Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial quality of some non-sterile pharmaceutical products sourced from some retail pharmacies in Lagos, Nigeria

Eight drugs on sale in five community pharmacies in parts of Lagos State were evaluated for microbial quality using standard procedures. A total of 40 samples were screened and 24 bacteria isolates, comprising 12 cocci and 12 bacilli were isolated. The cocci comprise 9 staphylococci and 3 micrococci while the bacilli constitute of 10 Bacillus species and 2 clostidia. Fungal isolates included Saccahromyces species, filamentous fungi; Aspergillus,Penicillium, and Microspora mostly from tablets in the multidose pack. Total bacterial counts for tablets in multidose and blister packs ranged from 1.0 × 102 to 9.0 × 102 CFU/g and 0 to 2 CFU/g respectively. Total yeast counts for tablets in multidose packs ranged from 1.4 × 102 to 9.0 ×102 while those of blister packs were between 0 to 6 CFU/g. Higher values of both the bacterial and fungal counts were obtained from drugs in multidose packs including ascorbic acid, paracetamol, gelucil, folic acid and multivitamin. The antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that the Staphylococcus aureus were susceptible to amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole but resistant to other antibiotics tested, indicating a common source contamination. Key words: Microbial quality, non-sterile, pharmaceutical products.
Genetic Parameters for Traits in Performance and Progeny Tests and Their Genetic Relationships in Japanese Black Cattle

Genetic parameters for performance traits on 409 bulls and growth and carcass traits on 591 of their steer progeny were estimated in Japanese Black cattle with Gibbs sampling. Traits of bulls included body weight at the start (BWS) and finish (BWF) of test, daily gain (DG), concentrate, roughage and TDN intake, and TDN conversion ratio. Progeny traits were BWS, BWF, DG, rib eye area, marbling score (MSR), dressing percentage and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT). In bulls, heritabilities were high for BWS (0.50) and BWF (0.63) and moderate for concentrate (0.48) and TDN intake (0.45), while in progeny, the heritability for all the studied traits was moderate to high (ranging from 0.30 to 0.73), highlighting the potential for genetic improvement of these traits. Genetic correlations between TDN intake and growth traits (BWS, BWF and DG) in bulls were highly positive (ranging from 0.77 to 0.94). The weak but negative genetic correlation (-0.20) between MSR and SFT in progeny indicated that improvement of beef marbling without increasing subcutaneous fat deposition could be possible. The estimated genetic correlations of roughage intake of bulls with body weights (BWS and BWF) and MSR of their progeny were moderate (ranging from 0.35 to 0.52). On the basis of the selection for bulls, growth traits and TDN intake correlated positively with SFT (ranging from 0.43 to 0.53) of their progeny, suggesting the necessity of controlling the increase of SFT in selection programs.
RESPONSE OF MAIZE PHENOLOGY AND HARVEST INDEX TO TILLAGE AND POULTRY MANURE

-1 ) on the phenology of maize in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Days to tasseling, days to silking, tassel length and ear height were measured at the physiological maturity while days to full maturity and harvest index were measured at crop harvest during both years of study. Significantly more number of days to tasseling (52.2 and 56.2) and silking (54.6 and 56.6), more days to maturity (112.5 and 118) and greater tassel length (47.7 and 51.2 cm) were measured in the zero tillage sown crop than the other tillage practices during 2010 and 2011, respectively. More ear height position on the maize stem (85.5 and 105.5 cm), grain yield (7.9 and 9.2 tons ha -1 ) and maximum harvest index (46.5 and 48.3 %) were recorded in the deep tillage practice during the both years of study. Increasing poultry manure rate to the maize crop significantly increased the number of days to tasseling, days to silking and maturity, tassel length, ear height, grain yield and harvest index. This study results indicate that the tillage practices along with poultry manure application can help in achieving the full yield potential of a maize crop.
On the short-horned grasshopper (Orthoptera: Caelifera) fauna of northeastern Iran with some information on sweep sampling capture rates

In order to improve the knowledge of the Caelifera species of north eastern Iran, faunistic investigations on grasshoppers of this region were carried out during 2013-2014. Collected specimens as well as deposited specimens in Insect Museum of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad were examined, in detail. Totally 19 species belonging to 17 genera, 9 subfamilies and 3 families were collected and determined. Among them Paranocarodes straubei is newly recorded for the fauna of Iran. In addition to faunistic records, differences in species diversity and captured numbers upon time of day were investigated via sweep sampling at two rangeland sites during 2013-2014. There were no significant differences among capture rates in various day hours; so standardized grasshopper sampling could be done between the hours of 8:00 and 16:00 to generate consistent estimates of rangeland grasshopper densities.
Survival and growth of the sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota Brandt: a comparison between suspended and bottom cultures in a subtropical fish farm during summer

