Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiology and Leaf Characteristics of American Chestnut ( Castanea Dentata (Marsh.)Borkh.) Seedlings, Saplings, and Mature Trees in Ohio and Wisconsin

The restoration of the American chestnut to U.S. forests is currently a subject of much interest. Questions remain about where on the landscape chestnut should be replanted, and the ecophysiological capacity of chestnut at different ontogenetic stages. The goals of the present study were to assess the physiological and leaf characteristics of chestnut and to quantify these characteristics at the seedling, sapling, and mature growth stage. The photosynthetic performance, leaf mass per area, and leaf nitrogen content of chestnut were assessed at sites in Wisconsin and Ohio. Seedlings maximized photosynthesis under high light conditions, a practical result for foresters replanting chestnut. The physiology and leaf characteristics of seedlings and saplings in the understory were similar. Photosynthesis and leaf nitrogen were maximized at the top of the canopy, declining with stand height and light availability. These results will be useful in modeling the carbon dynamics of mature American chestnut forests. Approved: Kim J. Brown Assistant Professor of Environmental and Plant Biology
Shipyard Employees’ Motivation towards Safety Behavior: Factor Analysis with Social Cognitive Theory Approach

Ships are important transportation modes used in the logistics and maritime industry in general. Many accidents have occurred in the maritime industry, and the root cause of those accidents is the unsafe behavior done by the employees. This research aims to analyze the factors that motivate the safety behavior of shipyard employees. The model that will be used refers to Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). In SCT, the variables used to construct the model are environmental factors (FL), management commitment (KM), safety-efficacy (SE), employee involvement in safety (TK), and work safety behavior (PA). From those five variables, 11 research hypotheses are established. Data is collected by distributing offline questionnaires to field employees, supervisors, and safety management at PT. DTPS. The number of respondents involved was 173 respondents, which is then modeled by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The result shows that four of the eleven hypotheses are rejected. In addition to that, TK has an important role in motivating safety behavior in the workplace, which is subsequently followed by SE. Therefore, it is needed to change the behavior and culture of an individual at the workplace to improve safety behavior.
The relationship between protein and phosphorus digestion and retention in growing pigs and broiler chickens

Xue, Pengcheng. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. The Relationship between Protein and Phosphorus Digestion and Retention in Growing Pigs and Broiler Chickens. Major Professor: Dr. Layi Adeola. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between protein and P digestion and retention in growing pigs and broiler chickens. The methodology of determining the digestibility of AA and P and the effect of dietary N and P on the digestion and retention of these two nutrients were investigated. An experiment was conducted in growing pigs to investigate the additivity of AID or SID of CP and AA in mixed diets containing multiple protein sources. Using the determined AID or SID for CP and AA in corn, SBM, DDGS, and canola meal, the AID or SID for 4 mixed diets was predicted and compared with determined AID or SID, respectively. Eighteen growing pigs (initial BW = 61.3 ± 5.5 kg) with surgically fitted Tcannula were assigned to a duplicated 9 × 4 incomplete Latin square design with 9 diets and 4 periods. A nitrogen-free diet was included to estimate basal ileal endogenous loss of AA; 4 semi-purified diets to determine the AID and SID of CP and AA in the 4 ingredients; and 4 mixed diets to test the additivity of AID and SID. The results substantiate the notion that SID of AA are more accurate than AID for predicting ileal digestibility of AA in mixed diets containing multiple protein sources.
Fusarium wilt of cauliflower caused by Fusarium equiseti in China

Abstract Widespread and severe wilt of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) plants was observed during 2014–2016 in Shandong Province, China. Symptoms of the disease included wilted leaves, brown stems and root rot. Infected cauliflower plants eventually wilted and died within 2 months. A fungus was consistently isolated from diseased tissues and pathogenicity tests showed it was the causal agent, producing similar symptoms as those observed in the field. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the partial sequences of internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS-rDNA), the translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) and the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal (mtSSU rDNA), the pathogen was identified as Fusarium equiseti (Corda) Sacc. This is the first report of F. equiseti causing cauliflower wilt.
A new species of the genus Halectinosoma (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Ectinosomatidae) from Korea

Abstract A new species of harpacticoid copepod, Halectinosoma foveolata, was described from sandy sediments on several intertidal areas of Korea. This new species is mostly similar to H. dimorphum Coull, 1970, but differs from the latter by the following characteristics combined: (1) the third segment of antennule is longest; (2) the first exopodal segment of antenna has a row of spinules; (3) the mandibular gnathobase is composed of chitinous teeth without dorsal seta; (4) the female P5 has an incomplete boundary between the exopod and the baseoendopod; (5) the female P5 baseoendopod has two rows of spinules. We also discuss the state of H. arenicola sensu Itô (1973), reported from the Japanese coast, which is considered here a synonym with the new species.
Some Significant Results of the Research-Work in Turkey on Fig

