Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Food Habits and Body Size of Five Populations of Elaphe quatuorlineata: the Effects of Habitat Variation, and the Consequences of Intersexual Body Size Dimorphism on Diet Divergence

Abstract The comparative diet and body size of the Four-Lined Snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata), one of the largest and more vulnerable species of snakes in Mediterranean central Italy, were studied in five different habitats. Data given here collated both literature and original data. Overall, females were significantly larger than males but the strength of these differences varied considerably with sample size. Overall, small mammals (almost exclusively rodents) accounted for the main part of the diet (66.7%), followed by birds and their eggs (mainly Passeriformes; 26.4%), and by lizards (6.9%), although the number of eggs in the diet was probably greatly underestimated. In qualitative terms, both sexes fed on the same prey types, but, quantitatively, males and females differed significantly in terms of prey composition; females fed on more birds and fewer lizards than males. Rodents were the most important prey source in most habitat types, although birds were preyed upon slightly more frequently in the wet habitat than rodents, which, nonetheless, still represented a important prey source. Four-Lined Snakes started feeding in early April and continued feeding until early November. The monthly frequency of occurrence of birds in snake stomachs differed significantly from that of small mammals; birds were taken almost exclusively in April and May (and mainly by females), and small mammals were taken all throughout the annual feeding cycle of snakes.
Rapid lipid enrichment in ω3 fatty acids: Liver data

The bolus intravenous injection of a novel medium-chain triglyceride:fish oil emulsion to normal subjects was recently reported to enrich within 60 min the phospholipid content of leucocytes and platelets in long-chain polyunsaturated omega3 fatty acids. The present study, conducted in second generation omega3-depleted rats, aimed at investigating whether such a procedure may also increase within 60 min the phospholipid content of omega3 fatty acids in cells located outwards the bloodstream, in this case liver cells, and whether this coincides with correction of the perturbation in the liver triglyceride fatty acid content and profile otherwise prevailing in these rats. This first report deals mainly with the fatty acid pattern of plasma lipids in male omega3-depleted rats that were non-injected or injected with either the omega3-rich emulsion or a control medium-chain triglyceride:olive oil emulsion. The results provide information on the fate of the exogenous lipids present in the lipid emulsions and injected intravenously 60 min before sacrifice. Moreover, in the uninjected omega3-depleted rats the comparison between individual plasma and liver measurements indicated positive correlations in the fatty acid profile of phospholipids and triglycerides.
TREE AGE ESTIMATION FOR THE TROPICS: A TEST FROM THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

The lack of annual growth rings in the majority of tropical tree species greatly limits our understanding of the long-term dynamics of tropical forests. To address this problem, several methods have been developed to estimate the age of tropical trees from diameter growth data. These past approaches, however, suffer from two major flaws: (1) they assume a deterministic age–size relationship for a tree species, and (2) they have not been verified with independently derived age data. In this paper, I present a new approach that uses diameter growth rates, independent of tree size, that are stratified by crown class to estimate the age of individual trees. Past approaches have assumed that when present-day canopy trees were juveniles they grew at rates similar to conspecifics currently in the understory. In contrast, the crown class model assumes that present-day canopy trees have grown at rates similar to conspecifics in the same crown class, irrespective of size, throughout ontogeny. The crown class model .
Proteolysis and lipolysis in White cheeses manufactured by two different production methods

Summary The effect of the production method on the proteolysis and lipolysis in White cheese was investigated during 3 months of storage. Two types of White cheese were manufactured with different production methods: (i) the traditional, applying mild heat treatment to milk (65 °C/5 min) and (ii) the industrial, using milk heat-treated at a high temperature (75 °C/5 min) and starter culture. Lower moisture, higher water-soluble N, lower trichloroacetic acid-soluble N and higher free fatty acids levels were found in the cheese produced by the traditional method compared with the cheese produced using the industrial method. The amount of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid-reactive free amino groups was not significantly different between the cheeses.
Predation of the apefly, Spalgis epius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) on citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Abstract The citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a serious pest of economically important crops worldwide. The apefly, Spalgis epius (Westwood) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is a potential predator of various species of mealybugs. Earlier investigation on its daily preying capacity and preference for prey stages on P. citri is incomplete. Hence, a study was conducted to find out the daily prey consumption ability and preference for prey stages by different larval instars of S. epius reared on P. citri in the laboratory. Through the 8-day developmental period with four larval instars, the daily prey consumption of S. epius increased from the first to the seventh day and decreased on the eighth day prior to the prepupal stage. Generally, there was a significant difference in the prey consumption on different days. When the prey stages were offered separately, the first to fourth instar larva of S. epius consumed, respectively, a mean of 199.6, 722.6, 1908.8, and 4625.6 eggs or 21.5, 77.0, 168.5, and 670.5 nymphs or 3.2, 7.2, 16.0, and 35.1 adults of P. citri. When an S. epius larva was fed on P. citri eggs, nymphs and adults separately, it consumed a mean of 7456.7 eggs, 937.6 nymphs, or 62.3 adults during its entire development. When the prey stages were offered all together, a single S. epius larva consumed 2618.4 eggs, 170.4 nymphs, and 39.7 adults of P. citri throughout its entire development. The study revealed that S. epius is a voracious predator of P. citri and thus could be utilized as a major biological control agent.
Parapsylla, a Gondwanan element in the psyllid fauna of southern Africa (Homoptera)

