Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on the amount and depth distribution of plant water uptake in a California annual grassland

Soil moisture profiles can affect species composition and ecosystem processes, but the effects of increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]) on the vertical distribution of plant water uptake have not been studied. Because plant species composition affects soil moisture profiles, and is likely to shift under elevated [CO2], it is also important to test whether the indirect effects of [CO2] on soil water content may depend on species composition. We examined the effects of elevated [CO2] and species composition on soil moisture profiles in an annual grassland of California. We grew monocultures and a mixture of Avena barbata and Hemizonia congesta– the dominant species of two phenological groups – in microcosms exposed to ambient (∼370 μmol mol−1) and elevated (∼700 μmol mol−1) [CO2]. Both species increased intrinsic and yield‐based water use efficiency under elevated [CO2], but soil moisture increased only in communities with A. barbata, the dominant early‐season annual grass. In A. barbata monocultures, the [CO2] treatment did not affect the depth distribution of soil water loss. In contrast to communities with A. barbata, monocultures of H. congesta, a late‐season annual forb, did not conserve water under elevated [CO2], reflecting the increased growth of these plants. In late spring, elevated [CO2] also increased the efficiency of deep roots in H. congesta monocultures. Under ambient [CO2], roots below 60 cm accounted for 22% of total root biomass and were associated with 9% of total water loss, whereas in elevated [CO2], 16% of total belowground biomass was associated with 34% of total water loss. Both soil moisture and isotope data showed that H. congesta monocultures grown under elevated [CO2] began extracting water from deep soils 2 weeks earlier than plants in ambient [CO2].
Recent Themes in Conservation Philosophy and Policy in the United States

A key characteristic of conservation in the United States is the dichotomy between two main philosophies. One of these is anthropocentric and utilitarian, advocating the wise use of Nature and natural resources, while the other is basically ecocentric, as it espouses principles of nonuse and preservation. This dualism has existed since the early days of the conservation movement, when the formerly uncontrolled use of a supposedly limitless natural environment finally gave way to a policy of resource management which was designed to conserve Nature and resource availability within the framework of human utilization. Generally opposed to this historically dominant paradigm were those who believed in preserving Nature for its own sake, and who have laboured over the years to modify and ameliorate the prevalent, central pattern. After a period of relative unconcern, conservation underwent a resurgence as part of the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Environmental quality was the key concern, being highlighted by problems of pollution and degradation of the natural habitat. While providing the impetus for some broad environmental and conservation measures, this central focus directed primary attention to setting the problems. The traditional dominance of utilitarian resource management was maintained, relying on our managerial and scientific skills to address heightened environmental concerns. The era also spawned a number of other philosophies and themes. These have included a renewed sense of the ethics and spirituality of Nature, the emergence of ecology as a publicly-recognized-as-important field of science, ‘greener’ ecocentric movements, theories advocating more radical change, neo-Marxist theory on the relationship between Man and Nature, and various themes on limiting environmental growth and stress especially imposed by everincreasing human numbers.
Structure and evolution of a decapod crustacean community from the coastal detritic bottoms of Barbate (Cadiz, Southern Spain)

During 1993–1994 the decapod crustacean community of littoral detritic bottoms (15–24 m deep) from Southern Spain (Barbate Bay, near the Straits of Gibraltar) were studied. The substrata include coarse sand, fine gravel, Amphioxus sand, and contain abundant bioclastic remains (bivalve and gastropod shells), which are under the influence of bottom currents. The taxocoenosis shows a clear dominance of the Anomura, 87% of those being hermit crabs; among them, Diogenes pugilator (Roux, 1829) is the dominant species (76.6%). The structure and development of the taxocoenosis during an annual cycle (number of specimens, richness, diversity, evenness and heterogeneity) is controlled by the cycle of D. pugilator, a characteristic species of shallow fine sand bottoms, and by the appearance of, or increase in, seaweed in the late summer and autumn; this produces a notable seasonal variation and modifies the dominance and composition of species.
Cellular pathway of photosynthate transport in coats of developing seed of Vicia faba L. and Phaseolus vulgaris L. I. Extent of transport through the coat symplast

