Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agronomic studies of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) in south-eastern Australia

This paper reports on field agronomy studies into flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) conducted in Tasmania, Australia from 1994 to 1997. These studies investigated the performance of selected cultivars, and responses to sowing date, plant density and irrigation. The work formed part of a feasibility study assessing the potential of fibre hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and flax as sources of fibre for the Australian newsprint industry. Two cultivar evaluation trials were conducted at the University of Tasmania Farm, Cambridge, in Tasmania’s south-east. One of these included 7 European and Australian flax cultivars, and the other, 4 mucilage linseed cultivars. The European flax cultivars yielded significantly more stem and bark fibre than the Australian flax cultivars. Of the former group, Ariane (841 g/m 2 ) and Marina (883 g/m 2 ) performed the best in terms of stem yield production, while Viking had comparable bark yields to these 2 cultivars. With the exception of cv. Kreola (543 g/m 2 ), which produced comparable stem yields to the Australian flax cultivars, the linseed cultivars were short and produced relatively low stem yields. Interestingly, seed yields (149–194 g/m 2 ) were not superior to those for the flax cultivars (156–218 g/m 2 ). While offering little dual-purpose seed/fibre potential, they may supply a future niche market for seed production. Three other trials were conducted to investigate the response of flax to seeding rate and sowing date, and the interactions between seeding rate, sowing date and irrigation availability. Autumn sowings of flax gave higher yields of both stem and seed compared with winter and spring sowings. Reasonable stem and seed yields were achieved from dryland cropping of flax. However, good results from such rainfed crops in Tasmania will depend on autumn sowing and good rainfall during winter and spring seasons. There were clear yield benefits from irrigation between early November and January, when the amount and distribution of rainfall was poor. The selection of an optimum seeding rate will depend on the sowing date and involve a compromise between maximising yield and minimising potential losses from lodging. The decreased occurrence of lodging with winter and spring sowings in this study, suggests that later sowings can accommodate higher seeding rates.
The Palaeozoic corals, II: structure, variation and palaeoecology

SUMMARY Palaeozoic coral faunas were dominated by two orders of Zoantharian corals, the Rugosa and the Tabulata. Almost all rugose and tabulate corals developed an epitheca or holotheca around the corallum and possessed small to minute attachment scars. A limited number had an encrusting life style and many others could facultatively encrust to some extent when settling by chance on a hard substrate. However, most were effectively free living on a soft substrate as mature coralla. A high percentage of rugose corals were solitary and of the colonial genera, few exhibited physical integration of modules within the colony. In contrast, most of the exclusively modular tabulate corals possessed some degree of integration. Colony formation in tabulate corals was, with doubtful exceptions, solely by non-parricidal increase, whereas both non-parricidal and parricidal increase, the latter in a minor role, occur in the Rugosa. The sources of variation in solitary and colonial Palaeozoic corals are reviewed and data on growth rates, measured on the basis of cyclomorphic variation expressed as density band couplets, are assessed. Growth-form variation in solitary corals and its relationship to stability on the substrate are explored. Growth strategies in colonial corals are described and their adaptive success under different environmental conditions is discussed. Colonial growth-forms were a function of the interaction between growth strategy and prevailing conditions during astogeny, although some species had genetically constrained, relatively invariate growth-forms. Factors controlling the distribution of Palaeozoic corals in the environment–substrate and turbidity, water energy, depth, light, temperature and variations in salinity and oxygenation - are reviewed. Palaeozoic coral diversity was much lower than that of Recent hermatypic scleractinian corals in comparable environments. Most Palaeozoic corals were adapted to soft substrates in warm, shelf seas, and made a limited contribution to reef frameworks. It is concluded that none of them developed a symbiosis with algae in contrast to zooxanthellate scleractinian corals.
Reinstatement of Plagiochila maderensis (Jungermanniopsida: Plagiochilaceae) based on chemical evidence and nrDNA ITS sequences

Abstract Plagiochila maderensis Gottsche ex Steph. is reinstated as a Madeiran endemic. This taxon was synonymized with P. spinulosa (Dicks.) Dumort. over 35 years ago and has been accepted under that name in recent years. Morphologically, P. maderensis, which is known only in the sterile state, differs from P. spinulosa in having a smooth leaf surface, larger leaf cells and an often broadly truncate leaf apex. Phytochemical analysis using NMR and GC–MS profiling demonstrated that the lipophilic secondary metabolites are strikingly and unambiguously distinct from those of P. spinulosa. The dominant constituent is 4-hydroxy-3’-methoxybibenzyl, present in exceptionally large amounts. Analysis of the ITS region of nrDNA of P. maderensis and incorporation of the sequence into a maximum likelihood analysis of a dataset comprising another 28 Plagiochila and two outgroup sequences revealed that P. maderensis is a member of Plagiochila sect. Rutilantes Carl. Plagiochila maderensis is placed sister to the Neotropical species P. gymnocalycina (Lehm. & Lindenb.) Mont. and P. trichostoma Gottsche, but in a clade that does not have bootstrap support. It is known already that 4-hydroxy-3’-methoxybibenzyl is the principal bibenzyl constituent of P. trichostoma and chemical analysis has now shown that this applies also to P. gymnocalycina.
Hypoxial Stress Prior to Emergence and Competition Among Coho Salmon Fry

