Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rooting pattern and nitrogen use efficiency in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under moisture stress conditions.

Roots play an important role in exploring the plant’s ability to explore the available soil volume for water and nutrients. Among abiotic stresses, moisture stress is one of the most imperative factor that exerts substantial impact on root growth, nutrients use efficiency, and seed cotton yield. Field experiments were conducted during 2008-09, to elucidate the effect of moisture stress on rooting pattern, seed cotton yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of different genotypes grown in alkaline calcareous soils. Three factors were: {three genotypesviz.V1 = NIAB-846, V2 = NIAB-824, and V3 = CIM496); four moisture stresses(viz.I1 = local control-eight irrigations (all applied at 50% available soil moisture depletion level, ASMDL),I2 = moisture stress at inter-node elongation stagein July up to 80% ASMDL, I3 = moisture stress at vegetative growth stagein September up to 80% ASMDL,and I4 = moisture stress at inter-node elongation and at vegetative growth stage-in July and September up to 80% ASMDL)); and three nitrogen doses (viz. N1 = 50 kg ha-1, N2 = 100 kg ha-1, and N3 = 150 kg ha-1.)}arranged in Randomized Completed Block Design with split-split plot arrangements replicated thrice while keeping genotypes in main plots, moisture stresses in split plots, and nitrogen levels in split-split plots. Interaction treatments (I×N×V) significantly affected root:shoot ratio, seed cotton yield, and NUE. During 2008, highest root:shoot ratio (0.413) was recorded in NIAB-824 byI2×N1×V2 followed by 0.333 root:shoot ratio in NIAB-846 byI2×N1×V1treatment.During 2009, highest root:shoot ratio (0.412) was recorded in CIM-496 by I3×N1×V3treatment. Under higher N dose (150 kg N ha-1), root:shoot ratio didn’t vary significantly by different moisture stress treatments in all genotypes. Results showed that, highest seed cotton yield of 4871 and 4853 kg ha-1 was achieved in NIAB-846 and NIAB-824 by I3×N3×V2 and I1×N2 ×V2, respectively (during 2008);and 5709 and 5634 kg ha-1in NIAB-824 by treatments I3×N3×V2 and I1×N2×V2,(during 2009), respectively. During 2008, highest NUE of 105.09, 92.92, and 92.54 kg yield kg1 N applied was obtained in I1×N1×V1, I1×N1×V2, I3×N1×V3, respectively. Similar trend was observed during 2009 with highest NUE in I1 and I3 treatments. Non-significant difference in highest NUE in no stress (control) and moisture stress at vegetative growth stage was observed. These results led towards the conclusion that N application @50 kg ha-1under moisture stress either in July or September causes higher root:shoot ratio in cotton genotypes and highest NUE in these genotypes can be achieved by imposing moisture stress at vegetative growth stage in September (by skipping one irrigation)coupled with 50 kg N ha-1.
The relationship of macroinvertebrate assemblages to water chemistry in a polluted Colorado plains stream

Macroinvertebrate assemblages and 27 water chemistry variables were investigated at 8 sampling sites over a 4-year period (1992-1995) in the plains section of the Cache la Poudre River, north central Colorado, influenced by urbanization and agricultural activities. Relationships between macroinvertebrate assemblages and water chemistry variables were examined along a longitudinal chemical gradient using ordination techniques (principal component analysis (PCA), redundancy analysis (RDA), and detrended canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA)). PCA ordination diagrams provide a reasonable two-dimensional representation of both the macroinvertebrate and environmental data. Concentrations of cations (e.g. Ca, Mg, Na, and K ions) exhibited the strongest relationship with macroinvertebrate assemblages along the river section. The inorganic nutrients (e.g. ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus), suspended solids, and turbidity were also associated with macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. Temporal trends of macroinvertebrate assemblages, investigated using DCCA, showed that interannual and seasonal variations of macroinvertebrate assemblages were related to increases in concentrations of heavy metals and to decreases in concentrations of inorganic nutrients, suspended solids, and turbidity. Interannual variations were less important than seasonal changes in explaining temporal patterns of macroinvertebrate assemblages. The highest species turnover and the highest interannual and lowest seasonal variation of macroinvertebrate assemblages were found at the reference site.
Effects of herbicides and tillage practices on weeds and summer mungbean (Vigna radiata) in wheat (Triticum aestivum)-mungbean cropping sequence

