative medicine. We summed up and discussed about ten possible biological arguments why binucleation may be beneficial for cardiac muscle cells as well as for the whole myocardium. These arguments include increase of gene expression, purposeful cell shaping, increase of metabolic activity, energy-saving growth and function, need for organ growth despite of telomere depletion, adaptation to stress (tissue regeneration), prevention of overgrowth – organ shaping, prevention of aneuploidy, terminally differentiated state (cardiomyocytes exit the cell cycle, end of proliferation activity); or, we hypothesize, binucleation is just an unwanted side product.
CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS, PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND RESIDUAL RETINOL IN MEAT OF BROILER CHICKENS FED Β-CAROTENE CASSAVA (MANIHOT ESCULENTA CRANTZ) GRITS BASED DIETS

Effect of replacing maize with β-carotene biofortified cassava grits on physico-chemical attributes of carcass and meat of broilers was investigated in an experiment which lasted 42 days. In a completely randomized design, 210 one-day old Arbor Acre broiler chicks were allotted to seven dietary treatments in triplicates of ten birds per replicate. At both the starter and finisher phases, yellow maize based diet was the control (1). Other six diets were made by replacing 25, 50 and 75% of yellow maize with grits from two different cassava varieties; TMS 01/1371, a β-carotene bio-fortified yellow cassava (2, 3, 4) and TME 419, a conventional white cassava (5, 6, 7), respectively. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in weight of primal cuts excepting back where birds fed T5 had higher (P 0.05) affected by the treatment. Meat of birds on 7 had significantly lower (P 0.05) of the replacement on meat proximate composition. Meat colour, tenderness and juiciness differed significantly (P 0.05). In conclusion, maize could be replaced with cassava grits from TME 419 and TMS 01/1371 up to 75% without adversely affecting broiler chicken meat yield and quality. Dietary β-carotene bio-fortified cassava up to 75%, improved shelf life and oxidative stability of broilers meat
Body Mass Dynamics of Pink-Footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) During Stopover on Autumn Migration in Norway

Abstract. Body mass accumulation is a widely used measure of waterfowl condition and predictor of fitness. So far, however, post-breeding changes in body mass affecting autumn and winter condition have been largely unexplored. Here, changes in body mass of Pink-footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) were investigated during an autumn stopover in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Average juvenile body mass varied from year to year, ranging from 1,976–2,286 g and 2,154–2,404 g for females and males, respectively, and was affected by May temperature on the breeding grounds—a proxy for onset of the breeding season. Average adult body mass did not vary between years. During the stopover, juveniles of both sexes increased their body mass substantially (11.4 ± 2.8 g/day), while adult birds showed sex-specific differences. Adult males took on an average of 6.1 ± 2.4 g/day, whereas adult females showed no increase during the period. One explanation of this might relate to sex-specific behaviors in the preceding brood-rearing period. In addition, arrival from the breeding grounds was earlier for non-breeders compared to family groups. Our findings indicate that annual variation in body mass, as well as body mass changes during an autumn stopover, may differ considerably between age and sex classes of Pink-footed Geese.
Case Report of Molecular Signature in Poorly Differentiated Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) arises from Barrett’s metaplasia (BE) in a process involving discrete genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations that remain poorly defined. An intriguing model underlying BE and EAC is that epithelial progenitor cells persist at the gastroesophageal junction, implicating dysregulation of differentiation in the pathogenesis of BE and EAC. Herein, we chose to elucidate the molecular signatures of primary poorly differentiated EAC cases. Using RNA-Seq to analyze aberrant gene expression, we found that expression of genes involved in morphogenesis and keratinocyte differentiation were decreased, whereas expression of genes involved in cell death and proliferation were increased in patients with poorly differentiated EAC. In addition, the levels of two histone methyltransferases were increased in these poorly differentiated EAC cases, including the “suppressor of variegation 39 homolog” (SUV39H) and the “enhancer of zeste homolog 2” (EZH2). SUV39H and EZH2 are responsible for trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and lysine 27 (H3K27me3), respectively. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to decipher abnormal epigenetic regulation, we identified putative targets aberrantly enriched with H3K9me3 or H3K27me3 in these poorly differentiated EAC cases. Moreover, comparative analysis of DNA methylation, ChIP-Seq, and RNASeq data suggests that dysregulation of histone 3 lysine 27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) was the most common epigenetic alterations associated with gene expression change in a collection of poorly differentiated EAC. Importantly, our result implicates that the abundance and colocalization of H3K27me3 and primitive epithelial marker KRT-7 would present a unique signature of the poorly differentiated EAC cases. The significance of this *Corresponding author: Chin-Hsing Annie Lin, Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249. Email: annie.lin@utsa.edu Citation: Andrew M. Kaz, et al. Case Report of Molecular Signature in Poorly Differentiated Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Research Frontiers. 2017; 3(1): 170-191. doi: 10.17980/2017.170 Copyright: @ 2017 Andrew M. Kaz, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests. Received Feb 22, 2018; Revised Apr 17, 2018; Accepted Apr 23, 2018. Published May 21, 2018 Cancer Research Frontiers. 2017; 3(1): 170-191. doi: 10.17980/2017.170 Case Report 171 case report highlights that defects in epithelial differentiation paradigm underscore the epigenetic dysregulation via H3K27me3, also presents potential biomarkers for detection of the poorly differentiated EAC cases.
Population Status and Reproductive Biology of Clematis Morefieldii, a Federally Endangered Plant