The feasibility of co-culturing the sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota Brandt in a subtropical fish farm was investigated in a field study. Sea cucumbers were cultured in the fish farm in cages suspended at 4 m deep (suspended culture) and directly on the seafloor (bottom culture). The survival and growth of the sea cucumbers were monitored twice during the 3-month, summer experimental period (May 26August 14, 2010). Results showed that the suspension-cultured sea cucumbers exhibited excellent survival rate (100%) during the whole study period. There also occurred no mortality in the bottom-cultured sea cucumbers during the first culture period (May 26July 13); but all these died from anoxia caused by water column stratification during the second culture period (July 14August 14). The specific growth rate of the bottom-cultured sea cucumbers (1.05 +/- 0.21 % day-1) was nearly double that of the suspended culture animals (0.57 +/- 0.21 % day-1) during the first culture period, and the growth rates of the suspended culture sea cucumbers in the second culture periods (0.46 +/- 0.24 % day-1) was only a little lower than that of the first period. The sea cucumbers H. leucospilota could ingest and assimilate sediment with high organic matter content with an average assimilation efficiency of 14.9 +/- 3.9%. This study indicated that fish farm detritus can be effectively used as a food source for the sea cucumber and that it can be turned into a valuable secondary crop in the form of the sea cucumber biomass.
Species groups and the evolutionary diversification of tuco-tucos, genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Abstract We present the most comprehensive study to date of species groups in Ctenomys (tuco-tucos), a species-rich genus of Neotropical rodents. To explore phylogenetic relationships among 38 species and 12 undescribed forms we sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome-b genes of 34 specimens and incorporated 50 previously published sequences. Parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were performed using additional hystricognath rodents as outgroup taxa. The basal dichotomy of Ctenomys splits C. sociabilis from the remaining tuco-tucos, within which 8 main species groups were identified: boliviensis, frater, mendocinus, opimus, magellanicus, talarum, torquatus, and tucumanus. Whereas most of these groups refer to previous clades proposed on the basis of chromosomes or morphology, the torquatus and magellanicus species groups are novel taxonomic hypotheses. However, relationships among species groups are poorly resolved. Furthmore, the positions of C. leucodon, C. maulinus, and C. tuconax are conflicting or unresolved, and they might represent additional independent lineages. On the basis of molecular dating, we estimate that most species groups originated approximately 3 million years ago.
Movement paths reveal scale-dependent habitat decisions by Canada lynx

Abstract We documented the relative grain at which Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) perceive habitat heterogeneity using fractal dimension of foraging paths. We evaluated whether lynx expended greater foraging effort (i.e., greater fractal dimension of movement paths) in patches with the highest density of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), or in patches with intermediate densities of prey where lower stem densities and greater visibility promote increased mobility and access to prey. Lynx foraged within patches with intermediate to high hare density and intermediate cover for hares, and thus, attempted to maximize access to prey rather than exposure to habitats with highest prey density but optimal escape cover. Fractal dimension of movement paths was greater within preferred than in nonpreferred habitats and corresponded with higher foraging success in preferred habitats. Movement paths were more tortuous at broader than finer scales, suggesting that lynx were exhibiting stronger coarse-grained than fine-grained habitat preferences. Higher fractal dimension of movement paths reduced the number of transitions between patches of higher and lower foraging quality, resulting in individual movement patterns matching the scale of interpatch variation in hare abundance and accessibility within home ranges. Lynx made their strongest foraging decisions when exhibiting higher-order resource selection, so focusing conservation efforts to alter within-patch structure may be less effective than creating patch- and landscape-scale conditions that enhance foraging success. Coarse-grained resource selection by wide-ranging carnivores may reduce the importance of fine-scale conservation efforts and emphasizes the importance of focusing conservation for these coarse-grained species on factors influencing home-range quality and maintenance of viable landscapes.
Haematological Analyses of Japanese Quail ( Coturnix Coturnix Japonica ) At Different Stages of Growth

Japanese quail is a more disease resistant species than that of chicken and as poultry bird is a commercially much viable option due to its several other characteristics. The present study was carried out to compare the basic haematological parameters in Japanese quail reared in Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO), Eastern Region (ER), Govt. of India, Bhubaneswar. Blood samples were taken from the wing vein of 10 Japanese quails at different stages of growth, i.e., 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th , 6 th and 9 th week. Haematological parameters such as Haemoglobin (Hb), Red Blood Cell (RBC), White Blood Cell (WBC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) , and Erythrocytic indices, i.e., Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin(MCH), and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration(MCHC)) of 10 clinically healthy birds were measured and expressed as mean±SE. Samples of different age groups are compared by using One Way ANOVA to assess the significance of differences at p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.001 by the help of Paleontological statistics (PAST) version 2.17. The mean value of Hb, RBC and PCV differed highly significantly (p<0.001) between different age groups of Japanese quail. WBC, MCH (p<0.01) and MCV, MCHC (p<0.05) indicate significant difference between different age groups. The study would help to draw conclusive findings regarding the health status of Japanese quail and serve as a suitable model organism for experimental study.
A physical estimate of new production in the equatorial Pacific along 150°W

