Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Photobiont associations in co-occurring umbilicate lichens with contrasting modes of reproduction in coastal Norway

Abstract The identity and phylogenetic placement of photobionts associated with two lichen-forming fungi, Umbilicaria spodochroa and Lasallia pustulata were examined. These lichens commonly grow together in high abundance on coastal cliffs in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The mycobiont of U. spodochroa reproduces sexually through ascospores, and must find a suitable algal partner in the environment to re-establish the lichen symbiosis. Lasallia pustulata reproduces mainly vegetatively using symbiotic propagules (isidia) containing both symbiotic partners (photobiont and mycobiont). Based on DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) we detected seven haplotypes of the green-algal genus Trebouxia in 19 pairs of adjacent thalli of U. spodochroa and L. pustulata from five coastal localities in Norway. As expected, U. spodochroa associated with a higher diversity of photobionts (seven haplotypes) than the mostly asexually reproducing L. pustulata (four haplotypes). The latter was associated with the same haplotype in 15 of the 19 thalli sampled. Nine of the lichen pairs examined share the same algal haplotype, supporting the hypothesis that the mycobiont of U. spodochroa might associate with the photobiont ‘pirated’ from the abundant isidia produced by L. pustulata that are often scattered on the cliff surfaces. Up to six haplotypes of Trebouxia were found within a single sampling site, indicating a low level of specificity of both mycobionts for their algal partner. Most photobiont strains associated with species of Umbilicaria and Lasallia, including samples from this study, represent phylogenetically closely related taxa of Trebouxia grouped within a small number of main clades (Trebouxia sp., T. simplex/T. jamesii, and T. incrustata+T. gigantea). Three of the photobiont haplotypes were found only in U. spodochroa thalli.
Hymenopterous parasitoids of Dasiops (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) infesting cultivated Passiflora spp. (Passifloraceae) in Cundinamarca and Boyaca, Colombia

Dasiops spp. are the most important pest in cultivated Passiflora plants. Larvae of these fruit flies are herbivores, feeding on flower buds and fruit of yellow passionfruit, sweet granadilla, banana passionfruit and purple passionfruit crops located in Cundinamarca and Boyaca, Colombia. Geographic distribution, natural abundance and percentage of parasitoidism for every Dasiops species by each plant species were determined. Aganaspis pelleranoi (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) was found to be a parasitoid of D. inedulis (14.19-50.00%), infesting flower buds of yellow passionfruit and fruit of sweet granadilla (7.41%). Microcrasis sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was found to be parasitizing both D.gracilis (0.83-3.13%) and D. inedulis (0.83%) in purple and yellow passionfruit. Trichopria sp. and Pentapria sp. (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) were found to be parasitizing D. inedulis (40.00% and 4.17-20.00%, respectively) and D. gracilis (1.69-22.22% and 1.67-29.17%, respectively) in purple passion fruit. Dasiops caustonae was found to be infesting banana passionfruit only in Boyaca, naturally parasitized by Pentapria sp. (11.11-33.33%). Because Pentapria sp. had a wide geographical distribution as an idiobiont of Dasiops spp. pupae, in all of the assessed cultivated Passiflora species, despite a high selection pressure by chemical control distributed at regular calendar intervals, it would be a crucial strategy in pest management control. Collecting fallen flower buds and fruit infested by Dasiops spp. is important to truncate the life cycle of fruit flies and allow emergence of parasitoids. This simple cultural strategy could have important implications in reducing production costs, increased crop yields and environmental care.
Effects of Thai Herbs on the Control of Fungal Infection in Tilapia Eggs and the Toxicity to the Eggs

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of Thai herbs as anti-fungal agents in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus eggs in Thai hatcheries. The fungistatic and fungicidal effects of 5 herbs including guava, tamarind, salapeepa, betel pepper and red rose against the fungal species Saprolegnia diclina, Achlya sp. and Aphanomyces invadans were evaluated in vitro. The effects of guava and betel pepper against fungal hyphae were greater than those of the remaining 3 herbs when the fungi were exposed to each herb for 7 days. At 24 h exposure, guava and betel pepper exhibited fungicidal activity against zoospores of S. diclina and Achlya sp. at concentrations of 125 to 250μg/ml. However, when fertilized and eyed eggs of Nile tilapia were exposed to 125μg/ml of guava or betel pepper solution, the observed mortality was significantly higher than that of the control group. We conclude that these herbs are not suitable for the control of fungal infection in tilapia eggs at the established fungicidal concentration. However, if zoospore germination can be inhibited at lower concentrations, the herbs may still prove useful as a potential anti-fungal agent.
Impact of air pollution on physiological and morphological characteristics of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Den.