The genus Parapsylla (Homoptera: Psylloidea) is redescribed and placed in the Diaphorininae of the Family Aphalaridae. Its relationships within this subfamily are discussed. The genus Agmapsyllasyn. nov. is placed into the synonymy of Parapsylla, and Pennavenasyn. nov. and Eudiaphorinasyn. nov. are placed into the synonymy of Diaphorina. The eight known species of Parapsylla are distributed in southern Africa and upland areas of East Africa. Host plant relationships are not clearly established but the genus appears to be associated with species of Maytenus (Celastraceae), Olinia (Oliniaceae) and possibly Olea (Oleaceae) and Syzygium (Myrtaceae). Parapsylla relictasyn. nov, and A. aureussyn. nov. are placed into the synonymy of Arytaina capensis. Parapsylla capensiscomb. nov. is transferred from Arytaina, Parapsylla valenscomb. nov. is transferred from Diaphorina, and the following new species are described: P. angolensis sp. nov., P. eafra sp. nov., P. huila sp. nov., P. marginipennis sp. nov., P. rufa sp. nov. and P. theroni sp. nov.
Effects of dietary protein, and fat level and rapeseed oil on growth and tissue fatty acid composition and metabolism in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) reared at low water temperatures

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to elucidate the interactive effects of dietary fat, protein contents and oil source on growth, whole body proximate composition, protein productive value (PPV) and fatty acid (FA) composition of muscle and liver in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)` at low water temperatures (4.2 °C). Triplicate groups of Atlantic salmon (initial weight 1168 g) were fed six isoenergetic diets, formulated to provide either 390 g kg−1 protein and 320 g kg−1 fat (high-protein diets) or 340 g kg−1 protein and 360 g kg−1 fat (low-protein diets). Within each dietary protein/fat level, crude rapeseed oil (RO) comprised 0, 30 or 60% (R0, R30, R60, respectively) of the added oil. After 12 weeks, the overall growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were very good for all treatments [thermal growth coefficient (TGC): 4.76 (±0.23); FCR: 0.85 (±0.02)]. Significant effects were shown owing to the oil source on specific growth rate and TGC only. The liver and muscle FA compositions were highly affected by the graded inclusion of RO. The PPV was significantly affected by the dietary protein level. The results of this study suggest that more sustainable, lower protein diets with moderate RO inclusion can be used in Atlantic salmon culture at low water temperatures with no negative effects on growth and feed conversion, no major detrimental effects on lipid and FA metabolism and a positive effect on protein sparing.
Growth and maintenance respiration for individual plants in hierarchically structured canopies of Medicago sativa and Helianthus annuus: the contribution of current and old assimilates.

• Respiratory costs of Medicago sativa and Helianthus annuus individuals growing in hierarchically structured stands in a controlled environment were analysed with regard to the daily rate of carbon (C) assimilation. • Net assimilation of new C (An , g C d-1 ) and respiration rates of new (Rnew , g C d-1 ) and old C (Rold , g C d-1 ) were assessed by 13 CO2 labelling and gas exchange measurements. • Specific respiration rate of old C (rold , g C g-1 C d-1 ) decreased exponentially with increasing shoot biomass, but was not affected by the instantaneous relative growth rate (Δwi ). The growth coefficient g (Rnew : An ) was c. 0.32. In the most severely shaded subordinate plants, g was < 0.2, but low g stimulated rold . The contribution of Rnew to total respiraton (fR, new ) and the carbon use efficiency CUE (1 - R/(An +Rnew )) were c. 0.68 and 0.62 for Δwi > 0.1, respectively. For Δwi < 0.1, fR, new and CUE decreased with decreasing Δwi in both dominant and subordinate plants. • The results suggest that Rold was closely related to maintenance, whereas Rnew was primarily involved in growth.
Agricultural specialists' intention toward precision agriculture technologies: Integrating innovation characteristics to technology acceptance model