Competition among coho salmon fry in stream aquaria supplying natural drift was found to reflect the history of exposure of eggs and resulting fry to dissolved oxygen concentration prior to emergence. Size disparities induced by differential hypoxial stress were amplified with time, and fry that had been exposed to the most severe hypoxial conditions were most prone to emigrate. Most emigrants placed in an initially vacant, replicate system remained there, grew rapidly, and became as large as, or larger than, nonemigrants. Size of former emigrants reflected enhanced feeding opportunity due to less competition for food and space in the replicate system. Competition was referred more precisely to hypoxial history by using net production. A replicate population fed hatchery food provided a comparison. When exposed to the stream aquaria, this population substantiated the previous findings. Diel cycles of activity and aggression peaked at dawn and dusk, and were related to competition for food and space. The e.
Preliminary Studies On the Effects of Salinity On Intracellular Nitrogenous Osmolytes in Various Tissues and Hemolymph of the Japanese Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Japonicus (Von Siebold, 1824)

[The Japanese spiny lobster Panulirus japonicus tolerated exposure for 24 h to osmolarities ranging from 760 to 1240 mOsm/1 at 20°C. Acute exposure to hypo- and hyperosmotic stress resulted in hyper- and hypoosmotic regulation of hemolymph, respectively, indicating that this species is a stenohaline osmoregulator. Free amino acids and betaines in the muscle, midgut gland, ovary, and gills were measured after the lobsters were exposed to hypo- and hyperosmotic stress for 24 h. Results obtained showed that glycine, glycine betaine and homarine are important osmoeffectors. The decrease in glycine under hypoosmotic condition and the increase in glycine, glycine betaine, and homarine under hyperosmotic conditions were noticeable in the tissues studied, suggesting that these nitrogenous components play a significant role in intracellular osmoregulation. Changes in free amino acids and betaines in the hemolymph during the exposure of lobsters to different osmolarities were opposite to those in the above-mentioned tissues. , The Japanese spiny lobster Panulirus japonicus tolerated exposure for 24 h to osmolarities ranging from 760 to 1240 mOsm/1 at 20°C. Acute exposure to hypo- and hyperosmotic stress resulted in hyper- and hypoosmotic regulation of hemolymph, respectively, indicating that this species is a stenohaline osmoregulator. Free amino acids and betaines in the muscle, midgut gland, ovary, and gills were measured after the lobsters were exposed to hypo- and hyperosmotic stress for 24 h. Results obtained showed that glycine, glycine betaine and homarine are important osmoeffectors. The decrease in glycine under hypoosmotic condition and the increase in glycine, glycine betaine, and homarine under hyperosmotic conditions were noticeable in the tissues studied, suggesting that these nitrogenous components play a significant role in intracellular osmoregulation. Changes in free amino acids and betaines in the hemolymph during the exposure of lobsters to different osmolarities were opposite to those in the above-mentioned tissues. ]
In vitro antibacterial activity on human pathogenic bacteria and larvicidal effect of root from Hemidesmus indicus (Linn.) on Culex qinquifasciatus.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of extraction from Hemidesmus indicus roots on five different solvents activity against the pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms also larvae of the Culex qinquifasciatus mosquito. H. indicus (L.) is one of the plants used in Ayurveda for several remedies it belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. The experimental roots were tested for their phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity against 15 human pathogenic microorganisms using standard disc diffusion method. Moreover, the methanol and petroleum ether extracts were active against most of the tested organisms as they showed potential phytochemical constituents. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were compared with their respective reference antibiotics as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Apart from petroleum ether, all other solvent extracts such as ethanol, methanol, chloroform and aqueous extract showed significant results. Among the 12 bacterial species maximum inhibition zone was 16.00±0.18, 10.65±0.19 and 16.3±0.20 observed the following bacteria such as E.coli, P. mirabilis and S. typhimurium respectively. The larvicidal effect of aqueous extracts of H. indicus roots were tested against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae at the concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5% upto three days. Larval mortality was 100% with the use of 5% concentration of root aqueous extract after 2 days was observed. It is suggested that the aqueous extract of Hemidesmus indicus can be used as natural insecticide for mosquito control. Keywords: Hemidesmus indicus, antibacterial, larvicidal activity, Culex quinquefasciatus.
Do carnivorous plants use volatiles for attracting prey insects

