Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Plant Spacing on the Competitive Ability of Rice Growing in Association with Various Weed Communities at Different Nitrogen Levels

All types of weed community became dominant by Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.) Presl. as the nitrogen level increased. The importance value (IV.) of M vaginalis rapidly increased with increasing nitrogen level whereas the LV. of other weed species decreased. At the 10 10cm plant spacing, M. vaginalis was almost totally suppressed at all nitrogen levels. At the 20 20cm plant spacing, the degree of suppression declined with increasing nitrogen level. At the 30 30cm plant spacing, there was no suppression of M vaginalis at the highest nitrogen level. The yield obtained at the 10 10cm plant spacing when M. vaginalis was present was not significantly different from that obtained from the weed free plot for all rice cultivars while it was significantly reduced by M vaginalis competition at the 20 20cm and 30 30cm plant spacings. The difference in yield caused by M vaginalis competition was primarily due to a reduction in the number of panicles at all nitrogen levels. There was a high negative correlation between grain yield and weed weight at heading. The yield reduction due to weed competition varied depending upon the nitrogen level.
Developmental Changes in Estrogen Receptors in Mouse Cerebral Cortex between Birth and Postweaning: Studied by Autoradiography with llβ-Methoxy-16α- [125I]Iodoestradiol*

The presence of estrogen receptor cells in postnatal cerebral cortex and their topographical and numerical changes between birth and postweaning were examined. On postnatal days 0, 2, 8, 12, 18, and 25, six mice (three males and three females) were injected sc with 0.25 μ/100 g BW 11β methoxy-16α-[125I]iodoestradiol ([125I]MIE2). Two additional males on postnatal day 2 were each sc injected with 250 μg/100 g BW 17β-estradiol 1 h before radiolabeled ligand to establish the specificity of nuclear label. Two hours after the injection of [125I]MIE2 brains were frozen, and 4-μm sections were thawmounted and processed for autoradiography. Autoradiograms were exposed for 1–45 days, and cortical cells with nuclear uptake and retention of [125I]MIE2 were evaluated at the levels of the frontal pole, preoptic area, and central and posterior hypothalamus. At birth, cells with nuclear label were found predominantly in deep cortical layers. Between birth and postnatal day 2, the number of labeled cells increased in dee.
Sex allocation in a colobine monkey

In polygynous, sexual dimorphic species with higher variance in male reproductive success compared with females, females are expected to invest more heavily in sons than daughters within the constraints imposed by their physical condition (Science 1973; 179:90). Mothers in good condition, usually those of high rank, should produce more sons than females in poor condition or of low rank. We investigated sex allocation and sex-biased maternal investment in a population of wild Hanuman langurs using rank and group size as approximations of female physical condition. Our results show that reproductive costs of sons were higher with both significantly longer interbirth intervals following male births and longer lactational periods for sons. Not in all groups did analyses of rank-dependent sex allocation reveal the expected pattern of high-ranking mothers producing more sons. However, sex ratio was significantly influenced by group size, with females from larger groups, i.e., in worse physical condition, producing a daughter-biased sex ratio. In fact, only females of population-wide superior physical condition can be expected to produce sons, because in Hanuman langurs males disperse and compete population-wide. Thus, our results support the Trivers–Willard model and may explain the mixed evidence accruing from studies of single groups. We present a graphical model of how group size and dominance-related differences in energy gain may influence sex allocation under different competitive regimes relative to overall resource availability. Tests of adaptive sex allocation models should consider whether reproductive competition of the preferred sex takes place primarily within a group or within the population.
Fiber digestibility by goats and sheep.

