Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF COMPETITION AND WATER STRESS ON MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF SPRING BARLEY GROWN WITH RED CLOVER

Based on a 3-year pot experiment carried out according to an additive design, the effect of competitive effect of red clover and water deficit was studied on morphological traits of spring barley (length of the root, shoot and ear, total and productive tillering, leaf number and grain number per ear). The experimental factors included: level of substrate moisture and sowing method. Two levels of moisture were used: the one which met plants' requirements, and one reduced by 50%. The plants were sown in a pure stand (18 plants of spring barley per pot) and in a mixed stand (18 plants of spring barley with 8 plants of red clover per pot). Biometric measurements were conducted in five development stages determined by the growth rhythm of barley in pure sowing with a higher water dose, i.e. in the stages of (BBCH scale): leaf formation (10- -13), tillering (22-25), shooting (33-37), ear formation (52-55) and maturation (87-91). It was indicated that common cultivation of spring barley with red clover had no effect on the analyzed morphological traits of this cereal throughout the whole growing season. On the other hand, water deficit in the substrate resulted in a reduction in cereal growth in tillering-maturation stages, in the formation of a lower number of leaves (tillering- -shooting) and in a poorer total and productive tillering. Water stress also caused formation of shorter ears with a lower number of grains filling them. Competitive effect of red clover amplified with water deficit resulted in the reduction in the number of productive shoots in barley. No effect of experimental factors was found on the root length in the initial growth stages (leaf formation-tillering).
Research note: poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea) growth rates in thinned and intact woodlands in central Queensland

A 19-year data set, which highlights the rapid growth rate in basal area of trees in thinned plots compared with unthinned controls, is presented. These results support the contention that, following tree thinning, basal area of retained trees will increase more rapidly than that of trees on unthinned areas. Indications are that pre-thinning levels in tree basal area will again be reached before the cost of treatment can be recouped by increased pasture and livestock production.
Phytoplankton dynamics and periodicity in two cascading warm-water reservoirs from 1989 to 1997 - taxonomic and functional (C-S-R) patterns, and determining factors

The composition and abundance of distinctive planktonic autotrophs (ca 60 taxa) were examined at roughly fortnightly intervals in two sizeable reservoirs (Midmar and Albert Falls) on the uMngeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, between 1989 and 1997. The dynamics of community structure and abundance were examined in both taxonomic and functional (C-S-R) terms in relation to physical abiotic variables (thermal stratification, light climate, water level) and biotic influences of predation (zooplankton abundance). Annual periodicity was exhibited by most taxa apart from Cryptomonas, although patterns tended to be indistinct and inter-annual repeatability was generally weak – in line with year-to-year and between-system environmental variability. Water level fluctuation, with concomitant change in stratification intensity and hydraulic mixing and accompanying changes in water clarity associated with suspended sediment levels was clearly a major (direct and indirect) determinant of phytoplankton composition and abundance. The influence of top-down controls as inferred from phytoplankton-zooplankton relationships was fundamentally different in the two reservoirs – potentially stimulatory in Midmar, but clearly regulatory in Albert Falls, where episodic collapses of Daphnia populations resulted in chlorophyll values well into the eutrophic level range. In addition to annual patterns, changes in chlorophyll content implied progressive long-term changes in trophic status, especially in Albert Falls, with the emergence of various ‘new' taxa (and/or higher peak densities of others). Consideration of phytoplankton dynamics in terms of functional groups offers certain advantages over conventional phyletic taxonomic analyses, although algal response forecasting by either approach appears potentially constrained by hydrological variability. Site-specific bio-monitoring, possibly using new rapid technologies, is likely to be necessary for ongoing management purposes until predictive capabilities under regionally characteristic conditions improve. Despite limitations, functional classification proffers faster advances to this end than conventional taxonomic appraisal. Water SA Vol 32(1)pp:81-92
NEARLY ISOGENIC CUCUMBER GENOTYPES DIFFERING IN LEAF SIZE AND PLANT HABIT EXHIBIT DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE TO WATER STRESS

