Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HOW APHIDS CHOOSE LEAVES: THE ROLES OF PHENOLICS IN HOST SELECTION BY A GALLING APHID'

The aphid Pemphigus betae does not induce galls at random on leaves of its host plant, Populus angustifolia (narrowleaf cottonwood). Probability of stem mother success in forming a gall, body mass of stem mother and progeny, number of progeny, development rate of progeny to maturity, and numbers of embryos in mature progeny are all correlated positively with leaf size at maturity. Leaf size at maturity is predictable from leaf position in the shoot at bud burst (Whitham 1978, 1980). The major secondary compounds of the host plant are known phenol glycosides. Using the Folin- Denis assay for total phenol determination, a strong inverse correlation has been established between the concentration of total phenols and suitability of a tree, leaf, or leaf section for galling at the time of bud burst, when the colonizing stem mothers are at the peak of their activity. Expanding leaves within the same shoot have different phenol concentrations; the potentially largest leaves have lower phenol levels. Leaves containing one or more incipient galls have lower phenol levels than leaves without galls. Phenol concentrations in leaves are not uniform; the existence of phenol gradients in leaves is demonstrated. In a comparison between two neighboring trees that are differentially infested with colonizing aphids, the tree with the higher aphid numbers per leaf has lower phenol levels in its leaves. These same leaves were shown to possess different average phenol gradients, suggesting that phenol gradients play a role in microhabitat selection. These findings are consistent with the known biology and territorial behavior of the aphid and provide a chemical basis for continuing studies on aphid habitat selection and fitness.
Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chicks Fed Germinated and Fermented Soybeans

This study was conducted to investigate the dietary effects of germinated and fermented (with Monascus pupureus) soy-bean screenings (GFS) on growth performance and meat quality in broiler chicken. A total of 750 1-day-old Ross × Rossmale broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five groups (five replications with 30 birds each) and fed experimentaldiets for 5 wks as follows: Group 1, negative-control (antibiotics-free diet); Group 2, positive-control (negative-control with10 ppm of Avilamycin); Group 3, negative-control with 0.3% GFS; Group 4, negative-control with 0.5% GFS; Group 5,negative-control with 1% GFS. The final body weight of each group fed a diet containing 1% GFS was significantly higherthan that of the negative-control group. The feed conversion ratios of all groups fed diets containing GFS and the positive-control group were significantly improved compared to the negative-control group during the whole period (p<0.05). Therelative weights of various organs along with the activities of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamicpyruvic transaminase (GPT) were not influenced by the dietary treatments. The levels of total serum cholesterol in groupsfed diets containing 0.5% and 1% GFS were more significantly lowered compared to those of the control groups withoutGFS (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the cecal microflora profiles among the groups. Further, the dietarytreatments did not influence the physico-chemical properties of the edible meat, including the shear force, pH, meat color(CIE L*, a* and b*), and content of malondialdehyde (MDA). Cooking loss of breast muscle in the groups fed GFS wassignificantly lowered compared to that of the negative control group ( p<0.05). These results indicate that dietary GFS couldimprove growth performance in broiler chicken and may affect meat quality in some instances. Key words: germinated and fermented soybean, growth performance, blood cholesterol, broiler chicken
Etude Ultrastructurale de la Sporulation de Paramarteilia orchestiae gen. n., sp. n., Parasite de l'Amphipode Orchestia gammarellus (Pallas)

RESUME. L'individualisation de 2 spores bicellulaires a partir d'un měme pansporoblaste caracterise la sporulation du parasite de l'Amphipode Orchestia gammarellus (Pallas) precedemment decrit sous le nom de Marteilia sp. Cette sporulation le distingue des especes du měme genre parasite d'Huǐtres qui sont toutes caracterisees par la production de spores tricellulaires. Les conditions semblables dans lesquelles les pansporoblastes paraissent se differencier a partir d'une cellule souche dans laquelle ils poursuivent leur evolution vers la sporogenese ainsi que divers caracteres cytologiques communs, nous incitent a maintenir tous ces parasites dans une měme famille mais a placer celui de l'Amphipode dans un genre different. Nous proposons de le nommer Paramarteilia orchestiae gen. n. , sp. n. Ces parasites ne peuvent ětre maintenus dans les Protozoaires en raison de leur evolution vers la pluricellularite et de l'individualisation de ces elements somatiques que representent la cellule souche primaire, les pansporoblastes et cellules sporales (a l'exception des sporoplasmes). Il semble logique de les inclure dans l'embranchement des Myxozoaires cree par Grasse pour les Myxosporidies et Actinomyxidies qui differencient egalement des spores pluricellulaires et des elements somatiques. Les centrioles a 9 singlets de P. orchestiae ainsi que les cellules primaires uninucleees, quel que soit le nombre de pansporoblastes qu'elles contiennent, peuvent ětre consideres comme des caracteres residuels d'Unicellulaires. SYNOPSIS. Differentiation of 2 bicellular spores from a pansporoblast characterizes sporulation of a parasite of the amphipod Orchestia gammarellus (Pallas), previously described under the name Marteilia sp. This kind of sporulation differentiates the species from the amphipod from those of the genus Marteilia which are parasitic in oysters and characterized by the production of tricellular spores. Similarity of conditions in which the pansporoblasts appear to differentiate from a stem cell in which they develop toward sporogenesis as well as common cytologic characteristics prompted us to retain all these parasites in one family, but to place the one from the amphipod in a new genus and species, Paramarteilia orchestiae gen. n. , sp. n. The aforementioned parasites cannot be retained in Protozoa because of their development toward multicellularity and differentiation of those somatic elements which represent the primary stem cell, pansporoblasts and “sporal” cells (except for sporoplasms). It seems logical to include these parasites in the phylum Myxozoa created by Grasse for Myxosporida and Actinomyxida, which also form pluricellular spores and somatic elements. The centrioles with 9 singlets found in P. orchestiae as well as the uninucleate primary cells, whatever number of pansporoblasts they may contain, can be considered as residual unicellular characteristics.
Microfilaments in plant vascular cells

