Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sharing the space: coexistence among terrestrial predators in Neotropical caves

ABSTRACT The subterranean environment has a set of unique characteristics, including low thermic variation, high relative humidity, areas with total absence of light and high dependence on nutrient input from the epigean environment. Such characteristics promote distinct ecological conditions that support the existence of unique communities. In this work, we studied seven caves in the Presidente Olegário municipality, Minas Gerais state, Southeast Brazil, to determine their richness of predatory species, to understand how they are spatially distributed in the cave and whether their distribution is influenced by competition and/or predation. We carried out five surveys of the caves, with each cave divided into sampling plots. We collected fauna within the plots using a manual search method. The collected animals were fixed in 70% ethanol for later identification. We performed a canonical correspondence analysis to verify the spatial distribution and substrate preference of each species, and selected five species for agonistic interaction testing in the laboratory. We found a great richness of predators in the caves, with 79 species distributed among 22 families of spiders, five families of pseudoscorpions, three families of chilopods, two families of opilionids and one family each of scorpions and heteroptera. Spiders were the most species diverse and abundant of all arthropods we found in the caves. We recorded evidence of competition among some pairs of species but, in general, the spatial distribution of the predatory community in the interior of the caves seems to be unrelated to interspecies competition. The laboratory pairings support our field observations that most species merely share space, rather than exhibiting aggressive or predatory behaviour.
Improvement of fruit colour quality of paprika combined treatments of Ti(IV) and humic acids

Capsicum annuum L. (cv Bunejo) plants were grown under glass and treated with different combinations of humic acids and Ti(IV) ascorbate applied via soil drench of leaf spray. For each treatment, the colour level, yellow/red pigments ratio, lipoxygenase activity, ascorbic acid content and fruit yield were determined. Greater yields, ascorbic acid content and lipoxygenase activity were found in fruits of humic acid-treated plants, compared with the corresponding control plants, but there were no changes in colour or the red/yellow pigments ratio. With Ti treatment, all the measured parameters increased except lipoxygenase activity which decreased dramatically. Apart from the increase in yield, the effects of combined treatments of Ti and humic acids did not result in any improvement of the effects of Ti alone.
Fertility of 4x × 5x and 5x × 4x Progenies Derived from Vaccinium ashei/corymbosum Pentaploid Hybrids

Percent fruit set, fruit size, total seeds/berry, developed seeds/berry, percent developed seeds/berry, and percent pollen stainability were examined in 4x × 5x and 5x × 4x progenies derived from Vaccinium ashei Reade/V. corymbosum L. pentaploid hybrids backcrossed to V. corymbosum. All fertility parameters indicated that the BC1 progenies were more fertile than the pentaploid hybrids. Pollen stainability indicated that the BC1 derivatives were less fertile than the parental species. All fertility parameters were significantly and negatively correlated with chromosome number, which ranged from the tetraploid (2n = 4x = 48) to pentaploid (2n = 5x = 60) levels within these progenies.
Production of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose by Immobilization of dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase

The dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase from Salmonella enterica was immobilized using covalent binding to cyanogen bromide activated sepharose. The immobilized enzyme was used to produce dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose, a key sugar intermediate that can be used economically to produce diverse classes of unusual sugars appended in various antibiotics. The enzyme was immobilized on the sepharose after activation with cyanogen bromide. The maximum immobilization (80.03%) was achieved after 14 h of coupling. The covalently immobilized enzyme was stable, and an average of 78.4 % conversion was achieved until 120 h of immobilization when it was repeatedly used. Similar conversion was noticed for the first batch using the enzyme entrapped-hydrogel but activity was gradually decreased in the following batches. The production of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose by using an immobilized enzyme has high potential for commercial application.
Synchronized Inhibition of the Phospholipid Mediated Autoactivation of Factor XII in Plasma by β2-glycoprotein I and Anti-β2-glycoprotein I

