Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of feeding Gliricidia Leaf Meal (GLM) on the haematological, serological and carcass characteristics of weaned rabbits in the tropics

I. A. Amata Abstract In an experiment to determine the effect of feeding graded levels of Gliricidia sepium Leaf Meal (GLM) on the heamatology, serum chemistry and carcass characteristics of rabbits in the tropics, twenty-five (25) weaned rabbits of mixed sexes, 5-6 weeks old, were randomly allotted to five (5) dietary treatments in which GLM replaced soybean meal (SBM) at 0% (control), 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% with five (5) rabbits per treatment in a completely randomised design. Each rabbit constituted a replicate. Haematological and serological parameters measured at the end of 8 weeks of feeding indicated significant (P<0.05) variations in packed cell volume (PCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and serum albumins, and highly significant (P<0.01) changes in erythrocyte counts (RBC), leucocytes counts (WBC) and in total serum proteins with variations in the level of dietary GLM. The haemoglobin (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV) mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and serum globulins were, however, unaffected (P>0.05) by variations in the level of dietary GLM.
Phenotypic Differences Between Natural and Selected Populations of Picea Abies. II. Apical Mitotic Activity and Growth Related Parameters

Apical mitotic index (MI) and growth of non-juvenile Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst. ] populations growing in northern Sweden (63°54' N) were monitored in 1996. Annual leader shoot lengths and shoot growth components for the period 1990-1997 were measured in 1997. In 1997 populations transferred more than approximately 3° in latitude were found to be shorter than local populations. MI levels were initially high in all populations in mid-April. In spring, populations originating north of 63°30' N showed higher MI levels, and started shoot growth earlier, than populations originating further south. In autumn, MI levels were higher in populations originating south of 63°30' N than in populations originating further north and higher in seed orchard populations than in natural populations of similar latitudinal origin. The number of stem-units (NSU) was correlated with tree height and leader shoot length. NSU and elongation of stem-units appeared to be primarily influenced by summer temperature. Prolonged MI activity in autumn did not result in high NSU but appeared to be associated with a higher risk of frost damage to buds. The results are discussed in relation to climatic factors, seed transfer, selection and inherent growth rhythms.
Contribuição ao estudo morfológico de ovos e ninfas de Triatoma brasiliensis neiva, 1911 (hemiptera, reduviidae, triatominae)

A study on the structure of the eggs and morphology of nymphs, was carried out using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to establish new methods of identification. With OM the eggs show an exochorial surface divided in polygonal areas. The exochorion of the body has polygonous which are larger than those of the cap, however both of them are smooth. With SEM the exochorion of the cap is upholstered with small and irregular perfurations, spread at random. The exochorion of the body is less upholstered with perfuration at the surface and on the edges. The nymphs show differences in the stridulatory grooves, which are characteristics of each instar.
Cyanobacterial hepatotoxins, microcystins and nodularins, in fresh and brackish waters of the Pomeranian Province, northern Poland

Abstract Microcystins (MCs) and structurally related nodularins (NODs) are hepatotoxic cyclic peptides produced by bloom-forming cyanobacteria. These toxins have been implicated in the deaths of wild and domestic animals as well as in incidents of human illness. Cyanobacterial toxins occurring in the fresh and brackish waters of the Pomeranian Province, northern Poland were characterized in this study. Water samples collected from seven lakes in August and September 2005 were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PPIA). Cyanobacterial toxins present in field samples and in an isolated strain of Planktothrix agardhii were also characterized by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). In most of the fresh water samples MC-LR, MC-RR and MC-YR dominated. In the lakes where P. agardhii was most abundant demethylated microcystin variants tentatively identified as [D-Asp3]MC-LR, [D-Asp3]MC-YR and [D-Asp3]MC-RR, were found. Total concentrations of the toxins measured by HPLC ranged from 0.1 μg 1-1 to 305.4 μg 1-1. Nodularia spumigena bloom samples were collected from brackish waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk, southern Baltic, and LC-ISP-MS/MS of extract from these revealed the presence of two geometrical isomers of linear nodularin and nodularin variant with aspartic acid methyl ester [MeAsp1(OMe)]NOD.
Patterns of Liana Abundance, Reproductive Traits and Liana-Tree Relationships in Relation to Forest Management in a Tropical Forest in Ghana

