Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal changes in the breeding ecology of European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur in Britain, and implications for conservation

The migratory European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur has undergone a 69% decline in population size and a 25% contraction in breeding range in Britain over the last 30 years. An investigation of the breeding ecology of this summer visitor was undertaken in 1998‐ 2000 at two study sites in East Anglia, England. The only previous study of Turtle Dove reproduction in Britain provided pre-decline data for comparison with the current situation in a modern agricultural environment. Territory sizes ranged from 1.91 to 3.08 ha, were established in areas with scrub, hedges and woodland and contained less cropped land than expected from its availability. The majority of nests were sited 1‐3 m above ground level within thorny bushes, particularly Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna . Nests found by radiotelemetry were significantly higher above ground level and were found in greater numbers than expected in woodland and coniferous trees than those found by cold searching, which were lower and found predominantly in hedges and thorny bushes. Turtle Dove nest success rate averaged 53% during incubation and 65% during the nestling stage, so that only 35% of nests successfully produced young. A comparison with data collected during the 1960s showed that Turtle Doves today have a shorter breeding season and consequently produce about half the number of clutches and young per pair than formerly. A simple simulation model suggested that the reduction in productivity alone would lead to a population decline of 17% per annum. This study suggests that the recovery of Turtle Doves in Britain is dependent upon the provision and sympathetic management of nesting and foraging habitats. The current arrangements for set-aside and agri-environmental schemes provide the framework for delivering these requirements.
The role of diet and temperature in shaping cranial diversification of South American human populations: an approach based on spatial regression and divergence rate tests

Aim Understanding the importance of ecological factors in the origin and maintenance of patterns of phenotypic variation among populations, in an explicit geographical context, is one of the main goals of human biology, ecology and evolutionary biology. Here we study the ecological factors responsible for craniofacial variation among human populations from South America.
Legume seeds and rapeseed press cake as substitutes for soybean meal in sow and piglet feed

The possibility of replacing soybean meal with mixtures of rapeseed press cake (RPC) and legume seeds in sow and piglet diets was evaluated in an experiment on 30 sows and their progeny. Group I (control) received standard feed mixture containing soybean meal as the main protein source, group II – RPC mixed with fodder pea, group III – field bean, group IV – blue lupine, group V – yellow lupine. Weaned piglets received mixtures containing RPC and legume mixtures. Considerable differences were found in amino acid composition of proteins. Differences in the apparent digestibility of essential nutrients were statistically insignificant. Sows fed with field bean and yellow lupine gave birth to heaviest piglets. After weaning piglets receiving field bean were characterized by the best weight gains. It is concluded that mixing rapeseed cake with legume seeds allows for the complete replacement of soybean meal in sow diets and for partial replacement in piglet diets.
A Study of the Literature on Lab-Based Instruction in Biology

Abstract We analyzed the practitioner literature on lab-based instruction in biology in The American Biology Teacher between 2007 and 2012. We investigated what laboratory learning looks like in biology classrooms, what topics are addressed, what instructional methods and activities are described, and what is being learned about student outcomes. The practitioner literature reveals a focus on novel and innovative labs, and gaps in some biology topics. There is little description of student learning, but motivation and engagement are a primary concern of authors. There is little evidence of students addressing the nature of science in laboratories, and too few opportunities for authentic exploration of phenomena. We suggest that biology instruction can be strengthened by more rigorous practitioner research through increased professional collaboration between teachers and education researchers, increased focus on the synergy between content and teaching practice, and more rigor in reporting student outcomes.
Investigating high-affinity non-covalent protein-ligand interaction via variants of streptavidin

The Streptomyces avidinii protein streptavidin binds the small molecule biotin (vitamin H / B₇) with extraordinary stability, resulting in the streptavidin-biotin interaction being one of the strongest non-covalent interactions known in nature (K d ~ 10 -14 M). The stable and rapid biotin-binding, together with high resistance to heat, pH and proteolysis, has given streptavidin huge utility, both in vivo and in vitro . Accordingly, streptavidin has become a widely used tool in many different biotechnological applications. Streptavidin has also been the subject of extensive research efforts to glean insights into this paradigm for a high-affinity interaction, with over 200 mutants of the protein reported to date. Despite the high stability of the streptavidin-biotin interaction, it can and does fail under certain experimental conditions. For example, streptavidin-biotin dissociation is accelerated by an increased temperature or lower pH (conditions often encountered in cellular imaging experiments), and by mechanical stress, such as the shear force arising from fluid flow (encountered when streptavidin is used as a molecular anchor in biosensor chips and arrays). This study details efforts made at increasing further the utility of streptavidin, by increasing the stability of biotin and biotin-conjugate binding. A rational site-directed mutagenesis approach was used to create 27 mutants, with eight of these mutants possessing higher-stability biotin-binding. The most stable biotin-binding mutant was named traptavidin and was extensively characterised. Kinetic characterisation revealed traptavidin had a decreased dissociation rate from biotin and biotin-conjugates when compared to wildtype streptavidin, at both neutral pH and pH 5. Atomic force microscopy and molecular motor displacement assays revealed the traptavidin-biotin interaction possessed higher mechanical stability than the streptavidin-biotin interaction. Cellular imaging experiments revealed the non-specific cell binding properties of streptavidin were unchanged in traptavidin. X-ray crystallography was also used to generate structures of both apo- and biotinbound traptavidin at 1.5 A resolution. The structures were analysed in detail and compared to the published structures of streptavidin, revealing the characteristics of traptavidin arose from the mutations stabilising a flexible loop over the biotin-binding pocket, as well as reducing the conformational change on biotin-binding to traptavidin. Traptavidin has the potential to replace streptavidin in many of its diverse applications, as well as providing an insight into the nature of ultra-stable noncovalent interactions.
Effects of heat and smoke on germination of soil-stored seed in a south-eastern Australian sand heathland