The increasing anthropogenic activity intensifies the emission of various pollutants into the environment and introduces different types of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Air pollution is aesthetically offensive and can be a genuine health hazard to humans as well as to plants. The present paper describes air pollution effects on some physiological and morphological characteristics of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Leaf samples were collected from Gamboeh park in southwest Ahvaz (clean region) and Foolad industrial company of Ahvaz (polluted region), southwest Iran. The morphological and physiological characteristics such as leaf area, stomata number, length of leaf and petiole, width of leaf, levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, soluble carbohydrate rates and proline were investigated. The results showed that the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, soluble sugar and proline in Eucalypus camaldulensis increased in polluted region. In addition, the morphological traits of Eucalypus camaldulensis leaves were reduced in polluted area compared with clean region.
Cephalopod Beaks and Studies of Seabird Diets

Il semble y avoir une tres grande difference dans le temps de retention des parties dures des proies ingerees par les oiseaux marins, les becs d'encornet persistant dans l'estomac beauoup plus long temps que les parties dures des autres proies. Il faut tenir compte de ces faits pour etudier le regime alimentaire de ces oiseaux
Sensibilidad y especificidad de la prueba cutánea por punción con dos concentraciones del extracto estandarizado de Culex quinquefasciatus en niños alérgicos

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic options for immune reactions to mosquito bites are limited. In Cuba, IgE-mediated reactions are frequently related to Culex quinquefasciatus bite. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of skin prick test with two doses of standardized extract in nitrogen protein units (PNU) of Culex quinquefasciatus (BIOCEN, Cuba). MATERIAL AND METHOD: An analytical study was conducted on 100 children between 2 and 15 years old. Fifty atopic patients with a history of allergy to mosquito bite and positive specific serum IgE Culex quinquefasciatus and fifty atopic patients without a history of allergy to mosquito bite and negative specific serum IgE to Culex quinquefasciatus . Skin prick tests (SPT) were performed by duplicates on the forearms of the patients. Investigated doses were 100 PNU/mL and 10 PNU/mL. RESULTS: SPT with the highest concentration obtained a mean wheal size of 22.09 mm 2 and for lower doses of 8.09 mm 2 , a statistically significant difference (p=0.001, Student’s t test). Positive skin test correlated in 100% of patients with the presence of specific IgE. Testing with both doses showed a 94% of specificity and 88% of sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy of SPT using both doses of standardized extract was similar, which justifies its use for diagnosis of sensitization to Culex quinquefasciatus in patients with symptoms of allergy to mosquito bite.
Viroid-insect-plant interactions in view of transmission routes

Since the discovery of the Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd, Diener 1971), researchers all over the globe have investigated the unique molecular and epidemiological features of viroids. Viroids are small, non-protein encoding, single-stranded RNAs that replicate autonomously in plants. They are classified into two families, the Avsunviroidae and the Pospiviroidae, which is most prevalent in Europe. Trending topics in viroid research during the past decades were: viroid replication, molecular and biochemical features of viroids, RNA-silencing, host range and transmission mechanisms. Less investigated topics were those related to the interaction with insects and weeds, and the potential occurrence of transencapsidation by plant viruses. This PhD therefore aimed to elucidate several aspects of the pathogen-vector-host triangle. A first goal was to investigate the role of weeds as potential reservoirs for pospiviroids. Secondly, the importance of insects in the pospiviroid spread was studied during several transmission experiments. Finally, the transmission pathway of “transencapsidation” in the luteovirus Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) was investigated for two pospiviroid species.
Effect of Enzymes and Liver Tonic Supplementation on Performance of Broiler Chicken Fed Processed Pongamia (Pongamia glabra vent) Cake

The effect of dietary inclusion of solvent extracted pongamia cake (SPC) and iso propyl alcohol (IPA) treated SPC supplemented with protease (4000 U kgG), phytase (400 U kgG) and liver tonic (1 g kgG) using 360 day old commercial broiler chicks. At 60 g kgG level, growth depression and poor FCR caused by the experimental diets could not be alleviated by enzymes/liver tonic supplementation. Dietary inclusion of SPC increased percent giblet weight. Pancreas, abdominal fat, HI titres to SRBC, CMI response to PHA-P and relative weight of spleen were similar in all the dietary groups. However, bursa weight was (p<0.05) higher in SPC supplementation with phytase (400 U kgG) than control. The serum protein levels (p<0.05) increased in IPA treated SPC at 60 g kgG at 3rd week of age. The serum cholesterol level was significantly (p<0.05) higher in SPC incorporated diet with supplementation with liver tonic. The pongamia cake did not influence the activity of alkaline phosphatase. The histological changes suggested that pongamia cake leads to hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in broilers. It can be concluded that, supplementation of enzymes/liver tonic cannot alleviate the toxic effects of SPC or IPA treated pongamia cake at 60 g kgG level in the diet.
Assesment of the severe weather enviroment in North America simulated by a global climate model