Summary Lupus anticoagulants are a group of antibodies commonly found in patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus anticoagulants inhibit phospholipid dependent coagulation and may bind to negatively charged phospholipids. Recent studies have suggested an association between anti-β2-glycoprotein I and a lupus anticoagulant, whose activity is frequently dependent on the presence of β2-glycoprotein I. Based on these observations, the effect of anti-β2-glycoprotein I on the autoactivation of factor XII in plasma was investigated. Autoactivation initiated by the presence of negatively charged phospholipids, but not by sulfatide, was strongly inhibited by immunoaffinity purified anti-β2-glycoprotein I. The dose-response curve of anti-β2-gly coprotein I was identical with that of a precipitating antibody, showing no inhibition at low and high antibody dilutions and maximal inhibition at an intermediate dilution. At high antibody concentrations, an increased rate of factor Xlla activation was observed. This increase was of the same magnitude as the decreased rate observed in plasma supplemented with the same amount of β2-glycoprotein I as in the plasma itself. This confirms the inhibitory effect of β2-GP-I on the contact activation and shows that inhibition is effective on the autoactivation of factor XII in plasma. The inhibitory action of β2-glycoprotein I was independent of the inhibition caused by the anti- β2-glycoprotein I/β2-glycoprotein I complex suggesting a synchronized inhibition of factor XII autoactivation by β2-glycoprotein I and anti-β2-gly coprotein I. The inhibition caused by the antibody is suggested to be caused by a reduced availability of negatively charged phospholipids due to the binding of the anti-β2- GP-I/β2-GP-I complex. This complex may be a lupus anticoagulant.
A Chemical Approach to the Determination of Floral Sources of New Zealand Honeys

SummaryThe results of gas chromatagraphic analyses of the concentrated diethyl ether liquid-liquid extracts of 10 honey samples from a variety of floral sources are presented. The chemical composition was compared with the pollen composition and found to be related to the floral source. The gas chromatographic profile of honey extractives is proposed as a guide to the purity of unifloral honeys.
Herbicide and Cover Crop Residue Integration in Conservation Tillage Tomato

The increased adoption of conservation tillage in vegetable production requires more information on the role of various cover crops in weed control, tomato quality, and yield. Three conservation-tillage systems utilizing crimson clover, turnip, and cereal rye as winter cover crops were compared to a conventional black polythene mulch system, with or without herbicide, for weed control and tomato yield. All cover crops were flattened with a mechanical roller/crimper prior to chemical desiccation. Herbicide treatments included a PRE application of S-metolachlor (1.87 kg a.i. ha−1) either alone, or followed by an early POST metribuzin (0.56 kg a.i. ha−1) application followed by a late POST application of clethodim (0.28 kg a.i. ha−1). Except for spotted spurge and tall morningglory only the main effect of herbicide treatments and cover crops affected weed control. For the majority of the weeds, no significant differences in weed control were observed with rye residue and plastic mulch treatments; however, turnip and crimson clover residue failed to control most weeds. Rye residue provided 86% large crabgrass, 80% goosegrass and 84% Broadleaf signalgrass control. Yellow nutsedge was controlled 65% by plastic mulch and only 60% by Rye residue. Pokeweed was controlled 80% by plastic mulch treatment. S-metola‐ chlor applied PRE was sufficient in controlling leafy spurge and tall morningglory in plastic mulch and rye residue plots. Yield was less following either crimson clover or turnip cover crops compared to rye or the polythene mulch system. Application of herbicides resulted in better yields compared to the no-herbicide treatments. Economic analysis indicated that there was no significant difference between using a rye cover crop or plastic under any of the alternative herbicide treatment regimes in 2005. This research demonstrates the possibility of growing tomato in conservation tillage systems using high residue cover crops and herbicides to maintain season long weed control.
Histology of loose-shell affected Penaeus monodon

