Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of different levels of Sigatoka disease severity on banana pulp colour and early ripening

Abstract Bananas are usually harvested at a green preclimacteric stage prior to sale. The preclimacteric phase is called green life (GL), which is defined as the number of days between harvesting and initiation of the natural ripening process. Sigatoka disease (SD) has previously been shown to influence the postharvest behaviour of banana fruit. This work was set out to determine whether there is a relationship between the level of SD severity and the extent of the effects on banana quality as characterized by several pomological traits, especially pulp colour. In an experiment conducted with fruits harvested at a constant physiological age, our results showed that SD had a major effect on the percentage of fruit ripening in the field and on fruit weight, but not on fruit diameter. We showed too that pulp colour was greatly affected by SD; when severity increased, pulp colour parameters were modified – L* (lightness) decreased, a* (axis red to green) and b* (axis yellow to blue) increased, giving a more greyish pulp colour, with less green and more yellow and red. These results may enable the development of a method for controlling fruit quality, by measuring pulp colour in the field, in order to reduce post-harvest losses.
α2‐Macroglobulin Enhances the Clearance of Endogenous Soluble β‐Amyloid Peptide via Low‐Density Lipoprotein Receptor‐Related Protein in Cortical Neuron

Abstract : Apolipoprotein E and α2‐macroglobulin (α2M) are genetic risk factors for late‐onset Alzheimer's disease, and both bind a cell surface receptor, the lowdensity lipoprotein receptor‐related protein (LRP). To investigate the role of LRP on preventing the accumulation of β‐amyloid peptide (Aβ), we examined the effects of α2M on the clearance of endogenous Aβ. Studies were performed in primary Tg2576 transgenic mouse cortical neuronal cultures expressing human mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) 695. This system allowed us to follow endogenous Aβ using immunoblots to detect monomeric forms of the peptide. Aβ and APP levels were measured in conditioned media. We found that activated α2M (α2M*) substantially decreased soluble Aβ levels and had no effect on secreted or full‐length APP levels. Native α2M, which is not a ligand for LRP, did not affect Aβ levels. The receptor‐associated protein, which inhibits interaction of all ligands with LRP in vitro, prevented α2M*‐induced decreases of soluble Aβ levels. These data suggest that α2M* affects soluble Aβ clearance rather than Aβ production. Further studies showed that similar Aβ clearance via an LRP‐mediated pathway was observed after treatment with another LRP ligand, lactoferrin. Taken together, these data demonstrate that α2M* enhances the clearance of soluble Aβ via LRP in cortical neurons.
Effects of Probiotic Bacteria as Dietary Supplements on Growth and Disease Resistance in Young Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)

ABSTRACT Three separate experiments were conducted to determine the beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria added commercial catfish diets. These commercial probiotics, singly and in combination, were incorporated into a commercial diet fed to juvenile channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), in aquaria. Microbial analyses were conducted to confirm viability of the bacteria under storage conditions. Fish were fed twice daily to apparent satiation and weighed biweekly for a period of 5 to 8 weeks. After that time, representative fish were bled for serological analysis of protein, immunoglobulin, complement, and lysozyme. Disease resistance was additionally determined in the remaining fish by observing mortality after immersion challenge with pathogenic Edwardsiella ictaluri, the causative agent of enteric septicemia (ESC). Specific anti-ESC antibody was measured by ELISA after 15 days in the fish which survived challenge. The viability of the bacteria did not decline in storage at 5°C and could be recovered between 106 and 107 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) of diet after storage for 4 weeks. No significant differences in levels of protein, immunoglobulin, complement, or lysozyme were noted between fish consuming probiotic diets or the control diet. In one feeding trial, weight gain per fish was significantly less in the fish receiving a combination of Pediococcus and Enterococcus probiotic bacteria when compared to those consuming either bacterial supplement diet alone or the control diet. We conclude that these particular commercial dietary supplements lack specific growth promoting or immune stimulating effects in juvenile channel catfish.
Stable carbon isotope fractionation by marine phytoplankton during photosynthesis

