Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A checklist of turtle and whale barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Coronuloidea)

A checklist of published records of coronuloid barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Coronuloidea) attached to marine vertebrates is presented, with 44 species (including 15 fossil species) belonging to 14 genera (including 3 fossil genera) and 3 families recorded. Also included is information on their geographical distribution and the hosts with which they occur.
The Fishes of the Shore Zone of Rehoboth and Indian River Bays, Delaware

Abstract Twenty collections from 18 stations in Indian River and Rehoboth bays, June 1968 to April 1970, yielded 41,286 fishes representing 46 species. Five species, ecologically important as food for many local commercial species, comprised 89% of the total catch and were, in order of abundance: Fundulus majalis, Menidia menidia, Fundulus heteroclitus, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, and Anchoa mitchilli. Combined average biomass estimates for the five species were 55 kg/ha and 28 kg/ha for Rehoboth Bay in 1968 and 1969 respectively, and 76 kg/ha and 37 kg/ha for Indian River Bay in 1968 and 1969 respectively. Greatest species diversity and abundance occurred in summer, probably because this is when many of these species collected use these bays as nursery and feeding grounds. F. majalis, M. menidia, F. heteroclitus, P. americanus, Cyprinodon variegatus, and Syngnathus juscus apparently reside in these waters and spawn there during the spring and summer. Juveniles of many commercially important middle Atl.
Overwintering of Alternaria mali, the causal agent of Alternaria blotch of apple

Survival of Alternaria mali in lesions on leaves on grass or bare ground, in lesions on terminals, and as conidia in buds of Delicious apple trees was examined in three distinct orchard environments in North Carolina. No lesions were observed on terminals. Leaves on the ground were a more important overwintering site than buds at all three locations. Mean number of conidia detected per leaf averaged over all three locations and 2 years was 66.7, whereas an average of only 2.8 conidia per bud were detected. Conidia from buds also had lower germination (6.5%) than conidia from leaves (38.8%). Number of conidia per leaf and conidial germination did not differ consistently among locations. Number of overwintering conidia detected per leaf did not decrease from November 1991 to May 1992, but was less in May 1993 than in November 1992. Treatment of leaves with urea in the fall had minimal effects on amount of leaf area remaining in May. Overwintering on grass or bare ground or treatment with urea did not affect the number of conidia detected per leaf or their ability to germinate.
A yardstick for measuring populations of small rodents

Summary (1) Six-monthly trappings (summer and winter) were done between 1952 and 1969 of Wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. One hundred and fifty Longworth live traps were used on two 2-acre grids in oak-ash-sycamore woodland. (2) The traps were pre-baited for 48 hours and then set. The catch was examined on the evening of the same day and on the following morning. The total of animals caught during the 24 hours was used as an index to the actual numbers present. Animals retrapped in the morning (identified by a simple method of marking) were omitted from the total. (3) Between 1969 and 1972 the same procedure was used but trapping, evening and morning, was continued for 3-4more days until some 75–80% of the catch consisted of marked animals. (4) This enabled estimates to be made of the actual numbers of voles and mice present at each trapping and so to assess the proportion of the total present which was caught ring the first 24 hours. (5) These estimates were made by (Method la) a straight Lincoln Index, (Method lb) a Lincoln Index method as modified by Hayne (1949) and (Method 2) by Hayne's trap-out method. Over six trappings the estimates by these methods showed reasonable agreement. (6) Comparison of the index trapping (i.e. the numbers caught during the first 24 hours) with the estimates of the total numbers present showed that, on all occasions, more than half of the mice and voles present entered the traps during the first 24 hours. With Bank voles there was a tendency for about half of them to be trapped during this time during the winter and about three-quarters of them during the summer. (7) With Wood mice the figures are more variable but, again, never less than half were trapped during the first 24 hours and, on some occasions, nearly the whole of the population. (8) These results show that reasonably accurate estimates of the numbers of these rodents can be achieved within 3–4 days' trapping (estimates that can be cross-checked by different methods) by using a high density of traps (see (1) above). Furthermore, trapping for 24 hours only will always catch at least half of the population present and, on occasions, considerably more than half.
Alterações do quadro espermático de cães infectados experimentalmente com Brucella canis