The extent of post-phloem solute transport through the coat symplasts of developing seeds of Vicia faba L. and Phaseolus vulgaris L. was evaluated. For Vicia seed coats, the membrane-impermeant fluorochrome, CF, moved radially from the chalazal vein to reach the chlorenchyma and thin-walled parenchyma transfer cell layers. Thereafter, the fluorochrome moved laterally in these two cell layers around the entire circumference of the seed coat. Transfer of CF from the chalazal vein was inhibited by plasmolysis of attached «empty» seed coats. In contrast, the spread of phloemimported CF was restricted to the ground parenchyma of Phaseolus seed coats. Fluorochrome loaded into the outermost ground parenchyma cell layer was rendered immobile following plasmolysis of excised seed-coat halves. Phloem-imported [ 14 C]sucrose and the slowly membrane permeable sugar, L-[ 14 C]glucose, were partitioned identically between the vascular and non-vascular regions of intact Vicia seed coats. For 14 C-photosynthates, these partitioning patterns in attached «empty» Vicia seed coats were unaffected by PCMBS, but inhibited by plasmolysis. Tissue autoradiographs of intact Phaseolus seed coats demonstrated that a pulse of 14 C-photosynthate moved from the veins to the ground tissues. In excised Vicia seed coats, preloaded with 14 C-photosynthates, the cellular distribution of residual 14 C-label was unaffected by PCMBS. In contrast, PCMBS caused the 14 C-photosynthate levels to be elevated in the veins and ground parenchyma relative to the branch parenchyma of Phaseolus seed coat halves. Based on the above findings, it is concluded that the phloem of Vicia seed coats is interconnected to two major symplastic domains; one comprises the chlorenchyma, the other the thin-walled parenchyma plus thin-walled parenchyma transfer cells. For Phaseolus seed coats, the phloem forms a major symplastic domain with the ground parenchyma
Effect of Water Stress on Pigment Formation in Quercus Species

The effect of water stress in three Quercus species belonging to different habitats is investigated. Chlorophyll concentration decreased in all Quercus species with the greatest decrease occurring in Quercus robur. An increase of total carotenoid content was observed in Quercus coccifera and Quercus ilex, while in Q. robur water stress effected a carotenoid content reduction. Anthocyanins increased with decreasing relative water content in the three Quercus species, the largest increase occurring in Q. coccifera. A correlation between xerophytic character and pigment concentration is discussed.
Cascaded High-Voltage-Gain Bidirectional Switched-Capacitor DC–DC Converters for Distributed Energy Resources Applications

A group of bidirectional exchanged capacitor (SC) converters with high-gain proportion of any positive whole number is proposed in this paper for conveyed vitality assets applications. As contrasted and other existing SC converters accomplishing an equivalent transformation gain, the fundamental favorable circumstances of the proposed converters are that they require a generally lower number of switches and capacitors, have a moderately lower switch's and capacitor's pressure, and that their related driver circuits are less complex to figure it out. Significantly, with the reachable change proportion being adaptable and that the information and yield of the proposed converters are of shared conviction, the proposed converters are generally appropriate for some applications.
Acquaintance Robbery

More than one-third of the robberies reported in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) involve people who are acquainted with each other in some way. Why do offenders so frequently target someone who can identify them to the police? This issue is explored by comparing acquaintance robberies with the typical robbery involving strangers using NCVS data. The authors find that people who are Black, poor, young, and single are particularly vulnerable to acquaintance robbery. Their vulnerability is attributed to opportunity factors, and for youth, a reluctance to report incidents to the police. Evidence suggests that some acquaintance robberies are expressions of grievances, whereas others involve inside information about what the victim is carrying.
Eighteen species new to the flora of Iraq