Turkey is the leading country in the world fig production and trade. Due to its economic importance, many studies have been undertaken on fig at various institutes. The paper aims to summarize some of the significant results obtained lately and to highlight some of the current research topics. Taking into consideration the vast wild fig population in Turkey, selection studies were carried out in various parts of the country to identify promising types for the fresh market. In western Turkey, Sarilop (=Calimyrna) the standard variety for commercial drying is vegetatively propagated for thousands of years. An investigation of this population has revealed high performing clones and thus further studies were designed to examine yield and quality components of the selected clones.
Nesting dynamic and sex allocation of the oil-collecting bee Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804) (Apidae: Centridini)

ABSTRACT The study of nesting biology is an important biological aspect for both conservation and management, but despite this, only a few of the over 20,000 described bee species have had their nesting biology studied. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the nesting biology and dynamic of an aggregation of the cavity-nesting bee species Centris analis during one generation. Twenty-eight females were marked and had their nesting activities documented, 64 nests were sampled, and 113 individuals emerged from these nests. An asymmetry in the sex allocation was observed for this species, and the sex ratio was male-biased in the first nests built. Nonetheless, considering an individual-level perspective, the females showed different strategies, with some of them producing more daughters, other females producing more sons, and still others producing an equal proportion. The productivity per female was low compared to that of other solitary bee species, and the females displayed an aggressive usurpation behaviour against conspecific females and performed an intraspecific parasitism. As the substrate used to nest is a limiting factor for this species, the usurpation behaviour may be an important strategy that could increase the chance of nesting. A few males used the nesting site as a resting place and the fidelity observed to this locale was high. This study provides new information about the natural history of this bee species, which is an important pollinator of both crops and native plant species.
Co-variation in biomass and environment at the scale of a forest concession in central Africa

Abstract: Drivers of forest structure in central African rain forests are largely unknown. Using forest inventory data (3024 0.4-ha plots) in a forest concession of 154 456 ha in north-eastern Gabon covering an altitudinal gradient (from 485 to 1009 m asl), relationships between above-ground plot biomass and environmental variables (soil type, altitude, slope, aspect) and floristic composition (score given by an ordination method) were tested. After controlling for confounding variables, biomass was significantly related to altitude (with a modal response peaking at 346 Mg ha–1 on western slopes at an altitude of 707 m asl) and to aspect (additional 18.3 Mg ha–1 on eastern slopes) but not to floristic composition. Biomass and basal area responded differentially to the environment. Mean wood density was significantly related to soil, altitude and floristic composition, with a predicted minimum of 0.60 g cm–3 at an altitude of 1009 m asl in stands characterized by Scorodophloeus zenkeri and a maximum of 0.69 g cm–3 at an altitude of 458 m asl in monodominant Gilbertiodendron dewevrei stands. Variation in forest structure in the concession was primarily driven by altitude while floristic composition played a role in differentiating the variation in biomass and basal area.
Thermal adaptation constrains the temperature dependence of ecosystem metabolism

Gross primary production (GPP) is the largest flux in the carbon cycle, yet its response to global warming is highly uncertain. The temperature sensitivity of GPP is directly linked to photosynthetic physiology, but the response of GPP to warming over longer timescales could also be shaped by ecological and evolutionary processes that drive variation community structure and functional trait distributions. Here, we show that selection on photosynthetic traits within and across taxa dampen the effects of temperature on GPP across a catchment of geothermally heated streams. Autotrophs from cold streams had higher photosynthetic rates and after accounting for differences in biomass among sites, rates of ecosystem-level GPP were independent of temperature, despite a 20 ºC thermal gradient. Our results suggest that thermal adaptation constrains the long-term temperature dependence of GPP, and highlights the importance of considering physiological, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms when predicting how ecosystem-level processes respond to warming.
Larval stage of trematodes obtained from brackish water snails in the central and east coast of the gulf of Thailand

