Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Salinity on Growth, Ionic Relations and Physiological Traits of Wheat, Disomic Addition Lines from Thinopyrum bessarabicum, and Two Amphiploids

The effects of NaCl on the growth, ion relations and physiological characteristics at early stages of growth of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties ‘Chinese Spring’ and ‘Glennson 81’, ‘Chinese Spring’ lines tetrasomic for chromosomes 5A, 2B and 5B, ‘Chinese Spring’ disomic addition lines for chromosomes 2Eb and 5Eb from Thinopyrum bessarabicum (formerly Agropyron junceum), and amphiploids between ‘Chinese Spring’ and Thinopyrum bessarabicum and ‘Chinese Spring’ and Lophopyrum elongatum (formerly Agropyron elongatum) were examined. Plants were grown in a controlled environment cabinet, in nutrient solution with or without addition of 200 mol m−3 NaCl. Growth in terms of leaf area, shoot and root weights was reduced by salt treatment. Salinity conditions gradually reduced the osmotic potential, though there was little effect on water potential. Turgor pressure was not much affected by salt. There was variation between genotypes for all the characteristics studied, especially in the extent of Na accumulation by leaves and roots. The amphiploids and 5Eb addition line accumulated the least Na in comparison with other genotypes. Generally roots accumulated lower quantities of Na than leaves. Genotype K contents were not affected by salt treatment. Stomatal conductance also declined whilst the ABA content increased in the salt treated seedlings. With respect to growth, the amphiploids and 5Eb addition line were most tolerant to salt while ‘Glennson 81’, tetrasomic 2B and tetrasomic 5B lines were most susceptible. The addition of homoeologous group 2 and 5 chromosomes reduced the tolerance to salt relative to ‘Chinese Spring’ euploid. It is concluded that chromosome 5Eb of Thinopyrum bessarabicum carries gene(s) for tolerance to salt and this tolerance may be due to the ability to exclude Na ions from the leaves and roots.
The contribution of rewetting to vegetation restoration of degraded peat meadows

ABSTRACT Question: What is the contribution of a rise in groundwater level to vegetation restoration of degraded peat meadows compared to abandonment only? Location: Abandoned peat meadows in the central part of The Netherlands. Methods: Comparison of species composition and species abundance of vegetation and seed banks of reference and rewetted peat meadows, using plant trait and seed bank analysis. Results: Vegetation of rewetted meadows shared on average only 27% of their species with the reference meadow, while this was 50% on average for species in the seed bank. Rewetted meadows had a lower total number of species and a lower number of wet grassland and fen species present in the vegetation, but had higher species richness per m2, although evenness was not affected. Rewetting increased the dominance of species of fertile and near neutral habitats, but did not result in an increase of species of wet or waterlogged habitats. Rewetted meadows were dominated by species relying mainly on vegetative reproduction and species with a low average seed longevity compared to the reference meadow. Conclusion: Rewetting was not effective as a restoration measure to increase plant species diversity or the number of wet grassland and fen species in the vegetation. If no additional restoration management is applied, the seed bank will be depleted of seeds of species of wet grassland or fen habitats, further reducing the chances of successful vegetation restoration. Nomenclature: van der Meijden (1990).
Applied disease screening and selection program for resistance to vascular wilt in Hawaiian Acacia koa

Acacia koa is a valuable tree species economically, ecologically and culturally in Hawai'i. A vascular wilt disease of A. koa resulting from infection by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. koae (FOXY) causes high rates of mortality in field plantings and threatens native A. koa forests in Hawai'i. Landowners are reluctant to consider A. koa for reforestation and restoration in many areas due to the threat of FOXY. Producing seeds or propagules with genetic resistance to FOXY is vital to successful A. koa reforestation and restoration. Virulent FOXY isolates were used in seedling inoculation trials to evaluate resistance levels among A. koa families in greenhouse experiments. Seedling survival varied by family, ranging from 3% to 92%, with an overall average of 46%. One clonal and three seedling field trials were established in 2012 and 2013 using selected families based on the inoculation trials. The greenhouse screening method serves as a powerful tool to rapidly evaluate A. koa families prior to outplanting, but the field trial data are needed to further validate the results and to monitor the durability over time. The field trials will also serve as a source of germplasm for selection of other commercial traits.
Growth and reproductive strategies of freshwater phytoplankton