Abstract Browse appears to be important in the diet of goats, but no good explanations or reasons are in the literature. Digestibility data on browse in goats are few. Semiarid natural tropical grass hay was consumed more by goats than sheep, but digestibility coeffecients were similar between species except for crude fiber, which was digested better in goats. Rice straw was consumed more by goats than sheep, and they digested it better than sheep. When rice straw was treated with alkali, its nutritive qualities improved and digestion between goats and sheep was similar. Goats appear to be better utilizers of poor roughages.
Evidence of a genetic component in the seasonal return pattern of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

We tested the null hypothesis that differences in the seasonal return patterns between stocks of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. , are a result of a direct response to the environment, and not under genetic control. Two stocks were used in the experiments, originating from the R. Figga and R. Imsa, respectively. In their native habitat fish from the former are known to return to the home stream as adult salmon early in the summer, while from the latter return during late summer and autumn. By rearing these stocks in the same hatchery and releasing smolts of both stocks together at three sites in southern Norway, it was demonstrated that salmon from the R. Figga stock returned earlier to coastal Norway than salmon from the R. Imsa stock, as maturing adults. Thus, we reject the hypothesis that these stocks are genetically identical in this trait. Within both stocks, multi-sea-winter fish returned earlier than one-sea-winter fish. Within stocks, there was no significant difference in time of return between salmon released as 1- and 2-year-old smolts, or between fish reared from parents ascending the R. Imsa early or late in the season.
Effect of temperature on stability of components of resistance to Cercospora arachidicola in peanut

Expression of resistance to early leaf spot disease of peanut, caused by Cercospora arachidicola, varies across diverse geographic locations. Environment is known to influence expression of partial resistance in some pathosystems and could affect stability of resistance to early leaf spot. Multiple components of resistance were studied at controlled temperatures on seven peanut genotypes selected at North Carolina State University and on six genotypes selected at ICRISAT in West Africa. The genotypes were inoculated with a North Carolina field isolate of C. arachidicola and incubated under day/night temperature regimes of 24/24, 26/20, 32/26, 38/26, and 38/32 C (the high-temperature regimes simulate the conditions in Niger, West Africa, and the cooler regimes simulate the conditions in North Carolina). Numbers of lesions were inversely related to temperature. Days after inoculation significantly influenced numbers of lesions and infection frequency. Regression of lesion numbers or infection frequencies on time and temperature accounted for 90% or more of experimental variation for 12 of 13 genotypes. Values for most resistance components examined (number of lesions, infection frequency, incubation period, lesion diameter, and necrotic area diameter) were dependent on both temperature and genotype. Several peanut genotypes were identified that expressed stable levels of resistance to C. arachidicola across temperature regimes. The North Carolina line 91 PA 150, derived from the wild diploid species Arachis cardenasii, consistently was ranked as resistant for all components in all temperature regimes. Other genotypes that ranked high in partial resistance to C. arachidicola included NC Ac 17894, PI 274194, NC Ac 18045, and 91 PA 131. Another group of genotypes, including GP-NC 343, NC 6, and N92069L, were moderately resistant. PI 476033 and NC 7 were highly susceptible at all temperatures, and N92064L varied in ranking for components
ROLE OF CHARRED WOOD, HEAT-SHOCK, AND LIGHT IN GERMINATION OF POSTFIRE PHRYGANA SPECIES FROM THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

ABSTRACT Seeds of 22 species collected from recently burned phrygana were tested for their response to fire-type cues of charred wood and heat-shock. All Cistus species were stimulated by brief heat-shock, as shown in previous studies; however, none responded to charred wood. Only one of the 22 species was stimulated by charred wood, and only in dark-inhibited seeds, and this response did not occur in the light. The lack of charred-wood-induced germination is in contrast to the substantial proportion of species with this germination response reported for mediterranean-type vegetation in California, the Cape region of South Africa, and Western Australia. Phrygana has many species with heat-shock-stimulated germination, primarily in the Fabaceae and Cistaceae. This germination cue is widespread in these two families, thus, the presence of heat-shock-stimulated germination is a result of homologous, rather than covergent, adaptations in mediterranean-climate ecosystems. Germination response to light was not .
Stylet (vestigial shell) size in Octopus vulgaris (Cephalopoda) hatchlings used to determine stylet nucleus in adults

