Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Water-efficient management strategies in rice production

Food security in Asia is challenged by increasing food demand and threatened by declining water availability. Rice is the most important staple in Asia, where it provides35-80% of total calorie intake (IRRI 1997). More than 75% of the rice supply comes from 79 million ha of irrigated land. Thus, Asia's present and future food security depends largely on the irrigated rice production system. However, the water-use efficiency of rice is low, and growing rice requires large amounts of water. In Asia, irrigated agriculture accounts for 90% of total diverted freshwater, and more than 50% of this isused to irrigate rice. Until recently, this amount of water has been taken for granted, but now the global "water crisis" threatens the sustainability of irrigated rice production. The available amount of water for irrigation is becoming scarce (Gleick 1993, Postel 1997). The reasons for this are diverse and location-specific, but include decreasing quality (chemical pollution, salinization), decreasing resources (e.g., falling groundwater tables, silting of reservoirs), and increased competition from other sectors such as urban and industrial users. Because of the increasing scarcity of water, the costs of its use and resource development are increasing as well. Therefore, farmers and researchers alike are looking for ways to decrease water use in rice production and increase its use efficiency. A fundamental approach is to start at the field level, where water and rice interact. For farmers with no control over the availability or distribution of water beyond their farm gates, thecrucial question to be addressed is "What are the options to cope with decreasing water supply (or the increasing costs of it) at the farm or field inlets? " To answer this question, we have to look at the flow of water in rice fields and understand where reductions in water use can be achieved without impairing yield (Fig. 1).
Effect of nest cavity morphology on reproductive success of a critically endangered bird

ABSTRACT Population limitation is the outcome of cumulative and synergistic processes that act on species over multiple spatial scales. Tree cavity dependent animals are good case studies for exploring processes that potentially limit populations across multiple scales. Fine-scale cavity characteristics have important consequences for predator exclusion and fecundity, while broad-scale processes (food or habitat availability) can determine population viability. We considered the relative importance of cavity morphology in limiting the breeding success of a critically endangered secondary cavity nesting bird that is severely affected at broad scales by nest predation. Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor) select nest cavities where the minimum entrance diameter is positively associated with cavity depth, floor diameter and maximum entrance diameter. These cavity characteristics are adaptive because they exclude native predators by physically preventing access to the nest chamber; only one introduced nest predator is able to overcome this passive nest defence. Introduced Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) could prey on Swift Parrot nests irrespective of nest cavity morphology. We found no effect of cavity morphology on the number of eggs laid or fledglings reared by Swift Parrots. This suggests that fine-scale nest cavity characteristics do not influence the nest success of Swift Parrots beyond their effectiveness in excluding native Tasmanian predators.
A Surprising Discovery of American Pika Sites in the Northwestern Great Basin

Abstract. Although the American pika (Ochotona princeps) continues to receive attention due to documented declines and range retractions, particularly in the Great Basin, thorough range inventories have yet to be completed in many parts of the region. Here we report on recently discovered populations in northwestern Nevada in areas not suspected to support pika activity under current climate regimes. We describe 238 new locations (“sites”) with evidence of past or current occupancy by pikas which cluster into 31 locales, which we interpret as metapopulations or “demes,” in 15 distinct mountain ranges or geographic areas. We documented twice as many relict sites (sites with evidence of former pika occupancy) as currently occupied sites, a result that supports previous observations of local range retraction and site losses within the pika's range. In the overall site data, median elevation and water year precipitation were higher and minimum and maximum July temperatures were lower for occupied sites than for relict sites. This pattern was repeated in most, but not all, of the 7 mountain ranges where both occupied and relict sites were found. Occupied sites were more likely to be found in areas with a narrow range of water year precipitation, in cooler climates, and on more mesic-facing aspects, but many of these environmental descriptors also describe relict sites. The apparent extirpation of pikas from the range with the highest elevation and lowest temperatures (Black Rock Range) and the continued persistence in some of the lowest and hottest areas of our survey (Home Camp Range) are particularly noteworthy. Since pikas were known from only a handful of early 20th century records in the area, these surveys greatly expand our understanding of both current and historic pika distributions in the northwestern Great Basin and shed light on patterns of pika persistence and extirpation in a region typified by harsher climates respective to other areas with extant pika populations. Furthermore, our results emphasize the importance of conducting spatially extensive fieldwork to better understand site extirpations and species range retractions.
The ameliorative effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extract on cardiovascular functions and osmotic fragility of wistar rats exposed to petrol vapour