Environmental technology is a major determinant for paradigm shift in agriculture and environmental improvement. Precision agriculture technologies are designed to provide extensive information and data to assist farmers when making site-specific management decisions. The paper aims to investigate intention and attitude toward adoption of precision agriculture technologies among agricultural specialists in Iran. A survey using stratified random sampling was used to collect data. Structural equation modeling using LISREL software was used to analyze data. The results showed that observability, triability and attitude to use positively affect intention to adoption of precision agriculture technologies. Attitude to use is the most important determinant of intention. Also, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness indirectly influence the intention to adoption through attitude to use.
Effects of Artificial Substrate and Stocking Density on the Nursery Production of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Nursery production may be enhanced by the addition of artificial substrate to increase the surface area upon which shrimp graze and to serve as refuge. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the artificial substrate, AquaMatsTM, on the performance of postlarval Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei stocked at three densities. Eighteen 230-L tanks were stocked with 10-d postlarvae (mean weight < 0.01 g). Six treatments were evaluated and consisted of shrimp stocked at three densities (778 shrimp/m2, 1,167 shrimp/ m2, and 1,556 shrimp/m2) with and without access to artificial substrate. Shrimp in all treatments received a commercial diet ad libitum. After 6 wk, shrimp were harvested from each nursery tank, counted, and batch weighed. Mean final weight, survival, production, feed conversion ratio, and water quality parameters were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA. There were highly significant (P < 0.001) density and substrate effects on final weight, but there was no significant interaction effect. Final weight was 26.0, 17.4, and 34.5% greater in treatments with substrate than without substrate when stocked at 778, 1,167, and 1,556 shrimp/m2, respectively. There was no significant density, substrate, or interaction effect on survival or water quality. Mean survival was ± 89.1% for all treatments. Increased shrimp growth in the presence of added substrate was likely due to the availability of attached particulate organic matter on the AquaMatsTM that served as an additional food source. Results from this study indicate that artificial substrate can be used to mitigate the potential negative effects of high stocking density on growth of L. vannamei in nursery systems.
Origine des ceintures scapulaires et pelviennes chez l'embryon d'oiseau

The development and the origin of the pectoral and pelvic girdles have been studied in bird embryos by homo- or heterotopic transplantations of somitic and somatopleural mesoderm. Experiments consisted in implanting a piece of somitic or of somitic and somatopleural mesoderm obtained from a 2- to 2·5-day quail or chick embryo into a chick host of equal age. Results showed that the scapula derives from the somitic mesoderm, while clavicle, coracoid, sternum and pelvic girdle originate from the somatopleural mesoderm. The longitudinal span of the territories of the various skeletal elements, expressed as the number of the corresponding somites, was found to be as follows: scapula 15–24, clavicle 10–15, coracoid 15–17, sternum 12–26, and pelvic girdle 26–32. It was also demonstrated that both somitic and somatopleural mesoderm are regionalized as early as 2 days of incubation, prior to somitic segmentation, with respect to their ability to give rise to the skeletal elements of the girdles. These results were compared to those acquired previously concerning the other morphogenetic potentialities (vertebrae, ribs, limb musculature, dorsal plumage) of the para-axial and lateral mesoderm.
Stratification and horizontal exchange in Lake Victoria, East Africa

We characterize stratification patterns over diel, seasonal, and annual time scales in inshore and offshore regions of Lake Victoria, East Africa; determine conditions leading to horizontal exchanges; and, using surface energy budgets derived from local meteorological stations and two reanalysis products, address whether stratification depends on advective as opposed to local processes. The largest change in the surface energy budget occurred when winds intensified at the end of the long rains, with the wind's intensification, duration, and spatial extent dependent on El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycles. These winds flush inshore waters and cause cross‐basin upwelling similar to that observed in the deep African Great Lakes. Wedderburn numbers indicated mixing and cross‐basin within‐thermocline transport. The internal wave‐induced mixing and enhanced latent heat fluxes of −300 to −400 W m−2 contributed to the loss of seasonal stratification. Advection of cool water was required to balance the heat budget of northern offshore waters in the latter half of the southeast monsoon except in an El Niño year. Northern waters became weakly stratified after the southeast monsoon, with nocturnal winds contributing to heat transport and ventilation of the lower water column. Following the rainy season, downwelling by sustained southerly albeit low winds is a likely cause of the seasonal thermocline. Inshore waters are 0.2–1.5°C warmer than those offshore, conditions conducive to horizontal convective circulation except during onshore winds. The seasonal cycle of stratification and inshore–offshore and cross‐basin exchanges are moderated by differential heating, cooling, and basin‐scale thermocline tilting.
EFFECT OF ALKALINE POTASSIUM AND SODIUM SALTS ON GROWTH, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, IONS ABSORPTION AND SOLUTES SYNTHESIS OF WHEAT SEEDLINGS