Abstract. In the marine environment, the range of values of carbon isotope fractionation between particulate tissue of phytoplankton and inorganic carbon can be more than 20‰ (− 35‰ < δ13C < − 14‰). This review considers the influence of seawater temperature, lipid content of phytoplanktonic cells, kinetic fractionation, and carbon pathway on δ13C values observed at sea. In order to study the contribution of carboxylases (RUBISCO and the β-carboxylases phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, phosphoenoplpyruvate carboxykinase and pyruvate carboxylase) to variations of particulate δ13C values at sea, we present results obtained simultenously on carboxylase activities and δ13C in various environmental conditions. The lowest δ13C values are clearly associated with predominance of ribulose-1.5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity, but it was more difficult to explain the high δ13C values. Different hypotheses are discussed.
Sustainable Harvesting of Tropical Trees: Demography and Matrix Models of Two Palm Species in Mexico

Thrinax radiata and Coccothrinax readii, two palm species of the dry tropical forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico, had been used in earlier times by the Mayans and adult palms are used extensively today. The overexploitation of these species in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve has made management and conservation measures necessary. To assist in the preparation of a management plan for sustainable use, we obtained the patterns of survivorship, growth, and reproduction from four populations of Thrinax radiata and one population of Coccothrinax readii. Thrinax were more abundant (≤2977 individuals/ha) than Coccothrinax (≤760 individuals/ha), and abundance and population structures varied depending on habitat conditions and previous harvesting. Flowering, fruiting, and leaf production varied in both species, apparently as a function of rainfall and site. Seedling survival is high in comparison to other tree species (67-91% in Thrinax). Thrinax attains a height of 3 m at an age of 31-55 yr and Coccothrinax at an age of 63 yr. Both species start reproducing when 4 m tall. Maximum life spans were estimated at 100-145 yr for Thrinax and at >145 yr for Coccothrinax. We estimated transition probabilities for each life cycle category of both species and obtained Lefkovitch (1965) matrices to estimate the populations' finite growth rates (λ = 1.05 for Coccothrinax and λ = 1.09-1.15 for different populations of Thrinax), to generate sensitivity and elasticity matrices under studied conditions, and to simulate various harvesting regimes. Growth rates are very sensitive to changes in adult survival and growth. The long recuperation times in both species (47-84 yr for the population to recover to 400 adult Thrinax palms per hectare and >100 yr for Coccothrinax) emphasize the importance of being extremely cautious before harvesting additional adult palms. Simulations suggest that only up to 40 Thrinax and no Coccothrinax adult palms per hectare may be removed each year if the population is to be sustained. If palms are harvested on a rotational basis every 2, 3, or 4 yr, the number of palms that may be sustainably harvested increases up to 40-80 palms/ha in the Thrinax populations and up to 8 palms/ha in the Coccothrinax population. Our simulation results should be taken cautiously because they do not consider year-to-year variation.
The demography and age-specific annual survival of song thrushes during periods of population stability and decline

1. The British song thrush (Turdus philomelos Brehm) population suffered a marked decline between 1975 and 1993, falling by 65% at an average rate of 5.7% per annum on farmland. We used ring recoveries to investigate whether this could have been brought about by changes in annual survival probabilities of fully grown birds. 2. The annual survival probabilities of first-year song thrushes averaged 0.484 prior to the population decline (1962-75), but dropped to an average of 0.405 in the years 1975-93. A long-term non-linear decrease accounted for 32% of the variance in the logit-transformed estimates of first-year annual survival probability. Adult annual survival probabilities did not show a similar decline; they increased then decreased over the same period, with 28% of this variance being described by a quadratic equation. 3. The changes in first-year annual survival probabilities alone were sufficiently large to account for the observed changes in population size. 4. First year annual survival probabilities were lower in years with cold (r 2 = 11%) or dry (r 2 = 20%) winters and together with the long-term decrease these effects explained 49% of the variance in the logit-transformed estimates of first-year annual survival probability. Adult annual survival probabilities were lower in years with cold winters (r 2 = 34%), and together with the long-term trend, this accounted for 51% of the variance. These relationships with weather conditions explained part of the variation about the long-term trends but did not explain the trends themselves. 5. This study demonstrates that an Integrated Population Monitoring Programme can not only alert conservationists to declining species but also elucidate the demographic processes underlying population declines on a national scale.
Functional traits and prior abundance explain native plant extirpation in a fragmented woodland landscape