1. General introduction Craig D. Sandgren 2. The ecology of chrysophyte flagellates: their growth and perennation strategies as freshwater phytoplankton Craig D. Sandgren 3. Ecology of the cryptomonadida - a first review Dag Klaveness 4. Freshwater peridinoid dinoflagellates: growth, reproduction strategies and population dynamics Utsa Pollingher 5. Ecology of freshwater planktonic green algae Christine M. Happey-Wood 6. Growth and survival strategies of plankton diatoms Ulrich Sommer 7. Growth and reproductive strategies of freshwater blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) Hans W. Paerl 8. Physiological mechanisms in phytoplankton resource competition David H. Turpin 9. Selective herbivory and its role in the evolution of phytoplankton growth strategies John T. Lehman 10. Functional morphology and the adaptive strategies of freshwater phytoplankton Colin S. Reynolds.
Isolation and Identification of Viruses from Adult Largemouth Bass during a 1997–1998 Survey in the Southeastern United States

Abstract A total of 452 largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (mostly adults) from 78 reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and state fish hatcheries in eight states of the southeastern USA were surveyed for largemouth bass virus (LMBV) between August 1997 and November 1998. Virus was isolated from ostensibly healthy electrofished largemouth bass from six reservoirs on four different river systems—Lakes Jordan (Coosa River) and Wilson (Tennessee River) in Alabama; Lakes Walter F. George and Oliver (Chattahoochee River), Lake Blackshear (Flint River), and Lake Allatoona (Coosa River) in Georgia—and from moribund fish from Lake Walter F. George and Lake Greenwood (Santee River) in South Carolina. Fish samples from 71 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina and Virginia showed no evidence of virus infection. Sequence analysis of the major capsid protein gene showed that virus isolates from Lakes Walter F. George, Jordan, Blackshear, and Allatoona were identical to the origi.
Compound Action Potential and Cochlear Microphonic Extracted from Electrocochleographic Responses to Condensation or Rarefaction Clicks

In electrocochleography (ECochG) compound action potential (CAP) and summation potential (SP) are usually separated from the cochlear microphonic (CM) by the CM cancellation technique consisting in averaging the responses evoked by rarefaction and condensation clicks. With the aim of analysing the ECochG responses evoked by monophasic clicks, we developed a numerical method based on the theory of optimal filtering, which makes no assumptions about the unknown potentials. The application of the filtering technique to the ECochG recordings obtained from 6 normally hearing children and 10 children with cochlear hearing loss allowed us to perform CAP extraction in cases where CM was not cancelled by the conventional method. Differences in SP amplitude and polarity were found between rarefaction and condensation click-evoked responses in cochlear hearing losses.
Using the Ambulatory Care Teaching Centre to develop opportunities for integrated learning

An Ambulatory Care Teaching Centre (ACTC) has provided an opportunity to develop an integrated teaching programme in a supervised environment which links students' initial clinical experiences in the skills centre with patient-contact in other teaching settings. Second-year students attended 2-h sessions in the ACTC during each block of a systems-based course. Two 'system-sensitive' patients invited from a patient bank enabled students to develop clinical skills previously practised on mannequins and simulated patients and to integrate theoretical material with clinical practice. A programme co-ordinator timetabled student, patient and tutor attendances. Students particularly appreciated the protected environment where they could practice clinical skills under supervision before interviewing other patients in patient-centred clinical settings. Tutors appreciated an environment which eliminated tensions often present between teaching and service delivery. They enjoyed focussed teaching sessions especially if details of invited patients were known in advance and 'backup' resources were available. Patients enjoyed opportunities to contribute to clinical teaching.
Short-term sequelae of minor head injury (6 years experience of minor head injury clinic)

