Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistance to three pathogens in the endangered winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): effects of inbreeding and major histocompatibility complex genotypes

We have carried out the first major infectivity trial to examine differential genetic resistance in fish for pathogens. We used captive-bred, endangered winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) to determine re- sistance to three pathogens: the bacterium, Listonella (Vibrio) anguillarum, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), and Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes whirling disease. We compared resistance to these three pathogens between inbred and outbred salmon and between siblings that were heterozygous or homozygous for a class II gene in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In two of five different comparisons, we found significant ge- netic effects on disease resistance. First, MHC heterozygotes had a higher survival than MHC homozygotes when ex- posed to IHNV and the selection disadvantage of homozygotes was estimated to be 8.5%. Second, outbred fish had a higher resistance (or lower infection severity) than inbred fish when exposed to M. cerebralis. Using a quantitative ge- netics approach, it appears that there are slightly more than three gene equivalents segregating that would result in no resistance to M. cerebralis when homozygous. Overall, our investigation suggests that pathogen susceptibility in the winter-run chinook salmon will increase if further genetic variation is lost in this endangered species. Resume : Nous avons mis sur pied le premier test d'infectivite a grande echelle qui verifie la resistance genetique dif- ferentielle des poissons aux pathogenes. Des saumons quinnat (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) eleves en captivite et appar- tenant a la race menacee a montaison hivernale ont servi a tester la resistance a trois pathogenes : la bacterie Listonella (Vibrio) anguillarum, le virus de la necrose hematopoietique infectieuse (IHNV) et Myxobolus cerebralis, le parasite qui cause la maladie du tournis. Nous comparons la resistance a ces trois pathogenes chez des saumons consanguins et non consanguins et chez des freres et sœurs heterozygotes ou homozygotes pour un gene de classe II du complexe ma- jeur d'histocompatibilite (MHC). Dans deux de cinq comparaisons, il y a des effets genetiques significatifs sur la resis- tance a la maladie. D'abord, les heterozygotes MHC ont une meilleure survie que les homozygotes lors d'une exposition au IHNV et le desavantage selectif des homozygotes est estime a 8,5 %. Ensuite, les poissons non consan- guins ont une plus forte resistance (ou leur infection est moins severe) que les poissons consanguins lors d'expositions a M. cerebralis. Une approche genetique quantitative laisse croire qu'i lyau n peu plus de troissegregations d'equivalents-genes qui causent l'absence de resistance a M. cerebralis en condition homozygote. En resume, notre etude indique que la susceptibilite aux pathogenes chez le saumon chinook a montaison hivernale risque de s'accroitre s'il se perd encore plus de variation genetique chez cette espece menacee.
Modification of barley powdery mildew resistance gene Ml-a12 by induced mutation

Kernels from a barley line, 'Sultan-5', with powdery mildew resistance gene Ml-a12 were treated with mutagens. Among 10 381 M1 spikes progeny tested with Ml-a12 avirulent powdery mildew, 25 segregated mutants with infection types between 0–1 n and 3–4cn. The resistance of the mutants is race specific in the sense that it is expressed only with powdery mildew cultures that are Ml-a12 avirulent but not with an Ml-a12 virulent culture. Genetic analysis of 10 mutants revealed that 9 had mutant genes that were allelic to gene Ml-a12, and one had a recessive mutant gene inherited independently of Ml-a12 on which it acted as a suppressor. The high mutation frequency in gene Ml-a12 and the gradual inhibition of the expression of gene Ml-a12, by mutation or suppression, strongly supports the suggestion that the gene function is associated with incompatibility rather than with compatibility.Key words: barley, Hordeum vulgare, powdery mildew, Erysiphe graminis hordei, mutation, resistance, suppressor.
Will ‘structural reforms’ of labour markets reduce productivity growth? A firm-level investigation