Brackish water snail is one of the important intermediate hosts of trematode infections. This kind of snail along the Gulf of Thailand were examined for cercariae, the larval stage of trematodes. The aim of this study was to investigate cercarial infections in brackish water snails in the central and eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand. Snails were collected from 45 sampling sites (20 central areas, 25 eastern areas), between August 2013 and February 2014. A total of 8,532 snails were classified into 12 families, 23 genera and 32 species. Cercarial infections were investigated using shedding and crushing methods. The infection rate was 0.27% (23/8,532). The cercariae were categorized into 5 types and 8 species. The first type, Parapleurophocercous cercariae, consisted of Haplorchis taichui, Heterophyes cercaria I, and Metorchis intermedius. The second type, Xiphidiocercariae, consisted of Ascorhytis charadriformis. The third type, Furcocercous cercariae, consisted of Apharyngostrigea pipientis. The forth type, Cotylomicrocercous cercariae, consisted of Coitocaecum anaspidis. The fifth type, Echinostome cercariae, consisted of Hypoderaeum conoideam and Himasthla interrupta. Seven species of snails were found with trematode infections, comprising of Assiminea brevicula, Cerithidea cingulata, Cerithidea alata, Cerithidea djadjariensis, Cerithidea quadrata, Littorinopsis intermedia, and Sermyla riqueti. Key words: Cercaria, brackish water snails, trematode, the Gulf of Thailand.
Influence of pectin supplementation on feed fermentation characteristics in rats and pigs

The physiological effects of dietary fiber (DFs) depend on several factors including structural features of the DFs, composition and activity of colonic microbiota, and products formed during fermentation. In this thesis, the influence of pectin supplementation to feed fermentation characteristics in rats and pigs was studied. The non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) present in the selected feed ingredient oats were characterized. Distinct populations of arabinoxylans (AXs) were observed in oats, compared to those reported for other cereals like wheat and barley. The fate of cereal AXs and soybean pectin during fermentation and the consequent effects on appetite regulation and fat accumulation were studied in rats as a model. Oat AXs were fermented less rapidly than wheat AXs in the caecum of rats. Soy pectin was fermented more early and efficiently than cereal AXs. A significant inverse correlation between rat retroperitoneal fat-pad weight and concentration and relative SCFA proportion of butyrate was observed. In a following in vivo rat experiment, commercial soy pectin together with three other soluble pectins originating from citrus and sugar beet and differing in their methyl esterification were individually supplemented to the diets. Their effects on the utilization of the different DFs present in the feed and the consequent effect on the microbial community in the colon of rats was studied. All pectins were fermented rapidly and consequently shifted fermentation of other consumed DFs (e.g. cereal AXs) to more distal part of colon, although low-methyl esterified pectin was more efficiently fermented by the microbiota than high-methyl esterified pectin. Results suggested that pectins can confer beneficial health effects through modulation of the gut microbiota. In a last in vivo experiment, citrus pectins together with a hydrothermal treated soybean meal were supplemented to pig diets to study their effect on the digestion and fermentation of carbohydrates in both the small and large intestine. Pectins, and more particularly low-methyl esterified pectin, decreased the ileal digestibility of digestible starch resulting in more starch to be fermentated in the proximal colon of pigs. Consequently, also the fermentation patterns of DFs and the microbiota composition was affected. All pectins tested shaped the colonic microbiota from a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota to a Prevotella-dominated community, with potential health-promoting effects.
Variation in yield and persistence of white clover under N fertilizing and grazing

Research objective was to examine the effect of nitrogen (N) application (0-N0 and 150 kg ha-1 year-1-N150) and rotational grazing by cattle (C) and sheep (S) on the dry matter (DM) yield and persistence of white clover in mixtures with grasses. N150 significantly reduced the growing points, stolon length and stolon dry weight by more than 70% compared to N0. Grazing treatment affected stolon population density only in interaction with N. The highest stolon population densities were achieved with SN0. S had higher clover DM yield than C. N0 had higher clover DM yield than N150. However, the interaction grazing management x N rate was significant, so the highest yield of white clover was recorded for SN0.
The Monitor Man: A Story of Stunning Discoveries and Charismatic Creatures*

On the occasion of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bohme's retirement from curatorship of the herpetology section at the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) in Bonn, Germany after 39 years, we summarize his many achievements and contributions to the study of systematics and diversity of the extant members of the lizard family Varanidae. For the last 25 years, monitor lizards of Africa and Southeast Asia have been one of his main research activities which have resulted in nearly 80 publications about monitor lizard, including the descriptions of 15 new monitor taxa (viz., two subspecies, 12 species and one subgenus). Due to these decade-long taxonomic investigations of monitors, the herpetological section at ZFMK now houses one of the most important and most complete collections of monitor lizards both in terms of type material (including 12 primary type specimens and paratypes of four additional monitor species) as well as the total number of species represented. Today, 58 different Varanus species are housed in the ZFMK collection, representing nearly 80% of the global monitor lizard diversity. Without doubt, Wolfgang Bohme has played an important role in the advancement of monitor research and belongs to the most successful students of the systematics and taxonomy of extant monitor lizards.
Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin detection using potentiometric nanobiosensor for microbial electrode approach with the effects of pH and temperature