The following 18 species are reported for the first time from Iraq: Heracleum persicum Desf. and Trigonosciadium brachytaenium (Boiss.) Alava (Apiaceae), Arum dioscoridis Sibth. & Sm. (Araceae), Filago eriocephala Guss. (Asteraceae), Alkanna orientalis Boiss. and Nonea ventricosa (Sm.) Griseb. (Boraginaceae), Silene coniflora Nees ex Otth (Caryophyllaceae), Schoenoplectus lacustris (L.) Palla (Cyperaceae), Centaurium meyeri (Bunge) Druce (Gentianaceae), Marrubium parviflorum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. and Nepeta nuda L. (Lamiaceae), Fritillaria straussii Bornm. and Tulipa clusiana DC. (Liliaceae), Linaria simplex (Willd.) DC. (Plantaginaceae), Bromus intermedius Guss. (Poaceae), Polygonum convolvulus L. and P. hydropiper L. (Polygonaceae), and Prunus lycioides (Spach) C.K. Schneid. (Rosaceae). Brief notes on habitat and distribution are given. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
N‐n‐alkylnicotinium and N‐n‐alkylpyridinium analogs inhibit the dopamine transporter: Selectivity as nicotinic receptor antagonists

N‐n‐Alkylnicotinium and N‐n‐alkylpyridinium analogs act as antagonists at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) mediating nicotine‐evoked [3H]dopamine (DA) overflow from superfused rat striatal slices in the presence of a DA transporter (DAT) inhibitor. However, the potential interaction of these nAChR antagonists with DAT has not been evaluated. In the present study, analog inhibition of [3H]DA uptake into striatal synaptosomes and inhibition of [3H]GBR 12935 binding to striatal membranes was determined. N‐n‐Alkylnicotinium analogs with n‐alkyl chains of C6–12 and N‐n‐alkylpyridinium analogs with n‐alkyl chains of C7–20 inhibited [3H]DA uptake with a wide affinity range. With the exception of the C20 N‐n‐alkylpyridinium, a linear relationship between chain length and inhibition of [3H]DA uptake was found in both analog series. Similarly, these analogs inhibited [3H]GBR 12935 binding (Ki=5.7–250 μM), and a linear relationship with chain length was observed, with the exception of the C8 N‐n‐alkylnicotinium analog. Kinetic analyses of inhibition of [3H]DA uptake and [3H]GBR 12935 binding using representative C12 analogs from each series revealed decreases in maximal [3H]DA transport velocity and maximal [3H]GBR 12935 binding without alterations in affinity, indicating noncompetitive interactions with DAT. In comparison, classical nAChR antagonists (mecamylamine, dihydro‐β‐erythroidine and methyllycaconitine) did not inhibit [3H]DA uptake or [3H]GBR 12935 binding. Moreover, inhibition of DAT function occurred at analog concentrations 10–120‐fold higher than those inhibiting nAChR function. Taken together with the inability of these analogs to inhibit field‐stimulation‐evoked [3H]DA overflow, the results indicate that these analogs act selectively as antagonists at nAChRs mediating nicotine‐evoked [3H]DA overflow. Drug Dev. Res. 60:270–284, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Monitoring fish passes using infrared beaming: a case study in an Iberian river

Summary An application of a new automated fish counting device - the Riverwatcher System (RW) - was used to monitor upstream fish movements in a pool-and-weir fish pass in the River Zezere, Portugal, for 141 days from June 2002 to May 2003. Fish populations were also collected downstream using mul- timesh gillnets (5 different mesh sizes ranging from 30 mm to 85 mm knot to knot; ratio between mesh sizes of about 1.30) and electrofishing for comparison with fish records produced by the RW. More than 3000 individual Iberian nase Chondro- stoma polylepis ascended the fish pass and moved through the RW during the study period. However, only 18% of the records produced by the RW contained silhouettes similar to fish; no individual smaller than 15 cm TL was recorded by the counter. Most seasonal movements (73.9%) occurred in spring and were associated with reproduction. Displacements seemed to occur independently of time of day. Water temperature (range: 12-22� C) was the only significant environmental variable (P < 0.01) influencing upstream movements of this species. Further development of hardware and software will be necessary to improve performance of the counter, particularly in Mediterranean rivers, where more turbid waters and a greater proportion of small-size species are present.
An evaluation of some criteria used in selecting large-yielding tea clones