The loose-shell affected Penaeus monodon was studied for induced infection, recovery and histology under the laboratory condition and grow-out system. The maximum percentage of loose-shell affected animals was 23.3% in summer and 14.15% in winter culture ponds. Mortality pattern of experimentally infected animals varied with the mode of infection. The cumulative mortality reached 100% within 9 to 10 days through the water infection, 11 to 12 days through oral feeding, 12th day at 0.01 ml, 8th day in 0.05 ml and 4th day at 0.1 ml through the intramuscular injection. A marked recovery of loose-shell P. monodon fed with frozen clam, mussel meat at 12% of body weight daily was observed. The data suggested that improved survival, up to 64% shell recovery and 17 to 47.5% of weight gain in the case of clam meat experiment, and up to 66.6% shell recovery and 16.2 to 48.4% of weight gain in mussel meat experiment. The histology of the loose-shell-affected animals showed the presence of inclusion bodies, gill cuticle separated from the epithelial cells, degeneration of basement membrane in the gut.
Complicating a complex ecosystem function: the controversial role of gastropods in a myremcochorous seed dispersal mutualism

Several thousand plant species worldwide are adapted to seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) and they are a dominant part of many plant communities, as is the case in European beech forests. Ants, however, are often rare in beech forests. The consequence of this paradox might be that the majority of seeds fall prey to seed predators and myrmecochores migrate mostly by vegetative spread. I compared ant, gastropod and myrmecochore abundance data from beech forests and I conducted seed removal experiments. Gastropods contributed most to the seed removal. Therefore I offered seeds to four gastropod species in the laboratory and I collected red slugs (Arion rufus) in beech forests and searched for seeds in their feces. I tested their dispersal potential by assessing germination rates of slug-defecated seeds and distances red slugs move in the field. The cover and species richness of myrmecochores in beech forests was negatively correlated with the abundance of ants but positively with the abundance of gastropods, supporting my assumption of a discrepancy in the presence of plants and their ant-dispersers. Gastropods were most important for seed removal in my removal experiments, while rodents and insects including ants played only a minor role. Laboratory feeding experiments showed that gastropods consumed seeds of all plant species offered. Swallowed seeds were defecated undamaged and germinated as well as control seeds. I also discovered seeds in the feces of wild-caught red slugs. Thus, gastropods may act as seed dispersers. Red slugs moved up to 14.6 m in 15 hours, the median gut passage time of seeds, and thus, might transport seeds even further than ants. The results of my experiments indicate that myrmecochores might lack ants as their seed dispersers in beech forests, but they also suggest that ants could be substituted by gastropods.
Development of powder and capsule formulations of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain Pf-1 for control of banana wilt

Pseudomonas fluorescens strains which effectively inhibited mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, the banana wilt pathogen, were isolated from the rhizoplane of different crops. A talc-based powder formulation of the effective strain Pf-1 was developed. When it was packed in polythene bag, the bacteria could survive for more than 120 days in storage. When it was packed in gelatin capsules, the bacteria could survive for 60 days. P. fluorescens Pf-1 product reduced the banana wilt incidence when it was applied by rhizome treatment, followed by capsule application or soil application. In all three field trials, P. fluorescens Pf-1 product increased the fruit yield besides controlling the disease. This product was better than carbendazim in controlling the disease in one of the field trials where there was heavy incidence of disease in untreated plots and in increasing the yield in two out of three field trials.
Scarification and germination of seeds of Leucaena leucocephala Lam De Wit

The combination of hot water and various soaking periods was successful in breaking the dormancy of two lines of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit, cultivars 'K8' and K67. The germination percentage obtained indicated a differential response of the two lines to the various treatments. In general, these results confirm those of other workers reported in the literature. Temperature had a more significant effect on seed germination than did soaking time. For practical purposes these results suggest that large amounts of Leucaena seeds may be scarified satisfactorily by immersion of seed for 2-5 min in water at 80°C or for 2-5 s in water at 100°C. The latter treatments are perhaps more feasible as they may be made without the use of a thermometer.
The phylogenetic and phenotypic analysis of Salmonella enterica serovar Weltevreden