The present study was aimed at evaluating the ameliorating effects of Moringa oleifera extract compared to captopril and candesartan cilexetil on cardiovascular functions and osmotic fragility of rats exposed to petrol vapour. Twenty five adult male Wistar rats (130g-200g) were randomly grouped to five with five rats in a group. Group 1 (control) was not exposed to petrol fume. Groups 2 (petrol only), was exposed to petrol fume only. Groups 3, 4 and 5 were pretreated with Moringa oleifera extract (40mg/kg), captopril (25 mg/kg) and candesartan (16mg/kg), respectively before exposure to petrol vapour, 10 minutes every day for eight weeks. All groups were given feed and water ad-libitum. Petrol vapour was generated by using human compressor nebulizer adopted for rats and connected to fume chamber where the rats were kept. The pretreatment were administered by oral cannula. At the end of the exposure, 0.2ml of blood samples obtained from individual rat in each group were suspended in separate sets of Phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution of decreasing concentrations. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) was determined by spectrophotometer. Electrocardiography was done using EDAN 10. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in EOF of the rats exposed to petrol vapour only. However, Moringa oleifera , captopril and candesartan cilexetil significantly ameliorated this effect. There was no significant difference in the amelioration of Moringa oleifera and candesartan cilexetil. There was absence of p-wave and significant increase in heart rate observed in the electrocardiogram of petrol only group, this was significantly restored in the Moringa oleifera , captopril and the candesartan cilexetil group. The results showed that exposure to petrol vapour elevated EOF, resulted in atria arrhythmia and increased heart rate. These effects were ameliorated by pretreatment with Moringa oleifera , captopril and candesartan cilexetil. The amelioration in Moringa oleifera was comparable with that of candesartan cilexetil suggesting that Moringa oleifera may be an Angiotensin II receptor blocker. Keywords: Candesartan cilexetil, Captopril, Moringa oleifera , Osmotic fragility, Petrol vapour
“Genome-wide population diversity in Hymenoscyphus fraxineus points to an eastern Russian origin of European Ash dieback”

European forests are experiencing extensive invasion from the Ash pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, an ecological niche competitor to the non-pathogenic native congener H. albidus. We report the genome-wide diversity and population structure in Asia (native) and Europe (the introduced range). We show H. fraxineus underwent a dramatic bottleneck upon introduction to Europe around 30-40 generations ago, leaving a genomic signature, characterized by long segments of fixation, interspersed with “diversity islands” that are identical throughout Europe. This means no effective secondary contact with other populations has occurred. Genome-wide variation is consistently high within sampled locations in Japan and the Russian Far East, and lack of differentiation amongst Russian locations suggests extensive gene flow, similar to Europe. A local ancestry analysis supports Russia as a more likely source population than Japan. Negligible latency, rapid host-range expansion and viability of small founding populations specify strong biosecurity forewarnings against new introductions from outside Europe.
Index of currently recognized mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae)

A total of 3,490 species of Culicidae are currently formally recognised. The names of these species are recorded in an alphabetical list along with their authorship and current generic placement. Traditional generic and subgeneric affiliations are indicated for aedine species that were recently assigned to newly established genera. Species formerly placed in genera Aedes and Ochlerotatus that are regarded as incertae sedis within tribe Aedini are listed as belonging to a traditionally recognised ‘genus (subgenus)’ to indicate their uncertain generic and subgeneric placement in the current classification of the tribe. The number of recognised species and their generic-level assignments are based on taxonomic acts published before 31 May 2007. The index is prepared to support the Mosquito Barcoding Initiative and the ongoing development of a Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory at the Natural History Museum, London. The index, which is available online (http://mosquito-taxonomic-inventory.info/), will be regularly updated as new taxonomic acts and formal species descriptions are published.
Postharvest quality of essential oil treated roses