Purpose : It is known that post-concussive symptoms may persist after mild head injury. However, the majority of those patients are denied follow-up or support. A minor head injury clinic was thus established in North Staffordshire Hospital in 1993 to address these problems. Methods : Patients 16 - 65 years old attending hospital with minor head injury were invited to attend the clinic two weeks after presentation. A specialized brain injury nurse and/or assistant clinical psychologist assessed them. Patients with persistent symptoms were invited to a second assessment four weeks later. Results : One thousand two hundred and fifty-five patients were invited for first assessment, the most common cause of head injury was assault (454) followed by road traffic accident (334). Six hundred and sixteen patients did not attend the first assessment; most of non-attendees were those who had been assaulted (281). Six hundred and thirty-nine patients attended, (472) were male, their mean age was 33. Forty-three per cent of them had history of recent alcohol intake. One third had had a previous head injury. Although 391 attendees were in regular employment, 219 patients were unable to return to work 2 weeks after discharge (56% ), and 49 people were still off sick 6 weeks after the injury. The most common complaints at both assessments were fatigue, headache, dizziness, irritability, sleep disturbances, poor concentration and poor memory in that order. Conclusion : This study shows a significant number of patients with minor head injury still complaining of post concussive symptoms, which may contribute to a delay in return to work. The high incidence of non-attendance among the assaulted victims may indicate that this group needs to be more effectively targeted. Further study to look at the longer-term consequences of minor head injury is required in view of these findings.
The problem with ‘responsible gambling’: impact of government and industry discourses on feelings of felt and enacted stigma in people who experience problems with gambling

Abstract Government and industry communications to gamblers often focus on promoting responsible gambling, which incorporate a range of gambler behaviors. These include limit setting, maintaining control, being informed about the chances of winning and self-monitoring. However, there have been no empirical examinations of the effect that responsible gambling discourses have on people with gambling problems. We conducted qualitative interviews with 26 people with experience of gambling problems who were involved in peer support and advocacy activities. A number of themes arose from participants narratives. Participants perceived that responsible gambling discourses contributed to the felt and enacted stigma associated with problem gambling by focusing on personal responsibility. They also perceived that responsible gambling discourses created norms which led to personal blame and shame, and contributed to broader negative stereotypes of people with gambling problems. Participants also perceived that responsible gambling discourses had limited impact on either their own gambling behavior or help seeking. We conclude that discourses which focus on responsible gambling may have a negative and potentially stigmatizing impact for people experiencing gambling problems.
Evaluation of mass-trapping for control of tea tussock moth Euproctis pseudoconspersa (Strand) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) with synthetic sex pheromone in south China

Abstract Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of dosage, trap placement, trap diameter and trap colour on the trap captures of tea tussock moth, Euproctis pseudoconspersa, in a tea plantation located in Guizhou province in southern China during the 2001 field season. The optimum dosage of synthetic sex pheromone was 1.5 mg/septum in a trap. Trap captures of males were maximized with traps paced 90 cm above the ground. Traps of 32 cm in diameter caught significantly more males than those of 20 cm, and white traps caught significantly more males than traps of other colors. The control effect by mass-trapping technique on tea tussock moth was investigated in the same tea plantation in 2002 and 2003. Twenty-five traps/ha were used in the 2-year, large-scale mass-trapping experiment, and a total of 146,767 males were captured. In the pheromone-treated field, mating rates were significantly reduced on nine of 12 sample dates. Larval and egg densities were reduced by 27.87–50.85 and 38.89–51.11%, respectively, compared with the untreated field. Our results suggest that mass-trapping is promising as a control agent for use against the tea tussock moth.
Physicochemical and functional properties of a protein-rich fraction produced by dry fractionation of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.)