Various fire-related agents, including heat, smoke, ash and charred wood, have been shown to break dormancy and promote germination of soil-stored seed in a broad range of species in mediterranean-type systems. However, relatively little work has been conducted in south-eastern Australian heathlands. This study examined the effects of heat and smoked water on germination of the soil seed bank in a mature sand heathland within the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, in south-eastern Australia. Heat was clearly the most successful treatment for promoting seed germination, followed by smoked water, then controls, with 55% of species present in the germinable soil seed bank requiring a heat or smoke stimulus to promote seed germination. Mean species richness of the germinable soil seed bank was found to be significantly higher in heat-treated soil than in smoke and control treatments. Seedling density of heat-treated soil was almost 10 times that of controls, while smoke-treated soil was almost five times that of controls. Seedling emergence was fastest in heat-treated soil, followed by smoke and control soils. Of the species found in the soil seed bank, 25% were absent from the extant vegetation, suggesting the existence of post-fire colonisers in the soil seed bank. The results have implications for the design of soil seed bank experiments and the use of fire as a tool in vegetation management.
Desempenho de novilhas leiteiras sob manejo para crescimento compensatório recebendo suplementação com ionóforo

The objective of this trial was to compare the effect of different feeding strategies with or without ionophore (monensin) supplementation on performance of dairy heifers. Twenty Brown-Swiss heifers averaging 200 kg of body weight and five months of age were used in a completely randomized design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatments were: two feeding regimes (conventional vs. compensatory growth) with (200 mg/animal/day) or without monensin supplementation. Animals in the conventional feeding regime were fed ad libitum while those in the compensatory growth were fed as follows: P1) period of energy restriction (90 days); and P2) realimentation period (60 days). Efficiency of conversion of ingested DM and metabolizable energy on daily weight gain was lower during the realimentation period. However, nitrogen (N) balance did not differ on heifers receiving the conventional feeding regime compared to those receiving the compensatory growth regime. Inclusion of monensin in diet of heifers reduced the excretion of N in urine leading to greater N retention in the restriction period and lower during the realimentation phase. There was not effect of treatments, monensin or period on the development measurements and final body weight. Heifers in the compensatory growth regime had greater average daily gain at 135 and 150 days when compared to conventional feeding heifers.
Precision of age estimates derived from scales and pectoral fin rays of blue sucker

Evaluating the response of fish populations to environmental influences requires precise age estimation. Pectoral fin rays and scales were compared to determine which is more precise for estimating age of blue sucker, Cycleptus elongatus (Lesueur), from the Missouri River, USA. Mean coefficient of variation was significantly lower for fin rays both among three novice readers (rays 19.9%; scales 23.1%) and among three reads by a single experienced reader (rays 11.8%; scales 18.6%). Additionally, exact per cent agreement (rays 20.0%; scales 14.3%) and within-1-year per cent agreement (rays 89.1%; scales 73.9%) were higher for fin rays compared with scales for multiple reads by the same experienced reader. Age–bias plots revealed that scale ages were lower than fin-ray ages >7. The use of fin rays is recommended for estimating ages of blue sucker until validation procedures are conducted.
Isolation and characterization of nine microsatellite loci from Aphelinus mali (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of Eriosoma lanigerum (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract Nine novel microsatellite markers are presented for Aphelinus mali, a parasitoid of the woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum. Loci were characterized for 28 individuals from a single orchard in central Chile. Seven loci were polymorphic within A. mali (3–6 alleles per locus; observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.04 to 0.57) and are therefore useful for population genetic studies within this species.
Rediscovery of the Bizarre Cretaceous Ant Haidomyrmex Dlussky (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with Two New Species