More ‘flexible’ labour relations significantly reduce labour productivity growth in sectors that tend towards a ‘routinised’ (other than a ‘garage business’) innovation regime. We argue that structural reforms that make firing easier will diminish the loyalty and commitment of workers, making accumulation of (tacit) knowledge more difficult. It also reduces training, increases knowledge-leaking to competitors and favours autocratic management and the growth of management and control bureaucracies. Our results are consistent with findings in macro-level studies that wage-cost saving f lexibilisation of labour relations and downward wage flexibility reduce labour productivity growth: a 1 per cent wage change causes a ≈ 0.4 per cent change in value added per labour hour.
A Comparison of Virginia Band Performance Assessments in Relation to Director Gender

The purpose of this study was to compare the concert band assessments of male-directed ensembles and female-directed ensembles in the state of Virginia. Data included overall ratings of male-directed and female-directed bands (N = 3,229) that performed at District Concert Assessments held across the state in the past 6 years (2013–2018), which were publicly available on the website of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. Results showed a statistically significant association between ratings and director gender at both the middle school and high school levels. In both instances, male-directed ensembles were more likely to receive a I rating, whereas female-directed ensembles were more likely to receive a II rating. This association was more pronounced at the high school level. Implications include a need for further exploration of possible bias in band festival rating systems as well as increased sensitivity to equitable hiring and representation of women in the field of secondary band teaching.
Haematotrephus limnodromi n. sp. (Digenea: Cyclocoelidae) from the Long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus (Scolopacidae) from the central flyway of North America

During a study of the endohelminths of wading birds from the Texas Gulf coast, 5 specimens of an undescribed species of Haematotrephus (Cyclocoelidae) were studied and described. These specimens were collected by Dr. J. Teague Self, former professor, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma from the air sacs of a long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus, that was collected from the Cheyenne Bottoms, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma on August 3, 1963 and deposited in the Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. Haematotrephus limnodromi n. sp. can be distinguished from all the other species in the genus that lack an oral sucker (H. capellae, H. chengi, H. dollfusi, H. fasciatum, H. kossacki, H. lanceolatum, H. longisacculatum, H. nebularium, H. nigropunctatum, and H. phaneropsolus) by having intertesticular uterine loops. Corpopyrum brazilianum (originally described as Cyclocoelum brazilianum) is transferred as the second species in Selfcoelum, Corpopyrum dendrei is transferred to Neohaematotrephus, and Haematotrephus facioi is transferred to Wardianum. This is the first report of a species of Haematotrephus from a species of Limnodromus.
Yield and changes in the fruit quality of cherry tomato grown on the cocofibre and rockwool slabs used for the second time.

Greenhouse cultivation of four cultivars of cherry tomato (Goldita, Faworita, Flavorino, Organza) on the substrates used for the second time (cocofibre and rockwool) did not show any differences in their yielding. Fruits obtained from cultivation on the co- cofibre contained less dry matter and vitamin C. During the vegetation period some changes in fruit quality were observed. In the first weeks of fruiting more organic acids and less of vitamin C were observed in fruits. At the time of full fruiting (II period) the content of vitamin C was at its highest and at the same time the content of organic acids and dry matter at the lowest. At the end of vegetation (III period) fruits contained more dry matter and total sugars). Cultivars significantly differed in respect to yielding and fruit quality. The highest content of the investigated components was characteristic for Fa- vorita and Goldita cultivars and the lowest for Organza. However, that cultivar produced the highest total and marketable yield.
EFFECTS OF PEA APHIDS, ACYRTHOSIPHON PISUM (HOMOPTERA: APHIDIDAE), ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF PEA PLANTS, PISUM SATIVUM