The accuracy of climate change predictions hinges on the understanding of current climatologies and the correct simulation of current climatologies by climate models. Severe convective weather events (thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, etc) are relatively rare atmospheric phenomena due to their very small temporal and spatial scales. Consequently, assessing climatologies of actual severe convective weather events is difficult. Inconsistencies in reporting criteria and improvements in the technology used to observe severe weather make the problem of developing reliable long-term climatologies of severe weather events nearly impossible.
Assessment of G × E interaction and heritability for simplification of selection in spring wheat genotypes

Abstract: While evaluating genotypes for yield in multi-environment tests, the variation can only be observed in the relative yield performance of genotypes across environments. Eighteen (18) wheat genotypes, along with two standard farmer check varieties, were tested under normal and late sowing conditions for yield comparison, heritability, and selection response to understand the causes of G × E interaction and identification of specific desirable traits and genotypes. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences (P < 0.01) for spikes m-2, seed yield, and harvest index, while significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed for spikelets spike-1 and grains spike-1. The environmental component revealed highly significant differences (P < 0.01) for all traits except for grain weight spike-1, which exhibited significant differences (P < 0.05). However, the G × E interaction showed highly significant differences (P < 0.01) only for harvest index. The better accessions may further be tested for performance under late sowing conditions. The accessions also have potential for utilization in breeding programs for accumulating the genes of interest in genotypes which otherwise failed to perform better in late sowing environments. The selected accessions can be extremely useful for breeding cultivars to fill the gap between cultivars under conditions of very early or very late sowing.
Beneficial Dog Bacteria Up-Regulate Oxytocin and Lower Risk of Obesity

Cohabitation with pet dogs imparts diverse health benefits to humans including a slim physique. It is known that neuropeptide hormone oxytocin fundamental in human-canine social bonds regulates appetite and body weight. It was recently shown in mice that consuming Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 6475 from human breast milk lowers body weight and up-regulates oxytocin levels in blood. Here we test the hypothesis that bacteria from dog saliva may similarly modulate recipient host body weight. We find that a Lactobacillus spp isolate from dog saliva led to lower body weight when fed to C57BL/6 wild type mice. Mice consuming the canineborne L. reuteri also had elevated oxytocin levels in blood plasma, and exhibited body weight in an oxytocin-dependent manner. Interestingly, killed (lysed) canine bacteria were sufficient to achieve the physiological effects. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that dog bacteria modulate oxytocin levels and body weight in recipient mice, and thus may help reduce risk of obesity in individuals cohabitating with pet dogs.
Edaphic and plant inhabiting oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Cerrado and Mata Atlantica ecosystems in the State of São Paulo, southeast Brazil

Forest sites in the eastern half of the State of Sao Paulo were surveyed to determine the oribatid mite fauna in areas of Cerrado (dry savannah) and Mata Atlântica (tropical rain forest) ecosystems. Samples of bark, fruits, leaves, litter, soil and terminal shoots were taken from selected species of Myrtaceae (Cerrado) and Arecaceae (Mata Atlântica). Fifty-six oribatid species, belonging to 48 genera in 34 families, were represented. Seven of these are new records for the State of Sao Paulo, and 20 are new records for Brazil.
VARIABILITY, HERITABILITY AND GENETIC ADVANCE IN SESAME

Ninety five diverse genotypes of sesame were evaluated for variability and heritability estimates in 17 quantitative traits. Close resemblence between GCV and PCV estimates for 100 seed weight, capsule length, capsule breadth, oil content, days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity and seed number per capsule, and high heritibility for these traits indicated that selection for these characters would be much effective. The high heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean for seed yield revealed predominance of additive gene effects.
Soybean Sprouts: A Review of Nutrient Composition, Health Benefits and Genetic Variation

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] sprouts are highly digestible and a year around vegetable suitable for human consumption. Sprouting process causes a number of biochemical changes inside the seed, resulting in the accumulation of various primary and secondary metabolites. Due to such changes, sprouts contain high levels of health-promoting phytochemicals as compared to other vegetables. Sprouts are an excellent source of protein, amino acids, and vitamins, which provide numerous health benefits. Due to such advantages, soybean sprouts have been preferred as a part of daily diets in Korea and quality soybean sprouts are in high demand in the edible food market. To produce high quality soybean sprouts, several factors, including the choice of the variety, health benefits from sprout phytonutrients and inherent genetic variation for the sprout-related traits of the variety need to be considered. In this review, we have summarized literature on soybean sprout components, the health benefits, changes in nutritional factors during the sprouting process and the genetic variation among the cultivars developed for sprout usage. We have also reviewed procedures and factors like seed characteristics, temperature, chemical applications that influence the sprouting process. The information collectively presented here will be useful for understanding the progress of soybean cultivars developed for soybean sprout development and use.
Activated Rap1A Induces Osteoblastic Differentiation and Cell Adhesion