Estudou-se o quadro espermatico de 2 caes adultos, sem raca definida, infectados experimentalmente com Brucella canis ( IS 11/78), durante um periodo do 12 semanas. Observaram-se volume, motilidade e patologia espermatica. Esta foi avaliada por dois metodos: pela coloracao de William e pela tecnica do glutaraldeido a 0,2% em microscopia do contraste de interferencia diferencial. O volume seminal nao mostrou alteracao significante, enquanto que a concentracao espermatica revelou unia oscilacao moderada, especialmente uma diminuicao na 7a semana apos a inoculacao. Observou-se tambem, uma reducao na motilidade espermatica. Dentre as alteracoes morfologicas dos espermatozoides, observaram-se defeitos de peca intermediaria, cauda enrolada, golas citoplasmaticas proximal e distal, aglutinacao de cabeca, assim como a presenca de celulas inflamatorias, tais como neutrofilos e macrofagos
In vitro infection of Wolbachia in insect cell lines

Bacteria of the genus Wolbachia are intracellular symbionts that are found in a broad range of insects and cause a variety of reproductive alterations, including male killing, parthenogenesis, feminization and cytoplasmic incompatibility. Although Wolbachia has not been cultured outside its host cells, it can be co-cultured with insect cell lines in vitro, and this technique would facilitate studies on Wolbachia. In this study, we inoculated five Wolbachia strains into two insect cell lines to examine the ability of the cell lines to harbor different infections. The Wolbachia strains used were wKue, derived from Ephestia kuehniella, wCauA and wCauB, from Cadra cautella, and wMel and wMelPop, from Drosophila melanogaster. The cell lines used were Sf9 of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera) and AeAl2 of Aedes albopictus (Diptera). Immunofluorescence staining with an antibody against Wolbachia surface protein showed that wCauA was successfully maintained in both AeAl2 and Sf9 cells and that wCauB and wKue were maintained in AeAl2 cells. The infection levels, determined by real-time quantitative PCR targeting the Wolbachia 16S rRNA gene, varied among different infections.
Competition between the Rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus and the Cladoceran Moina macrocopa in Relation to Algal Food Concentration and Initial Rotifer Population Density

ABSTRACT The rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus occurs simultaneously with the cladoceran Moina macrocopa in tropical water bodies, and mass cultures of M. macrocopa are sometimes contaminated with B. calyciflorus. The effects of algal food concentration (Chlorella vulgaris) and initial rotifer population density on the competition between B. calyciflorus and M. macrocopa were tested using population growth experiments, and the influence of adult M. macrocopa on the instantaneous reproductive rates, egg ratios, and survivorship of B. calyciflorus females was investigated in short-term experiments. M. macrocopa rapidly excluded B. calyciflorus from mixed-species cultures but was itself unaffected by the presence of the rotifers, regardless of the algal food concentration or initial rotifer population density. Adult M. macrocopa imposed significant negative effects on the instantaneous reproductive rates, egg ratios, and survivorship of newborn individuals of B. calyciflorus. The magnitude of effects imposed by M. macrocopa increased with decreased food level and increasing density of adult M. macrocopa.
Changes in pituitary, ovarian, and testicular activity in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in relation to season and sexual maturity

This study examined pituitary sensitivity to exogenous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in relation to time of year and changes in plasma progesterone, testosterone, luteinising hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations during the annual cycle of adult and juvenile harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina). There was no significant difference in seasonal changes in reproductive hormone levels between six captive individuals and seals caught from the wild (n = 80). Based on results from both the captive and the wild individuals, the plasma progesterone concentration was elevated in late gestation, whereas it declined at the equivalent time in nonpregnant females. The progesterone concentration was also elevated during the phase of delayed implantation, but there was no difference between pregnant and nonpregnant seals. In captive seals given exogenous GnRH, the LH concentration peaked 10-20 min after injection of GnRH, and the magnitude of the LH response depended upon the dos.
Effect of β-Merchaptoethanol on the Preimplantation Development of Bovine Embryos Fertilized In Vitro