1 Habitat destruction and the resulting fragmentation increase the probability of local extirpation of plants but the process of community disassembly may take many years. There are very little direct data on the rate of this process. Revisitation studies using historical data offer the potential to quantify the rate and direction of change in remnant vegetation and can contribute to an improved understanding of the long‐term species responses to habitat fragmentation. This study examined the changes that occurred in 12 grassy woodland remnants in rural southern Australia over three decades by comparing comprehensive site‐level species lists collected in 1975 and 2006. 2 The probability of local population extirpation was assessed in relation to functional‐ and abundance‐based mechanisms (i.e. plant functional traits, initial population abundance) and extrinsic threats (i.e. remnant area, remnant shape) using chi‐square analysis and Bayesian logistic regression modelling. 3 Of the 775 populations of 177 perennial native species present in 1975, 199 populations (26%) of 98 species were not relocated in 2006 and are presumed to be locally extinct. 4 Extrinsic factors such as habitat area and shape provided little predictive power to understanding local population extirpation. Intrinsic factors (i.e. initial population abundance, seed dispersal and plant height, but not the plant traits clonality and life form) were better predictors. Populations of short species at low abundance in 1975 were most likely to become locally extinct due to inter‐specific competition in the absence of disturbance whereas tall, abundant species have the least likelihood of population extinction. 5 Synthesis. The sensitivity of populations to local extirpation in fragmented landscapes is likely driven by a number of factors. The lack of substantial influence of site area and shape and some plant life‐history traits suggest that simple predictions about population extinction are unlikely. Although population size was an important determinant of population loss, it is likely that other factors will interact to determine such outcomes (e.g. disturbance regimes, non‐native plant invasions, edge effects) by affecting habitat quality, and put populations at greater risk of extinction than the life‐history traits of plants alone.
Preservação de fungos fitopatogênicos habitantes do solo

A preservacao de fungos fitopatogenicos por longos periodos de tempo e importante para que pesquisas possam ser realizadas a qualquer momento. Os fungos habitantes do solo sao organismos que podem produzir estruturas de resistencia em face de situacoes adversas, tais como ausencia de hospedeiros e ou condicoes climaticas desfavoraveis para a sua sobrevivencia. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver metodologias de preservacao de estruturas de resistencia para os fungos Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici raca 2, Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani AG4 HGI, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum e Verticillium dahliae. O delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado, com um metodo de producao de estruturas para cada fungo, submetido a tres tratamentos [temperatura ambiente de laboratorio (28±2oC), de geladeira (5oC) e de freezer (-20oC)] e com dois frascos por temperatura. Mensalmente, e por um periodo de um ano, a sobrevivencia e o vigor das colonias de cada patogeno foram avaliadas em meios de cultura especificos. Testes de patogenicidade foram realizados apos um ano de preservacao, com as estruturas que sobreviveram aos melhores tratamentos (temperatura) para todos os fungos. As melhores temperaturas (tratamentos) para preservar os fungos foram: a) F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici em temperatura de refrigeracao e de freezer (5,2 e 2,9 x 103ufc.g-1 de talco, respectivamente); b) M. phaseolina em temperatura de refrigeracao [100% de sobrevivencia (S) e indice 3 de vigor (V)] e S. rolfsii em temperatura ambiente (74,4% S e 1 V) e c) S. sclerotiorum e V. dahliae, ambos em temperatura de freezer (100% S e 3 V). Apos um ano de preservacao, somente V. dahliae perdeu a patogenicidade na metodologia desenvolvida.
Pre‐ingestive and post‐ingestive effects of soya bean extracts and rutin on Trichoplusia ni growth

