Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing species diagnostic value in large data sets: A comparison between phi-coefficient and Ochiai index

Abstract Question: Diagnostic species are useful tools for the identification and ecological interpretation of community types. Vegetation databases facilitate the computation of diagnostic values of regional validity, but it is essential to understand the behaviour of fidelity measures in large data sets. Methods: We focused our study on the phi-coefficient (Φ) of association and its limit value, the Ochiai index. The northeast Spanish relevé database was stratified using an arbitrary distance threshold in species composition. Diagnostic species analysis was undertaken using three methods of context selection: I. within a syntaxon of higher rank; II. including relevés with similar composition to that of the target unit; III. using the entire stratified database. Species diagnostic values were computed as well as bootstrap percentile confidence intervals. Results: Many species deemed as diagnostic by method I have their optima in vegetation types neighbouring the unit chosen as context. In contrast, method II excluded many of these species. Φ-values and confidence intervals were similar to those obtained by the Ochiai indexwhen using a large dataset (method III) but this similarity was greater for low level syntaxa. Conclusions: The diagnostic value of species in a given region is best assessed using the Ochiai index, since it can be split into two interpretable asymmetrical components. We recommend the determination of context-dependent differential species using the Φ-coefficient, and the assessment of species regional diagnostic value by means of a stratification procedure in combination with the Ochiai index. Nomenclature: Bolòs et al. (1990).
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi positively affect growth of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle seedlings and show a strong association with this invasive species in Mediterranean woodlands1

Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may promote plant invasion by enhancing plant performance and competitiveness. However, only a small number of studies have considered the interactions between local soil microbial communities and invasive plants, and even fewer have focused on alien trees. Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle is a serious problem in the Mediterranean Basin, where it has invaded many habitats. We investigated the symbiosis between A. altissima and indigenous AMF in two invaded, ecologically different Mediterranean woodlands. Mycorrhizal infection was high at both sites (> 60% of the root fragments were mycorrhizal), indicating that A. altissima roots may be infected by AMF under different ecological conditions. In a greenhouse experiment, A. altissima seedling growth was evaluated in untreated soil (natural soil containing the entire microbial community except AMF propagules), in sterilized soil, and in sterilized soil containing the entire microbial community except AMF. Seedling growth was greater in the natural soil than in the other two soils. Seedlings in natural soil but not in the other two soils were extensively colonized by AMF, indicating that AMF may have been responsible for the greater growth in the natural soil. Growth was poorer in the sterile soil that had been inoculated with a soil suspension lacking AMF propagules than in the sterile soil, suggesting that the natural soil also contained pathogens and that the AMF countered the effects of these pathogens. Overall, the results indicate that AMF are an important biotic component of Mediterranean woodlands invaded by A. altissima and AMF may facilitate A. altissima's invasion in these woodlands.
The Impact of Celebrity Credibility on Consumer’s Purchase Intention toward the Footwear Industry in Malaysia: The Mediating Effect of Attitude toward Advertisement

Practices of using celebrities as spokespeople for commercialized products are continuously favoured toward the effort of marketing and positioning. The popularity of celebrity advertising is founded upon advertiser’s belief on message credibility by well-known personalities to achieve greater attention, recall and behavioural intention among consumers. The present study assesses the impact of celebrity credibility on the underlying purchase intention of Malaysian consumers toward the footwear industry, by exploring the mediating role of attitude toward advertisement between celebrity credibility and purchase intention. The influence of endorser’s characteristics and cultures on consumer’s behavioural intention is explained through the applications of the Theory of Identification (Kelman, 1961, 2006) and the Meaning Transfer Model (McCracken, 1989) in this study. Descriptive findings collected from 200 potential consumers have suggested attitude toward advertisement as the catalyst of endorser’s identification, for cultivating dimensions of celebrity credibility (trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness) into transactional intention. The phenomenon of integration approaches of single phenomenon, with two theoretical perspectives (Mayer & Sparrowe, 2013) is demonstrated in this product marketplace.
Impact of imposed climate variation on rice productivity in Baroda district of Gujarat.

Simulation models provide a scientific approach to study the impact of climate change on agricultural production and world food security. Properly validated crop simulation models could be used with confidence to combine the environmental effects on crop physiological processes and to evaluate the consequences of such influences. Here, an effort has been made to test the DSSAT (CERES-Rice) model in terms of mathematical logic and stability to extreme values of weather parameters. The weather parameters selected for this purpose were ambient temperature (± 1 to ± 3°C), solar radiation (± 1 to ± 3 MJm -2 day -1 ) and concentration of carbon dioxide (100 TO 300 ppm higher concentration to base concentration of 330 ppm). The model simulated rice grain yields under altered weather condition have been compared with corresponding observed yields averaged for the year 2004 and 2005. The base yield was obtained from the “Crop Acreage and Production Estimate of Major Crops”, Directorate of Agriculture, Gujarat State, Gandhinagar for Baroda district.
Participatory Rural Appraisal of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Production in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria

﻿Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) study of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.)Verdc. ) production was conducted in six villages sampled from three Local Government Areas (LGA). The LGAs were Ogbadibo, Kwande (Benue State) and Olamaboro (Kogi State), all located in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. The study involved 6 group discussions and 240 individual key informants who were interviewed using a check list with a view to provide information on existing bambara groundnut-based cropping systems. Results indicated that most bambara groundnut farmers were literate (99.58%). 52.91% of the farmers were males and 47.08% were females. Bambara groundnut production was mainly in small holdings (≤1ha). About 30 % of bambara groundnut farmers plant the crop as sole while 65.83% intercropped it with other crops. Intercropping with cassava dominated the intercrop systems. Planting was mainly on ridges (83.33%). About 77% of the farmers do not apply fertilizer to bambara groundnut with the belief that it could grow well on poor soils. Weeding was done manually by 87.08% of the farmers, while 21.25% of them used herbicides for weed control mainly in Kwande LGA. Yields of bambara groundnut were generally low (100-600 kg/ha). Labour and lack of finance ranked the highest consideration by farmers as constraints to the production of bambara groundnut in Southern Guinea Savanna. Scientific investigation into the suitability of some of the popular landraces of bambara groundnut in the various cropping systems in Southern Guinea Savanna might be necessary to ensure food security in the region.
Relative Salt Tolerance of Five Herbaceous Perennials

Use of recycled water to irrigate urban landscapes may be inevitable, because the freshwater supply has been diminishing and the population continues to grow in the arid and semiarid southwestern United States. However, little information exists on the performance of landscape plants irrigated with nonpotable water. Two greenhouse studies were conducted during the summer and the fall to characterize the relative salt tolerance of five herbaceous perennials by irrigating the plants with a saline solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.8 dS·m -1 (tap water), 2.0 dS m -1 , or 4.0 dS·m -1 . In the summer study, after 10 weeks of treatment, Achillea millefolium L. , Gaillardia aristata Foug. , and Salvia coccinea Juss ex J. had an aesthetically acceptable appearance for landscape performance (visual quality scores of 4 points or more), whereas Agastache cana (Hook.) Woot. & Standl. and Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench had relatively low tolerance to salinity. Dry weight of shoots of A. millefolium, A. cana, and G. arstata was lower at elevated salinity levels. In the fall study, A. millefolium, E. purpurea, G. arstata, and S. coccinea had acceptable growth and visual quality at elevated salinity levels, whereas A. cana had lower quality and reduced growth. Dry weight of shoots was lower in G. arstata and A. millefolium at an EC of 2.0 dS·m -1 or 4.0 dS·m -1 . Leaf osmotic potential of all species in the summer experiment was significantly lower at higher salinity compared with the control. In the fall experiment, leaf osmotic potential in A. millefolium, E. purpurea, and G. aristata at 4 dS·m -1 was lower compared with lower salinity treatment and the control. Leaf osmotic potential in the fall was higher than that of the same species at the same salinity level in the summer experiment, indicating that plants in the fall were less stressed than in the summer. Combined the results from both experiments, the authors concluded that A. millefolium, G. arstata, and S. coccinea had a relatively high salt tolerance (as much as 4 dS·m -1 of irrigation water under greenhouse conditions) among the tested species, whereas A. cana and E. purpurea were not tolerant to salt and should not be irrigated with low-quality water.
Early marine growth in relation to marine-stage survival rates for Alaska sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

We tested the hypothesis that larger juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Bristol Bay, Alaska, have higher marine-stage survival rates than smaller juvenile salmon. We used scales from returning adults (33 years of data) and trawl samples of juveniles (n= 3572) collected along the eastern Bering Sea shelf during August through September 2000−02. The size of juvenile sockeye salmon mirrored indices of their marine-stage survival rate (e.g., smaller fish had lower indices of marine-stage survival rate). However, there was no relationship between the size of sockeye salmon after their first year at sea, as estimated from archived scales, and brood-year survival size was relatively uniform over the time series, possibly indicating size-selective mortality on smaller individuals during their marine residence. Variation in size, relative abundance, and marine-stage survival rate of juvenile sockeye salmon is likely related to ocean conditions affecting their early marine migratory pathways along the eastern Bering Sea shelf.
Soil application of different neem products to control Ceratothripoides claratris (Thysanoptera: Thripidae( on tomatoes grown under protected cultivation in the humid tropics (Thailand(

