Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use of Phytase Enzyme to Increase Phosphorus Bioavailability of the Diets and Growth Performance of Catfish (Clarias sp)

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary phytase supplementation on phosphorus (P) bioavailability of the diets and growth performance of catfish (Clarias sp) as well as P loading. Four experimental diets were used in this experiment. Diet (A), as a control, was supplemented with inorganic P; diet (B) supplemented with phytase, without inorganic P; diet (C ) supplemented with phytase and citric acid, without inorganic P; and diet (D) without phytase and inorganic P. Phytase was added to the diet at 50 mg/100 g soy bean meal and pollard. Ten fishes with initial body weight of 6.3 ± 0.05 g distributed into an aquarium. Fish fed on the diets for 60 days, there time daily, at satiation. Results indicated that P digestibility increased from 68.55% to 86.1% by the addition of phytase. P digestibility in diet B and C was higher than diet A and D. Daily growth rate of fish from diet B and C were significantly higher than that of diet D, but similar with diet A. Food conversion ratio (FCR) of fish from diet A, B, and C was better than diet D. P concentration in the whole body, bone, and plasma, of fish from diet A,B, and C was higher than diet D, but the Ca and Zn concentration in the whole body, bone, plasma was the same in all treatments. P loading by fish fed diet with phytase ware 58% lower than that of the fish fed control diet. Keyword: Clarias sp, phytase, phosphorus, bioavailability
Ministry

The program remains primarily organized to address the formation of lay men and women for professional ministry in the Catholic Church (including but not limited to parish, diocese, campus ministry, hospital, military or prison chaplaincy etc.). The program is also organized to deepen the formation of ordained deacons and deacon candidates in the Catholic Church. Candidates for professional ministry within other Christian denominations are also welcome.
Effects of incubation temperature on hatching and carcass performance of broilers

In the past 20 years, broiler production has increased in hot climate countries, due to a greater potential for further growth. Thus, there is a necessity to improve thermotolerance of broilers produced in hot climates. Incubation period will become increasingly important in enhancing thermotolerance, because higher temperatures during incubation may lead to an elevation of the thermoregulatory set-point after hatch. Two recent experiments, conducted to determine the effect of high incubation temperature (INCHIGH) from d 10 to 18 on hatching performance and carcass characteristics of broilers, have been compared with broilers from incubated at control temperatures (INCCONT). INCHIGH resulted in a delay in external pipping and hatching times compared with INCCONT. There was no incubation temperature effect on the weights of bursa of fabricius, spleen and lungs, and moisture content of chicks but lowered heart and liver weights. When broilers exposed to daily cyclic high temperature from 21 to 42 d, slaughter weight of broilers from INCCONT reduced while heavier body weight and breast yield were obtained in broilers from INCHIGH. It was concluded that higher incubation temperature from d 10 to 18 for 6 h/d had no effect on chick weights and minimized the negative effect of heat stress on slaughter weight and breast meat yield.
The mineral, proximate and phytochemical components of ten Nigerian medicinal plants used in the management of arthritis

Ethnobotanical investigation revealed the use of ten medicinal plants in the management of arthritis in Ibadan, Nigeria. This study screened the plants for mineral, proximate and phytochemical components that could be responsible for their therapeutic value in arthritis. The powdered plant samples were analysed for nutritional constituents and phytochemical compounds using standard laboratory protocols. The use value of plant-parts was 50% leaves and 50% roots. Three out of the 10 plants had high calcium content: Oncoba spinosa (180.0 mg/100 g), Nymphaea lotus (160.0 mg/100 g) and Solenostemon monostachyus (125.0 mg/100 g). N. lotus had the highest iron content (8.0 mg/100 g). Phosphorus content was highest in O. spinosa (150.0 mg/100 g). Magnesium was highest in Phyllanthus amarus (14.0 mg/100 g). Crude fibre was highest in Solanum aethiopicum (15.90%) and the least in O. spinosa (14.00%). S. aethiopicum had the highest protein content (18.50%) and O. spinosa the least (14.75%). All the medicinal plants tested positive to alkaloids, carotenoids and flavonoids. The plants contained minerals and secondary metabolites that are implicated in arthritis viz. calcium, zinc, carotenoids and flavonoids. The presence of these compounds in the test plants might alleviate pains associated with arthritis. O. spinosa had high potential in the management of arthritis due to its high
A comparison of plant hydraulic conductances in wheat and lupins