Four nearly isogenic cucumber lines (Cucumis sativus L.) differing in leaf size (standard leaf ( LL) vs. little leaf ( ll)) and plant habit (indeterminate (DeDe) vs. determinate (dede)) were compared for their response to high soil moisture tensions in 1990 and 1996. Comparisons were made between lines for aboveground vegetative and fruit response, between two irrigation regimes, and among three postharvest treatments. Differences in vegetative plant response between lines were documented by wilting ratings, plant dry weight, fruit number and fresh weight, and fruit quality (i.e., fruit shape, seed size , seed cavity size, and pillowy fruit disorder (PFD)) ratings depending upon the stress environment. Postharvest treatment affected the quality of fruit recovered from plants subjected to water stress. Exposure of fruit at 15 ˚C and 85% relative humidity (RH) for 4 days after hydrocooling, resulted in lower PFD than storage of fruit at 26 ˚C and 60% RH for 2 days without hydrocooling. Cucumber genotypes showed differential response to water stress indicating that plant habit and leaf size can be important genetic determinants of plant response to water stress. Although plant productivity was not affected by water stress, PFD, shape, seed size, and seed cavity size of fruit from lldede plants were more severely affected by water stress than its llDeDe counterpart. Plants homozygous ll, in either a determinate or indeterminate background, were less susceptible to wilting under water stress conditions than their normal leaf ( LL) counterparts. However, plant dry weight and fruit number and weight were higher in LLDeDe plants when compared to their llDeDe counterparts. Fruit recovered from LLDeDe plants were of higher quality than those recovered from llDeDe plants. Thus, wilting response to water stress is not necessarily indicative of a cucumber plant's tolerance to water stress in the reproductive stage.
Increasing sexual ornamentation during a biological invasion

Sexual selection during range expansions has seldom been investigated, but it could be important for speciation because expansions create peripatric populations and sexual ornaments mediate reproductive isolation. We compared carotenoid-based ornamentation of common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) across a recent biological invasion that is representative of typical expansions, in that it progressed from ecologically favorable environments, where the source populations inhabit, toward less favorable ones. We found that sexual ornamentation and sexual dichromatism augmented during the expansion, involving an increase in male color saturation and decrease in female ornamental area. We disfavor explanations based solely on environmental effects or differential dispersal because of the opposite changes in each sex and because environmental factors alone (availability of dietary carotenoids) would predict decreased ornamentation. Results instead suggest increasing sexual selection along the expansion. Sexual signals generally allow female choice of high-quality males and, thus, intersexual selection may increase during expansions because the fitness differential between mating with high- or low-quality males is larger in less favorable environments. This is potentially a general mechanism that, if it proves common, could have implications for macroevolution (e.g., young peripatric species having more elaborate sexual traits).
EFEKTIFITAS ANTOSIANIN KULIT BUAH JAMBLANG (Syzygium cumini) SEBAGAI PENURUN LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN DARAH TIKUS WISTAR YANG MENGALAMI HIPERKOLESTEROLEMIA