The loss of commercial quality during storage and transportation of roses is one of the factors that reflect on production costs, leading producers to preventively apply harmful chemicals, mainly to hamper Botrytis cinerea development and reduce further losses. An alternative to increase flower longevity without contaminating the environment with harmful chemicals is the use of natural products, such as essential oils, which have fungistatic and insecticide properties, as well as low toxicity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of essential oils on the vase life of Rosa cv. Avalanche: 12 treatments were tested, resulting from the combination of 5 types of essential oils plus the control in two cold storage periods (2 to 6 days) at 1 °C, 90-95% RH. The essential oils tested were eucalyptus, cinnamon, lemongrass and peppermint (1%), clove (0.1%), plus a control with distilled water. Application was made by spraying the flower buds. After storage at low temperatures, the flower stems were kept in a room (16 °C, 70% RH) during 10 days for evaluation. Flower stems stored for 2 days in a cold chamber showed better means for darkening, turgor and bent neck, as well as a lower weight loss by the stems. The application of lemongrass essential oil at 1% caused burns on the petals, compromising quality and pot life. The essential oils of peppermint and eucalyptus allowed flower quality maintenance until the 10th day of evaluation. It is possible to conclude that post-harvest spraying with peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil at 1%, combined with cold storage for 2 days, provided greater longevity and quality for cv. Avalanche roses.
DOSES AND SOURCES OF NITROGEN ON MINERAL NUTRITION IN MARANDU GRASS DOSES E FONTES DE NITROGÊNIO NA NUTRIÇÃO MINERAL DO CAPIM-MARANDU

Nitrogen is an one principal among others, essential and responsible nutrient for forage productivity and pasture quality increasing. Besides that, this paper objective was to evaluate nitrogen doses and source effects on nutrient concentration in marandu palisadegrass. The experiment was carried out from July of 2003 to March of 2006 at the Modelo Farm of University Goias State in an 882 m2 area. The pasture was established for more than ten years and it was presenting low herbage production being considered in moderate degradation phase. The treatment combination was made in a split-plot design with three replicates. Main plot, arrangements in a randomized complete block design was employed, were turned by a 2 x 4 factorial, being two sources of N (ammonium sulfate and urea) and four doses of N (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg ha-1 yr-1). On each year, during the three years, three cuts evaluating are done at the forage plant. The rates of Nitrogen didn’t come to the maximum point to the concentrates of N, K, Mg, S, Cu and Fe. Increasing N rates promoted reduction in phosphorus absorption in plant tissue. Higher N:S relation were observed in plants which received urea as nitrogen source. The application of nitrogen, affected the nutritional status of signal grass and the recovery of this. The application of nitrogen, affected the nutritional status of signal grass and it recovering. KEY WORDS: Ammonium sulfate, Brachiaria brizantha, nutrient absorption, urea.
Mechanisms governing the bioenergetics of naive and effector CD4+ T cells as a means of controlling autoimmunity