Rap1 is a key regulator of cell adhesion and migration. Although increasing evidence indicates that the Rap1 signaling pathway is involved in the process of bone remodeling, the mechanism by which Rap1 regulates osteoblastic differentiation and cell adhesion remains unknown. Here, we investigated the morphological characteristics and osteoblastic differentiation of cells expressing constitutively activated form of Rap1A (Rap1ACA) or Rap1 GTPase activating protein Rap1GAP and found that activated Rap1 induces osteoblastic differentiation and cell adhesion as well as cell spreading. When osteoblastic differentiation was induced, Rap1ACA cells showed considerably higher levels of calcium deposits than the wild-type and Rap1GAP-overexpressing cells did. Rap1ACA cells showed increased spreading and size, as well as strong cell adhesion and significantly decreased growth rates. F-actin staining using phalloidin revealed several thin thread-like filopodia around the protrusions in Rap1ACA cells, which possibly contribute to the increased cell adhesion.
Impact of Using Enterococcus Faecium as a Probiotic in Broiler Diets

Effects of commercial probiotic (Protexin®), Enterococcus faecium on growth performance, immune response, some blood parameters and carcass traits of broiler chicks were evaluated. A total of 152 Avian-48®, One-day-old chicks were used in this study. The chicks were randomly allotted into 4 equal groups (38 per each) of mixed sex. Protexin was supplemented to the basal diet at 0.0 (control), 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 g/kg diet (groups 2-4), respectively and the experiment was lasted for 6 weeks, weekly body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, Phagocytic activity (PA) and Phagocytic index (PI), differential leucocytic count, some blood parameters and carcass traits were determined. All birds were kept under similar environmental, managerial and hygienic conditions. The results of the current study revealed that addition of Protexin as a probiotic to diets has a slight improvement in total BW, Average daily FI, dressing %, thymus gland weight (wt.) % and bursa wt. % of chicks compared to the control, the highest total body gain was recorded in chicks of group 3 followed by that of group 4 compared with other groups, the best total FCR was noticed in chicks of group3 compared with other groups. No significant difference were observed in HI titer at 21st, 28th, 35rd and 42nd days of broiler chickens in all groups but a significant increase in PA and PI in broiler chicks of group 3 compared with other groups, moreover, the neutrophil count non significantly increased with Protexin addition at 0.5 and 0.75g/kg diet respectively and significantly increased (p < 0.05( in broiler chicks fed the basal diet with at Protexin at 1g/kg diet, the cholesterol ,triglycerides levels and visible fat % were significantly deceased in broiler chicks of all supplemented Protexin groups compared with the control one. The greatest economic efficiency was obtained by group 3 while the lowest and highest levels of protexin (0.5 and 1 g/kg) decreased economic efficiency of production.
Production of Trifolium pratense L. and T. hybridum L. tetraploid populations and assessment of their agrobiological characteristics Trifolium pratense L. ir T. hybridum L. tetraploidinių populiacijų kūrimas ir jų agrobiologinių savybių vertinimas

The current study was set out to establish the efficacy of different mitosis inhibitors (colchicine, amiprophos-methyl, trifluralin and oryzalin) used in the production of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum L.) polyploids and to assess the agrobiological traits of tetraploid populations. Four cultivars and five wild populations of T. pratense, one cultivar and three wild populations of T. hybridum were used for polyploidization. The effect of conventional soaking of germinating seeds in a colchicine solution was compared with that of colchicine treatment of embryos in an in vitro culture. Colchicine treatment of T. pratense embryos resulted in 3.3 times higher production of tetraploids (teraploid yield 55.0%) compared with colchicine treatment of seedlings, and the production of chimeric plants was 1.9 times lower. The different mitosis inhibitors were characterised by a diverse polyploidization effect. Tetraploid yield depended not only on the mitosis inhibitor used but also on the plant species. Treatment of T. pratense embryos with colchicine, amiprophosmethyl and oryzalin yielded similar results in terms of tetraploid production (31.3–40.7%) and chimeras (14.3–22.4%). The concentration of trifluralin used for the production of T. pratense tetraploids was ineffective. Colchicine solution was more efficient for the development of T. hybridum tetraploids whose yield was 2.5 times as high as that obtained having treated the embryos with amiprophos-methyl. Induced tetraploid populations were compared to reference cultivars in field trials. The two T. pratense populations ‘Radviliai 4n’ and ‘Arimaičiai 4n’ stood out in this respect – their plants accumulated higher dry matter contents, produced more inflorescences than those of the reference cultivar and exhibited prolific seed yield capacity. In relation to the agrobiological traits, the tetraploid populations of T. hybridum did not surpass the reference cultivar.