Comparisons between Alabama and Tennessee populations provided information on regional differences across the range of the endangered plant Clematis morefieldii Kral. In 2012 a survey was conducted of 12 populations to document population structure (categorizing plants into three life history stages: seedling, non-reproductive, and reproductive), plant size, reproductive output, and percent herbivore damage. The extent of vegetative herbivory (categorized as vertebrate browse, invertebrate browse, piercing-sucking damage, and leaf miner damage) and reproductive herbivory data were recorded. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) used populations as replicates in analyses with regions (Alabama and Tennessee) and life history stages as factors. Life history stage composition was not significantly different between regions but varied significantly within populations, with non-reproductive plants making up the largest proportion of populations (62%), followed by seedlings (28%), and then reproductive plants (10%). Reproductive and non-reproductive plants in Alabama had significantly longer stems than those in Tennessee. Neither production nor herbivory of reproductive units differed significantly between regions. Alabama populations experienced 3-fold greater levels of vertebrate browse damage and piercing-sucking herbivore damage than Tennessee populations. Invertebrate browse damage differed significantly among life history stages with seedling and non-reproductive plants experiencing almost 2-fold greater levels of invertebrate browse damage than reproductive plants. There were significant correlations between stem length and vegetative herbivory in the range-wide analysis and in both regions (Alabama and Tennessee). This study documented high seedling proportions, high vegetative herbivory damage, low reproductive herbivory damage and
Single-exposure visual memory judgments are reflected in IT cortex

Our visual memory percepts of whether we have encountered specific objects or scenes before are hypothesized to manifest as decrements in neural responses in inferotemporal cortex (IT) with stimulus repetition. To evaluate this proposal, we recorded IT neural responses as two monkeys performed a single-exposure visual memory task designed to measure the rates of forgetting with time. We found that a strict interpretation of the repetition suppression hypothesis could not account for the monkeys’ behavior, however, a weighted linear read-out of the IT population response accurately predicted forgetting rates, reaction time patterns, and individual differences in task performance. Additionally, the linear weights were largely all the same-sign and consistent with repetition suppression. These results suggest that a subpopulation of IT neurons reflect behaviorally-relevant memory information via changes in overall population response magnitudes, in contrast to visual identify information, which is largely reflected by changes in IT population response patterns.
Immune Responses in Mice Immunized with Mastitis Multiple Vaccines Using Different Adjuvants