Total ethanolic crude extracts from soya bean (Glycine max L. Merrill) PI 227687 and ‘Davis’, three purified fractions (A, B and C) from PI 227687, and pure rutin were tested for their effect on the growth of Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae, from egg hatching to pupation. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), followed by bicoordinate utilisation plots, was used to remove the effect of feeding time from consumption and weight of pupae and to separate pre‐ ingestive and post‐ ingestive effects of different diets on T. ni growth. Survival, pupal weight, and feeding time of T. ni were all negatively affected by PI 227687 total extracts. Pupal weight and consumption remained affected by diet, after removing the effect of feeding time by ANCOVA. Larvae fed on the ‘Davis’ extract diet grew larger and consumed more rapidly a larger amount of food than those fed on PI 227687 and control diets. T. ni pupal weight was strongly influenced by consumption. In general, those insects that consumed more food were heavier but larvae fed on diet containing PI 227687 extract grew less than the others, irrespective of the amount of ingested and digested food. The feeding time was adversely affected by PI 227687 fraction A, composed of two flavonol glycosides (rutin and quercetin 3‐O‐glucosylgalactoside) and of an isoflavone glycoside (genistin). Survival and pupal weight were not affected, although the consumption and assimilation of ingested food was lower when larvae were fed on fractions A and C. The toxicity of the higher rutin concentration (2%) was similar to that observed when the insects were fed on unfractioned PI 227687, except that effects on food consumption were not observed. Results indicated that the feeding deterrence of PI 227687 must be caused by other compounds from fractions A and C. Moreover, rutin, acting as an antibiotic, appears to account for the adverse effects of PI 227687 on the physiology of T. ni.
Evidence-Based Practice Guideline

Suzanne Fitzsimmons, MSN, ARNP Edited By Deborah Perry Schoenfelder, PhD, RN It is estimated that the incidence of depression in older adults living in long-term care facilities can be as high as 77% and is the most common mood disorder of late life (Steinberg et al., 2008). Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, since older adults may exhibit nonspecific somatic symptoms, rather than symptoms of depressed mood classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000; Bekelman et al., 2007; Greenberg, 2007). Minor depression often becomes chronic in older adults but is not a part of normal aging (Lammer, 2007). Depression is a serious mental illness that affects a person’s mood, behaviors, function, thoughts, and physical health. According to the World Health Organization (n.d.), depression is the leading cause of disability for older adults. Depression may be associated with side effects of medications (APA, 2000) or compounded by medical conditions such as a cerebral vascular accident (Roose & Sackeim, 2004), Parkinson’s disease (Ehrt, Brønnick, Leentjens, Larsen, & Aarsland, 2006), diabetes (Egede, Nietert, & Zheng, 2005), dementia (Landes, Sperry, & Strauss, 2005), urinary incontinence (Zorn, Montgomery, Pieper, Gray, & Steers, 1999), and sensory impairment (Capella-McDonnall, 2005).
Geoestatística e atributos do solo em áreas cultivadas com cana-de-açúcar

The intense traffic of agricultural machines in soils cultivated with sugar cane can cause soil compaction. Therefore, the objective of this research was to characterize the spatial variability of soil physical attributes and content organic matter of a eutroferric Red Latosol gibbisitic (under Basalt) and dystroferric Red Latosol caulinitic (under Sandstone) in the depths of 0.0-0.2m and 0.2-0.4m in areas cultivated with sugar cane. Soils were sampled at the crossing points of a grid at regular intervals of 10m and at depths of 0.0-0.2m and 0.2-0.4m. Bulk density, macroporosity, organic matter content and soil penetration resistance were measured for all sampling points. The physical attributes show values of soil penetration resistance, bulk density and macroporosity above average for these soils. The studied variable presented a larger range and minor variation coefficient in the eutroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol Eutrustox) when compared with the dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol Haplustox), in the studied depths. It is recommended a bigger number of samples to study the eutroferric Red Latosol attributes and the depth of 0.2-0.4m.
Human Distance and Birds: Tolerance and Response Distances of Resident and Migrant Species in India