The present study investigated effects of β-merchaptoethanol (β-ME) on the development of bovine embryos derived from In vitro matured and fertilized (IVM-IVF) oocytes. IVM oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed bovine sperm, and at 24, 48 and 72 h after insemination, 2-, 8-and 16-cell embryos, respectively, were transferred to TCM-199 medium containing 5% fetal bovine serum and 0, 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 μm β-ME without a cumulus cell monolayer or with a cumulus cell monolayer but without addition of β-ME as a control. All embryos were subsequently incubated such that the total duration of culture was 8 days. The addition of low concentrations ( 5 or 10μM) of β-ME significantly enhanced the development of all the embryos to the blastocyst stage. High concentrations (20, 50 or 100μM) of β-ME were effective only for the development of 8-and 16-cell embryos, but not of 2-cell embryos, to the blastocyst stage. Compared with embryos in the co-culture system (control), 2-cell embryos that were cultured with β-ME but without a cumulus cell monolayer showed significantly lower rates of development to the blastocyst stage. However, even though without a cumulus cell monolayer, 8-cell embryos showed the same rates of develop-ment to the blastocyst stage as controls when low concentrations of β-ME (5 or 10μM) were added to the medium. Furthermore, significantly higher rates of development of embryos to the blasto-cyst stage were obtained when 16-cell embryos were cultured in medium supplemented with 20μM β-ME than that of controls. Twenty blastocysts developed from 16 cell IVM-IVF embryos in the medium containing 20μM β-ME were transferred to 20 recipients, and 11 of them became pregnant, resulting in 10 calves. These results indicate that β-ME is effective for blastocyst development of embryos that are cultured without a cumulus cell monolayer, and the effect is remarkable for embryos of advanced stages.
Species Diversity and Community Organization in Desert Seed‐Eating Ants

Patterns of species diversity and community organization in desert seed-eating ants were studied in 10 habitats on a longitudinal gradient of increasing rainfall extending from southeastern California, through southern Arizona, and into southwestern New Mexico. Local communities of harvester ants include 2-7 common species, and at least 15 species from five genera of Myrmecines compose the total species pool in these deserts. Ant species diversity is highly correlated with mean annual precipitation, an index of productivity in arid regions. Communities are structured on the basis of competition for food, and interspecific differences in worker body sizes and colony foraging strate- gies represent important mechanisms of resource allocation. Seed size preferences, measured for native seeds and in food choice experiments with seeds of different size but uniform nutritional quality, are highly correlated with worker body sizes. Species of similar body size can coexist within local habitats if they differ in foraging strategy. Interspecific aggression and territorial defense and mi- crohabitat partitioning all appear to be relatively unimportant in these ant communities. Patterns of species diversity and community organization in harvester ants are strikingly similar to those reported for communities of seed-eating rodents that occupy many of the same desert habitats. Separate regressions of within-habitat species diversity against the precipitation index of productivity for the two groups correspond closely in slope, intercept, and proportion of explained variation. Resource allocation on the basis of seed size characterizes local communities of both ants and rodents. Parallels between these two groups suggest that limits to specialization and overlap may be specified by parameters such as resource abundance and predictability that affect unrelated taxa similarly.
Modeling of moisture diffusivity, activation energy and specific energy consumption of high moisture corn in a fixed and fluidized bed convective dryer