ABSTRACT The discovery of two distinct, near-complete specimens belonging to the Cretaceous ant genus Haidomyrmex Dlussky prompts a detailed description and discussion of a remarkable mandibular morphology. The specimens, preserved in 98 million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar, are described here as Haidomyrmex scimitarus, n. sp. , and Haidomyrmex zigrasi, n. sp. , with diagnostic differences provided between them as well as with H. cerberus Dlussky (also in Burmese amber). Relationships and comparisons of H. scimitarus, H. zigrasi, H. cerberus, and the recently described Haidomyrmodes mammuthus Perrichot from Cretaceous French amber are also discussed. Haidomyrmex was probably arboreal, cursorial, and a specialized trap-jaw predator, utilizing its enormous mandibles and cranial morphology in concert to capture prey. Mandibles appear to have moved in a plane oblique to the dorsoventral and horizontal axes of the body, unlike the lateral-plane movement of modern ants. The additions of these new fossils provide insight into some of the earliest yet surprisingly specialized ants that roamed the Earth.
Evidence of increased net ecosystem productivity associated with a longer vegetated season in a deciduous forest in south‐central Indiana, USA

Observations of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon and its biophysical drivers have been collected at the AmeriFlux site in the Morgan‐Monroe State Forest (MMSF) in Indiana, USA since 1998. Thus, this is one of the few deciduous forest sites in the world, where a decadal analysis on net ecosystem productivity (NEP) trends is possible. Despite the large interannual variability in NEP, the observations show a significant increase in forest productivity over the past 10 years (by an annual increment of about 10 g C m−2 yr−1). There is evidence that this trend can be explained by longer vegetative seasons, caused by extension of the vegetative activity in the fall. Both phenological and flux observations indicate that the vegetative season extended later in the fall with an increase in length of about 3 days yr−1 for the past 10 years. However, these changes are responsible for only 50% of the total annual gain in forest productivity in the past decade. A negative trend in air and soil temperature during the winter months may explain an equivalent increase in NEP through a decrease in ecosystem respiration.
Veery wheats carry an allele of Vrn‐A1 that has implications for freezing tolerance in winter wheats

With 1 figure and 5 tables Abstract Two winter alleles of Vrn-A1 were recently found in wheat cultivars adapted to the Great Plains of the USA. Using a diagnostic marker for a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in exon 4, which distinguishes the alleles, the allele in the Great Plains cultivar ‘Jagger’ was common in Australian and CIMMYT cultivars, but ‘Veery’ cultivars carried the alternate allele from their Russian ancestor, which was the same as the allele in the Great Plains cultivar ‘Wichita’. The ‘Wichita’ allele was in North American winter cultivars, and chromosome substitution lines with a high level of tolerance to freezing, but not in substitution lines with a lower level of tolerance. The SNP between the alleles alters the predicted Vrn-A1 protein sequence, and this potentially explains differences in freezing tolerance. We suggest that these winter alleles could be coded as Vrn-A1v for the ‘Jagger’ allele and Vrn-A1w for the ‘Wichita’ allele. Cultivars with the spring Vrn-A1a or Vrn-A1b alleles carried the same SNP allele as ‘Jagger’, suggesting that the mutation from winter to spring for these alleles occurred in a Vrn-A1v genotype.
Allele frequency present within the DYS635, DYS437, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, YGATA H4, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS19, DYS391, DYS438, DYS390, DYS439, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385a and DYS385b of unrelated individuals in Iraq

The Y chromosome is becoming a useful tool for tracing human evolution through male lineages marker. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic structure in Babylon province in Iraq and evaluate the importance of these STRs loci for forensic genetic applications. FTA® Technology was utilized to extract DNA from blood collected on FTA™ paper. We have analyzed 17 Y chromosomal STR loci (DYS635, DYS437, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, YGATA H4, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS19, DYS391, DYS438, DYS390, DYS439, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385a and DYS385b) for evaluating allele frequencies and genetic diversity. A total of 94 unique haplotypes was identified among the one hundred individuals studied. The DYS456 had the highest diversity (GD = 0.752), while DYS392 locus had the lowest one (GD = 0.185). The light has been focused and directed in this study to establish the basic forensic genetic information, knowledge, data and statistics which might be so ultimately helpful practically in forensic science and criminology and to let evaluate and present the DNA weight evidences in Iraq medico-legal institute and courts of law. Key words: Allele frequency, FTA™ paper, Iraq, STR DNA typing, Y filer™.
Growth of juvenile Norwegian spring-spawning herring in relation to latitudinal and interannual differences in temperature and fish density in their coastal and fjord nursery areas

Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) spawn in February and March along the Norwegian coast from 588N to 698N. The larvae are transported north with the coastal current, and in autumn, the main part of the 0-group is found in the Barents Sea, and a smaller and variable fraction ends up in coastal and fjord nursery areas that experience a wide range of environmental conditions and fish densities. Based on data from herring 0–2 years old collected from 1970 to 2004, there is a positive relationship between temperature and the growth of this coastal component, in terms of length, weight, condition factor, and annual otolith increment width, and a negative relationship between acoustic abundance and the same growth indices. In general, juvenile growth decreased northwards along the coast concurrently with decreasing summer and autumn temperatures and increasing acoustic abundance. It seems, therefore, that there may be interference in the relationship between juvenile herring growth and temperature, attributable to variable recruitment, currents, larval drift, and advection into the fjords, causing latitudinal and interannual differences in fish density, and hence variable competition for food.
Mammalian Petrosal from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Fruita, Colorado

ABSTRACT A partial petrosal from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the Fruita Paleontological Area of western Colorado preserving the pars cochlearis and part of the pars canalicularis is described. The endocast of the inner ear showing the cochlea, vestibule, lateral semicircular canal, and the terminal ends of the anterior and posterior semicircular canals is reconstructed from µCT scans. This specimen is only the fourth petrosal known from the Morrison Formation. Mammals known from Fruita include Fruitafossor windsheffeli Luo and Wible, 2005, the triconodontid Priacodon fruitaensis Rasmussen and Callison, 1981, the plagiaulacoid multituberculate Glirodon grandis Engelmann and Callison, 1999, and unnamed spalacotheriids and dryolestoids. The partial petrosal and its endocast share significant features with dryolestoids from the Upper Jurassic of Guimarota, Portugal, including a separate fenestra cochleae and cochlear canaliculus, and a cochlea that is coiled more than 200°. In light of these similarities, the Fruita petrosal is assigned to Dryolestoidea.
Effect of Yeast Inoculation Rate, Acclimatization, and Nutrient Addition on Icewine Fermentation

Fermentations of highly concentrated icewine juice (35 to 42 Brix) are often sluggish, taking months to reach the desired ethanol level, and usually have high levels of volatile acidity. Two yeast inoculum levels using commercially available strain K1-V1116 were investigated in sterile-filtered icewine juice: 0.2 g of active dried wine yeast/L and 0.5 g of active dried wine yeast/L. The fermentation kinetics of inoculating these levels directly into icewine juice after yeast rehydration, or conditioning these cells to the concentrated juice using a stepwise acclimatization procedure after rehydration before inoculation, were compared. The effect of adding a yeast micronutrient supplement during yeast rehydration was also assessed. Yeast inoculated at 0.2 g/L stopped fermenting before the required ethanol level was achieved regardless of the inoculation procedure, producing only 62.2 g/L (7.8% v/v) and 64.4 g/L (8.1% v/v) ethanol for the direct and stepwise acclimatized inoculations, respectively. At 0.5 g/L, the stepwise acclimatized cells fermented the most sugar, producing 95.5 g/L (12.0% v/v) ethanol, whereas the direct inoculum produced 82.0 g/L (10.5% v/v) ethanol. The addition of the yeast nutrient during yeast rehydration increased the rate of biomass accumulation, reduced the fermentation time, reduced the ethanol concentration in the icewines, and reduced the rate of acetic acid produced as a function of sugar consumed. There was no difference in acetic acid concentration in the final wines across all treatments.
Impact of calving seasons and feeding systems in western Canada. I. Postweaning growth performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred steers

Durunna, O. N. , Block, H. C. , Iwaasa, A. D. , Thompson, L. C. , Scott, S. L. , Robins, C. , Khakbazan, M. and Lardner, H. A. 2014. Impact of calving seasons and feeding systems in western Canada. I. Postweaning growth performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred steers. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 571–582. Crossbred steers (n=272) weaned from early (EC) and late (LC) calving systems (CS) were used to evaluate the impact of two feeding systems (FS) on postweaning performance and carcass characteristics. The steers were randomly assigned to either a rapid-gain feeding (RF) or a slow-gain feeding (SF) system. The RF steers were managed to have body weight (BW) gain of 1 kg d−1 on a silage-hay diet during the backgrounding period prior to finishing, while the SF steers were first backgrounded on a hay diet (gain of 0.7 kg d−1), then grazed alfalfa–meadow bromegrass pasture and annual cereal swaths prior to finishing. All treatment groups received a conventional diet during finishing until the steers attained a.
T Cell-Derived GM-CSF, Regulation of Expression and Function

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is produced by a variety of cells and plays an important role in the inflammatory response in infection as well as in autoimmunity. Recent progress has indicated that CD4+ T cell-derived GM-CSF has a prominent and non-redundant function in mediating autoimmune neuroinflammation. Thus, there is increased interest on studying the regulation of GM-CSF production by T helper cells, which could translate to the development of novel therapeutics for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. This review focuses on our current understanding of the regulation and function of T cell-derived GM-CSF.