Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive strategies in a female-biased population of natterjack toads, Bufo calamita


Abstract Abstract. The behaviour of male and female natterjack toads in an isolated population of about 100 adults in Hampshire, U.K. was investigated over a period of 5 years. Virtually all animals were individually identifiable (by toe-clipping and throat-spot patterns) during the study. Most males remained sexually active throughout the breeding season (April-June) but a significant minority (40-44%) of individuals, indistinguishable by size or survivorship from the population average, visited the ponds only for the first 2 weeks of the breeding seasons. The former group was more successful than the latter in amplexing with females. There was no general correlation between male body size and breeding success. Two distinct and about equally common spatial strategies were evident among breeding males: residents visited just one pond and called from it throughout the breeding season, while switchers moved irregularly between several ponds. These strategies were highly conserved by individuals between years, and were not related to body size. Switchers were more successful in obtaining females, and did not suffer higher mortality rates than residents. There was a direct correlation between the amount of male calling activity at a pond and its attractiveness to females. In any one year only 44-64% of females spawned. After the breeding season, females spent more time hunting than males during summer and autumn nights.
Survivorship among young Alpine marmots and their permanence in their natal territory in a high altitude colony

During an eight year study on the ethology and ecology of the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota L.), carried out in the Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta, Italy, 41 young marmots were individually recognized and data on birth rate, litter size, permanence beyond maturity, and productivity were recorded. Litter size had a median of four (range 4-5). No female had a litter in the first year of settling and all females but one had a one year interval in reproduction. 36.6%; 34.1%; 21.5% and 0 animals born in the colony were found in the natal territory when one, two, three and four years old, respectively. The differences found in comparison to other geographical areas might be related to the high turnover rate of social groups and indirectly to the harshness of the habitat where the study area is located.
A Survey of Missouri Vineyards for the Presence of Five Grape Viruses

Grapevines were surveyed for the presence of virus and virus-like diseases in Missouri. Symptoms of vein mosaic and stem pitting were observed. Viruses identified by ELISA test were: grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), grapevine fleck virus (GFkV), grapevine virus A (GVA) and grapevine leafroll associated viruses 1 and 3 (GLRaV 1 and GLRaV 3). ELISA tests showed that some of the French hybrids and American cultivars were 100% infected by GLRaV 3. GFkV and mixed infection by GFkV and GLRaV 3 were also found.
The role of Munc-18c in GLUT4 vesicle fusion

Under normal physiological conditions, insulin is released from the pancreas in response to an increase in blood-sugar concentration. The insulin signalling pathway culminates with the presentation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 on the plasma membrane of muscle and adipose tissue, leading to the uptake of glucose into these tissues and the subsequent lowering of blood-glucose concentration to basal levels. This system is faulty in patients with Type 2 diabetes. SNARE proteins have been identified as important regulators of membrane fusion in vivo. Formation of SNARE complexes has been shown to provide the energy required for two opposing membranes to fuse. The SNARE complex consisting of Syntaxin 4, SNAP-23 and VAMP 2 has been implicated in the fusion of GLUT4 Storage Vesicles (GSVs) with the plasma membrane of adipocytes in response to insulin, and thus unravelling the interactions involved in complex formation will allow a greater understanding into the translocation of GLUT4 in response to insulin. In this thesis I developed an in vitro fusion assay, which confirmed that the SNARE complex consisting of Syntaxin 4, SNAP-23 and VAMP 2 is able to sustain fusion of two vesicle populations. This assay was utilised further to investigate the role of the SM protein Munc-18c on SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. Using this method, Munc-18c was shown to have both positive and negative regulatory roles, depending on experimental conditions. Site-directed mutagenesis of the SM protein was also used in an attempt to dissect the interactions involved in binding of the SM protein to the assembled SNARE complex. Finally, I developed a second in vitro fusion assay which utilised isolated plasma membrane fractions from 3T3-L1 adipocytes. This assay was used to investigate the effect of insulin on the plasma membrane proteins found in these cells. Analysis of the fractions showed that insulin increased the rate of SNARE-mediated membrane fusion; however the levels of the t-SNAREs were unaltered in response to insulin, indicating that the hormone functions to alter protein structure or function, but not amount.
Minimum required number of specimen records to develop accurate species distribution models