Previous studies have shown similar water use for lupins [Lupinus angustifolius L. ) and wheat {Triticum aestivum L. ), despite a considerably smaller root system in lupins. A field study and an experiment under controlled conditions using pressure-flux relationships were conducted to examine whether higher hydraulic conductances were responsible for the greater water uptake per unit root length in lupins. In the field experiment, the flux of water and differences in water potential through the soil-plant system were measured for both species and used to calculate the hydraulic conductance through the plant and through the root and shoot. The hydraulic conductance for the whole plant was 3-5 times greater in lupins than in wheat. This relative difference between the species was similar when plant hydraulic conductance was expressed per unit of root length. This occurred despite the difference in midday water potential between soil and leaves, being consistently greater in wheat (— 1.0 MPa) than in lupins (-0.7 MPa). When the total plant conductance was separated into its components, the combined soil and root conductance and the shoot conductance were 2 and 6 times greater, respectively, in lupins than in wheat. In the experiment under controlled conditions, hydraulic conductance for the entire root system was determined using a pressure chamber. The specific root hydraulic conductances were 4 times greater in lupins than in wheat. The results from both field and controlled conditions experiments suggest that the greater water uptake per unit root length in lupins compared to wheat results from appreciably larger root and shoot hydraulic conductances.
Studies on Nutritional Status of Trees and Carbohydrates Metabolism in Relation To Granulation in Sweet Orange (Citrus Sinensis Osbeck)

Mineral status of the granulated and non-granulated trees showed that in the leaves of granulated trees the percentage of calcium and boron was significantly higher than in the leaves of non-granulated trees. However, the values for phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, manganese and boron were significantly lower in the granulated trees.
Lipid concentration in the embryo–endosperm fraction of seeds of Australian tropical lowland rainforest trees: relevance to defence and dispersal

The lipid concentration (LC) of the embryo–endosperm fraction was determined for the seeds of 60 species in 22 families from an Australian tropical lowland rainforest. It was negatively related to the mass of the embryo–endosperm across all species, but the relationship was not significant at P < 0.05. LC was significantly and positively correlated with N concentration when all species were considered, but not within the families represented by the most species (Lauraceae, 13; Sapindaceae, 9; Proteaceae, 6). LC was significantly and markedly higher in more heavily defended seeds (medians: 27 and 6.9%); there is evidence for the view that seeds rich in either lipid or nitrogen are markedly defended. Lipid concentration was also markedly higher, on average, in seeds taken by the scatter-hoarding Uromys caudimaculatus (white-tailed rat) than in seeds of comparable size not taken by Uromys, but not known to be protected by any toxin or irritant (medians: 35 and 3.7%, respectively). However, LC was not notably high in one major group of seeds taken by Uromys – the largest-seeded species of Beilschmiedia and Endiandra (Lauraceae). The comparisons mostly involved different phyletic lines, and were not consistently supported by contrasts within phyletic lines.
Nutrient Input and the Summer Nanoplankton Bloom in the Northern Adriatic Sea

A four-year oceanographic data set from the Northern Adriatic Sea identified the factors favoring development of the nanoplankton or microplankton components of the phytoplankton crop. Latitudinally atypical summer nanoplankton blooms, perhaps of recent origin, develop under vertically stratified conditions in the presence of high nutrient concentrations (including silicates). Including the summer blooms, the nanoplankton were responsible for more than half the total phytoplankton production about 90% of the time. No single mechanism governed phytoplankton cell size or size succession, but rather a number of mechanisms which were not mutually exclusive.
Influence of dried tomato pomace as an alternative to wheat bran in maize or wheat based diets, on the performance of laying hens and traits of produced eggs