SUMMARY Several criteria which have been used hitherto in the hope of selecting large-yielding clones of tea have been examined. The heights, girths, root weights and branching a gles of young seedlings in the nursery are correlated with the sizes and yields of the same plants when mature, but not with the rates of growth in the nursery, or the yields at maturity, of the plants derived from these seedlings by vegetative propagation. The pruning weight, size and yield of a mature plant grown from seed are not related to the rate of growth in the nursery or the yield at maturity of the clone derived from that plant. The proportion of cuttings which form roots and the growth rate of the cuttings of a clone are not related to the yield of the clone. It is concluded that these criteria are, at best, of limited value in the selection of large-yielding clones. Phloem Index, which is the number of calcium oxalate crystals counted in the phloem parenchyma in a cross-section of the petiole, varies with the age and rate of development of the shoot from which the petiole is taken and with the concentration of nutrients in the soil. It is therefore not useful as an alternative selection criterion under normal field conditions.
Upwelling affects food availability, impacting the morphological and molecular conditions of the herviborous limpet Fissurella crassa (Mollusca: Archeogastropoda)

Oceanographical processes, such as upwelling, induce variations in nutrient availability in marine ecosystems, and evidence indicates that nutrient input can strongly influence the physiological activities, structure, and dynamics of marine communities. Intertidal organisms have long been considered ideal study units in which to quantify the relationship of physical variations and differential energy allocations in specimens that undergo environmental variations, such as observed with nutrient availability. In habitats with differential nutrient input (upwelling versus non-upwelling), both food availability (algae abundance) and seasonal gonadal and foot weight variations were determined in the keyhole limpet Fissurella crassa. Gonadal weight is used as a measure of reproduction allocation whereas foot weight is an indirect indicator of energy allocation towards survival. RNA:DNA ratio in limpets was used as an indicator of biosynthetic capability. Our results indicate that, in general, algae abundance, muscular foot weight, and gonadal weight were higher in upwelling sites during all seasons studied. The same result was found for RNA:DNA ratios. Energetic allocation in animals that inhabit intertidal upwelling habitats supported a constant allocation towards reproduction and soft tissues. In contrast, animals that inhabit non-upwelling habitats showed important energetic restrictions associated with higher water temperature and lower food availability. Our results clearly show that in the keyhole limpet F. crassa food availability is a more important determinant of an individual's condition than a physical variation such as environment temperature.
Cell-cycle-dependent regulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Polyamines play an important role in the control of cell growth and cell division. In the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as in animal cells, biosynthesis of the 3 commonly occurring polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) is dependent on the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) catalyzing the formation of putrescine, which is the precursor of the other two polyamines. Therefore, we have investigated the regulation of ODC activity during the cell cycle of Clamydomonas reinhardtii using synchronized cultures. A 2.5-3-fold increase in ODC activity was observed during the transition to the cell division phase. This up-regulation of ODC activity was not due to an increased level of ODC-mRNA as revealed by northern-blot analyses, but correlated with an increased half-life of this particular enzyme (from 1.1 to 3.2 h). Addition of the DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor nalidixic acid during the second half of the growth period caused a transient decrease of ODC activity and a considerable delay of cell divisions. After cell division, a down-regulation of ODC activity was observed which was faster in the dark than in the light and also correlated with changes of the ODC half-life.
The seasonal variation of dimethyl sulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate concentrations in nearshore waters1

Concentrations of biogenic dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in seawater around mainland Britain in winter and summer (1985) ranged from 1 to 1,100 ng S (DMS) liter-‘. The mean winter DMS concentration was 4 ng S (DMS) liter-’ compared with the mean summer concentration of 220. Analyses of phytoplankton species composition in summer indicate that the main sources of DMS were coccolithophores, various dinoflagellates including the bloom species Gyrodinium aureolum, and certain unidentified taxa of small flagellates. Concentrations of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), the precursor of DMS, were measured in 53 of the summer samples, and its mean concentration was about an order of magnitude greater than that of DMS. Particulate (>0.2 pm) and dissolved fractions of DMSP were operationally resolved, with the latter showing the stronger correlation with DMS. Preliminary estimates for the areal and temporal average flux of sulfur (DMS) from the North Sea to the atmosphere during summer are of the order of lo3 pg S m-2 d-l, a 60-fold increase over winter flux. Biogenic emission in summer is equivalent to about 16% of the spatially averaged anthropogenic emission from Europe.
Environmental Factors Affecting the Yield of Tea (Camellia sinensis). II. Effects of Soil Temperature, Day Length, and Dry Air