Abstract Feeding by aphids during 11 days decreased plant weight between 4.7% at an initial density of 5 aphids/plant and 63.9% when the infestation began with 50 aphids/plant. At this infestation level, plant surface area was decreased by 54.3% after 10 days. Both soluble carbohydrate and total protein were reduced by aphid feeding but caloric equivalent of pea tissue was not significantly affected. Extraction by aphids of up to 3.5 cal/plant day was offset by a compensatory increase in production by the plant. Extraction of about 32.7 cal/plant day, equivalent to 0.46 adult aphids/cm2 of plant surface, completely eliminated pea net primary productivity. The relation between energy extracted by aphids, X, and % reduction of plant NPP, Y = 5.54 X−0.058 X2−19.17. Aphid consumption affected pea production directly by removing the amount actually ingested and indirectly because of lost production that would have resulted from the consumed material. Maximum sustainable efficiency of utilization of pea NPP by aphids was between 41% and 47% and maximum sustainable efficiency of transfer of pea NPP to aphid biomass was between 20% and 23%. These high utilization and transfer efficiencies probably would be reduced under field conditions by factors which limit aphid numbers.
Jurassic artematopodid beetles and their implications for the early evolution of Artematopodidae (Coleoptera)

Fossil Artematopodidae are rarely collected and previously confined to middle Eocene Baltic amber. Here we report the first definitive artematopodid, Sinobrevipogon jurassicus gen. et sp.n. , from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (c. 165 Ma) in Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. It exhibits a number of defining features of Artematopodidae, including paired carinae on prosternum and an internal apical interlocking tongue on the ventral side of each elytron. However, it differs from any modern Artematopodidae by having the mesocoxal cavitiy closed by the mesepimeron and the anterolateral edge of metanepisternum. The discovery of this new genus represents the earliest fossil record for Artematopodidae, highlighting the antiquity of the family. The systematic positions of Forticatinius Tan & Ren and Tarsomegamerus Zhang are discussed, and the latter is formally transferred to Artematopodidae. Phylogenetic relationships within Artematopodidae were investigated to elucidate the relationships between the two Jurassic genera and Recent genera. Eleven in‐group taxa and two out‐groups were included in a cladistic analysis based on 30 adult characters; the resulting tree recovered the family Artematopodidae in three clades: (i) Electribius authority, (ii) Ctesibius authority + Brevipogon authority + Sinobrevipogon + Tarsomegamerus and (iii) the remaining Recent genera, including Allopogonia authority.
Nutritional Evaluation of Green Mulberry (Morus multicaulis) Leaves in Sheep

Mulberry (Morus multicaulis) leaves were analyzed for chemical composition and nutritive value. The leaves contained 16.57% CP, 7.38% EE, 15.50% CF, 33.10% NDF, 23.04% ADF, 2.10 % calcium and 0.20% phosphorus. These leaves were fed to six healthy Corriedale rams of about 2 years age (45 kg BW) for 28 days followed by a 5-day metabolism trial. The leaves contained 10.16% digestible crude protein (DCP), 66.10% total digestible nutrients (TDN). The percent dry matter (DM) intake was 3.44 kg. Average digestibility of coefficient of CP, EE, CF,NFE, NDF, ADF, cellulose and hemicellulose were 61.32, 58.33,76.74, 76.60, 62.88, 52.65, 70.55 and 55.39, respectively. All the animals were in positive nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus balance. Blood parameters and rumen metabolites were within the normal range. But there was decrease in blood urea level and increase in creatinine, alkaline phosphatase activity and rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N ) after feeding of mulberry leaves. Total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and TCA-Ppt.N remained unchanged after feeding. It was concluded that green mulberry leaves are palatable and can be used as an alternative source for maintenance diet of sheep.
IMMUNOLOGIC INCOMPETENCE OF IMMUNOLOGICALLY RUNTED ANIMALS

1. Adult (A x C57Bl/1)F1 hybrids regularly show runt disease when injected with adult spleen cells from A strain donors. This also occurs when A strain spleen cells are administered to adult C3H mice made tolerant of A strain tissue in the neonatal period. 2. Mice undergoing the graft versus host reaction fail to form antibodies to an intraperitoneal challenge of T2 bacteriophage. This phenomenon was observed well before any of the other overt signs of runting had occurred. Further, inhibition of antibody production to T2 phage by graft versus host reaction initiated at an interval following antigenic stimulation is demonstrated. 3. The basis for the immunologic incompetence of the host with respect to T2 phage is presumed to be the attack of immunologically competent donor cells on the lymphoid cells of the recipient. 4. The failure of the injected parent strain cells to respond to the antigen used may imply immunologic commitment of these cells.
Temporal changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages downstream from mountaintop mining