SUMMARY Potassium (K) is an essential nutrient and abundant cation in plant cells. The application of K+ could alleviate abiotic stress. However, it was reported that the alleviation of K+ on salt-stressed plants only happened when K+ concentration was low. Most studies were focused on effects of sodium salts on plants in salty soils, and little information was reported about potassium salts, especially a higher level of potassium in alkaline salts. To explore the effects of K+ in alkaline salts on plant growth, and whether it had a same destructive impact as Na+, we mixed two alkaline sodium salts (ASS) (NaHCO3:Na2CO3 = 9:1) and two alkaline potassium salts (APS) (KHCO3:K2CO3 = 9:1) to treat 10-day-old wheat seedlings. Effects of ASS and APS on growth, photosynthesis, ions absorption and solutes accumulation were compared. Results indicated that effects of potassium salts in soil on plants growth were related to K+ concentration. Both growth and photosynthesis of wheat seedlings decreased, and the reduction was higher in APS treatment than in ASS treatment at 40 mM alkalinity. ASS treatment absorbed Na+, competing with K+ and free Ca2+, and inhibited the absorption of inorganic anions. APS treatments accumulated K+ and reduced the absorption of anions, with no competition with other cations. Both APS and ASS treatments promoted free Mg2+ accumulation and inhibited H2PO4−uptake. The reduction of H2PO4− promoted organic acid synthesis indirectly. Soluble sugar and proline accumulation were also related to the alkaline condition and extra K+ addition. In conclusion, excess potassium ions in soil, especially in alkaline soils, were harmful to plants. APS was another severe salt stress, intensity of which was higher than ASS. The growth and physiological response mechanisms of wheat seedlings to APS were similar to ASS. Both inorganic ions and organic solutes took part in the osmotic adjustment. Differences for APS depended on K+, but ASS on Na+.
An unfished area enhances a spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, fishery: Implications for management and conservation within a Biosphere Reserve in the Mexican Caribbean

The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus, Latreille, 1804) is the main source of income for the communities in the Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve Mexico. The fishery has recently been certified as “sustainable” by the Marine Stewardship Council provided that further stock assessment is carried out. A total of 379 lobsters were tagged in an unfished area offshore from the Bahia del Espiritu Santo fishing grounds to assess whether lobsters remained within these areas and were thus fully protected. The lobsters recaptured in the shallow area (5.3%), were sufficient to develop a multi-state mark recapture model, which takes into account fishing and natural mortality, tag reporting rate and tag loss. This estimated that between 15 and 20% of all adult lobsters dwelling in the unfished area moved into the fishery and were subjected to exploitation. This study suggests that the offshore unfished area provides protection to the majority of the stock in this area while adding to and maintaining fishing yields within the inshore commercial fishery.
Effects of different types of fertilizers on plankton productivity in earthen ponds

Three fertilizer types (NPK, Super-phosphate and cow dung) were applied at two levels (Low, 0.3 kg/25m super(2)/2weeks and High, 0.7kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks) to 12 ponds with two ponds serving as control. Each pond had an area of 25 m super(2). Application of fertilizers and monitoring of plankton productivity and water quality parameters continued fortnightly for 52 days. Results obtained were subjected to Statistical Variance Analysis. The abundance of phytoplankton was in the order: Chlorophyceae > Bacillariophyceae > Cyanophyceae > Desmideaceae. While that of zooplankton followed the order: Crustacean > Rotifer > Protozoan. Primary productivity showed a variation between treatments with lowest value of 5592 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day obtained in the control and cow dung low application rates (1.5 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks). The highest value for primary productivity was obtained at M sub(2) (0.7 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks, N.P.K) with primary productivity value of 7200 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day, closely followed by M sub(4) (0.7 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks, super phosphate) with 6792 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day.
Lipids, trophic relationships, and biodiversity in Arctic and Antarctic krill

Environmental seasonality is a critical factor in structuring polar marine ecosystems. The extensive data now available on the lipids of Arctic and Antarctic euphausiids show that all species are characterised by a seasonally high lipid content, and neutral lipids, whether wax esters or triacylglycerols, are primarily accumulated for reproduction. The Arctic Thysanoessa inermis and the Antarctic Euphausia crystallorophias contain high levels of wax esters and higher concentrations of 18:4(n-3) and 20:5(n-3) and a lower ratio of 18:1(n-9)/(n-7) fatty acids in their neutral lipids than the Arctic Thysanoessa raschii and the Antarctic Thysanoessa macrura and Euphausia superba. Large amounts of phytol in the lipids of T. raschii and E. crystallorophias during winter suggest the ingestion of decaying algae originating in sedimenting material or in sea ice. Thysanoessa raschii, T. macrura, and E. superba have a high ratio of 18:1(n-9)/ (n-7) fatty acids, indicating animal carnivory. We conclude that T. inermis .