Abstract Ceratothripoides claratris (Shumsher( is an important pest in the tropics, damaging a wide range of crops. Therefore, the effects of soil-applied neem products on C. claratris were investigated on tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum( cultivated under tropical conditions in greenhouses in Thailand. NeemAzal-U (NA-U( soil applications resulted in strong systemic effects against C. claratris on young tomato plants when high azadirachtin (AZA( concentrations (400 mg AZA/L( were repeatedly applied. Different application schedules (every second week, weekly, twice a week( as well as organic matter content of typical growing substrates resulted in no significant influence on thrips control. However, plant age did have an influence. The younger the plants were the stronger were the effects after neem soil treatments. A delayed soil application with AZA resulted in increasing thrips population numbers. Of the different Neem products tested, Thai Neem Oil 111 showed the lowest efficiency compared to NA-U and Thai Neem Pellet 222.
Response of the Sea Louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis Infestation Levels on Juvenile Wild Pink, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha , and Chum, O. keta , Salmon to Arrival of Parasitized Wild Adult Pink Salmon

Recent recurring infestations of Sea Lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis , on juvenile Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) and subsequent annual declines of these stocks have made it imperative to identify the source of Sea Lice. While several studies now identify farm salmon populations as sources of Sea Louse larvae, it is unclear to what extent wild salmonid hosts also contribute Sea Lice. We measured Sea Louse numbers on adult Pink Salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) migrating inshore. We also measured Sea Louse numbers on wild juvenile Pink and Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ) migrating to sea before the adults returned, and as the two age cohorts mingled. Adult Pink Salmon carried an average of 9.89 (SE 0.90) gravid lice per fish, and thus were capable of infecting the adjacent juveniles. Salinity and temperature remained favourable to Sea Louse reproduction throughout the study. However, all accepted measures of Sea Louse infestation failed to show significant increase on the juvenile salmon, either in overall abundance of Sea Lice or of the initial infective-stage juvenile lice, while the adult wild salmon were present in the study area. This study suggests that even during periods of peak interaction, wild adult salmon are not the primary source of the recent and unprecedented infestations of Sea Lice on juvenile Pacific Pink and Chum salmon in the inshore waters of British Columbia.
Effects of temperature on total phenolic compounds in Cystoseira amentacea (C. Agardh) Bory (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) from southern Mediterranean Sea

The aim of this study was to test the effects of temperature on phenolic content of the brown seaweed Cystoseira amentacea. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites involved in different protection mechanisms as, for example, against grazers, epiphytes and UV radiation. Seasonal variations of phenolic content in C. amentacea were analysed and laboratory experiments, in which C. amentacea was exposed to an increase of temperature (25°C and 30°C), were performed. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined colorimetrically with the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. In C. amentacea, a seasonal pattern in TPC was observed, with a maximum value in winter-spring. C. amentacea responded significantly to the temperature treatments with a consistent decrease in TPC after 48 h.
Influence of frequency and duration of furrow irrigation on the development of phytophthora root rot and yield in processing tomatoes

Processing tomatoes grown in field plots with soil either infested or uninfested with Phytophthora parasitica were furrow irrigated. Disease developed more rapidly and symptom severity was significantly greater on shoots and roots of plants infested soil that received prolonged irrigations compared with plants that were irrigated less frequently. Midday leaf water potential was reduced significantly as symptom severity increased and, by 90 days after planting, was correlated negatively with fruit yield at harvest
Tomato Leaf Development and Distribution as Influenced by Leaf Removal and Decapitation

(.) Leaf removal and decapitation influenced subsequent leaf development and distribution, and early fruiting of green-house-grown tomato plants. Removal of young axillary leaves increased the size of main (true) leaves in the middle and upper nodes, increased the number of nodes, and increased the number of early fruit produced. Removal of main leaves reduced axillary leaf development at nodes 5 and 9. Decapitation increased axillary leaf development in the middle and upper nodes and delayed early fruit production (.)
Efect of great brome (Bromus diandrus Roth.) on the growth of wheat and great brome and their uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus

A field experiment was conducted at Badgingarra, W.A. , during 1981 to study competition between wheat (cv. Gamenya) and great brome (Bromus diandrus Roth.). Shoot dry matter per plant of wheat was reduced from 1.41 g per plant in wheat monoculture to 0.50 g per plant after competing for 71 days with great brome at density of 400 plants m-2. Tiller production was reduced from 605 tillers m-2 in monocultures of wheat to 336 tillers m-2 when growing in association with 400 plants m-2 of great brome. Competition with great brome reduced the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in wheat shoots; at Feeke's scale 3 (tillers formed) wheat plants competing with 400 plants m-2 of great brome had 3.15 ¦ 0.09% (mean ¦ s.e., w/w) nitrogen and 0.58% phosphorus against a concentration of 4.05 ¦ 0.1% nitrogen and 0.77% phosphorus in the monoculture of wheat. The reduction in the nitrogen - and phosphorus concentrations in wheat shoots earlier than any significant reductions in their dry matter suggested that great brome competed with wheat for absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus. Competition with great brome also resulted in significant reduction in the grain yield (r = - 0.77) and yield determinants of wheat. Reduction in mass per grain (r = - 0.77) was probably due to competition with great brome for water during grain-filling.
Novel mechanistic insights into the role of advanced glycation end products in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are molecules formed through the nonenzymaticglycation of proteins and are central to the development of cardiovascularcomplications of diabetes including heart failure. AGEs influence cellular function throughthe cross-linking of cellular proteins as well as through actions on cell surface receptors,the most common of which is (RAGE). However, it is still unclear whether AGEs contributeto myocardial abnormalities observed in diabetes through direct myocardial actionsmediated through the RAGE receptor and if so, their underlying mechanisms of action. Wehave therefore investigated the effects of AGEs on calcium handling in isolated adultmouse cardiomyocytes and cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM) andcharacterised their underlying mechanisms of action in NRCM.Standard molecular techniques were used. Western blot showed expression of RAGEreceptor in mouse whole heart tissue and in both NRCM and adult mouse cardiomyocytes.Incubation of NRCM for 24 hours with AGEs showed a dose dependant reduction ofcalcium transient amplitude with a maximum of 50% at 1 g/l (P<0.01) accompanied with32% reduction in SR calcium content with no detectable changes in calcium handlingproteins expression. We demonstrated a 24% increase (P<0.01) in the production ofreactive oxygen species (ROS) in AGE treated cardiomyocytes induced by enhancedNADPH oxidase activity (P<0.05) with subsequent activation and translocation of NF-kB, atranscriptional factor from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Activation of NF-kB induced a56% increase in iNOS gene protein expression (P<0.01), a downstream target of NF-kBwhich was accompanied by a significant increase in NO production (P<0.05). Wedemonstrated nitrosylation of several key cellular proteins involved in excitationcontractioncoupling including the Ryanodine receptor and SERCA2a as detected byimmunofluorescence.In conclusion, our work provides insights into novel pathophysiological mechanisms thatunderlie the development of heart failure in diabetes. We demonstrate the presence andfunctionality of AGE receptors in myocardium and show that AGEs inhibit excitationcontractioncoupling through increased ROS production leading to activation andtranslocation of NF-kB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus resulting in increase in NOproduction. Concomitant increases in intracellular levels of ROS and NO favours theproduction of peroxynitrite with subsequent nitrosylation of key cellular proteins involved inthe process of excitation-contraction coupling such as the Ryanodine receptor andSERCA2a. This study provides novel insights into the role of AGEs in inducing myocardialdamage in diabetes mediated through RAGE receptor and independent from the vascular effects.
THE RED GAPE OF THE NESTLING CUCKOO (CUCULUS CANORUS) IS NOT A SUPERNORMAL STIMULUS FOR THREE COMMON HOSTS

The bright red gape of the nestling common cuckoo Cuculus canorus has often been supposed to act as a supernormal stimulus to elicit provisioning from its foster parents. Parents of three main host species were tested for their response to their own nestlings with artificially reddened gapes. Robins, dunnocks and reed warblers allocated no more food to red-mouthed nestlings than to control nestlings in the same nest, and manipulations of the gape colour of whole broods of reed warblers revealed no effect on provisioning rates. Our data do not support the hypothesis that there is a universal parental preference for redder gapes in opennesting passerines, or that the bright red gape of nestling cuckoos has evolved to exploit parental preferences in these three hosts. We suggest that although mouth colour has little influence on the allocation of feeds resulting from sibling competition and begging intensity in these species, it may have a role under certain conditions.
Trophic Interactions between Cormorants and Fisheries: Towards a More Quantitative Approach Using Stable Isotopes

Abstract. Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrcorax auritus) and other piscivorous birds are frequently implicated in having negative effects on commercial and sport fisheries despite the fact that several studies suggest that such effects may be infrequent. Increases in cormorant populations in North America over the last decades have fueled the debate further and population controls, official and unofficial, are in effect in several jurisdictions. Of importance to the management community is the need to obtain the best information on actual diets of cormorants throughout their annual cycle but particularly on the temperate breeding grounds where they frequently overlap with fisheries. Despite success in quantifying seabird diets, managers have yet to exploit the potential of the stable isotope approach to examine trophodynamics of cormorants where they can potentially interfere with fisheries. Here, the use of stable isotope methods (&dgr;15N and &dgr;13C) to quantitatively predict trophic interactions between cormorants and their prey are recommended to augment conventional dietary approaches. The stable isotope approach is particularly suited to situations where birds feed at a single, well-defined lake or waterbody. The approach can provide a quantitative estimate of fish consumption to species or species groups in cases where such groups are isotopically distinct. This paper is intended to provide the research and management communities with the necessary background to apply stable isotope methods to better assess diets of cormorants and other piscivorous waterbirds.