CD4+ T cells are a critical component of the adaptive immune system as they generate large amounts of cytokines that help shape the immune milieu. Additionally, they are the primary contributors to the immunopathology exhibited in Type 1 Diabetes. The field of immunometabolism has elucidated that the cellular metabolic profile of immune cells has a significant impact on their function, and ultimately the fate of the overall response. Naive CD4+ T cells rely primarily on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, but upon antigen encounter, reprogram their metabolism to aerobic glycolysis. Understanding the mechanisms that govern these programs could be critical in developing new therapies for limiting aberrant T cell responses in autoimmunity. Here we examined the contributions of two different molecules, Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 (LAG-3) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in controlling T cell metabolism. LAG-3 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on the surface of CD4+ T cells, and deficiency in naive T cells leads to enhanced homeostatic expansion. Our results indicate that LAG-3 expression on naive CD4+ T cells serves to restrain cellular metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis as a means of maintaining quiescence. These results are compelling as loss of LAG-3 expression in a model of Type 1 Diabetes results in accelerated disease progression, potentially due to T cell metabolic enhancements, as our data would suggest. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the LAG-3 gene have also been linked to autoimmune disease susceptibility. With regards to ROS, Type 1 Diabetes is known to be highly driven by oxidative stress, and CD4+ T cells require acute doses of ROS to drive optimal activation. Therefore, we sought to understand if ROS signaling contributes to the metabolic transition that occurs during T cell activation. Indeed, ROS inhibition resulted in reduced mTOR signaling and aerobic glycolysis. Altering metabolism in this manner also delayed Type 1 Diabetes progression in an adoptive transfer model of disease. Collectively, this work demonstrates that both LAG-3 and ROS regulate CD4+ T cell metabolism, which, in turn, greatly impacts T cell activation potential and ability to drive disease.
Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Hot Pepper (Capsicumannuum L.) Genotypes for Yield and its Components in Ethiopia

Character correlation and path coefficient analysis study was conducted using 55 hot pepper genotypes with the objectives to assess the nature of character correlation at phenotypic and genotypic levels and direct and indirect effects of traits on yield and yield components. The experiment was conducted during 2015-20116 at six environments in Southern Ethiopia using RCBD with three replications. The result revealed that, in most cases, the genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than their respective phenotypic correlation coefficients indicating their inherent association of traits and hence more advantageous for breeding purposes. Phenotypic and genotypic correlation further confirmed that branch number per plant, fruit number per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit weight were the most important traits for improving the genotypes for higher fruit yield and may be applied for selection in hot pepper productivity. Path analysis revealed that the maximum direct effect on fresh fruit yield was exerted by dry weight (0.6686), average fruit length (0.2185), fruit diameter (0.2085) and average fruit number per plant (0.1444), Thus, on the basis of current result, fruit length, diameter and fruit number per plant could be the most important yield component characters which might be selected for yield improvement while the converse was true with plant height and stem girth (diameter) at phenotypic level.
Extracellular production and characterization of red pigment from Penicillium purpurogenum BKS9

Fifteen fungal species were isolated from waste soil and used for the production of red pigment. Among the fifteen fungal isolates only Penicillium sp. BKS 9 displayed excellent production ability of red pigment in sabouraud’s dextrose agar medium as well as broth medium. After 28S rRNA sequencing the fungus Penicillium sp. BKS9 was identified as Penicillium purpurogenum and submitted to NCBI (Gene Bank) with Gene Bank accession number KT222270. Further, optimization of incubation period and pH was performed and it was concluded that an incubation for 18 days with pH 6.0 at 30°C are the most favorable conditions for biomass (0.877 g/50 ml) and red pigment (0.79 Abs/ml) production. The pigment used for the study was soluble in all the organic solvents taken. The effect of red pigment on germination of fifty numbers of viable and healthy seeds of Cicer arietinum was studied and confirmed that the pigment has no significant negative effect on the germination of the seeds.
Las lagunas de la españa peninsular: taxonomia ecologia y distribucion de los cladoceros

EN ESTE TRABAJO SE PRESENTA UNA TIPOLOGIA DE LAS AGUAS EPICONTINENTALES ESPANOLAS DE PEQUENO VOLUMEN EN BASE A SUS CARACTERISTICAS ECOLOGICAS Y A LA ESTRUCTURA DE SUS COMUNIDADES DE FILOPODOS Y COPEPODOS. SE CONSIDERAN 16 GRUPOS DE LAGUNAS SEGUN DIFERENTES VALORES DE TURBIEDAD TEMPORALIDAD DEL AGUA Y MINERALIZACION Y 22 COMUNIDADES. DE ESTAS ULTIMAS SE HA EVALUADO SU CARACTER INDICADOR Y SU DISTRIBUCION REGIONAL. EL ESTUDIO DE LOS FILOPODOS HA REQUERIDO INEVITABLEMENTE LA REVISION SISTEMATICA DE LOS CLADOCEROS. EL RESULTADO HA SIDO LA IDENTIFICACION DE 66 ESPECIES DE LAS CUALES 5 SON NUEVAS (1 GENERO Y ESPECIE Y 4 ESPECIES) PARA LA CIENCIA Y 13 PARA ESPANA
Multivariate pattern analysis for MEG: a comprehensive comparison of dissimilarity measures

Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) methods such as decoding and representational similarity analysis (RSA) are growing rapidly in popularity for the analysis of magnetoencephalography (MEG) data. However, little is known about the relative performance and characteristics of the specific dissimilarity measures used to describe differences between evoked activation patterns. Here we used a multisession MEG dataset to qualitatively characterize a range of dissimilarity measures and to quantitatively compare them with respect to classification accuracy (for decoding) and between-session reliability of representational dissimilarity matrices (for RSA). We tested dissimilarity measures from a range of classifiers (Linear Discriminant Analysis – LDA, Support Vector Machine – SVM, Weighted Robust Distance – WeiRD, Gaussian Naïve Bayes – GNB) and distances (Euclidean distance, Pearson correlation). In addition, we evaluated three key processing choices: 1) preprocessing (noise normalisation, removal of the pattern mean), 2) weighting classification accuracies by decision values, and 3) computing distances in three different partitioning schemes (non-cross-validated, cross-validated, within-class-corrected). Four main conclusions emerged from our results. First, multivariate noise normalization dramatically improved classification accuracies and the reliability of dissimilarity measures. Second, LDA, SVM and WeiRD yielded high peak classification accuracies and nearly identical time courses. Third, while using classification accuracies for RSA was markedly less reliable than continuous distances, this disadvantage was ameliorated by decision-value-weighting of classification accuracies. Fourth, the cross-validated Euclidean distance provided unbiased distance estimates and highly replicable representational dissimilarity matrices. Overall, we strongly advice the use of multivariate noise normalisation as a general preprocessing step, recommend LDA, SVM and WeiRD as classifiers for decoding and highlight the cross-validated Euclidean distance as a reliable and unbiased default choice for RSA. Highlights We compared dissimilarity measures and preprocessing choices for MEG MVPA Multivariate noise normalisation is a key preprocessing step LDA, SVM and WeiRD are recommended classifiers for decoding Use of decision values improves reliability of classification accuracies The cross-validated Euclidean distance is a reliable and unbiased choice for RSA
Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Organic Acids in Combination on Performance and Carcass Traits of Broiler Chicken

The present study was carried out with an objective to investigate the production performance and carcass traits of broilers fed with different organic acid combination supplemented diets. Basal pre-starter, starter and finisher broiler diets were formulated as per the nutrient requirements (ICAR, 2013). Six experimental diets, viz. T1 (Basal diet), T2 (Basal diet+antibiotic @ 50 g/100 kg), T3 (Basal diet+20: 40: 40 combination of citric, formic and propionic acids @ 1.5 g/100g), T4 (Basal diet+30: 40: 30 combination of citric, formic and propionic acids @ 1.0 g/100g), T5 (Basal diet+ 30: 30: 40 combination of citric, formic and propionic acids @ 1.0 g/100g), T6 (Basal diet+10: 45: 45 combination of citric, formic and propionic acids @ 1.5 g/100g) were prepared. Two hundred and seventy day old, straight run commercial broiler chicks were distributed randomly to six treatments with three replicates of fifteen birds each and fed with the experimental diets from 0 to 42 days of age. Body weight gains and feed efficiency were significantly (P 0.05) difference in the ready-to-cookyields among the groups, but significantly (P<0.05) increased giblet yields on % live weight basis. The organic acid combination of citric, formic and propionic at 20: 40: 40 combination could be safely incorporated at 1.5% level in broiler diets for better performance.