ABSTRAK : Telah dilakukan penelitian ekstraksi antosianin dari kulit buah jamblang dengan pelarut etanol. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui jenis antosianin dalam ektrak kulibuah jamblang serta mengetahui potensi antosianin dalam ekstrak etanol sebagai penurun LDL sekaligus sebagai menaikkan HDL dalam darah tikus yang hiperkolesterolemia. Penelitian ini bersifat eksperimental dengan rancangan One Group Pretest and Posttest Design . Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kadar antosianin total dalam ekstrak kulit buah jamblang sebesar 830 ± 15,2 mg/L. Uji spektrofotometri UV-Vis menunjukkan serapan pada 274 dan 536 nm, yang merupakan ciri golongan flavonoid termasuk antosianin. Hasil TLC menunjukkan 2 noda, yaitu noda (a) dengan Rf = 0,40 (petunidin-3-rhamnosa) dan noda b, Rf = 0,33 (sianidin-3-soporosa). Kemampuan menurunkan LDL terbaik ditunjukkan oleh P3 yang diberikan ekstrak kulit buah Jamblang sebanyak 69 g/150 BB dengan penurunan kadar LDL mencapai 54,5% dan kenaikan HDL 16,6%. Prosentase penurunan kadar LDL yang ditunjukkan P3 sebanding dengan P4 yang diberikan obat paten berupa simvastatin dengan prosentase penurunan 53,4%. ABSTRACT: A research has been conducted of anthocyanin extraction from jamblang’s peel fruit with ethanol solvent. The purpose of this research was to determine the type of anthocyanin extraction of jamblang’s peel fruit and determine the potential of anthocyanins in the ethanol extraction as a function of decreasing LDL as well as raising HDL in the blood’s of rats in hypercholesterolemia. This research was experimental in design of One Group Pre-test and Post-test Design . The results showed that the levels of total anthocyanins in the Jamblang’s fruit peel extraction was 830 ± 15.2 mg/L. UV-Vis spectrophotometry test showed the absorptions at 274 and 536 nm which are the characteristics of flavonoids such as anthocyanins. The results of TLC showed two stains, such as stain (a) with R f = 0.40 (petunidin-3-rhamnosa) and stain b, R f = 0.33 (sianidin-3-soporosa). The best decreasing LDL ability was demonstrated by P3 group that had been given Jamblang’s fruit peel extraction as much as 69 g/150 BB by decreasing the LDL level by 54.5% and increasing the HDL level by 16.6%. The decreasing of LDL levels indicated by P3 comparable with P4 group that had been given with patented simvastatin drug with percentage of decreasing of 53.4%.
Effect of Honey Solution on Semen Preservability of Local Breeds of Cattle Bulls

Honey produced by the honey bee (Apis mellifera lamarckii) is a natural supersaturated sugar solution with other important nutritive ingredients. The present study aimed to improve semen preservability through the use of honey as extender additive expressed in chilled and frozen semen of native cattle bulls. Three mature cattle bulls were used for semen collection. Semen samples were diluted with TRIS extender (control) and TRIS-Honey bee extender (with a concentration of 0.5/4.5, 1/4, 1.5/3.5, 2/3, 2.5/2.5 ml (v/v) of honey / TCFY to obtain a final volume of 5 ml in each tube). Extended semen was slowly cooled, packed into 0.25 ml straws and frozen in liquid nitrogen. The parameters studied were subjective semen characteristics (motility, alive, abnormality and hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) %) with the conception rate as a confirmatory field test. Results revealed that sperm motility % of the concentration 1.5/3.5 cc was the best after 7 days of chilling (55.55%), while 0.5/4.5 cc concentration was the best after thawing (62.50%) with a conception rate of 82.35%. Finally, it is concluded that, addition of 10% honey solution to semen extender improved sperm motility in chilled and frozen semen and also improved the conception rate.
Black-Tufted-Ear Marmoset Callithrix penicillata (Primates: Callitrichidae) Following the Army Ant Labidus praedator (Formicidae: Ecitoninae) in the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Black-Tufted-Ear Marmoset Callithrix penicillata (Primates: Callitrichidae) Following the Army Ant Labidus praedator (Formicidae: Ecitoninae) in the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, Brazil
Egg hatching response to a range of air humidities for six species of predatory mites

The efficiency of biological control agents is often affected by local conditions such as low relative humidity (r.h.). This is especially true for mites of the family Phytoseiidae, and particularly for their egg stage. A key issue in biological control is thus to assess the drought tolerance of phytoseiid species that are (or that will be) commercialized. In this study, we evaluated the egg hatching response to a humidity range for six species of Phytoseiidae, by assessing the relative air humidity and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) at which 50% of the eggs hatch: r.h. 50 and VPD50. Typhlodromus athiasae Porath & Swirskii and Phytoseiulus longipes Evans (Argentinean strain) were the most drought‐tolerant, with a r.h. 50 of 43% (VPD50 = 18.2 hPa) and 43% (18.1 hPa), respectively. The most drought‐sensitive species were Amblyseius swirskii (Athias‐Henriot) (63%, 11.4 hPa), Phytoseiulus macropilis (Banks) (69%, 9.8 hPa), and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias‐Henriot (70%, 9.4 hPa). Neoseiulus idaeus Denmark & Muma and P. longipes (Chilean strain) showed intermediate responses with 49% (16.1 hPa) and 50% (15.9 hPa), respectively. These results were similar to what had been obtained for the same species by other authors. However, unexpected inter‐ and intraspecific differences uncorrelated to climatic conditions of the area of origin were observed. The possibility to localize species and/or populations that could be efficient as biological control agents under dry conditions is discussed.
Distribution of Hybrid Imported Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Some Native Ant Species in Relation to Local Environmental Conditions and Interspecific Competition in Mississippi Forests