Summary 1. Scientists have been fascinated by carnivorous plants for centuries and they have thoroughly investigated how these plants can benefit from insect capture for example through increased growth, earlier flowering, and increased seed production. How prey is actually lured into the traps, however, is less well understood. Trapping prey may be achieved in a random way, for example by camouflaging the traps (hiding them in the surrounding vegetation), so that prey is trapped by accidental landing on the trap leaves or wind drift, or in the other extreme, trapping may involve mimicry of other attractive resources such as fruits or flowers by using specific visual or olfactory signals to attract a specific prey assemblage. 2. We investigated for the first time volatiles of the trapping leaves of carnivorous plant species by dynamic headspace methods. We present data on the venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula, the sundew Drosera binata, and the North American pitcher plants Sarracenia flava, Sarracenia leucophylla, Sarracenia minor, and Sarracenia purpurea. A large number of compounds and relatively high emission rates were found in three of the North American pitcher plants (S. flava, S. leucophylla, and S. minor) with compounds typically found in flowers or fruits. This suggests together with other features (e.g. colour, nectar production) that these traps are possibly flower or fruit mimics. The leaves of S. purpurea, Dionaea muscipula, and Drosera binata emitted much weaker scents with lower numbers of components, consisting mainly of volatiles typically emitted from green leaves. 3. We discuss whether or not the use of volatiles for attracting prey animals is linked with specific trapping mechanisms and whether carnivorous plants can be grouped into specialized ‘olfactory syndromes’.
Amygdalin in bitter and sweet seeds of apricots

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning due to amygdalin (AMY) in apricot seeds is one of the public health issues in Turkey. The aim of this study was to investigate the AMY content of 13 different apricot seeds including bitter and sweet ones, and which are either sulfurized or roasted. The AMY content was determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography. Release of HCN was predicted and total amount of seeds which can cause poisoning was calculated. The mean AMY content of bitter seeds was 26 ± 14 mg g−1 and that of sweet seeds was 0.16 ± 0.09 mg g−1. The consumption of small amounts of bitter seeds may cause cyanide poisoning.
The attractiveness of flowering herbaceous plants to bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in agro‐ecosystems of Central Spain

Habitat management, with the aim of conserving pollinators in agro‐ecosystems, requires the selection of the most suitable floral species in terms of their attractiveness to pollinators and a simplicity of agronomic management. A randomized block design including 12 herbaceous plants was used to study their attractiveness to pollinators (insect visitation), their attractiveness efficiency (a combination of duration of flowering and insect visitation), their response to two different agronomic management practices (growing in mixed versus mono‐specific stands; tillage versus no‐tillage) and their potential weediness. The flowers of Borago officinalis, Echium plantagineum, Phacelia tanacetifolia and Diplotaxis tenuifolia were attractive to bees, whereas Calendula arvensis, Coriandrum sativum, D. tenuifolia and Lobularia maritima were attractive to hoverflies. A floral mixture resulted in a lower attractiveness efficiency to pollinators than D. tenuifolia, but higher than when compared with most of the mono‐specific stands. On the other hand, although some of the most attractive plant species (P. tanacetifolia and C. arvensis) showed potential weediness, their self‐seeding was reduced by tillage treatment. Diplotaxis tenuifolia was the only plant with a high attractiveness efficiency to pollinators and efficient self‐reproduction. Therefore, D. tenuifolia is highly recommended species for attracting bees and hoverflies in agro‐ecosystems of Central Spain.
Microspore wall organisation and ultrastructure in two species of Selaginella (Lycophyta) producing permanent tetrads

Abstract Spore morphology and ultrastructural features of the permanent microspore tetrads of Selaginella convoluta and S. lepidophylla were studied with light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The four members of each tetrad in S. convoluta are linked together through a common envelope and form an unbroken complex system of alveoli that connects the equatorial and distal regions of the microspores. In the proximal exospore of microspores, no differentiation referable to an apertural fold was observed but an interruption of the exospore is evident in that area in germinating microspores. The distal exospore is composed of three strata: inner zone, intermediate zone and outer alveolar. In S. lepidophylla tetrads, the four microspores are assembled within a common tetrad envelope and are equatorially connected by a prominent ridge. The distal regions of the microspores are free. In the proximal exospore of microspores, no differentiation referable to an apertural fold was observed. The tetrad envelope appears as a wide common coat, which, on the surface and depending on the regions, is granular or alveolate, centrally perforated and, in section, consists of a single layer or forms a two-layered, more or less intricate, network. This envelope has the same contrast as the exospore outer layer and shows, in its median zone, cavities with opaque contents, quite similar to those of the microspore exospore layer. These two different types of tetrads emphasise the outstanding structural diversity of the microspore sporoderm in living Selaginellaceae.
Short review: molecular phylogenetic analyses of reef corals