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to predict the occurrence of species. Because SDMs generally use presence-only data, validation of the predicted distribution and assessing model accuracy is challenging. Model performance depends on both sample size and species’ prevalence, being the fraction of the study area occupied by the species. Here, we present a novel method using simulated species to identify the minimum number of records required to generate accurate SDMs for taxa of different pre-defined prevalence classes. We quantified model performance as a function of sample size and prevalence and found model performance to increase with increasing sample size under constant prevalence, and to decrease with increasing prevalence under constant sample size. The area under the curve (AUC) is commonly used as a measure of model performance. However, when applied to presence-only data it is prevalence-dependent and hence not an accurate performance index. Testing the AUC of an SDM for significant deviation from random performance provides a good alternative. We assessed the minimum number of records required to obtain good model performance for species of different prevalence classes in a virtual study area and in a real African study area. The lower limit depends on the species’ prevalence with absolute minimum sample sizes as low as 3 for narrow-ranged and 13 for widespread species for our virtual study area which represents an ideal, balanced, orthogonal world. The lower limit of 3, however, is flawed by statistical artefacts related to modelling species with a prevalence below 0.1. In our African study area lower limits are higher, ranging from 14 for narrow-ranged to 25 for widespread species. We advocate identifying the minimum sample size for any species distribution modelling by applying the novel method presented here, which is applicable to any taxonomic clade or group, study area or climate scenario.
Pollen morphology of endemic species of the Gonospermum Less., Lugoa DC. and Tanacetum L. complex (Asteraceae: Anthemideae) in the Canary Islands (Spain), and its taxonomical implications

The pollen of nine endemic taxa of the Gonospermum Less. , Lugoa DC. and Tanacetum L. complex and of T. parthenium L. (introduced species from the Canary Islands) was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy with the aim of extending the knowledge of their morphology and to investigate whether pollen morphology may help clarifying the controversial taxonomy of these taxa. Twenty six populations in the Canary Islands (Spain) were studied and the following parameters were measured: polar axis (P), equatorial diameter (E), polar exine thickness (Ex1), length (L) and thickness (A) of the spines in the meridional optical section, exine thickness at the centre of the mesocolpium in the interapertural area (Ex2) and distance between spines (De) in the equatorial optical section. The studies show that the pollen of the three genera is very similar regarding shape, apertures, and ornamentation, but may be distinguished by size and exine thickness.
Monitoring the ovarian cycles of Pan troglodytes and P. paniscus: A comparative approach

Females of both species of chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes and P. paniscus, exhibit conspicuous anogenital sex swellings that are useful external markers for assessing ovarian cyclicity. A new, quantitative method for describing these swelling cycles was refined during laboratory studies of four P. paniscus and nine P. troglodytes and was used to analyze variability in swelling patterns. Clear‐cut anatomical changes of the perineum were found to have both interindividual and interspecific reliability. The swollen phase of the cycle was defined as the period when the medial surfaces of the labia minora are pressed against each other so the aperture leading to the vagina appears as a slit (labial occlusion). When defined with this precision, comparisons within and between the species revealed two types of cycle for both species; swollen phases of P. paniscus were about 24 or 39 days in duration, on average, whereas those of P. troglodytes were about 14 or 18 days. Urine samples from the P. troglodytes were collected and analyzed for luteinizing hormone (LH) (34 cycles), estrone glucuronide (E1G), and pregnanediol‐3‐glucuronide (PdG) (18 cycles). When the two types of cycle were separated in analysis, it was found that the day when labial occlusion occurred served as a predictor of the preovulatory LH peak in the cycles with a long swollen phase. Levels of E1G correlated closely with swelling scores in multiparous females regardless of phase lengths, suggesting that the new swelling scores are a reliable indicator of E1G excretion in multipara. Cycles with long swollen phases had relatively high levels of PdG during the luteal phase, whereas cycles with short swollen phases had relatively low levels of PdG and a shorter luteal phase. The marker of labial occlusion and the duration of the preswollen phase defined by the marker appear to be potentially useful in studies of reproduction in Pan, for monitoring female fertility, and in artificial insemination procedures. If it is confirmed that swelling pattern predicts progesterone levels during the luteal phase, it would make interventions possible in the case of low levels so that a potential pregnancy could be maintained to term.
Reproductive characteristics of two estuarine crabs Chasmagnathus convexus and Helice tridens (Brachyura : Varunidae) in the Shigenobu River Estuary, Japan

The reproductive characteristics of two estuarine crabs, Chasmagnathus convexus and Helice tridens, which coexist in the Shigenobu River Estuary, Shikoku Island, Japan, were examined on the basis of data collected between April 2001 and March 2002. Seasonal changes in the female gonadosomatic index and occurrence of ovigerous females showed that females of C. convexus spawned mainly from December to March and those of H. tridens spawned from April to July. The mean egg clutch size of C. convexus and H. tridens was 41,600 and 42,500 eggs, respectively (not significantly different) but the mean egg diameter of C. convexus (0.46 mm) was significantly larger than that of H. tridens (0.36 mm). The mean annual fecundity is higher in H. tridens because it produces more egg clutches per year.
Immunochemistry of synthetic polypeptides and polypeptidyl proteins. IV. Immunologica reactions of the synthetic polypeptides.