New production was estimated for the equatorial Pacific by quantifjling the supply of nitrate into the euphotic zone. The turbulent flux of nitrate, estimated by assuming gradient transport and by direct measurements of dissipation and nitrate concentration along a cross-equatorial transect, was maximum (l-3 mmol m-3 d-l) at 0” and 1”s. Poleward of the equatorial region, there was little vertical diffusion of nitrate (< 1O-3 mmol m-2 d-l). An estimate was made of the two-dimensional advective balance of nitrate between upwelling and the meridional divergence in the equatorial region. The net supply of nitrate into the euphotic zone (vertical supply minus meridional loss) was 4.3 mmol m-2 d-l between 1”N and 1’S; between 5”N and 5’S, it was 1.9 mmol m-2 d-l. The total supply of nitrate was larger than the concurrently measured incorporation of nitrate into particles but was comparable to the integrated local rate of nitrate disappearance. The discrepancy between new production estimated from physical supply or from nitrate disappearance and that estimated from nitrate incorporation into particles suggests that uptake by small cells (< 1 pm), dissolved organic N, or both play an important role in the equatorial region. New production is the primary production fueled by nutrients that have been newly introduced into the euphotic or sunlit layer as opposed to primary production fueled by recycled nutrients from within the layer (Dugdale and Goering 1967; Eppley and Peterson 1979). The main source of new nutrients to the euphotic zone in the laterally homogeneous open ocean is the vertical transport of deep, nutrient-rich water by either upwelling or vertical mixing (Eppley et al. 1979). New production is typically estimated by measuring the amount of labeled nitrate incorporated into particles, by quantifying the particle flux out of the euphotic layer with sediment traps, or by estimating the flux of nitrate into the euphotic zone. The turbulent supply of nitrate has been inferred from microstructure measurements of dissipation by Lewis et al. (1986) for the Atlantic subtropical gyre and by Crawford and Dewey (1989) for the continental shelf of British Columbia. Lewis et al. (1986) compared nitrate uptake rates with the turbulent supply; the two values agreed within the respective measurement errors. The objective of this paper is to estimate nitrate supply in the equatorial Pacific. The potentially large role of the equatorial Pacific in global new production was discussed I Current address: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett 02882.
Influence of landscape complexity and land management on woody plant diversity in northern Spain

Abstract. Changes in land use, particularly the type of forest management, and their spatial pattern, especially woody plant diversity, were related to each other in an area in the Basque region (Spain). The number and diversity of boundaries between landscape patches is related to the development of the spatial complexity of the landscape, C(s), measured in bits and defined as: C(s) = H(b) H(l), where H(b) is the boundary diversity H(1) the spatial heterogeneity generated by these boundaries. As to the vegetation types, changes in land use over the last 50 yr have resulted in a less diversified and more fragmented landscape, especially on a small scale. Forest plantation has become the predominant land use. The frequency of land use changes is studied regarding its influence on the present levels of woody plant diversity.
Inheritance; Low Correlations of Leaf, Pod, and Seed Reactions to Common Blight Disease in Common Beans; and Implications for Selection

The heritability of leaf, pod, and seed reactions; stem color and abaxial leaf pubescence; and the association of these traits were studied in advanced dry bean recombinant inbred lines derived from the Phaseolus vulgaris crosses 'PC-SO' × XAN-159, 'PC-50' × BAC-6, and 'Venezuela 44' × BAC-6. The reaction to Xcp was quantitatively inherited in all three plant organs. Qualitative inheritance was found for stem color and leaf pubescence. Low to intermediate heritability values were obtained for the leaf and seed reactions to Xcp. Heritability estimates were consistently low for the pod reaction to Xcp. Low nonsignificant Pearson correlations were detected between leaf and pod reactions, leaf and seed reactions, and pod and seed reactions, except for the latter two correlations, which were low and significant in lines from the cross 'PC-50' × XAN-154. Genetic correlations between leaf and pod reactions and leaf and seed reactions were low and significant in lines from all crosses, except for Venezuela 44 × BAC-6 in the latter case. Genetic correlations between pod and seed reactions were low and nonsignificant, except in the cross 'PC-50' × XAN-159, for which a low significant correlation was observed. No significant association was found between Xcp leaf reaction and stem color or leaf pubescence. A breeding strategy for improving resistance to Xcp in P. vulgaris is discussed. Common blight (CB), caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Smith) Dye (Xcp), is an important disease of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) worldwide (Saettler, 1989; Zaumeyer and Thomas, 1957). The pathogen is transmitted by seeds (Weller and Saettler, 1980; Zaumeyer, 1930). High temperature (25 to 30C), high relative humidity, frequent rains, and susceptibility are major
In vitro antagonistic activity of Bacillus subtilis strains isolated from soils of the Yucatan Peninsula against Macrophomina phaseolina and Meloidogyne incognita