In the past two decades, evolutionary studies of reef corals have greatly advanced owing to the intriguing characteristics of corals, such as hybridization and synchronous mass spawning, and development of molecular techniques. These evolutionary works have mainly focused on the genus Acropora because of its dominance. It has the highest number of species and is a major member of the mass spawning event, which characteristics suggest its unusual evolutionary process called “reticulate evolution. ” Although studies using other corals have been very limited, some have demonstrated obscure species boundaries between closely related species, implying hybridization in the present or past. Most of these studies used genetic analysis, because it is very useful for investigation of species and population relationships among and within regions and to infer phylogenetic relationships from the species level to higher taxonomic levels. For anyone wishing to study the evolution and taxonomy of corals, familiarity with these molecular works, even for nongenetic analysts, is essential. This review summarizes the evolutionary studies of reef corals using molecular analyses.
Genetic variability and character association studies in Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.) for yield and yield contributing traits

Fifteen genotypes of Jack bean were studied for variability, correlation and path analysis. The characters viz., plant height at first harvest, number of primaries per plant at first harvest, plant height at last harvest, number of primaries per plant at last harvest, pod weight, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and pod yield per plant were observed with high genetic variability, high heritability in conjunction with higher genetic advance as percent mean indicating the predominance of additive gene action on the expression of these traits and hence direct selection will be rewarding for improvement of these traits in Jack bean. This complex set of association between various yield components clearly indicated that selection of early genotypes would be reliable to increase the pod length, pod weight, number of pods and ultimately pod yield per plant.
The proteins of Hevea brasiliensis latex. Part 3. The soluble proteins of "bottom fraction".

Paper electrophoresis has been used to examine aqueous extracts of the sedimentable material (bottom fraction) from fresh latex. A total of eight electrophoretically distinct protein components were observed in the extracts. Six of these were of general occurrence in bottom fraction from various different latices; the other two were detected sporadically.
Introducing an abundance index for assessing weed flora in survey studies

This study was carried out to propose a simple abundance index (AI) of weed species, to describe the ranking of weeds in weed communities, and to evaluate weed flora. Based on a 4 year weed survey program conducted in Tehran province, the Thomas methodology for determining the relative abundance (RA) in weed communities was applied and a new, improved method (called the AI method) was introduced. Sixty-one irrigated wheat fields were selected using a stratified sampling procedure. The boundaries of each county in the province formed the strata. For the Thomas method, the data were summarized for each county using five quantitative measures for determining the RA of each species. For the AI method, three quantitative measures were used, including frequency, uniformity, and mean field density. In the Thomas method, the mean field density had a significant role in determining the RA of a species, while the frequency and uniformity had a less significant role. However, for determining the AI, the frequency and uniformity had a higher value than the mean field density. Higher values for these two parameters for a particular species indicates that this species was more compatible with the soil and climate conditions in which it was growing, while higher values for the mean field density for a particular species indicates that the species had a higher competitive or reproductive ability than other species. In the Thomas method, the weed species with a low mean density were less abundant and not a serious weed for agroecosysytems but, in the AI method, an invasive weed could be detected before the colonization stage.
Assessing the Most Suitable Floor System for Growing-Finishing Piggery Under Tropical Conditions Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Studies were carried out worldwide for evaluating different types of floor systems for growing-finishing pigs, specifically for assessing their effectiveness on pig performance, health and behaviour, leaving the opportunity for using multi-criteria analysis in decision-making towards the selection of flooring type. This study aimed to select the most suitable floor system for growing-finishing pigs under tropical conditions, considering performance traits and farmers management aspects. The analytic hierarchy process was applied for seeking the best solution considering both the farmers’ goals and the pigs’ welfare. Aspects considered in the analysis were: economic feasibility, rearing thermal and aerial ambient, animal behaviour, performance, and health status. The input used in the calculation was based on the results of a field trial using three treatments: whole concrete floor, coffee and rice husk bedding, and wood shavings deep-bedding. Rearing conditions and pigs’ physiological parameters, performance, behaviour, and health status were analysed. When the floor system was considered, the most significant criteria were economic feasibility (0.31) and overall pig performance (0.31) leading to a final deep-bedding selection ranking of coffee and rice husks (1st), concrete floor (2nd), and wood shavings (3rd). Conversely, when the animal welfare was considered, the most decisive criterion was health status (0.32), followed by physiological parameters (0.25), and behaviour (0.23) leading to a final bedding selection ranking of coffee and rice husks (1st), wood shavings (2nd), and concrete floor (3rd). Results indicate that the deep-bedding of coffee and rice husks provided the best choice for both the farmer and the growing-finishing pigs.