The estimation of age and growth of cephalopod stocks is a key issue for their sustainable management. Recently, several studies have successfully validated the daily deposition of growth rings in the vestigial shell or stylets of several octopus species. Octopus vulgaris eggs were incubated at two different temperatures, 18 and 22°C, until hatching to determine stylet size at hatching and assess the effect of temperature in the stylet dimensions. The 3-day-old hatchlings were sectioned transversally and 6 μm sections were stained to enhance the stylet position and visibility. The sections were observed under transmitted light microscopy at a magnification of 1000×, and the stylets identified as blue/green structures inside the mantle–funnel retractor muscle. The transversal sections of the whole paralarvae allowed the diameter of the embryonic stylet of an octopus species to be measured for the first time. The mean stylet diameter in 3-day-old paralarvae is 3.99 μm independently of the thermal conditions. Moreover, significant differences in stylet size between captive and wild paralarvae were observed; the latter showed significantly larger stylets, an indication that they are over 3 days old. Our results also indicate that the stylet nucleus is much smaller than previously thought based on measurements in stylets of juveniles and adults.
Genetic Resistance to Scab Disease in Pecan

isolates of scab in association with repeated applications of that fungicide in a Louisiana orchard. Scab resistance in pecan is apparently a dynamic process involving the interaction of a genetically fixed cultivar under attack by a genetically plastic pathogen in an environment that can be manipulated (often unwittingly) by man to the benefit of either host or pathogen. The average time from the initial cross until release of 19 U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) pecan scion cultivars has been 25 years. Given the time necessary to breed for scab resistance and the lag time of cultivar incorporation, an outstanding level of resistance is needed to ensure new cultivar adoption by the industry and the longevity of its resistance. The development of scab resistance has been a stated goal of the USDA‐ Agricultural Research Service pecan breeding program since its inception (Crane et al., 1937). The objective of this research was to identify scab-resistant parental material to be used in the breeding program and to refine breeding strategies for the production of scab-resistant cultivars.
The genus Pseudexechia Tuomikoski re-characterized, with a review of European species (Diptera: Mycetophilidae)

The genus Pseudexechia Tuomikoski is re-characterized and described, including a thorough morphological study of the male and female terminalia, providing homology assessment of the various parts and substructures. The 25 currently known species of Pseudexechia are tentatively grouped into four species groups that are characterized mainly by structures of the male terminalia: the canalicula group (Holarctic), the longistylus group (Afrotropical) the trisignata group (Holarctic and Oriental), and the trivittata group (Holarctic and Oriental). The ten European species of Pseudexechia are then revised, of which one, Pseudexechia tuomikoskii sp. n. , is described as new to science. All males and nine associated females are keyed, measured, described and illustrated. A principal component analysis of 59 morphometric measurements failed to give a clear separation of the different species and species groups. Except for overall size and some diffuse differences in flagellomere and tarsus lengths the present study also failed to reveal morphometric characters that are clearly taxonomically informative, and species identity must rest primarily on structural differences in the terminalia with aid of coloration patterns. Given as ratios, however, some measurements, like the wing vein R4+5 bending index and the length to width ratio of clypeus, appear to be informative at species group level. (Less)
Avian functional group responses to rainfall across four vegetation types in the Simpson Desert, central Australia

Temporal and spatial variability in rainfall and subsequent resource flows often drive large changes in bird demography and the structure of avian assemblages in arid regions. Here, we describe broad avian functional group responses to rainfall across four vegetation classes in the Simpson Desert, central Australia, over a period when both dry and wet conditions prevailed. Birds were surveyed in eucalypt woodlands, gidyea woodlands, mixed Acacia (mulga) shrublands and spinifex-dominated hummock grasslands in this region between 2006 and 2008 using a spatially nested hierarchical sampling design with fixed radius point counts as replicates. Predictably, the composition of bird communities varied across vegetation classes as well as over time. Generalist feeders and insectivorous birds dominated assemblages during dry periods, whereas granivorous species were most abundant and widespread following heavy rains. Carnivores and specialist nectarivores responded variably throughout the sampling period regardless of habitat. The dynamics of granivores were especially interesting; large numbers of nomadic species moved into the study area in response to rainfall, highlighting a key role for this group in shaping community structure. This study represents the first attempt to investigate avian functional group dynamics across differing vegetation types in a variable but low productivity landscape. The findings confirm that community composition is spatially and temporally dynamic, and prompt further investigation into the roles that habitat and resource limitation play in defining bird communities in arid Australia.
Mite (Acari) population dynamics in grapevines (Vitis vinifera) in two regions of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