The study determined the impacts of three forest management regimes—logging treated (LT), tropical shelterwood system (TSS) treated, and untreated forest (UF)—on liana abundance, reproduction and climbing guilds, and liana-tree relationship patterns in the Asenanyo Forest Reserve, Ghana. The first two regimes involved liana cutting over 20 and 53 yr ago, respectively. Lianas and their hosts were sampled in 10 randomly demarcated plots (40 × 40 m2) in each regime. Liana abundance and infestation were significantly lower in the LT forest than the UF, whereas these attributes were comparable in the TSS treated and the UF. Overall, the patterns of liana reproduction and climbing guilds were similar in the treated and untreated forests. Tree diameter was positively and significantly correlated to liana load, basal area, and degree of colonization in the treated and untreated forests. Mean liana load was the same on different tree bark types in the forest management regimes. These findings suggest that the impact of liana cutting on liana abundance was still apparent in the LT forest but not in the TSS treated forest. Again, the impacts of liana cutting on patterns of liana reproduction and climbing guilds and liana-tree relationships were not noticeable in the treated forests.
Insect pheromones as reversible competitive inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase

Summary Structural aspects of insect pheromones, especially their hydrophobicity, prompted the examination of them by in vitro and in vivo experiments as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. All 17 pheromones assayed in sufficient detail were reversible, competitive inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase: Ki values ranged from 0.27 mM for frontalin to 9.3 mM for ipsenol, both aggregation pheromones. All seven pheromones assayed with Tribolium castaneum immobilised this species with an effect that was weakly dose-responsive over the range of concentrations tested. Concentrations eliciting 25% immobility (IC25) ranged from 2.0x103 ppm for 3-methy 1–2-cyclohexenone to 2.0x104 ppm for cis-7, cis-11-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate, both sex attractants. Such efficacies suggest that the pheromones tested would be effective as defence agents only in species living in a confined area, as under bark, or in aggregations.
Stable Isotope Evidence for a Putative Endosymbiont-Based Lithotrophic Bathymodiolus sp. Mussel Community Atop a Serpentine Seamount

A putative endosymbiont-based benthic animal community composed of at least two kinds of bivalves has been found atop the South Chamorro serpentine seamount in the Mariana fore-arc, western Pacific. Multiple stable isotopic analyses (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur) were carried out on the soft tissues of an undescribed mussel species belonging to the genus Bathymodiolus . Markedly higher stable carbon ( i 13 C: m 21.4 to m 18.9 vs. PDB) and lower sulfur ( i 34 S: +10.2 to +10.6 vs. CDT) isotopic compositions of the mussel tissues suggested that they utilized both methane and sulfide as nutrient sources of carbon and sulfur. Analyses of in situ shimmering water and clayey sediment under the mussel bed supported these findings. These results strongly suggest that the mussels harbored both methanotrophic and thioautotrophic bacterial symbionts in their gills. This is the first stable isotopic evidence of a dual symbiotic Bathymodiolus sp. in the western Pacific. It is proposed that the major substrates for energy acquisition--methane and hydrogen sulfide--may be responsible for results from serpentinization in the lower crust. This abiotic process would be followed by abiotic or archaeal methane production and bacterial sulfate-reduction as evidenced by high i 13 C value ( m 14.6) of methane in the shimmering water and low i 34 S value ( m 32.3) of sulfides in the immediate sediments, respectively. Due to the very low organic matter content (0.5 mg C/g dry sediment) of the immediate sediment, it is further proposed that sulfate-reduction occurred using hydrogen (or possibly methane) as an electron donor. Thus, the mussel community living independently of magmatism and sedimentary organic matter is a lithotrophic animal community.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children's Gardening Program: A Survey of Alumni