Due to possible denaturation, the protein extraction method has a major impact on its functional properties in food. Dry milling and fractionation produce less protein modification and require no effluents. The physicochemical and functional properties were evaluated for Salvia hispanica L. seed protein-rich fraction (SPRF) produced by dry fractionation. This contained (g/kg) 446.2 of protein and 345.2 of nitrogen-free extract. The maximum nitrogen solubility was 60% at alkaline pH and the minimum was 11.7% at pH 4. The emulsifying activity ranged from 50 to 56% and was independent of pH. Emulsion stability was highest (92%) at pH 8 and 10. SPRF was not a good foaming agent, with a maximum of 29% and no dependence on pH. However, foam stability was good (80%). Diluted solutions (30 and 40 g/L) exhibited high apparent viscosity (10,000 cP) with typical non-Newtonian fluid behavior. The SPRF is a potential food ingredient, particularly in foods requiring emulsion or foam stability.
Somatic Alterations in Chick Embryo Exposed to Low Frequency Magnetic Fields

Chick embryos were exposed throughout incubation to magnetic fields of different intensities (1 μT, 0.1 mT, 0.5 mT, and 1 mT) to study the action exerted by low‐frequency fields (50 Hz) fields on their development and body weight. Development stage was quantified by measurement of the third finger, which was significantly longer in treated embryos at 15 days of incubation vs. controls. However, at 21 days of incubation, the third finger was significantly shorter in embryos exposed to 1 μT and 0.5 mT vs. controls, with no significant differences observed at the other doses. The body weight was lower in exposed embryos than in controls, both at 15 and 21 days of incubation, with different levels of significance.
Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Children with Acute Respiratory Infection in General Practices in The Netherlands

In this retrospective study Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in samples (n=457) from children presenting with acute respiratory infection to general practitioners during 1992-97. Samples were collected in autumn and winter, and from 1994 onwards in spring and summer also. Overall, C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae were detected in throat or nasal samples by PCR in 3.1% and 2.4% of the cases, respectively. The proportion of both C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae infections varied between 0% and 6.9% over the years studied, whereas seasonal proportions varied from 1.8 to 9.1% and 1.2 to 4.5%, respectively. For both microorganisms the lowest proportion was detected during winter and the highest in summer. C. pneumoniae could already be detected by PCR in patients under 4 y of age, an observation not made in sero-epidemiological studies. In conclusion, both C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae infections play a minor role in children presenting with acute respiratory infection.
An in vitro method for the prediction of renal proximal tubular toxicity in humans

The kidney is one of the major target organs for drug-induced toxicity. The renal proximal tubule is frequently affected due to its roles in drug transport and in concentrating the glomerular filtrate. Drug-induced kidney injury is associated with increased morbidity and mortality of patients. During drug development, nephrotoxicity is typically detected only late, which leads to high costs for the pharmaceutical industry. A central problem is the lack of pre-clinical models with high predictability. Regulatory accepted or validated in vitro models for the prediction of nephrotoxicity are not available. We developed a novel in vitro model for the prediction of renal proximal tubular toxicity in humans. It employs human primary renal proximal tubular cells and the expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 were used as the endpoint. The model was evaluated with 41 well-characterized drugs and chemicals. The median values of the major performance metrics (balanced accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve) ranged between 0.76 and 0.85. This revealed that the predictability of the model is high and it would be expected that in ∼76%–85% of the cases where compounds were predicted as positives or negatives the predictions would be correct. Altogether, the data suggest that the model would allow the prediction of drug-induced proximal tubular toxicity at early pre-clinical stages during drug development. Future work will aim at further validating this model and adapting it to recently developed renal proximal tubular-like cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells.
Early Bactericidal Activity of Amoxicillin in Combination with Clavulanic Acid in Patients with Sputum Smear-positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis

The early bactericidal activity (EBA) of an antituberculosis agent is the rate of decrease in viable colony-forming units (CFU) per milliliter of sputum during the first 2 d of treatment of patients with previously untreated smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. The objective of this open randomized study was to evaluate the EBA of the combination of amoxicillin 3 g and clavulanic acid 750 mg. Ten patients with a mean age of 34 y and a mean weight of 56 kg received amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and 5 patients with a mean age of 34 y and a mean weight of 57 kg received no drug. In the patients receiving 1 dose of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid daily for 2 d the mean log10CFU/ml of sputum before treatment was 6.7402 (SD 0.539) and after 2 d of treatment 6.7046 (SD 0.609); the corresponding values in patients receiving no drug were 6.7823 (SD 0.563) and 6.7502 (SD 0.673), respectively. The EBA of 0.018 (SD 0.130) in patients receiving amoxicillin/clavulanic acid did not differ significantly from that of 0.016 (SD 0.069) in patients receiving no drug. It is unlikely that the combination of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid has an important place in the treatment of tuberculosis with the exception of those patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis who are otherwise therapeutically destitute.
Low novelty seeking and high self directedness scores in alcohol-dependent patients without comorbid psychiatric disorders homozygous for the A10 allele of the dopamine transporter gene

The gene for the human dopamine transporter DAT1 displays several polymorphisms, including a 40-bp variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) ranging from 3 to 13 copies in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the gene. Some hints for an association of certain VNTR with psychiatric disorders, behavioural problems and temperament traits have been found. This study explored possible associations between the most frequent DAT1 polymorphism, namely the A10 VNTR, and personality traits as measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) in alcohol-dependent patients (ADP). One hundred and forty-four ADP and 144 age-, educational level- and sex-matched controls (CO) were genotyped and interviewed with the TCI and NEO-FFI. ADP showed higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, lower openness, lower agreeableness and lower conscientiousness than CO on the NEO-FFI and higher scores in harm avoidance, reward dependence and self transcendence and lower scores in self directedness and cooperativeness on the TCI than controls. There were no genetic links regarding those personality traits, the diagnosis of alcohol dependence and the VNTR. Only in a subgroup of ADP, those without psychiatric co-diagnoses and homozygous for A10, significantly lower scores in novelty seeking and higher scores in self directedness than in all the other ADP and CO could be detected. Summarizing, the 40-bp VNTR did not help to differentiate between ADP and CO, but might contribute to some personality dimensions in certain ADP subgroups.
Uptake and elimination of coliform bacteria by four marine bivalve mollusks

Bivalve filter feeding mollusks remove suspended bacteria from the ambient water and either sediment them with the pseudofaeces, or ingest and digest them. On the basis of bacterial contamination of water and known pumping rate, accumulations usually exceed expected levels by an order of magnitude. This does not reflect high uptake efficiency of the bivalve, but is a function of the digestive process separating bacterial clusters, thereby increasing inoculative loci both for multiple tube estimates and plate counts. Uptake rates are species specific and temperature dependent and show little correlation with the ambient bacterial loading. Elimination is also species specific and variable.
Enterococcal Infections in a Greek Intensive Care Unit: A 5-y Study

In this study we determined the incidence, resistance pattern, and mortality rate associated with infection caused by Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium among patients in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 111 patients with E. faecalis and 60 with E. faecium infections were identified during a 5-y period (1992-96). We observed an increase in the incidence of enterococcal infections (from 5.46 to 8.46 per 1000 patients-days, p=0.0112), due mainly to the increased incidence of E. faecium (from 0.45 to 4.06 per 1000 patients-days, p=0.002). Blood was the most common site of enterococcus isolation. E. faecium was more resistant to antibiotics than E. faecalis, but no vancomycin resistant enterococcus was isolated. Patients with E. faecium infection had a significantly higher mortality than patients with E. faecalis infection (66% vs. 41.5%, p=0.0035 for infection from any site and 85.7 vs. 47.7%, p=0.012 for bacteremic patients).