In spite of the great importance of viticulture in Rio Grande do Sul, little is known about the state's mite fauna and its population fluctuations. Mites from Eriophyidae, Tarsonemidae and Tetranychidae families are considered as pests; their main natural enemies belong to Iolinidae, Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae. The aim of this work is to discover the population dynamics of mite fauna associated with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir varietals and associated plants in two vine-producing regions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Evaluations were carried out monthly, between October 2006 and September 2007. Calepitrimerus vitis (Nalepa, 1905) was the main phytophagous species collected and it reached a population peak in January. Panonychus ulmi (Koch, 1836) was observed in October and April, in Bento Gonçalves, reaching a population peak in January; Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks, 1905 was observed at high population levels in January; Pronematus anconai Baker, (1943) 1944 was present in all areas covered by this study; Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor, 1954) was shown to be associated with C. vitis, P. ulmi and P. latus; and Agistemus floridanus Gonzalez, 1965 was found only in Bento Gonçalves.
Insulin‐stimulated plasma membrane association and activation of Akt2, aPKC ζ and aPKC λ in high fat fed rodent skeletal muscle

Several recent reports using cell lines have suggested that both Akt and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) ζ/λ are translocated to the plasma membrane (PM) in response to insulin. However, it has yet to be determined in skeletal muscle whether: (1) insulin increases PM‐associated Akt2, aPKC ζ and/or λ protein concentration, (2) the activity of these kinases is altered by insulin at the PM, and (3) high fat feeding alters the insulin‐stimulated PM concentration and/or activity of Akt2 and aPKC ζ/λ. Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either normal (n= 16) or high fat (n= 16) dietary groups. Following a 12 week dietary period, animals were subjected to hind limb perfusions in the presence (n= 8 per group) or absence (n= 8 per group) of insulin. In normal skeletal muscle, total PI3‐kinase, Akt2 and aPKC ζ/λ activities were increased by insulin. PM‐associated aPKC ζ and λ, and aPKC ζ/λ activity, but not Akt2 or Akt2 activity, were increased by insulin in normal muscle. High fat feeding did not alter total skeletal muscle Akt2, aPKC ζ or aPKC λ protein concentration. Insulin‐stimulated total PI3‐kinase, Akt2 and aPKC ζ/λ activities were reduced in the high fat fed animals. Insulin‐stimulated PM aPKC ζ, aPKC λ, aPKC ζ/λ activity and GLUT4 protein concentration were also reduced in high fat fed animals. These findings suggest that in skeletal muscle, insulin stimulates translocation of aPKC ζ and λ, but not Akt2, to the PM. In addition, high fat feeding impairs insulin‐stimulated activation of total aPKC ζ/λ and Akt2, as well as PM association and activation of aPKC ζ and λ.
α‐Haemoglobin stabilising protein is a quantitative trait gene that modifies the phenotype of β‐thalassaemia