A field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute to study the weed management strategy in zero-tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT) with and without residue during 2014 and 2015 in summer mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] following residual effects of 4 weed control treatments, comprising of readymix and sequential application of herbicides during previous rabi seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15 in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Previous season weed-control treatment significantly reduced the broad-leaved, narrow-leaved and total weed population and dry weight in both the years over unweeded control. However, herbicidal treatments did not differ significantly adopted during previous rabi season. Results showed that ZT with residue retention (ZT+R) caused a significant reduction in population and dry weight of weeds compared to CT without residue. Mungbean yield attributes were higher in ZT with residue retention (ZT+R) than conventional-tilled treatments. Previous applied of pendimethalin 1 kg/ha followed by sulfosulfuron 25 g/ha combined with ZT with 5 tonnes/ha residue retention (ZT+R) +75% N + rest N based on GreenSeekerTM (GS) resulting in higher mungbean yield, may be recommended for mungbean production in north-western Indo-Gangetic plains of India in wheat-mungbean sequence.
Prevalence and antibiotics resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates isolated from raw milk obtained from small-scale dairy farms in Penang, Malaysia.

Received: Revised: Accepted: Online available: Aug 15, 2015 October 06, 2015 October 12, 2015 January 11, 2016 The study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotics resistance of S. aureus in raw milk samples obtained from dairy farms in Penang, Malaysia. A total of 60 samples were examined and all the samples examined were positive for S. aureus with counts ranging from 2.88 to 3.41 log cfu/mL. Milk samples obtained from different farms had similar S. aureus counts (P>0.05). All the isolates examined were susceptible to gentamycin, kanamycin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin (23.3%), ampicillin (23.3%), trimethoprim (18.3%), cefoxitin (15.0%), linezolid (11.7%), clindamycin (10.0%), erythromycin (8.3%) and tetracycline (5.0%). 28.3% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic with MAR index ranging from 0.08 to 0.67. The following genes, blaZ, ermA and tetK were detected in 9, 5 and 1 isolate/s of S. aureus respectively. Presence of high S. aureus counts and antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus might pose a health hazard if milk is not pasteurized adequately and prolonged storage of milk after milking at ambient temperature might further aggravate the problem.
Drought responses by individual tree species are not often correlated with tree species diversity in European forests

Drought frequency and intensity are predicted to increase in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere and the effects of such changes on forest growth and tree mortality are already evident in many regions around the world. Mixed-species forests and increasing tree species diversity have been put forward as important risk reduction and adaptation strategies in the face of climate change. However, little is known about whether the species interactions that occur in diverse forests will reduce drought susceptibility or water stress. In this study, we focused on the effect of drought on individual tree species (n=16) within six regions of Europe and assessed whether this response was related to tree species diversity and stand density, and whether community-level responses resulted from many similar or contrasting species-level responses. For each species in each plot, we calculated the increase in carbon isotope composition of latewood from a wet to a dry year (C-13) as an estimate of its drought stress level. When significant community-level relationships occurred (three of six regions), there was only one species within the given community that showed a significant relationship (three of 25 species-region combinations), showing that information about a single species can be a poor indicator of the response of other species or the whole community. There were many two-species mixtures in which both species were less water-stressed compared with their monocultures, but also many mixtures where both species were more stressed compared with their monocultures. Furthermore, a given species combination responded differently in different regions.Synthesis and applications. Our study shows that drought stress may sometimes be reduced in mixed-species forests, but this is not a general pattern, and even varies between sites for a given combination. The management or prediction of drought stress requires consideration of the physiological characteristics of the mixed species, and how this complements the water-related climatic and edaphic features of the site, rather than species richness. Our study shows that drought stress may sometimes be reduced in mixed-species forests, but this is not a general pattern, and even varies between sites for a given combination. The management or prediction of drought stress requires consideration of the physiological characteristics of the mixed species, and how this complements the water-related climatic and edaphic features of the site, rather than species richness.
Inhibitory Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum on Salmonella infantis , Enterobacter aerogenes and Escherichia coli during Tempeh Fermentation.

Growth and inhibition of Salmonella infantis , Enterobacter aerogenes and Escherichia coli in fermenting soybeans during tempeh production were studied in presence and absence of Lactobacillus plantarum . In fermenting unacidified soybeans S. infantis grew by 7 log units in 40 h. E. coli and E. aerogenes grew by 6 and 7 log units respectively. A similar pattern of growth of the three test organisms in fermenting acidified beans was also noted. Further inoculation of unacidified cooked beans with L. plantarum at a level of 106/g resulted in a complete inhibition of the test organisms in the product. On acidified cooked beans a lower level of L. plantarum inoculum (102/g) was enough to show a complete inhibitory effect. The lowering of the pH in fermenting beans by L. plantarum might have played a role in the destruction of the test organisms.
Temporal changes in olfactory and oviposition responses of the diamondback moth to herbivore‐induced host plants