Summary In a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, 144, fifty-four-week-old laying hens, in 12 treatments with 12 replicates for each treatment, received one of 12 diets based on maize or wheat containing three levels of dried tomato pomace (DTP: 0, 50 and 100 g/kg) as a substitute for wheat bran, and two levels of pigment (0 and 900 mg/kg), for 9 weeks. Weight gain (WG), egg production (EP), egg weight (EW), egg mass output (EM) and feed intake (FI) were determined. Shell weight (ShW), shell thickness (ShT), Haugh unit (HU) and yolk colour score (YCS) were also measured. Maize decreased body weight of the birds and increased HU, ShW/EW ratio, ShT, and YCS of the eggs when compared with wheat diets. DTP had no effect on these parameters, but increased YCS. Pigment reduced ShW/EW ratio and ShT, but increased YCS of the eggs. There were significant interactions between the source of energy (ES) and DTP on ShT and YCS of the eggs. There were also interactions significant between ES and pigment on ShT and YCS. As an alternative for wheat bran, 100 g/kg of DTP produced comparable egg quality and laying performance, and it contributed to a deeper yolk colour.
Variation in microbial responses and Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2IIIB growth in soil under different organic amendment regimes

Abstract Organic amendments influence chemical and microbial compositions in soils and also susceptibility to plant diseases. The purpose of this study was to establish different parameters that interfere with pathogen growth in soil. Four different organic-amendment regimes, i.e. slurry, compost, slurry-dung and compost-slurry-dung, were applied to two fields proximate to each other on the same farm and covered with the same grass-clover ley in the last two years preceding sampling. Before that period, there were differences in cropping and management practices between both fields. Chemical analyses of the soils revealed no differences between organic amendments, whereas significant differences were present between fields in all C, N and pH values. Growth of R. solani AG2-2IIIB in soil, measured by damping-off in sugar beet plants, was influenced by the interaction of organic amendment with field type. Diversity and evenness values of the microbial communities, studied by PCR-DGGEs specific for bacteria, fungi, Pseudomonas and ammonia-oxidizing β-proteobacteria, revealed different patterns, i.e. no differences between organic amendments, but clear differences between fields. Multivariate analyses done on individual species of the four groups, as represented by band location and size in PCR-DGGE fingerprints, and by inclusion of chemical and R. solani AG2-2IIIB growth parameters as ‘environmental’ variables, revealed strong and occasionally significant effects of organic matter content, water-dissolvable organic carbon and pH on microbial communities. It was therefore concluded that different organic amendments had different effects on pathogen growth in soils of both fields and that organic matter content and pH influenced soil microbial compositions most.
Deletion ofpurEAttenuatesBrucella melitensisInfection in Mice

We previously showed that apurEmutant (DpurE201)ofBrucella melitensis16M is attenuated for growth in culturedhumanmonocytes(E.S.Drazek,H.H.Houng,R.M.Crawford,T.L.Hadfield,D.L.Hoover,andR. L. Warren,Infect.Immun.63:3297‐3301,1995). Todetermineifthisstrainisattenuatedinanimals,wecompared the growth of the DpurE201 mutant with that of strain 16M in BALB/c mice. The number of bacteria in the spleenandspleenweightpeakedforbothstrainsbetween1and2weekspostinfection(p.i.),thoughthenumber of DpurE201cells was significantly less than the number of 16M cells recovered from the spleens of infected mice. During the next 6 weeks, DpurE201 was essentially eliminated from infected mice (three of five mice sterile; <100 CFU in two offive mice at 8 weeks p.i.), whereas bacteria persisted at a high level in the spleens of 16M-infected mice (about 10 6 CFU per spleen). The number of bacteria in the livers and lungs of mice infected with either strain paralleled those in the spleen. Mice infected with 16M had a strong inflammatory response, developing dramatic and prolonged splenomegaly (five to eight times normal spleen weight) and producing serum interleukin-6. In contrast, mice infected with DpurE201 developed only mild, transient splenomegaly at 1 week p.i. and produced no interleukin-6 in their serum. We further characterized the host response to infection by measuring changes in immune spleen cell populations by flow cytometry. CD4- and CD8-positive lymphocytes declined by 1 week in both experimental groups, while MAC-1-positive cells increased. T-cell subpopulations remained low or declined further, and MAC-1 cells increased to three times normal levels during 8 weeks of infection with 16M but returned to normal by 4 weeks after infection with DpurE201. These results document infectivity and attenuation of DpurE201 and suggest that it should be further evaluated as a potential vaccine.
cDNA cloning and expression analyses of phytoene synthase 1, phytoene desaturase and -carotene desaturase genes from Solanum lycopersicum KKU-T34003