Abstract: Mountaintop mining (MTM) affects chemical, physical, and hydrological properties of receiving streams, but the long-term consequences for fish-assemblage structure and function are poorly understood. We sampled stream fish assemblages using electrofishing techniques in MTM exposure sites and reference sites within the Guyandotte River basin, USA, during 2010–2011. We calculated indices of taxonomic diversity (species richness, abundance, Shannon diversity) and functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence) to compare exposure and reference assemblages between seasons (spring and autumn) and across years (1999–2011). We based temporal comparisons on 2 sites that were sampled during 1999–2001 by Stauffer and Ferreri (2002). Exposure assemblages had lower taxonomic and functional diversity than reference assemblages or simulated assemblages that accounted for random variation. Differences in taxonomic composition between reference and exposure assemblages were associated with conductivity and aqueous Se concentrations. Exposure assemblages had fewer species, lower abundances, and less biomass than reference assemblages across years and seasons. Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) became numerically dominant in exposure assemblages over time because of their persistence and losses of other taxa. In contrast, species richness increased over time in reference assemblages, a result that may indicate recovery from drought. Mean individual biomass increased as fish density decreased and most obligate invertivores were apparently extirpated at MTM exposure sites. Effects of MTM were not related to physical-habitat conditions but were associated with water-quality variables, which may limit quality and availability of benthic macroinvertebrate prey. Simulations revealed effects of MTM that could not be attributed to random variation in fish assemblage structure.
Some aspects of citrus ecophysiology in subtropical climates: re-visiting photosynthesis under natural conditions

Received: 14 November 2007; Accepted: 12 December 2007In this review we re-visit and discuss the current knowledge on ecophysiology of citrus trees, addressing the influenceof environmental conditions on citrus photosynthesis. Knowledge of physiological responses of citrus trees to theirsurrounding environment is essential in order to improve crop production and plant development, both beingconsequences of appropriate horticultural management in citrus orchards. In this context, citrus photosynthesis isaddressed as the primary source of carbon and energy for plant growth and development. The photosynthetic activityon both a daily and a seasonal scale is reviewed, taking into consideration the physiological aspects related to seasonalvariation of photochemical and biochemical activities, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential. These aspects aretreated for citrus plants growing in subtropical climates with varying environmental conditions, such as moderate tosevere drought during the winter season. In addition, the possible inhibitory/stimulatory effects of carbohydratemetabolism on citrus photosynthesis are discussed with regard to the source-sink relationship. Field experimentationthat enhances knowledge concerning citrus ecophysiology in subtropical climates is highlighted. Among interestingsubjects to be unraveled by future research, we may point out the effects of low temperatures on citrus photosynthesisand water relations, the nature of the relationship between leaf carbohydrate content and photosynthesis, and thesignificance of photosynthesis in different canopy layers and positions in relation to the total carbon gain in maturecitrus trees.
Ficus religiosa L.–the tree-splitter

In ground trees, which are devoid of adventive aerial roots, supplementary conductive elements develop in trunk corrugations, forming distinct units with the large side branches above and their roots below. Unlike most epiphytic jungle figs, which ring the stems of dicotyledonous support trees from the outside, the epiphytic bushes of F. religiosa are not true stranglers. Their roots penetrate inside the stem of the support, eventually splitting it from within. The various factors indispensable for the penetration of the roots are discussed. In Nepal and Thailand, because the survival of F. religiosa trees for hundreds of years, there is an accumulation of very old trees, whose supports have by now disappeared or still persist in the form of broken and dead blocks of wood between the stout fig roots. The characteristics of the tree at the various stages of its development support the hypothesis that F. religiosa must have originated under the specific climatic conditions prevailing in he monsoon tropophilous forests (ix. seasonal forests, hygrophilous in summer and xerophilous in winter) at the foot of the Himalayas.
Temporal Variation in the Early Life-history Characteristics of the King George Whiting (Sillaginodes punctata) from Analysis of Otolith Microstructure