Diarrhoeal diseases remain a global health threat and are responsible for high levels of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with an estimated 1.7 billion cases every annum. Additionally, according to the World Health Organisation, diarrhoeal diseases are the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years old. Salmonella are one of the most common diarrhoeal pathogens [1] (WHO Accessed 20 February 2015) with serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium and Typhi playing a major role in outbreaks worldwide. However, Salmonella enterica serovar Weltevreden (S. Weltevreden) has recently attracted a great deal of interest due to increasing reports of its isolation by reference laboratories around the world, with a particular high incidence in South East Asia. However, relatively little is known about the genotypic or phenotypic properties of this understudied serovar. In this study, phylogenetics and comparative genomics based on whole genome sequences were used to define the genetic diversity within a sizeable collection of S. Weltevreden isolates collected from across the globe, with a focus in South East Asia. This phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the S. Weltevreden isolates belong to a monophyletic clade formed of several sub-clades presenting distinct geographical clustering and characteristics. Phenotypic characterisation was performed on selected isolates, with an aim to dissect aspects of host-pathogen interaction during infection, providing a foundation to compare S. Weltevreden with other serovars such as S. Typhimurium. Interestingly, an overall attenuated pathology was observed both invitro (hep 2 cell line) and in-vivo (murine and zebrafish embryos) for S. Weltevreden compared to the S. Typhimurium reference strain. This is the first report of the phylogenetic analyses of S. Weltevreden and of a systematic in-vitro and in-vivo characterisation of the sub-species.
Effect of water supply on the physiological characteristic and production of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).

Different levels of soil water capacity (SWC 30-50-70 %) resulted in significant changes in physio logical parameters of Ocimum basilicum L. 'Genovese' in a pot experiment. Cpmpared to the control plants (water supply to 70% SWC) the driest condition (30 % SWC) caused a decrease of the relative water content (RWC) in the plants by 20 %. Additionally, their water potential was reduced to 45 % of the con trol plants. The same treatment increased the concen tration of malondialdehyde (MDA) indicating the level of oxidative stress, by 52 % compared to the leaves of the control plants. However, under a moderate water deficit (50 % SWC), the plants exhibited a less severe decrease in RWC and water potential, as well as less oxidative stress. Although the reduction of the SWC to 50 % did not significantly affect the dry shoot mass, a more severe water stress (30 % SWC) reduced it by 34 %, compared to the control plants. The essential oil concentration per plant dry mass showed only a slight increase in consequence of drought stress (significant at 90 % confidence level). The essential oil production calculated to a single individual is determined basical ly by the changes in the biomass, thus, the lowest re sults were found in the driest soil. Water supply modi fied the quantitative composition of the ou: the pro portion of linalool decreased from 59.68 to 44.39 %. The samples of the stressed plants contained some mi nor components, (s-myrcene, 2-octanone) not present in the control samples.
Biochar influences on agricultural soils, crop production, and the environment: A review

Given its high pore volume and adsorption capacity, and when applied as an agricultural soil amendment, its ability to enhance the soil’s nutrient- and water- holding capacities, biochar has become a focus of research interest. In most applications, crop productivity is significantly increased after agricultural soils are amended with biochar. In addition to increasing soil quality, the biochar amendments sequester carbon within the soil. However, the long-term effects of amending agricultural soils with biochar are difficult to predict, because the mechanisms behind the increase in productivity of biochar amended soils are not yet fully understood. Long-term detrimental effects on soil and the environment can occur if biochar is applied haphazardly. Current knowledge and the additional experimental work required to thoroughly understand the influence of biochar amendment on the behavior of agricultural soils processes are reviewed. Further, studies on the post production processing of biochar are discuss.
Teleconnections between the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and eastern China summer precipitation during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age