One polyglutamic acid, a polylysine, and a multichain polypeptide caused the formation of antibodies in rabbits which would not precipitate the homologous polypeptide but did form precipitates with bovine albumin, fibrinogen, and a few other naturally occurring proteins. The reactions between the modified proteins and antibodies appeared to be especially sensitive to salt concentration—precipitation being more easily inhibited by high salt concentration than the precipitins of many natural proteins. With a few other polyglutamic acid preparations, specific precipitates were formed with their antisera when the ionic strength was lowered to 0.05, suggesting that physiologic saline may have prevented the precipitin formation. The rabbit antisera to polyglutamic acid and the multichain polypeptide caused only a weak anaphylactic reaction in guinea pigs when the challenging antigen was the homologous or similar polypeptide and caused a moderate to fatal anaphylactic shock in guinea pigs challenged with bovine albumin or polyglutamyl bovine albumin. The synthetic polypeptides did not inhibit the reactions between their antisera and the proteins when tested by inhibition of precipitation techniques and passive anaphylaxis. No evidence of a strong reaction between the polypeptides and antisera to similarly modified proteins was found in inhibition of precipitation methods and passive anaphylaxis. Incomplete antibodies were not detected in antisera to polyglutamic acids which did not contain precipitating antibodies. A complex between the multichain polypeptide and its antiserum was not detected in electrophoresis and ultracentrifugal experiments.
Residual Nitrogen and Kill Date Effects on Winter Cover Crop Growth and Nitrogen Content in a Vegetable Production System

A 4-year field experiment examined how monoculture and biculture winter cover crops were affected by prior inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilization of sweet corn (Zea mays) and by kill dates associated with tillage methods. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) biomass production and N content remained relatively constant with (N+) or without (N0) prior N application. In N+ treatments, biomass production of winter rye (Secale cereale) and a vetch-rye biculture were significantly greater than vetch biomass production. Rye responded to prior N fertilization and recovered N from residual inorganic N fertilizer at an average annual rate of 30 kg·ha-1 (27 lb/acre), excluding contributions of roots. Nitrogen contents of vetch and biculture cover crops were similar in most years and were significantly greater than those of rye. Nitrogen contents in vetch and biculture treatments were not increased by the residual inorganic N fertilizer addition of the N+ treatment. In the biculture treatment prior N application increased total biomass production but decreased the percentage of vetch biomass. Monoculture vetch biomass production was significantly increased by delaying cover crop kill dates for 8 days in mid-May. However, such delays also significantly lowered vetch foliar N concentrations and consequently did not significantly affect vetch N content. No significant effects of delays on rye or biculture cover crops were detected. It was concluded that prior fertilization of sweet corn with inorganic N affected various cover crops differently and that delaying vetch kill dates 8 days increased biomass production but did not affect N content.
Extreme rainfall events predict irruptions of rat plagues in central Australia

A general understanding of the factors that regulate populations remains a central goal for ecologists, and species that increase rapidly to plague numbers followed by equally sudden crashes in abundance are particularly intriguing.Throughout central Australia, the long-haired rat, Rattus villosissimus, is largely absent in dry times, but can irrupt into plague numbers after heavy rains. Using historical data we first relate the occurrence of plagues to exceptionally high rainfalls, and using live-trapping records from rat irruptions in 1991 and 2011 in the eastern Simpson Desert, we then investigate the population structure at the plague front. In doing so, we ask if long-haired rat plagues irrupt from multiple refugia, if young males are first to disperse and whether the rate of dispersal is rapid. Annual rainfall in the year preceding a plague successfully predicted the probability of an outbreak, with an 80% chance of a plague occurring after an annual rainfall of 750 mm.Trapping grids closest to drainage lines to the south of the study area had greater captures of long-haired rats. Enhanced rat numbers in proximity to drainage areas suggested that the irruptive process unfolded from the south and demonstrated the existence of multiple refugia. In contrast to the resident fitness hypothesis, there was no difference in captures between the sexes or age-classes of long-haired rats. Heavier animals were caught at the invasion front, presumably because they could travel larger distances than smaller individuals, suggesting that larger individuals were maxi- mizing their fitness by dispersing first to new resources. Captures of long-haired rats were highest at the beginning of the irruption in both 1991 and 2011, suggesting rapid colonization. Although rare in occurrence, rodent population irruptions and the resulting dispersal across large areas, which may persist for a few years, can thus extend the domain of influence of exceptional rain years well into the future.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PURE SYRINGIN IN COMPARISON TO VARIOUS SOLVENTS EXTRACTS OF MUSA PARADISIACA (BANANA) (FRUIT AND FLOWER) AND TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENTS

Objective: The study concentrated on exploring the radical scavenging activity of various banana extracts in comparison to pure syringin and the total phenolic contents of the extracts. Methods: The banana parts were prepared and extracted by cold extraction technique and the extracts obtained were used to carry out some phytochemical screening by Trease and Evans method. The ability of the extract to scavenge free radicals was measured using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-pcrylhydrazyl radical using quercetin as a reference radical scavenger by the method of Gyamfi. Further analysis of total phenolic contents present in the extracts was carried out using Singleton and Rossi method. Results: Tepal methanol extract was found to have the highest radical scavenging activity compared to others, such as tepal ethanol, tepal aqueous, skin methanol, flesh methanol and pure syringin. The IC 50 value of the tepal methanol extract was found to be 22.5 µg/ml. The highest total phenolic contents (expressed as microgram of Gallic acid equivalent per gram of the extracts) were found in tepal methanol extract (8000 µg/g) and the least in Flesh methanol extract (2150 µg/g). Conclusion: The results generated from this study showed that tepal banana extracts possess very good radical scavenging activity and as well the largest amount of phenolic contents, which could introduce phenols as the main radical scavenger in banana extracts and offering effective protection from free radicals, and the antioxidant activity of pure syringin was not obvious may be due to the presence of highly anti oxidative compounds present in banana, phenolics and flavonoids.
Publication trends in the journal of forensic dental sciences 2009-2012

Background and Objective: Forensic odontology is an emerging specialty of dentistry and there is a paucity of information about publication trends about forensic odontology specialty in India. Journal of forensic dental sciences (JFDS) is the official publication of the Indian Association of Forensic Odontology, which publishes articles related to forensic odontology. The main objective of the following study is to analyze the efficacy of JFDS as a mirror of Indian forensic odontology by evaluating the type of articles published, the article content showing the relationship of forensic odontology with various dental specialties and the authorship patterns in the published articles. Materials and Methods: Bibliometric analysis was carried out by Web-based search during theperiod of April 2013. This article audits the publication in the journal JFDS over a 4-year period (2009-2012). It assesses the types of articles published, the article content showing the relationship of forensic odontology with various dental specialties and explores the authorship patterns in the publication. Results: Out of the total 81 published articles, original articles (57) and review articles (14) contribute the major share. Regarding the relationship of forensic odontology with various dental specialties, the maximum numbers of published articles were related to oral medicine and radiology (30) followed by oral pathology and microbiology (16), prosthodontics (14) and orthodontics (10) and community dentistry (5). The largest numbers of published articles were received from Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu(7) followed by Subharti Dental College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (4), M. R. Ambedkar Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru,Karnataka (3), Vishnu Dental College, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh (3) and Modern Dental College and Research Center,Indore, Madhya Pradesh (3). Conclusion: The data pertaining to forensic odontology articles in JFDS may not reflect the overall forensic odontology research output from India.
EFEITO DE ÉPOCAS DE DEFICIÊNCIA HÍDRICA NA EFICIÊNCIA DO USO DO NITROGÊNIO DA CULTURA DO FEIJÃO cv. IMBABELLO

To identify specific growth stages of the common bean crop at which the plant is less sensitive to water stress, in which irrigation could be omitted without significant decrease in biological nitrogen fixation and final yield, a field experiment was conducted at "La Tola" University Experiment Station, Tumbaco, Pichincha, Ecuador, on a sandy loam soil (Typic Haplustoll). The treatments consisted of the combinations of seven irrigation regimes, including normal watering, full stress, traditional practice, single stress at vegetation, at flowering, at yield formation and at ripening, and two levels of applied N (20 and 80 kg/ha). These fourteen treatment combinations were arranged and analysed in a split-plot design with four replications. The plot size was 33.6 m2 (8 rows, 7 m long) with a population of 120,000 plants/ha. Irrigation treatments were started after uniform germination and crop establishment. Soil moisture was monitored with neutron probe down to the 0.50 m depth, 24 hours before and after each irrigation. Nitrogen Fixation was calculated using the 15N methodology for the 20 kg N/ha treatment. Yield data show that treatments which had irrigation deficit had lower yield than those with supplementary irrigation. Nitrogen fertilization significantly increased the number of pods and grain yield. Biological Nitrogen Fixation was significantly affected by water stress at the flowering and yield formation stages.