ABSTRACT Considering the ever-increasing population and trends in industrialization, it is difficult to detect the toxins produced in food products using traditional techniques. In this study, a potentiometric nanobiosensor technique using selective patterns for Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin was thoroughly considered. A molecular framework and polymer were produced using methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers, which formed covalent bonds between MAA monomers to produce a white polymer. In addition, hydrogen bonds formed between the amino acids of the exotoxin and the MAA functional groups, which functioned as selective sites for the polymer. To evaluate the effect of pH on the S. aureus exotoxin nanobiosensor, diluted solutions of NaOH and HNO3 were applied for the upper and lower pH levels, respectively. The effect of temperature was tested using distilled water at fixed temperatures. The results showed that the molecular framework polymer (MFP) in the designed biosensor was able to detect an exotoxin density up to 10–3 M at 68 nm of synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) during the first 32 days of the experiment (from a total of 56 days). The potential differences remained constants at an optimum pH range of 5.0–8.5 and at an optimum temperature range of 15°C–25°C. Therefore, we concluded that the pH and temperature can affect the precision of a potentiometric nanobiosensor for detecting S. aureus exotoxin.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation - Two Families with GCH1 Mutations

Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD), attributed to GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) mostly, is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Our recent study have identified that phenotype may not be identical to genotype, even in the same family. One patient with parkinsonism was found to carry GCH1 mutation. Why phenotype is not correlated to genotype? Whether GCH1 is a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease (PD)? Further genetic and clinical studies are necessary to elucidate these questions.
Integral occurrence probability: combining cover and relative shoot frequencies based on bounded point‐to‐plant distances

Aims To introduce a new distance-based field method for (herbaceous, terrestrial) plant species that relates cover to relative shoot frequency as a continuous process of occurrence probabilities and explain how these data can be analyzed. Methods We propose to measure shortest distances from a sample of sampling points to the nearest aboveground part of plant species (up to a maximum search distance). We show how, after appropriate transformation of the point-to-plant distances to a 0-1 interval scale, cover as well as relative shoot frequency at any area up to the searched area can be read from the same curve. This leads to the notion of an integral occurrence probability, which we propose as a new species abundance measure. For estimation and regression modelling we make use of the zero-and-one inflated beta distribution. We supply all code required for these analyses. Results Simulations of plant distribution patterns showed that the integral occurrence probability is able to differentiate between plant abundance patterns that differed in terms of relative cover, density and type of spatial distribution pattern. It is more sensitive to these differences than either cover or relative shoot frequency alone. The method allows summing occurrence probabilities over species to predict expected species richness as a function of the area searched. Aggregation across species while accounting for overlap in species spatial distributions is a simple matter of taking the minimum among the point-to-plant distances at each sampling point. The latter was demonstrated with data from a field trial in Nardetea grassland. Conclusions The method may be a viable alternative for currently employed field methods, such as visual cover estimates, point-intercept sampling and recording the frequency of plant species in equal-area plots. Applications include, but are not limited to, conservation management monitoring and ground-truthing of remote sensing data. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Effect of seed rate on nodulation of Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata)

A field experiment was conducted at The Agronomy Field, Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Patuakhali during the period of May 2013 to August 2013. The experiment was conducted to find out the effect of seed rate on nodulation of dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) under non-saline agro-ecosystem. The experiment comprised of seven different seed rates viz. 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The seed rates had significant influence on different parameters of dhaincha plant. The maximum plant height was (4.109 m), maximum plant diameter was (0.9200 cm), maximum dry weight of nodule was (5.59 g plant-1) were observed at the seed rate of 30 kg ha-1.In study period the maximum numbers of nodule plant-1 (39.60) at harvest and T7 (60 kg ha-1) showed minimum number of nodules plant-1 (30.33). It was observed that the highest number of abnormal nodules plant -1 (19.87) while (30 kg ha-1) gave the lowest number of abnormal nodules plant -1 (12.47). It was found that the (30 kg ha-1) observed the maximum dry weight of nodules (5.59 g plant-1) and the minimum dry weight of nodules (3.61 g plant-1) was found from (60 kg ha-1). The highest plant population (336.0) was found in T7 (60 kg ha-1) while T1 (30 kg ha-1) showed the lower plant population (114.0). This result indicated that higher seed rate produced the maximum plant population than lower seed rate which ultimately resulted in higher production of biomass. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2016, 1 (2), 309-315