The antagonistic activity of native Bacillus subtilis strains from Yucatan peninsula soils were evaluated on two soilborne pathogens. Bacillus subtilis cbck36 and cbrf24 caused more than 60% inhibition of colony growth in Machophomina phaseolina. Cell-free culture filtrate of B. subtilis cbr24 were active against second-stage juveniles (J2) of Meloidogyne incognita (LC50 25.8% v/v).
Content of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal in deep-fried and pan-fried potatoes

Trans,trans-2,4-decadienal is a by-product of frying oil that is also transferred to fried food. This aldehyde has been found and quantified both in frying oils and fumes generated during frying. Furthermore, it has been reported that 2,4-decadienal has cytotoxic and genotoxic effects and promotes LDL oxidation. In the present work trans,trans-2,4-decadienal was detected directly in fried potatoes (french-fries). Moreover, the influence of frying conditions (deep-frying, pan-frying), the oil type (olive oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil and a vegetable shortening) and the degree of thermal deterioration (eight successive frying sessions without replenishment) on the production of 2,4-decadienal in oil and potatoes was studied. The isolation of the aldehyde was performed by methanol extraction, while the identification and quantification was performed by RP-HPLC. The quantity of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal produced during successive pan-frying demonstrated a peak at the third and fourth frying session. The highest concentration of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal was detected in potatoes fried in sunflower oil, and the lowest in olive oil. The quantity of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal in fried potatoes decreased during successive deep-frying at the seventh frying session or remained stable, except for cottonseed oil. The quantity of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal in fried potatoes was considered to be dependent on the oil used, on the frying process and, to a lesser extent, on the oil deterioration. In all cases tested, the highest concentration of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal was detected during deep-frying. The unsaturation degree of the frying oil was considered to promote the formation of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal. Considering the quantity of 2,4-decadienal found in french-fries and in the respective frying medium, direct quantification of 2,4-decadienal is required in order to make an estimation of intake from french-fries.
A methodology for long‐term population monitoring of the endangered key largo cotton mouse

The Key Largo cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola) was federally listed as Endangered in 1984 due to habitat loss and subsequent population decline, but because of infrequent monitoring, the extent of decline and long-term population trends are unknown. We modeled population abundance under a variety of trapping scenarios to develop a monitoring protocol that would provide accurate population estimates and could be conducted more frequently under current personnel and budget constraints. We captured cotton mice on 33 trapping grids in Key Largo, Florida, USA, during 3 trapping sessions (1 Mar–11 May, 4 Jul–7 Sep, and 29 Oct–31 Dec) in 2007. We compared demographic parameter estimates from subsets of trapping grids with estimates from all grids to identify a subset of grids that would produce population estimates within 10% and remain within the 95% confidence intervals of estimates using all grids when both methods were extrapolated to total available habitat. There were insufficient captures in session 1 to produce a reliable population estimate. We found that 13 and 12 trapping grids, respectively, produced abundance estimates meeting our criteria in sessions 2 and 3. We conclude that the subset of 12 grids trapped during November and December will allow a 64% reduction in number of trapping grids necessary to provide a reliable population estimate. Employed annually, our recommended trapping protocol provides state and federal agencies an efficient method for monitoring trends in the Key Largo cotton mouse population. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Digestive Physiology and the Role of Microorganisms

Abstract The gastrointestinal tract contains within it a microenvironment of bacteria that influences the host animal in many ways. The microflora can metabolize several nutrients that the host cannot digest and converts these to end products (such as short-chain fatty acids), a process that has a direct impact on digestive physiology. The microbiota directs the assembly of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, helps educate the immune system, affects the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, modulates proliferation and differentiation of its epithelial lineages, regulates angiogenesis, modifies the activity of the enteric nervous system, and plays a key role in extracting and processing nutrients consumed in the diet. Despite these important effects, the mechanisms by which the gut microbial community influences host biology remain almost entirely unknown. Recent molecular-based investigations have confirmed the species diversity and metabolic complexity of gut microflora, although there is much work to be done to understand how they relate to each other as well as the host animal. It is almost a century ago that Eli Metchnikoff proposed the revolutionary idea to consume viable bacteria to promote health. Since that time, the area known as probiotics has made dramatic progress, particularly during the past 2 decades. The last 20 yr have also seen the emergence of a new, related area of study—prebiotics. Use of these 2 ideas—providing live nonpathogenic bacteria as well as substrates for their growth—have potential to help optimize the health of animals by manipulating the gastrointestinal tract in positive ways.