Among public gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) hosts the oldest children’s gardening program in the United States. Founded in 1914, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children’s Gardening Program (BBG CGP) has succeeded in involving a steady flow of children year after year, creating an environment where children have the opportunity to interact with nature. Approximately 35,000 children have participated in the BBG CGP since its inception in 1914. A mail survey was conducted of alumni of the BBG CGP in the spring of 2005 to identify how the program has affected their adult lives. A random sample of 700 participants was selected from the BBG CGP alumni records of which there were names with current addresses. Ninety-eight alumni responded to the mail survey for a response rate of 25.6%. The survey consisted of 45 questions which were divided into five major sections: 1) Current gardening interest, 2) Involvement with public gardens, 3) Current involvement with children’s gardening programs, 4) Childhood experiences in the BBG CGP, and 5) Demographic variables. Adult alumni reported they enjoyed their experiences as a child participant in BBG’s CGP. Alumni also indicated the program helped in the development of various personal skills as well as increasing their self-esteem. Over 30% of alumni stated that the program helped them choose a career path, which in many cases was within the natural sciences field. Results suggest the participant’s childhood development and
Investigation of the Effects of Distance from River and Peat Depth on Tropical Wetland Forest Communities

ABSTRACT A plot census for trees over 5 cm in diameter at breast height was conducted in tropical wetlandsto understand the effects of distance from river and peat depth on the development of communities, using 14 50 m _50 m plots in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. There are 294 taxa of woody species were recorded. Combretocarpusrotundatus, Palaquium leiocarpum, Stemonurus scorpioides and Tristania whittiana are the common species. In the14 plots, Stem density and cumulative basal diameter ranged from 1612-3088/ha, and 18.544- . 6 /ha, respectively.Species richness ( S ) ranged from 41to 87. Diversity index ( H’ ) and evenness ( J’ ) varied from 1.29 to 1.68 and 0.771to 0.910, respectively. Stem density was positively related to distance from river but not to peat depth.Geographical differences were also related to the stem density. H’ was related to distance from river, but and S J’ were not explained by any environmental factors examined. Plot distribution patterns were examined bydetrended canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA). DCCA ordination indicated that distance from river, andhence the intensity and/or frequency of flooding more adequately explained plant community distribution patternsthan peat depth. Geographical differences also significantly affected the distribution patterns. Therefore, thedistance from river is a suitable parameter to use to investigate plant community distribution in tropical wetlandforests, even if peat thickness differs greatly.
Resistance of Lycopersicon species to Bemisia tabaci, a tomato leaf curl virus vector

More than 1200 cultivars, breeding lines, and wild species of Lycopersicon were screened for resistance to the tomato leaf curl virus under field conditions. All accessions of Lycopersicon esculentum were found susceptible to tomato leaf curl virus. Three lines of Lycopersicon hirsutum and one of Lycopersicon peruvianum accessions showed apparent resistance to the tomato leaf curl virus owing to the failure of virus transmission by whiteflies. Morphological analysis by light and scanning electron microscopy revealed distributions of different types of trichomes on leaf surfaces. Lycopersicon hirsutum proved to be the least affected by the leaf curl virus because it did not support whitefly infestation to any extent. Lycopersicon hirsutum differed from other species by the presence of glandular trichomes designated type VIc. Whiteflies became entrapped in the exudate of type VIc trichome glands before they could transmit the virus. Thus, it may be possible to control tomato leaf curl virus transmission by .
Anti-Proliferative effect of ursolic acid on multidrug resistant hepatoma cells R-HepG2 by apoptosis induction