The teleconnection between the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and eastern China summer precipitation (ECSP) for the modern period has been emphasized in the past few decades. We test its stability during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA) based on the composite results of the median of six models under the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project Phase3 (PMIP3) framework. During the MCA, ECSP generally increases in positive AMO phases relative to negative phases, similar to the modern teleconnection, while during the LIA, the precipitation tends to reduce over eastern China, especially in the Yangtze River basin. Decomposing the precipitation change on the basis of a diagnostic moisture budget manifests that the different AMO-related precipitation changes stem from distinct effects of circulation-induced moisture convergence during the two periods. Compared with negative AMO phases, positive AMO phases during the MCA show an anomalous lower-level cyclone and upper-level anticyclone over eastern China that facilitate the upward motion anomaly and precipitation excess. During the LIA, a barotropic anticyclone centers in Northeast China and weakens the high-level westerlies over eastern China; this favors descending and upper-level divergence anomalies and leads to precipitation decreases. The distinct convergence changes are determined by differing propagation paths of the AMO-induced teleconnection wave train during the two periods.
The loci of genes located on sex-chromosome of silkworm (Bombyx mori) responsible for the cocoon weight and cocoon shell weight and their effect analysis

La variete de vers a soie Schod avec les genes marqueurs sch et od sur le premier groupe de liaison (chromosome Z) a ete croisee avec Qiucui qui donne un poids eleve du cocon. Sur la base de l'analyse des generations de segregations (BC et F2) a partir du croisement des deux varietes mentionnees ci-dessus, les locus des caracteres quantitatifs ont ete localises selon Mather et Jinks (1982). Les resultats ont demontre qu 'il existe deux genes affectant le poids du cocon et le poids de la coque du cocon sur le premier groupe de liaison, qui se trouvent a des distances cartographiques de 28, 8 et 30, 4 respectivement. Il existe un effet dominant partiel et pas d'epistasie sur les deux locus.
Production of Sweet Corn from Transplants

Transplanting has been one means of obtaining earlier yield in certain spring-grown vegetables (Sams, 1983; Weston and Zandstra, 1986). Studies were conducted in 1987 to investigate the feasibility of transplanting sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. rugosa Bonaf.), which is normally direct-seeded. The objectives were to determine the effects of container type on sweet corn transplant growth and subsequent plant development and ear quality and to compare transplanted and direct-seeded sweet corn under field conditions.
Quality Assessment of a Nigerian Marine Fish, Mullet (Liza falcipinnis) under different Storage Conditions

Quality assessment of a typical Nigerian marine fish specie, Liza falcipinnis (Mullet) was carried out at various storage temperatures such as ambient (28 o C), Refrigeration (4 o C) and Frozen state (-5 o C) using sensory, microbiological and biochemical method of evaluation. At ambient temperature, the shelf life of the fish specie was estimated to be 12hrs. At this time, the fish was still sensorily acceptable, the bacterial load of the tissue was 6.2 x
Misinterpreting proxy data for paleoclimate signals: A reply to Srivastava and Jovane, 2020

Srivastava and Jovane (2020) have made several comments on our assessment of proxy data and challenged the outcome of Shukla et al. (2020) based mainly on interpretation of environmental magnetic parameters. We respond to their criticisms and re-evaluate our paper, remove ambiguities and validate our conclusions through additional proxies (grain-size and geochemistry). We welcome their comments and do not entirely rule out their interpretation for magnetic mineralogy. We highlight the importance of proxy validation for high-energy environments like Chorabari lake. However, single proxy data correlation is likely to produce biased results with no relevant meaning. The objective of our study was to understand complexities in the glacial-climate system by reconstructing late-Holocene climate variations using the glacial lake sediment records from the Mandakini River Basin, Central Himalaya, India. We presented the complexities in Shukla et al. (2020), and this was also highlighted by Srivastava and Jovane (2020). In response, we provide additional justification of proxy response and substantiate our results with present-day estimates from the Chorabari glacier valley. We disagree with the thesis put forward by Srivastava and Jovane (2020) in their conclusion as they overemphasize the interpretation of a single proxy. We maintain that the investigation of present-day glacial settings is an important precursor of paleoclimatic data interpretation and that this supports our conclusions. We will try to incorporate the important suggestions of Srivastava and Jovne (2020) relating to the interpretation of magnetic data in future work.