Abstract Studies of interactions between imported fire ants and other ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) have generally addressed populations in open areas where imported fire ant densities are highest. Forest habitats harbor a different assemblage of ant species and interactions between ant species in forests are occurring under different environmental conditions. We have asked three questions about the distribution of hybrid imported fire ants and native ant species in a Mississippi forest: 1) Is their distribution influenced primarily by interspecific competition or by local conditions? 2) Are the communities at locations with and without hybrid imported fire ants different? and 3) Which native ant species are using the same resources as hybrid imported fire ants? To answer these questions, ant species were collected at baits, along with the metrics for a set of local conditions, over a representative sample of forest habitats. Data were analyzed using permutation tests comparing the observed characteristics of the ant community to those expected by random processes. The community of ant species collected at baits was not structured competitively and their distribution was strongly associated with the distribution of local conditions. The assemblage of ant species was different at locations with hybrid imported fire ants from the assemblage at locations without them, but the two groups of locations were equal in richness when samples were standardized by rarefaction. Of the 28 species collected, 14 occurred with hybrid imported fire ants. One species, Aphaenogaster carolinensis Wheeler, was negatively associated, and another, Monomorium minimum (Buckley), was positively associated with hybrid imported fire ant occurrence.
An introduced invertebrate predator (Bythotrephes) reduces zooplankton species richness

Rarely do ecologists have the data needed to assess the impacts of invading species on biodiversity, i.e. pre- and post-invasion census information from both invaded and control sites. Using a 21-year time series, we demonstrate that the invasion of Harp Lake, Ontario, Canada, by the Eurasian spiny water flea, Bythotrephes longimanus, a zooplanktivore, was accompanied by a rapid and long-lasting reduction in the average species richness of crustacean zooplankton, particularly of cladoceran taxa. No such reduction was observed in seven nearby un-invaded lakes over the same two decades. If the Harp Lake results are typical, we predict a widespread reduction in crustacean zooplankton richness on the Canadian Shield for three reasons. Shield lakes provide the invader with good habitat. Its dispersal rates and colonization success are high. Zooplankton richness in Harp Lake is now unusually low for a Shield Lake of its size and acidity.
Mechanisms of Hormone Resistance in Breast Cancer

Epldumal gro~lh (~tlor (EGF) re,eplol Is InHrsd)' rdated to ex· pruslon of \'~trogtll receptor (ER) and progesterone H(eptor In primal)" brnsl lumors and is II Mgathe predictor (or respon'! e to endocrtM thuap)" To Inlesligale II. possible C1lusal role of EGF receptor uprn· ! Ion In breast cancer progression to hormone IndependenN. \'Ie hut (:luted an experimental cell s)'stem. Epldumal gWl'llh factor receptor complem~ntary DNA I>iS Introduced III estrogen-deptlldent ZR·7S-1 bru.st can(U Nils, and the resulting ZRjHERc cells exhibited a mitogenic response to epldnmal grolllh faClor, thus b}puslng utrogen dependence. This EGF·induced prollferation could nOI be Inhlbllffi by antleslrogens. In additilJn, we noted changes In cell morpho! og)' and kentln expression of EGF·sllmulat~d ZR/HERc (ells, suggesthe of an altered dIfferentiation stale. Furthermore, IntlJleranee of functllJnal En and EGF receptor signal transductIon pathll/l}'s in ZR/HERc ails lias obsened during simultaneous aetllallon, IIhlch posslbl)' explains the Inluse relationship of ER and EGF receptor e~prusion In primary tumors. In contrast to the parenlal cells, ZR/HERc cells rapldl)' pro· gressed 10 II slltble ER·negatlle phenot)pe IIhen cultured in the pres· ence of the antlestrogen b)·drox)"·tamoxlfen. These results suggest II possible role tor EGF receptor [n progressIon of breast cancer to hor· mone IndependeMe.
A revision of Aceratherium blanfordi Lydekker, 1884 (Mammalia: Rhinocerotidae) from the Early Miocene of Pakistan: postcranials as a key