Temporal changes in the pre‐ and post‐alighting responses of mated female diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), to two species of Brassica (Brassicaceae) host plants induced by larval feeding were studied using olfactometer and oviposition assays. Females displayed strong olfactory and oviposition preferences for herbivore‐induced common cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. cv. sugarloaf) plants over intact plants; these preferences decreased with time and disappeared by the 7th day after induction. In herbivore‐induced common cabbage plants, eggs were clustered near feeding damage on the younger leaves (leaves 5–7), whereas in intact plants, eggs were clustered on the stem and lower leaves (leaves 1–4) . However, as the time interval between larval feeding and oviposition increased, more eggs were laid on the lower leaves of induced plants. This demonstrates a change in egg distribution from the pattern associated with induced plants to that associated with intact plants. In contrast, females displayed strong olfactory and oviposition preferences for intact Chinese cabbage [Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt cv. Wombok] plants over induced plants; these preferences decreased with time and disappeared by the 5th day after induction. More eggs were laid on the upper leaves (leaves 4–6) than on the lower leaves (leaves 1–3) of intact Chinese cabbage plants at first, but the distribution changed over time until there were no significant differences in the egg count between upper and lower leaves by the 4th day post induction. For both host plant species, pre‐alighting responses of moths were reliable indicators of post‐alighting responses on the first 2 days post induction. The results suggest that temporal changes in a plant's profile (chemical or otherwise) following herbivory may influence attractiveness to an insect herbivore and be accompanied by changes in olfactory and oviposition preferences.
Aplicación de métodos multivariados para la caracterización de periodos de sequía meteorológica en Venezuela

Multivariate analysis consists of determining if there are simpler ways of representing a complex data set, as well as exploring if the observations are concentrated in groups and if there is an interdependence between the elements. These types of techniques have been widely used to analyze climatological data. For this reason, the objective of this investigation was to characterize the occurrence of drought periods using time series of the Normalized Precipitation Index (SPI) for seven agricultural localities in Venezuela, using two multivariate methods. Through the SPI, the deficit or excess precipitation conditions in the agricultural localities were quantified on a monthly scale for the period 1980-2014. For the analysis, the combination of two multivariate methods was used: the Principal Coordinate Analysis of the data matrices using Euclidean distance and the Cluster Analysis. In the seven localities, two or three groups of years of RLS were described. In the case of the localities that resulted with three groups (CENIAP, El Cuji and Yaritagua) these were categorized into wet years, intermediate years and years with significant water deficits. Whereas, in the case of the localities that resulted with two groups (Turen, Quibor, Mucuchies and Bramon) they were classified as wet years and years associated with water deficit. The application of these multivariate methods allowed identifying the monthly spatial patterns of the SPI over the studied localities, in addition to being related to the occurrence of local droughts of great importance from an agricultural point of view.
Different Expressions of Dietary Protein and Amino Acid Digestibility in Pig Feeds and Their Application in Protein Evaluation: A Theoretical Approach

Abstract There is a distinction between the terms apparent, true, real, and “net” ileal protein and amino acid digestibility. For low-protein feedstuff's, “apparent” values relate directly to the feedstuff and are accurate estimates of net digestibility. For diluted protein-rich feedstuffs, apparent values underestimate the net digestibility, which, however, can be obtained from apparent digestibility by mathematical extrapolation. “True” digestibility values have traditionally been obtained by correcting ileal digesta flows for endogenous protein determined after feeding an N-free mixture. Such values are not affected by the protein content of the test diet (degree of dilution) but are generally underestimated and influenced by the amount of endogenous protein loss induced by the N-free mixture. True digestibility determined using enzyme hydrolysed casein includes the minimal or “basal” endogenous loss induced by protein-containing feedstuffs and is, by definition, not influenced by different N-free mixt.
Community‐level plant palatability increases with elevation as insect herbivore abundance declines

Plants protect themselves against herbivore attacks through a myriad of physical structures and toxic secondary metabolites. Together with abiotic factors, herbivores are expected to modulate plant defence strategies within plant assemblages. Because the abundance of insect herbivore decreases in colder environments, the palatability of plants in communities at higher elevation should shift in response to both abiotic and biotic factors. We inventoried grasshopper communities to document changes in herbivore abundance along elevation gradients and quantified associated shifts in plant palatability. We measured plant palatability by measuring the growth of Spodoptera littoralis generalist caterpillars fed with the leaves of 172 plant species. We related plant palatability to leaf traits and elevation at the species and community levels. In congruence with the decrease in grasshopper abundance with elevation, we found that the mean palatability level of plant communities increases with elevation. In addition, plant palatability was negatively associated with the community‐weighted mean of leaf dry matter content. At the species level, plants with high carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio were less palatable, while we found no effect of species mean elevation on plant palatability. Synthesis. Our results suggest that plant communities at higher elevation are composed of species that are generally more palatable for insect herbivores. Shift in plant palatability with elevation may thus be the outcome of a relaxation of the in situ herbivore pressure and changes in abiotic conditions.
Studies on growth and mortality of Malabar tongue sole, Cynoglossus macrostomus (Norman, 1928) along the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra India