We report on the cloning of Psy1, Pds and Zds cDNAs encoding the enzymes responsible for lycopene biosynthesis, namely phytoene synthase 1 (PSY1), phytoene desaturase (PDS) and -carotene desaturase (ZDS), respectively, from highlycopene tomato cultivar, Solanum lycopersicum KKU-T34003. DNA sequence analyses showed that the complete open reading frames of Psy1, Pds and Zds cDNAs were 1,239, 1,752 and 1,767 base pairs in length and encoded proteins of 412, 583 and 588 amino acids, respectively. Phylogenetic and the conserved domain analyses suggest that PSY1, PDS and ZDS from S. lycopersicum KKU-T34003 potentially have similar structures and biological functions to the corresponding proteins from other plants. Gene expression studies showed that Psy1 was expressed only in the petal and the breaker fruit, whereas the expressions of Pds and Zds were observed in the petal, the breaker fruit and the leaf. The highest expression level for all genes was detected in the breaker-stage fruit, suggesting that carotenoid accumulation was developmentally regulated in the chromoplast-containing tissues.
Estimates of population density and dispersal in the blowfly Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

To investigate the population density and dispersal of the sheep blowfly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) mark-release-recapture trials were carried out in lowland pastures in south west England. In three trials, 2142, 1351 and 451 fluorescent dust marked flies were released of which 4%, 14% and 10% were recaptured using a grid of sticky, odour-baited targets, placed between 8 m and 1000 m from the release point. There was no significant effect of wind direction on dispersal pattern and no apparent directional movement of the flies from the release point. Using the method described by Hawkes (1972) the mean distance travelled by all the flies on the first day of each of the three trials was calculated to be 108 m, 128 m and 137 m respectively. Using the method described by Fletcher (1974) the mean distances travelled were calculated to be 135 m (±42), 118 m (±27) and 183 m (± 61) on the first day of each of the three trials, respectively. The median distances travelled by the flies on the first day of each of the three trials were calculated to be 109 m, 130 m and 150 m, respectively. A Lincoln Index was used to estimate the population density of wild female L. sericata. The number of female flies was estimated to be zero in June, approximately one per hectare in July and six per hectare in August in 1994.
Native and non-native plant species in grazed grasslands of British Columbia's southern interior

Herbaceous vegetation on 17 native grassland sites in southeastern British Columbia were assessed for their proportion of native and non-native plant species. All sites were on grazed Crown rangeland, and found within the Ponderosa Pine and Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zones. Vegetation cover values for individual species were aggregated into native and non-native categories. Values for non-native herbaceous species at the 17 sites ranged from 0 to 84% of total herbaceous cover, with an average of 35%. When compared to ungrazed controls, results varied by site. Managers of these grasslands should review and adjust current practices to discourage not only noxious weeds, but all non-native species.
Implications of interannual variability in euphausiid population biology for fish production along the south-west coast of Vancouver Island : a synthesis