Many studies have demonstrated that ursolic acid (UA) could potently inhibit the proliferation of a wide variety of cancer cells; however, its anti-tumor effect on multidrug resistant carcinoma was rarely reported. In the present study, UA exhibited cytotoxicity on the multidrug resistant human hepatoma cell line R-HepG2 with the IC50 value of 20 μM at 48 h. Our findings indicated that UA was not a binding substrate for P-glycoprotein and could not modulate the expression and activity of P-glycoprotein. This provides a possible mechanism on UA circumvention of the drug resistance. Mechanistic study demonstrated that UA induced apoptosis on R-HepG2 cells via both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways, including the activation of caspase cascade and the release of cytochrome c and AIF from mitochondria to cytosol. Furthermore, in vivo study showed a significant inhibition on the growth of R-HepG2 cells in the UA-treated group (15 mg/kg/day, i.v.), with negligible damage towards the heart and the liver. The present study suggests the potential of UA as chemotherapeutic agent and provides further insight into the molecular basis of UA-induced apoptosis on multidrug resistance human hepatoma cells.
Ulcerative Mycosis Caused by Aphanomyces invadans in Channel Catfish, Black Bullhead, and Bluegill from Southeastern Louisiana

Abstract Eight cases of chronic ulcerative mycosis affecting populations of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, black bullhead Ameiurus melas, and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus cultured in recreational fishing ponds were submitted to the Louisiana Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory between April 2000 and January 2002. Diseased clinical specimens presented with multiple foci of skin ulceration, typically overlying more extensive areas of granulomatous myositis that extended to the vertebral column in advanced cases. Lesions were predominated by fields of plump macrophages and multinucleated giant cells surrounding nonseptate, thick-walled hyphae with nonparallel cell walls suggestive of an oomycete. Because deep ulcerative mycoses in other fish species in the western Atlantic (USA), Australia, and Southeast Asia have been attributed to Aphanomyces spp. , diagnostic methods were employed to isolate and identify this oomycete along with other potential pathogens. The organism was isolated from sites deep in the mu.
Elver (Anguilla anguilla L.) stockings in a Swedish thermal effluent‐recaptures, growth and body condition

Summary Stockings of elvers (Anguilla anguilla L.) were made in 1982 and 1984 in a Swedish cooling water effluent area at the coast of the Baltic proper. The elvers were tagged using radioactive europium isotopes; recaptures were made by yearly samplings from 1983–1989. Detection of eels tagged by this technique was found to be possible for at least 7 years after stocking. At the end of the study, 3.5 % and 1.3 %, respectively, of the stockings were recaptured in our own sampling programme. Growth of the introduced eels was faster than reported in studies on comparable populations. As high temperatures have a potential to change vital physiological functions, body condition, fat content and size distribution were studied in the stocking area, in two additional cooling water effluents, and in two reference areas along a salinity gradient from the Baltic to the northern Kattegat! where Atlantic waters have a major influence. Although there were indications of early sexual maturation in warm waters, the high survival of introduced eels, their tendency to stay in the stocking area, the fast growth and the positive effect on quality parameters such as fat content speaks in favour of an allocation of eel management to thermal discharge areas.
Susceptibilities of Ten Rotifer Species to Interference From Daphnia Pulux

Culture experiments showed that 10 rotifer species differed greatly in their susceptibilities to mechanical interference from Daphnia pulex. Direct observations and videographic analyses of rotifers entrained in Daphnia's inhalant feeding current provided some mechanistic explanations for these differences in susceptibility. In general, well- protected species either: (1) were too large to enter Daphnia's bronchial chamber (Conochilus unicornis), (2) regularly escaped from Daphnia's inhalant current (Polyarthra remata), or (3) were rejected from Daphnia's bronchial chamber after very short residence times (<2 s) (Asplanchna priodonta, Keratella crassa, K. testudo, Synchaeta pectinate). Highly sus- ceptible species were rejected from Daphnia's bronchial chamber only after relatively long residence times (6-15 s) and were either small in size (Keratella cochlearis, Synchaeta oblonga) or delicate (Ascomorpha ecaudis). Species with the longest residence times probably are those that are least likely to irritate Daphnia's bronchial chamber and hence the most likely to be eaten or manipulated and damaged before being detected and rejected. In natural zooplankton communities, Daphnia interference has the potential to impose high mortality rates on susceptible rotifer species and, therefore, to shift the species structure of rotifer assemblages in favor of resistant species. The ability of Daphnia to suppress most rotifer species in natural communities probably is often due to the combined effects of interference and exploitative competition. Large rotifer species least susceptible to Daphnia interference should be the most susceptible to declining food availability.
Isolasi dan Identifikasi Microsporum canis dari Anjing Penderita Dermatofitosis di Yogyakarta (ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF Microsporum Canis FROM DERMATOPHYTOSIS DOGS IN YOGYAKARTA)