This study describes the duration of the settlement season, the somatic and otolith growth rates, and presettlement durations for Sillaginodes punctata at Barker Inlet, South Australia. The settlement season was from June to November, with settlement occurring in two phases over this period. Somatic growth rates ranged from <0.1 to 0.25 mm day-' depending on age and time of year, making size (SL) a relatively poor indicator of age. Alternatively, otolith size (OL) was strongly related to age, but the linear relationships varied systematically among sampling occasions. Because of variation in somatic growth rates, the SL-OL relationships were relatively poor. The biological intercept method was used to back-calculate fish sizes from otolith increment widths for three samples of fish. These growth trajectories differed considerably, two being logistic in shape and the third being an exponential relationship. Presettlement durations increased from 80 to 130 days between June and September and were inversely related to growth rate. Settlement competence is related more to size than to age. The broad natural variation in early life-history characteristics is likely to relate to water temperature regimes along larval advection pathways through the long settlement season.
EFFECTS OF TILLAGE METHODS ON WHEAT YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN CONTINUOUS WHEAT CROPPING

A three-year field experiment was undertaken to evaluate the effects of tillage methods on grain yield and yield components of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in continuous cropping. The experiment was conducted on a Ramjerd, fine, mixed, mesic, typic Calcixerepts soil. Wheat was sown: (1) after burning residues followed by conventional tillage, (2) after complete residue removal followed by conventional tillage, (3) after soil incorporation of residues followed by conventional tillage, (4) into untilled residues, (5) using chisel seeder after field irrigation, (6) using chisel seeder plus herbicide application, and (7) after disking. Residue burning and removal increased spikes per square metre, grain per spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index compared with other treatments. This was due primarily to weed interference and lack of uniform crop establishment in the presence of residues. Reduced tillage methods retained more residues on the soil surface, which provided unsuitable conditions for crop emergence and growth. The incorporation of residues led to a build up of carbon in the soil, with lower grain yields compared with residue burning and removal, but these yields were higher than those of chisel-seeded plots.
Little evidence for visual monitoring of vigilance in zebra finches

Several models of vigilance assume that it can be adjusted in response to levels maintained by companions. However, the assumption of visual monitoring of vigilance has received little empirical scrutiny. Various treatments in a laboratory study manipulated the ability of zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata) foraging in pairs to monitor visually the vigilance of companions. In one treatment, the insertion of an uncovered partition allowed members of a pair to monitor, if needed, the vigilance of their companion. The addition of a partial cover to the partition in a further treatment eliminated any visual monitoring of vigilance by companions on either side of the partition while leaving the view from the rest of the cage unaltered. The final treatment, without a partition, allowed the feeding behaviour of unrestricted birds to be examined. As birds spent most of their time feeding or vigilant, feeding rate was considered a proxy for vigilance. After an initial difference in feeding rate across treatments, r.
Being a parasitoid of parasites: host finding in the tick wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri by odours from mammals

The parasitic wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitizes larvae and nymphs of a number of tick species worldwide. Ticks themselves are parasitic on vertebrate hosts. To study the specificity and reliability of vertebrate odours used by I. hookeri for host location, we conducted bioassays in a four‐chamber olfactometer. Wasps were arrested by carbon dioxide and by odours from roe deer faeces and odours from hair of roe deer and wild boar. Odours from faeces of cattle, rabbit, and field mouse as well as odours from hair of cattle and field mouse had no effect. Odours from faeces of the host tick species Ixodes ricinus L. (Acari: Ixodidae) were attractive only up to a distance of 1 cm. Thus, I. hookeri reacts to general (carbon dioxide) and specific vertebrate odours from wild boar and deer. Examination of freshly shot specimens demonstrates that deer and wild boars are infested with a sufficient number of tick nymphs to tap the full reproductive potential of an I. hookeri female, which makes cues from these mammal species reliable. These results indicate that I. hookeri locates its hosts using specific and reliable mammal odours and that ticks are parasitized on their vertebrate hosts. The implications of this host‐finding strategy and its benefits for the parasitoid are discussed.