This is a synthesis of published and unpublished research on euphausiid and fish populations using the south-west coast of Vancouver Island. Overall, the studies covered 1985–98, when there were two ENSO events and considerable variation in upwelling. The population biology of the dominant euphausiids (Thysanoessa spinifera, Euphausiapacifica) was monitored during 1991–98. The species abundance trends differed. Results of simple correlation analyses suggested that variations in temperature, salinity and upwelling do not explain variations in the abundance of larval or adult euphausiids, or in the abundance of portions of euphausiid populations on which fish feed. I found significant interannual variations in daily ration of the dominant planktivorous fish species, but euphausiids remained the most important prey. Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), the dominant planktivore, fed on larger (>17 mm) T. spinifera, even though the biomass of this part of the euphausiid biomass decreased by 75% between 1991 and 1997, but Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) may have begun feeding on smaller E. pacifica. Therefore, any study of the relationship between fish production and krill biology must consider that part of the euphausiid biomass exploited by fish. In addition, some fish species and/or life history stages appeared to adapt to changes in euphausiid availability, while others did not. Such variation in adaptations also has to be described and considered to understand how changes in euphausiid biology affect fish productivity.
Effect of imazamox, fomesafen, and acifluorfen soil residue on rotational crops

Field studies were conducted at Goiânia, GO, Brazil, on an Oxisol (clayey, kaolinitic, isothermic, Typic Haplustox) and at Jussara, GO, Brazil, on an Oxisol (loamy sand, kaolinitic, isothermic, Typic Haplustox) during 1995 and 1996 to determine the carryover effect of fomesafen, imazamox, and acifluorfen, applied to edible bean, on rotational crops (maize, sorghum, rice, and millet) and to estimate the level of soil residues under Brazilian Savanna conditions. Averaged across locale, year, and rate, fomesafen dissipation time (DT50) (37.5 d) was longer than acifluorfen (27.5 d) and imazamox (25.9 d). For both locations, soil herbicide persistence (average of herbicides) was longer in 1995 than in 1996. This was due to higher soil moisture content in 1996. The sensitivity of rotational crops to fomesafen and imazamox residues was, in decreasing order: sorghum, corn, millet, and rice, and for acifluorfen: sorghum, corn, rice, and millet. The period between herbicide application and rotational crop planting (PAP) varied in agreement with the sensitivity of rotational crops to herbicide residues in soil and the persistence of the herbicide. Considering both location and year, the PAP for fomesafen (250 g ai ha−1) ranged from 69 to 132 d for corn, 114 to 179 d for sorghum, 29 to 95 d for rice, and 52 to 111 d for millet; the PAP for imazamox (40 g ai ha−1) ranged from 68 to 111 d for corn, 78 to 139 d for sorghum, 25 to 75 d for rice, and 40 to 102 d for millet; and the PAP for acifluorfen (170 g ai ha−1) ranged from 56 to 89 d for corn, 96 to 139 d for sorghum, 61 to 95 d for rice, and 43 to 82 d for millet.
Molecular evidence supports Phytophthora quercina as a distinct species

Phytophthora auercina , a new species associated with oak decline in Europe, has been assigned to Waterhouse's Group I of Phytophthora. The level of intraspecific variation and evidence of affinities to other Group I species and another, as yet unidentified, species from oak, were examined at the molecular level using four random ten-mer primers to amplify total DNA (RAPDs). Sequences and restriction fragment length polymorphisms of a 900 bp PCR product consisting of the ITS1 and ITS2 regions, and the 5.8S subunit of ribosomal DNA were also examined to estimate relatedness to a broader range of Phytophthora species. The RAPD banding patterns of ten isolates of P. quercina from eight sites in Germany, Hungary and Italy were almost identical and distinct from all the other species tested. Their ITS restriction fragment patterns were also identical, as were the ITS sequences of four selected isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS sequence data confirmed its unique position in this section of the genus which comprises P. quercina , another five Group I species, P. infestans (Group IV) and P. nicotianae (Group II). Isolates of P. quercina formed a distinct branch at the base of this clade showing no close affinities with any other species. Such data support morphological, physiological and pathological evidence that P. quercina is distinct, although it has some affinity with the other Group I species. The results support earlier reports that Waterhouse's groupings of morphospecies do not fully correspond to phylogenetic relationships indicated by molecular studies. The unidentified Phytophthora sp. 2 from oak was closely related to P. ilicis (Group IV); both were distinct on molecular criteria from all other species in the study.