Thin layer drying characteristics of high moisture corn under fixed, semi fluidized and fluidized bed conditions with high initial moisture content (66.82% wb) in a laboratory fluidized bed convective dryer was studied at air temperatures of 50, 65, 80 and 95°C. In order to find a suitable drying curve, seven thin layer-drying models were fitted to the experimental data of moisture ratio. Among the applied mathematical models, Midilli et al. model was the best for drying behavior prediction in corn thin layer drying. This model presented high values for correlation coefficient (R2). Fick´s second law was used to compute moisture diffusivity with some simplifications. Computed values of moisture diffusivity varied at the boundary of 4.87 × 10–11 – 2.90 × 10–10 m2 s–1 and 1.02 × 10–10 – 1.29 × 10–9 m2 s–1 during the first and second drying falling-rate, respectively. Values of effective moisture diffusivity for corn were also increased as input air temperature was increased. Value of activation energy varied from a minimum of 18.57 to a maximum of 50.74 kJ mol–1 from 50 to 95°C with drying conditions of fixed to fluidized bed. Specific energy consumption (SEC) for thin-drying of high moisture corn was found to be in the range of 0.33 × 106 – 1.52 × 106 kJ kg–1 from 50 to 95°C with drying condition of fluidized and fixed bed, respectively. Increase in air temperature in each air velocity caused decrease in SEC value. These corn properties would be necessary to design the best dryer system and to determine the best point of drying process.
The biodegradation of the phytotoxic metabolite botrydial by its parent organism, Botrytis cinerea

The inhibition of the growth of Botrytis cinerea has been found to be directly proportional to the concentration of its metabolite, botrydial (1). The fungus transforms botrydial (1) to the less active phytotoxins dihydrobotrydial (2), botryenedial (3), and secobotrytrienediol (4). Two main biodegradative pathways of botrydial (1) and the interconversion of the botryane toxins excreted by B. cinerea are proposed.
The distribution of red kangaroos, Megaleia rufa (Desmarest), about sources of persistent food and water in central Australia.

Data from aerial surveys primarily designed to estimate the numbers of red kangaroos, Megaleia rufa (Desmarest), on about 4000 square miles of central Australia have been used to define the animals' distribution about sources of persistent food and water, both during severe drought and 6 months later after good rains had fallen. During the drought, 67.4% of kangaroos were sheltering in woodlands within 1/3 mile of open plains and water-courses (where food persisted), and only 17.4% were further than 1 mile away. After the rains, only 29.5% were within 1/3 mile of these drought refuges; 51.8 % were further than 1 mile away, but only 6% were beyond 6 miles out, i.e. beyond the mulga woodlands. Kangaroos were densest (seven-eight per square mile) during drought on land 2-4 miles out from bores and dams and within 2/3 mile of open plains because at that distance grasses on the plains respond to the grazing of cattle by sprouting green shoots which kangaroos prefer. Kangaroos drank at the bores and dams only during severe drought and may, therefore, get sufficient water from their food at most times. It is concluded that the kangaroos' distribution and changes in it are controlled primarily by their search for green herbage and shady trees.
Responses of crustacean zooplankton to seasonal and tidal salinity changes in the coastal Lake Waihola, New Zealand

Abstract Lake Waihola is a shallow, tidal, coastal lake that receives brackish inflows resulting in salinities of up to 4.8‰. We determined the importance of salinity and tidal currents on crustacean zoo‐plankton abundance and distribution in this lake over 2 years. Tidal currents were traced using drogues, and zooplankton was sampled over tidal cycles. Tidal currents reached velocities of 35 cm s–1 closest to the tidal inlet channel. Salinity explained 26% of the variation in the abundance and species composition of the zooplankton assemblage, and accounted for >60% of the species‐environment correlation. Increases in salinity resulted in a change in crustacean dominance from the freshwater calanoid copepod, Boeckella hamata Brehm, and cladoceran, Daphnia carinata King, to the estuarine copepod, Gladioferens pectinatus Brady. The abundance of D. carinata was negatively correlated with chlorophyll a concentrations, although chlorophyll a was not correlated with salinity. Future increases in salinity and tidal currents may cause significant changes in the zooplankton community structure.
Isoprenoid quinone, cellular fatty acid composition and diaminopimelic acid isomers of newly classified thermophilic anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria

The configuration of quinone systems, cellular fatty acids and diaminopimelic acids in 11 species of thermophilic clostridia which have been classified into new genera based on their 16S rRNA sequences was determined. It was found that menaquinone 7 was present in 10 species as the major component of menaquinone systems by analyses using HPLC with photodiode-array detector and electron impact mass spectrometry. In seven of the 11 species, the major cellular fatty acids were determined to be iso-15:0 and iso-17:0. As a results of chemotaxonomic studies it was demonstrated that the representatives of the new genera Thermoanaerobacter and Thermoanaerobacterium were heterogeneous in their chemical composition, whereas strains of the new genus Moorella and of the new unnamed genus which is composed of (Clostridium) stercorarium and (Clostridium) thermolacticum showed homogeneity in their chemotaxonomic characteristics.
Effects of Bacillus coagulans ATCC 7050 on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and microflora composition in broiler chickens

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Bacillus coagulans ATCC 7050 (B. coagulans) on the performance, intestinal morphology and microflora of broiler chickens. Six-hundred 1-day-old broilers were randomly assigned into five treatment groups with four replicates for 42 days. There were five dietary treatments: negative control, positive control (antibiotics, 200 mg/kg zinc–bacitracin), 0.10, 0.20 and 0.25 g/kg B. coagulans. Dietary B. coagulans improved feed conversion ratio throughout the entire experimental period compared with the negative control (P = 0.02). Dietary B. coagulans significantly increased the number of lactobacilli (P = 0.01) and tended to decrease coliform bacteria (P = 0.06) in the duodenum. Dietary B. coagulans tended to increase villous height (P = 0.08) but had no effect on crypt depth in the jejunum. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in serum cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol between groups. In conclusion, the present data indicate that administration of B. coagulans ATCC 7050 improved feed conversion ratio in broiler chickens, possibly via improving the balance of intestinal microflora.
Seasonal variations and changes in the diet of southern river otter in different freshwater habitats in Chile

The diet of southern river otter Lutra prouocax Thomas, 1908 was determined from 605 scats collected from four sites in Southern Chile between 1990-1991. Crustacean remains were the most common item found in scats. Crustacean species that were the most common in scats collected from lakes, became less important in the river outlets. Fish remains were all from fish less than 100 mm in length and were found more frequently in scats collected at the river sites than at the lake sites. Differences in the diet between otter's scats collected in lakes and their river outlets may be related to prey availability and vulnerability. Diet was more diverse in river habitats than in the lakes. The diet of southern river otter appears to be closer to that described for Aonyx capensis and Lutra maculicollis in South Africa. The southern river otter is heavily dependent on the abundance of three crustacean species. Differences in the diets observed between lake and their river outlets suggest important differences in habitat conditions. This may have future implications for prioritising habitat protection in the conservation of southern river otter.
Influência do transporte e mudança de local de manejo nas variáveis fisiológicas e produtivas de cabras Alpinas

Estudaram-se o efeito do transporte e a mudanca de local de manejo sobre a producao e a composicao do leite e sobre as variaveis fisiologicas, utilizando-se 12 cabras da raca Alpina em final de lactacao. Semanalmente, foram mensuradas a producao e composicao do leite e a contagem de celulas somaticas, alem do volume do leite residual apos administracao de ocitocina. Foram colhidas amostras de sangue para dosagem hormonal (cortisol) e enzimatica (glicose) no plasma no dia do transporte: antes (7h10min) e apos (8h20min, 8h30min e 10h30min) o transporte. Nas tres semanas subsequentes ao transporte, tambem foram colhidas amostras de sangue as 8h20min. Obtiveram-se teores mais elevados (P<0,05) de cortisol e glicose apos o transporte e a mudanca de local de manejo, e menor producao de leite (P<0,05) um dia apos o evento. Porcentagem de gordura (P<0,05) e contagem de celulas somaticas apresentaram diferencas significativas (P<0,05) apos o transporte. Os resultados permitem concluir que o transporte e um agente estressor que pode, momentaneamente, influenciar a producao animal.