SUMMARY Temperature is the major environmental variable affecting the yield of tea, but within the framework of a temperature model shoot extension is severely depressed when daily maximum vapour pressure deficits rise above 2.3 kPa. Day length does not affect shoot extension when the nights are cool (10°C), but growth rate is depressed by short days (11 h) when nights are warm (20°C). Soil temperatures between 18–25°C do not affect shoot extension.
Parasitic copepods in the sea hare Dolabrifera brazieri (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea)

The parasitic copepod, Alimeda orientalis, is recorded from the gill of the sea hare, Dolabrifera brazieri (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea). Ten specimens of D. brazieri from a population on the coast of New South Wales, Australia were examined for the incidence of parasitism. Histological techniques and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to determine the feeding mode of A. orientalis and its effect on the host. Alimeda orientalis is a tissue feeder on the gill tissue, and damage caused by feeding and attachment is minimal.
Assessing potential environmental contamination from compound 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) in bait dust during possum control operations

Abstract The risk of environmental contamination by 1080 from bait dust during possum control operations was assessed after three such operations. This research was prompted by the lack of data on the potential risk of poisoning invertebrates in leaf litter by 1080 from bait dust. Cereal baits containing 0.15% 1080 were aerially applied and samples of bait dust (from application of bait), plants, leaf litter, soil, and water (from within and up to 1000 m outside the treatment areas) were collected prior to and up to 30 days after bait application. A maximum concentration of 25.2 μg 1080 m‐2 was detected in bait dust (from dust collectors) within the control zone immediately after aerial application of 1080 baits. Lower concentrations of 1080 were found outside the treatment areas indicating relatively little drift of bait dust. There were detectable short‐term 1080 residues in water, plant, leaf litter, and soil samples after two of the three baiting operations. However, the residues were very low indicating only minor contamination by 1080. Using the maximum concentration of 1080 found in leaf litter, and literature LD50 values for invertebrates, these results indicate that 1080 derived from bait fragments and bait dust does not pose a significant risk of poisoning to resident leaf litter invertebrates. However, the presence of 1080 baits on the ground may still pose a risk to those invertebrates in close proximity to these baits.
Efeito antagônico de fungos predadores dos gêneros Monacrosporium, Arthrobotrys e Duddingtonia sobre larvas infectantes de Cooperia sp. e Oesophagostomum sp.

Six isolates of nematophagous fungi Monacrosporium thaumasium (isolate NF 34A), Monacrosporium sinense (isolate SF 470), Monacrosporium appendiculatum (isolate CGI), Arthrobotrys robusta (isolate I 31), Arthrobotrys cladodes (isolate CG 719) and Duddingtonia flagrans (isolate CG 768) were evaluated under laboratory conditions regarding the capacity to entrap infective Cooperia sp. and Oesophagostomum sp. larvae. In the in vitro tests the fungi tested were equally efficient to prey the nematodes (P<0.05) during the five days of the experiment. Reproductive structures (conidia) from all isolates were visualized in 5th day. All fungal isolates were efficient in the control of bovine Cooperia sp. and Oesophagostomum sp. parasites.
The hydrology and hydrogeology of dambos: a review

Dambos are shallow, seasonally waterlogged, tropical and subtropical African wetlands. Their importance, through their role in agriculture and water supply to downstream river networks, has been widely acknowledged. As a result, much research has been conducted on the hydrological functions of dambos and their hydrogeological structures, in an attempt to better understand, utilize and manage this regionally ubiquitous landform. However, these studies have resulted in little consensus regarding the geomorphology of dambos, their hydrological regimes and the hydrogeological model that drives those regimes. This review paper, focusing on dambo hydrology, hydrogeology and their primary determinants, highlights the key issues of the debate and draws some overriding conclusions from the divergent literature. Five hypotheses are proposed based on these conclusions, in an attempt to focus future dambo research efforts.