It has been suggested that altered levels or function of α‐haemoglobin stabilising protein (AHSP), an erythroid‐specific protein that binds specifically to free α‐(haemo)globin, might account for some of the clinical variability in β‐thalassaemia. To assess the variation of AHSP expression, mRNA levels in circulating reticulocytes of 103 healthy individuals were measured by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. AHSP expression varied up to threefold, and did not correlate with age or sex. A systematic survey of the AHSP locus identified eight sequence variants, of which six were common. Four common variants, including the longer homopolymer (T18) in the putative promoter, are strongly associated with AHSP expression. Reporter assays in K562 cells showed that the activity of the shorter (T15) reporter was relatively lower than that of the T18 reporter. In a study of nine anaemic patients who were heterozygous for β‐thalassaemia and also heterozygous for the triplicated α‐globin gene (ααα/αα), frequency of the shorter homopolymer was higher than expected. AHSP expression is variable, with cis control accounting for some of its variance. In some families, the subtle altered levels in AHSP related to the AHSP genotype appears to be a relevant contributory factor in the haematological phenotype.
Post-release dispersal of the introduced lygus bug parasitoid Peristenus relictus in California

Abstract Lygus spp. (Heteroptera: Miridae) are serious pests of numerous field and fruit crops in North America. In an effort to reduce crop damage, parasitoids known to attack these species in Europe were introduced into the USA beginning in the 1970s. Permanent populations of the nymphal endoparasitoid Peristenus relictus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were established at two locations in California during the 2000s. Both populations are associated with significant reductions in lygus bugs attacking alfalfa, commercially produced strawberries grown organically and in wild vegetation. Beginning in 2009, in an effort to determine the extent to which P. relictus has spread from the Sacramento Valley and Monterey Bay region, populations of lygus bug were sampled at increasing distances from their original release sites. P. relictus has dispersed at least 213 km in the central region of California and 150 km along the coastal mountains. These respective populations have averaged 16.6 km/year and 17.7 km/year since they were released. While not directly examined, the spread of P. relictus south into the central and major growing region of California, the San Joaquin Valley, where previous releases have failed, suggests this population may be evolving greater heat tolerance, relative to the populations originally introduced into California.
Correlation of structural characterization and viscosity measurements with total unsaturation: An effective method for controlling ozonation in the preparation of ozonated grape seed and sunflower oils

Ozonated oils have demonstrated promising results for clinical applications. The reaction of ozone with the unsaturated compounds of oils produces by-products such as ozonides and poly peroxides. A deeper knowledge of the dynamics of by-product formation is helpful in determining the required ozonation degree to obtain therapeutic effects. The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between ozonation degree and structural and viscosity changes during the ozonation of grape seed (GS) and sunflower (SF) oils. Structural characterization was done by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, with iso-ozonides being identified. Viscosity showed a significant increase during ozonation, a fact associated with poly peroxide formation. We have made use of the total unsaturation (TU) method to measure the ozonation degree. The TU of non-ozonated GS oil was found to be higher than for SF oil (5.94 and 4.49 mmol per g of oil, respectively), and their by-product distributions were also found to differ. In GS oil, three reaction steps were observed for double-bond conversion into iso-ozonides and poly peroxides, while the ozonides and poly peroxides were formed in parallel in SF oil. The studies we implemented characterized the differences in the reactivities of these oils with ozone. Practical applications: In this work, we propose using the TU method to measure the ozonation degree of ozonated oils. TU experimental determination is based on the ozonation of the sample, and the ozone-oxidizable substrate is quantified. Despite GS and SF oils having similar fatty acid compositions, they contain other unsaturated compounds specific to their vegetal sources. These compounds are also reactive with ozone, and are also quantified by the TU method. The differences in distributions of by-products among ozonated oils from different sources could explain why the ozonation degree need not be the same for different oils. Studies like this represent a feasibility foundation for controlling the therapeutic application of ozonated oils and correctly interpreting their well-known clinical effects. Ozonated vegetable oils have many interesting applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in medicine. A deeper knowledge of the dynamics of by-product formation is helpful in determining the required ozonation degree to obtain therapeutic effects. In this work, we propose using the total unsaturation method to measure the ozonation degree of ozonated oils. We showed the relationship between ozonation degree and structural and viscosity changes during the ozonation of grape seed and sunflower oils. The differences in distributions of by-products among ozonated oils from different sources could explain why the ozonation degree need not be the same for different oils.