In this report we describe a method of examining the tolerance of birds to humans, namely by measuring the distance to which birds will allow a person to approach them before flying off (flush distance). We studied the tolerance of Indian birds to approaching people by recording the flush distance for 925 individuals of 138 species of residents (birds breeding in India) and migrants (birds that are not known to breed in India). Over 20% of the variance in flush distance was accounted for by the number of people situated within 50 m, the distance to the closest person, the bird's migratory status, the number of people approaching, the time of day, and the bird's total body-length (including tail). For migratory species, 43% of the variability in flush distance was accounted for by distance to the closest other person, time of day, number of people originally within 50 m, number of people approaching, flock size, and species size. For resident species, only 18% of the variance was accounted for by distance to the closest other person, number of people within 50 m, and number of people approaching. Migrants were thus more responsive to the effect of humans, and their response was also influenced by their own size (body length) and flock size. Migratory species were less tolerant of people, flushing sooner than residents, and being more sensitive to the number of approaching people. We suggest that resident birds in North India have become habituated to the non-violent protective behaviour of the Hindu people towards birds, whereas migrants from farther north are more wary. Alternatively migrants, being less familiar than residents with the local predators and hiding places, may be more wary than residents on their home territory. Enhanced wariness results in more time spent alert or fleeing, with resultant greater energy-demand and decreased time for feeding.
Effects of acclimation to brackish water on the growth, respiratory metabolism, and swimming performance of young-of-the-year Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii)

Specific growth rates, exercise respirometry, and swimming performance were compared in young-of-the-year Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) maintained in freshwater (FW) or acclimated to brackish water (BW) that was slightly hypertonic to sturgeon plasma, at a salinity of 11 g·L1. Specific growth rate was significantly (17%) lower in BW than in FW. Sturgeon in BW also had a significantly (30%) higher standard metabolic rate than those in FW. In both groups, the relationship between swimming speed and oxygen uptake was described equally well by a linear or exponential equation, with a power relationship between swimming speed and net cost of locomotion and a linear relationship between tailbeat frequency and swimming speed. However, sturgeon in BW exhibited higher mean total oxygen uptake, net costs, and tailbeat frequencies than the FW group at any given swimming speed. There were, however, no differences in aerobic scope or maximum sustainable swimming speed between the FW and BW groups because the.
Relation of Gestation Time to Brain Weight for Placental Mammals: Implications for the Theory of Vertebrate Growth

Duration of gestation in homothermic placental mammals has a much more precise alaxensis relation to neonatal brain size than to neonatal body size or any of three other neonatal or maternal dimensions. This was shown by a multivariate analysis of data on gestation time, neonatal and adult brain and body weight, and litter size for 91 species. These results can be explained by a theory of kinetics of fetal growth based on three hypotheses: (1) the brain is the slowest-growing organ in the fetal mammal; (2) it is also the pacemaker for growth of other tissues, which are held to its rate of growth; and (3) brain growth proceeds at the maximum rate allowed by its intrinsic growth law, so that the growth of all mammalian brains is governed in great degree by a single functional relation of attained size and time. The invariant rate constant for mammalian brain growth could be due to nutritional limitations or to the existence of an upper limit on rate of information flow during development.
ESTIMATING CHARACTER WEIGHTS DURING TREE SEARCH

Abstract— A new method for weighting characters according to their homoplasy is proposed; the method is non‐iterative and does not require independent estimations of weights. It is based on searching trees with maximum total fit, with character fits defined as a concave function of homoplasy. Then, when comparing trees, differences in steps occurring in characters which show more homoplasy on the trees are less influential. The reliability of the characters is estimated, during the analysis, as a logical implication of the trees being compared. The “fittest” trees imply that the characters are maximally reliable and, given character conflict, have fewer steps for the characters which fit the tree better. If other trees save steps in some characters, it will be at the expense of gaining them in characters with less homoplasy.