Background: Bovine mastitis, a serious disease associated with both high incidence and significant economic losses, posing a major challenge to the global dairy industry. The development of vaccines for protection from new infections by mastitis pathogens is of considerable interest to the milk production industry. Vaccination is a common and easy strategy for the control of infectious diseases, and the adjuvants used in the formulation is a critical factor for vaccine efficacy improvement. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate three different adjuvants for their ability to enhance immune responses of mice that vaccinated with Bovine Mastitis Multiple Vaccine.Materials, Methods & Results: The thymus and spleen index, the phagocytic ability of macrophage and the serum antibody levels of mice were detected after vaccination, respectively. The results showed that the thymus index, spleen index, and the phagocytic ability of macrophage of mice in Aluminum group exhibited a significant higher level (P < 0.05) compared with those in the control groups. The difference of the serum antibody levels was significant (P < 0.05) between experimental groups and control group after vaccination. The serum antibody concentration of mice in FIA group was higher compared with other groups and had a longer duration. The antibody concentration of mice in France 206 oil group can not increase as fast as the antibody concentration of Aluminum group, but it can last a longer time at a high level. In conclusion, multiple vaccines mixed with three different adjuvants could enhance the immunity of mice and Freund’s incomplete adjuvant is the best choice for this vaccine.Discussion: Adjuvants play an important role in increasing the efficacy of a number of different vaccines. In this study, three kinds of adjuvants (Aluminum hydroxide, France 206 oil and FIA) were evaluated for their adjuvant effects for multiple vaccine of bovine mastitis in mice and aluminum hydroxide did best as the vaccine adjuvant from the results. Aluminum hydroxide is a universally accepted adjuvant for both human and veterinary vaccines. The goal of vaccination is to generate strong immune response providing protection against infection for a time. Different protective effects will usually obtained by different adjuvants even use same antigen. In this work, FIA, Alum and 206 oil were chosen as adjuvants for inactivated antigens of Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that there was a significantly higher antibody levels in vaccinated mice compared with those in control group. In addition, the mice in France 206 oil and FIA group performed a higher antibody levels and stronger immunity than mice in Aluminum hydroxide groups. These findings suggest that Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FIA) would be the best candidate as the adjuvant for mastitis multiple vaccines investigated in this study.
Survival and reintegration of rehabilitated Carnaby’s Cockatoos Zanda latirostris into wild flocks

Summary Release into the wild is the preferred outcome for rehabilitated animals, but often little is known about what happens to individuals following their release. Increased knowledge of post-release survival and reintegration into the wild could improve release and rehabilitation strategies. To assess the survival and reintegration of rehabilitated Endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoos Zanda latirostris into wild flocks we studied the movements and behaviour of 23 birds fitted with satellite tracking devices. We assessed longer term survival by collating records of leg-banded birds over eight years. Rehabilitated birds had an estimated annual survival rate of 0.73. The band recovery rate for all rehabilitated Carnaby’s Cockatoos banded between 2005 and 2013 was not significantly different to those fitted with tracking devices (10.3% versus 13.0% respectively, P = 1). Physical, social and behavioural indicators of fitness were used to assess the success of the reintegration of rehabilitated birds. Released birds flew, roosted and foraged with wild birds. Whilst pair bond formation and breeding of study birds could not be confirmed during this study, behaviours associated with pair bonding were observed, including allo-preening and male courtship displays. The rehabilitation process and pre-release procedure for identifying individuals ready for release was effective at selecting suitable release candidates.
Control of Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum) in Conservation Fallow Systems

Field studies were conducted to determine the most effective rate of several herbicides applied at various growth stages to control downy brome in conservation fallow programs. Downy brome growth stage affected the efficacy of all herbicides. All herbicides were less effective when application was delayed until the boot stage of downy brome. Fluazifop-P and sethoxydim must be applied prior to tillering to effectively control downy brome. Glyphosate, the commercial mixture of glyphosate plus 2,4-D, paraquat, and HOE-39866 consistently controlled downy brome up to the 3- to 5-tiller stage. Glyphosate at 180 to 200 g ha-1, paraquat at 250 to 300 g ha-1, and the commercial mixture of glyphosate plus 2,4-D at 600 to 660 g ha-1 controlled downy brome 80 to 90%. The effective rates were lower than rates currently registered for downy brome control in western Canada, and thus there is potential for making conservation fallow programs more economical when downy brome is the predominant weed.