Rhinocerotids are particularly abundant and diversified in Neogene deposits of the Indian subcontinent, but their systematics is far from being well defined. Based on the revision of old collections and new findings from the Early Miocene of the Bugti Hills and Zinda Pir, Pakistan, ‘Aceratherium blanfordi Lydekker, 1884’ is a chimera, consisting of two dentally convergent but postcranially distinct rhinocerotid taxa: Pleuroceros blanfordi and Mesaceratherium welcommi sp. nov. Postcranial features appear to be much more diagnostic than craniodental morphology in this case. A phylogenetic analysis based on 282 morphological characters scored for 28 taxa (four outgroups and ingroup including both taxa of interest and a ‘branching group’) strengthens this statement and supports Pleuroceros and Mesaceratherium as monophyletic genera within Rhinocerotinae. Both genera are recognized for the first time outside Europe. In the Bugti Hills, P. blanfordi and M. welcommi are part of an exceptionally diversified rhinocerotid fauna, with up to nine species associated in the same locality (Kumbi 4f). This rhinocerotid assemblage confirms the earliest Miocene age (Agenian/Aquitanian) of the upper member of the Chitarwata Formation as a whole. Coeval homotaxic rhinocerotid faunas from Europe (France, Czech Republic) and East Africa (Uganda, Kenya) support broad and sustainable rhinocerotid interchanges amongst South Asia, Europe, and Africa under compatible environmental conditions throughout earliest Miocene times. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 160, 139–194.
A comparison of growth and physiology in Picea glauca and Populus tremuloides at different soil temperatures

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings were grown at uniform air temperatures but different soil temperatures (5, 15, and 25°C), and gas-exchange and growth characteristics were examined during active growth and early dormancy. At 5°C, Populus tremuloides had no root growth and limited growth in leaf area and shoot mass compared with the large increases in leaf and shoot mass at 25°C. In contrast, Picea glauca had some root growth at 5°C and moderate growth of roots at 15 and 25°C; however, there were no differences in aboveground mass at the different soil temperatures. Net assimilation and stomatal conduc- tance in Populus tremuloides were reduced with decreasing soil temperatures, while in Picea glauca soil temperatures did not affect these gas-exchange variables. In both species, root mass was higher in the dormant period than during the growing period, while root volume remained constant. Generally, the growth variables of Populus tremuloides were more suppressed by cold soils than in Picea glauca. Root total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) decreased between the active growth and dormancy period by nearly 50% in Populus tremuloides, while there was no change in TNC in Picea glauca. Results suggest a more conservative use of TNC reserves in Picea glauca combined with a tolerance to cold soil temperatures compared with Populus tremuloides.
Geographic distribution of Karlodinium veneficum in the US east coast as detected by ITS-ferredoxin real-time PCR assay

Karlodinium veneficum is an ichthyotoxic dinoflagellate suspected to be responsible for massive fish kills. Because it is morphologically similar to Pfiesteria and related dinoflagellates, accurate abundance data of K. veneficum in the natural environment are difficult to obtain using light microscopy. In this study, species-specific real-time PCR assays were developed using the ferredoxin gene (KvFERR) and rDNA locus (partial internal transcribed spacer regions and 5.8S rDNA, KvITS). These assays were used to investigate the geographic and temporal distribution of K. veneficum from various estuaries and coastal regions of the Pacific and West Atlantic Oceans. In general, both genes gave similar quantitative results, detecting down to 0.1-1 K. veneficum cells mL(-1). The higher occurrence frequency and abundance of K. veneficum were observed in Neuse River, North Carolina, Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and Chesapeake Bay, MD, USA. Most of the KvITS sequences from North Carolina to Maine were identical to that of K. veneficum strain CCMP1975 (initially isolated from Chesapeake Bay), with 1-2 nucleotide substitutions occurring in sequences from Texas and Narragansett Bay samples. This result suggests the same origin and recent separation of K. veneficum populations living in this wide geographic range. In this study, K. veneficum was more abundant at 5-15 degrees C and 4-20 psu.