Dermatophytosis in dogs can be caused by one species of dermatophytes group called Microsporumcanis. This study aims to isolation and identification of M. canis in dogs suspected dermatophytosis inYogyakarta. Skin scrapings from 50 dogs that clinically showed lesions such as combination of alopecia,erythema, papules, pustules, scaly and crusty used in this study. Samples of skin scraping were culturedin the Sabouraud’s dextrose agar media for fungi identification macroscopically and microscopically. Theresults showed that 17 of 50 samples (34%) grown on SDA medium from 2 to 18 days after cultivation. Thecolony grew with flat topography and slightly reflexed, the surface of the colony looks like a thick fur, whitein the middle and surrounded by brownish yellow color and the edges were colorless. The opposite surfaceof the colony looks flat and slightly reflexed and orange to brown and the edges were colorless. Observationmicroscopically, the fungi showed a large macroconidia with a thick cell wall and contains 6-12 cells andoval microconidia with a small size and found in few along the hyphae. Based on the research it can beconcluded that 17 of 50 (34%) samples of dogs with dermatophytosis are Microsporum canis.
Sphenacanthus, a Palaeozoic freshwater shark

Abstract Recently discovered material from the Visean Oil Shale Groups of the Scottish Midland Valley allows a description of the anatomy of the head and dermal skeleton of Sphenacanthus serrulatus to be made for the first time. This suggests that it was a typical phalacanthous shark, rather larger, but otherwise quite similar to the contemporaneous Tristychius arcuatus . Like the latter, it appears to have had a long otic region on the neurocranium, a heterodont dentition and two dorsal finspines, but it differed in having longer, deeper jaws and a complete covering of scales (aggregated lepidomoria). Sphenacanthus serrulatus is absent from the British Coal Measures (Westphalian), but the very similar Sphenacanthus hybodoides is found here. Both these forms appear to be normal components of the freshwater «lagoonal» stage of the cyclothems and provide further evidence that Palaeozoic sharks were more varied in their choice of habitat than those of today.
Interannual variability in global soil respiration, 1980–94

We used a climate‐driven regression model to develop spatially resolved estimates of soil‐CO2 emissions from the terrestrial land surface for each month from January 1980 to December 1994, to evaluate the effects of interannual variations in climate on global soil‐to‐atmosphere CO2 fluxes. The mean annual global soil‐CO2 flux over this 15‐y period was estimated to be 80.4 (range 79.3–81.8) Pg C. Monthly variations in global soil‐CO2 emissions followed closely the mean temperature cycle of the Northern Hemisphere. Globally, soil‐CO2 emissions reached their minima in February and peaked in July and August. Tropical and subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests contributed more soil‐derived CO2 to the atmosphere than did any other vegetation type (∼30% of the total) and exhibited a biannual cycle in their emissions. Soil‐CO2 emissions in other biomes exhibited a single annual cycle that paralleled the seasonal temperature cycle. Interannual variability in estimated global soil‐CO2 production is substantially less than is variability in net carbon uptake by plants (i.e., net primary productivity). Thus, soils appear to buffer atmospheric CO2 concentrations against far more dramatic seasonal and interannual differences in plant growth. Within seasonally dry biomes (savannas, bushlands and deserts), interannual variability in soil‐CO2 emissions correlated significantly with interannual differences in precipitation. At the global scale, however, annual soil‐CO2 fluxes correlated with mean annual temperature, with a slope of 3.3 Pg C y−1 per °C. Although the distribution of precipitation influences seasonal and spatial patterns of soil‐CO2 emissions, global warming is likely to stimulate CO2 emissions from soils.