Growth and mortality parameters of Malabar Tongue sole, Cynoglossus macrostomus were estimated on the basis of length frequency data collected during April 2014 to March 2015 by using ELEFAN software employing FiSAT-I. The asymptotic length L∞ and growth coefficient K were estimated at 192mm and 0.9 year-1 respectively. The to was estimated by VBGF plot to be 0.0022 yr. By using the von Bertalanffy Growth Formula (VBGF), it is observed that C. macrostomus attains a length of 107mm, 151mm and 163mm at the end of six, twelve and fifteen months respectively. The values of Z, M and F were calculated as 5.20, 1.008 and 4.192 per year respectively. The Lc50 was estimated to be 114.22mm. The exploitation ratio (E) was found to be 0.806. Relative yield per curve was found to be maximum for an exploitation ratio Emax of 0.77. To sustain the catches of C. macrostomus from Ratnagiri coast the fishing pressure should be reduced from present E of 0.806 to Emax of 0.77.
Comparison of the Amino Acid and Peptide Composition and Postprandial Response of Beef, Chicken, and Whey Protein Nutritional Preparations

Background : Increasing dietary protein intake synergistically improves the effect of exercise to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the plasma amino acid response of two novel protein nutritional preparations, beef protein isolate (BeefISOTM) and hydrolyzed chicken protein isolate (MyoCHXTM). Methods : The postprandial plasma amino acid response over 3 hours was monitored in young adults (n=6) following consumption of 23 grams of WPC, BeefISOTM, or MyoCHXTM. Amino acid compositional analysis and molecular weight distributions of each protein were performed by HPLC. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way or two-way ANOVA where appropriate and corrected for multiple comparisons to account for the cross-over design. Results : Compositional evaluations revealed similar levels of essential and branched-chain amino acids for WPC and MyoCHXTM. While the results of this study predictably demonstrated plasma amino acids levels increased following consumption of the different proteins, the kinetics of the postprandial response was unique to each protein source. WPC and MyoCHXTM were rapidly absorbed with maximum plasma amino acid concentrations observed at 30 and 15 min, respectively. The slightly faster absorption of MyoCHXTM was associated with the increased peptide content of MyoCHXTM (greater than 76% of protein is <2kDa). BeefISOTM exhibited sustained release characteristics as evidenced by increased post prandial amino acid concentrations after 3 hours. Conclusions : The protein preparations studied each had different amino acid profiles and absorption kinetics. WPC and MyoCHXTM contained a higher essential amino acid content and were rapidly absorbed with plasma amino acid concentrations peaking within 30 minutes following consumption. BeefISOTM contained a higher proportion of conditionally essential amino acids that steadily increased in plasma over 3 hours, indicating a sustained release profile for BeefISOTM. Each of these three protein preparations have been shown to facilitate similar improvements in body composition following a resistance-exercise training program. The paradoxical finding that proteins with varying composition, molecular weight, and digestibility can lead to similar effects on body composition suggests the need to evaluate proteins based on total nutritional potential rather than as a delivery vehicle for single amino acids. Key Words : Protein digestibility; amino acids; body composition; beef protein; chicken protein
Large Premigratory Roost of Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) in Ioannina City, Greece: Trends, Roost Characteristics, and Implications for Conservation

Gran Dormidero Premigratorio de Falco naumanni En La Ciudad de Ioannina, Grecia: Tendencias, Caracteristicas del Dormidero, e Implicaciones Para la Conservacion Presentamos las tendencias y las caracteristicas de un dormidero comunal pre-migratorio de Falco naumanni en la ciudad de Ioannina (Noroeste de Grecia), asi como las zonas de campeo que usa la especie en este periodo. Durante los 15 anos que duro el estudio, se registro un numero maximo de 3500 individuos, concretamente en los anos 2003 y 2004. Los dormideros se encuentran exclusivamente en ejemplares maduros de Platanus orientalis ubicados a orillas del lago Pamvotida, mientras que las zonas de campeo estan en praderas alpinas a mas de 34 km de los dormideros. En base al uso de un modelo de regresion logisitica binaria se puede predecir la presencia o ausencia de la especie en relacion con la abundancia de ortopteros en la zona. Es vital la proteccion de los dormideros comunales y de las zonas de campeo durante la epoca de pre-migracion para la c.