Microfilaments 50–70 A (A = 0.1 nm) in diameter are commonly found in vascular tissue of elongating roots and stems of many plants. Such microfilaments occur in bundles in peripheral regions of elongating or differentiating vascular cells, and are usually oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cells. Although the longest microfilament bundle we have measured is about 15 μm, we suspect that the bundles are at least as long as the cells that contain them. The bundles are 0.1–0.4 μm in width and are often in apparent contact with organelles, but there is no definite indication of their being anchored to plasmalemma or any organelle. The microfilaments are comparable in size and morphology to actin filaments. The distribution of microfilament bundles in the vascular tissue of various plants and the possible function of the bundles is discussed.
Comparative morphology of the digestive tube in species of Procornitermes Emerson (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae)

The morphology of the digestive tube of the five species of Procornitermes Emerson (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae) is compared, together with illustrations of the digestive tube in situ and some parts after dissection, including the insertion of the Malpighian tubules and the enteric valve armature. Analysis of these characters revealed three distinct patterns among the species of Procornitermes: the first, termed the “striatus pattern”, is shared by P. striatus, P. lespesii and P. romani; the second refers only to P. araujoi; and the third is represented by P. triacifer. A comparison with all other genera of Syntermitinae is provided, which forms the basis to maintain the status of Procornitermes at this time, despite the clear heterogeneity of the digestive tubes among the species. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Influência da disponibilidade de presas, do contraste visual e do tamanho das larvas de Pantala sp. (Odonata, Insecta) sobre a predação de Simocephalus serrulatus (Cladocera, Crustacea)

The influence of prey availability, visual contrast and size of dragonfly ( Pantala sp) larvae on the predation of cladocerans ( Simocephalus serrulatus ) is provided. Twenty-four dragonfly naiads (12.57±0.05 mm and 100.01±9.16 mg) were employed to study the relation between predation rate and availability of cladocerans and visual contrast. 5,10, 15 and 20 cladocerans/L were placed in 1L transparent and black plastic lined aquariums. Cladocerans (1.63±0.21 mm and 0.78 mg) were counted and replaced hourly for five consecutive hours. Twenty-four naiads of different sizes were placed in 50mL recipients to study effects of size of dragonfly larvae. Each larvae received 20 cladocerans; counting and reposition of individuals consumed every ten minutes during two consecutive hours were undertaken. Quadratic effect (p < 0.02) in predation rate was reported, with an increase in prey availability: 21.67; 39.00; 42.44 and 49.67% were reported for densities of 5, 10, 15 and 20 cladocerans/L respectively. Predation rate (p < 0.02) was higher in dark wall aquariums (42.67%) than in those with transparent walls (33.72%). Size of dragonfly larvae had a quadratic effect on the predation of cladocerans and highest value occurred with 13.23 mm naiads. While high prey availability increases predation rate, predation is higher in aquariums with dark walls and 13.23 mm-long larvae have the highest predation rate
Recovery of Larval Sea Lampreys from Short-Term Exposure to the Pesticide 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol: Implications for Sea Lamprey Control in the Great Lakes

Abstract For over 50 years, invasive sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations have been controlled in the Great Lakes using the pesticide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), which is applied to streams containing larval sea lampreys. The specificity of TFM is due to the sea lamprey's relative inability to detoxify it using glucuronidation; this inability causes death by interfering with the production of ATP, the main energy currency of cells. TFM treatments typically last 12 h, but given the sea lamprey's relative inability to detoxify TFM we predicted that TFM-induced homeostatic disturbances and toxicity would occur following shorter periods of exposure. Accordingly, we exposed larval sea lampreys to the 12-h LC99.9 (i.e., the concentration lethal to 99.9% of the test subjects over 12 h) of TFM for 4 or 6 h and monitored the survival and replenishment of energy stores and metabolite concentrations in surviving sea lampreys over a 24-h depuration period. Minimal mortality (∼20%) was observed during.
Parasitoids update the habitat profitability by adjusting the kairomone responsiveness to their oviposition experience

Coping with unpredictability is crucial for insect parasitoids whose fitness depends on their ability to find hosts. One way to optimise their foraging behaviour is to glean information and to update the estimation of the habitat profitability through experience. Kairomone responsiveness (also called ‘motivation to stay’) is usually seen as a biological variable that reflects the initial estimate of patch quality. In the present study, an experiment was performed to test if the kairomone responsiveness of Asobara tabida Nees females (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) at arrival in a patch is specifically influenced by the number of hosts previously encountered in a series of patches of different qualities, thus highlighting their ability to estimate habitat profitability. Asobara tabida females keep trace of the number of hosts previously encountered in prior patches and adjust their foraging behaviour in the next, regardless of the kairomone level perceived in these patches. First, these results demonstrate the ability of parasitoids to estimate the relative patch quality on the basis of the number of hosts previously encountered. Second, they provide new insight into how parasitoids handle information from patch to patch. This ability is discussed in an evolutionary context.
Composted Swine Manure Effects on Germination and Early Growth of Crop and Weed Species Under Greenhouse Conditions1

Composted manure produced in deep-bedded hoop structures constitutes a source of nutrients and organic materials that can influence crop and weed emergence, growth, competitive interactions, and soil physical properties. The impact of composted swine manure on corn, soybean, winter wheat, velvetleaf, giant foxtail, and common waterhemp emergence and early growth were compared at compost rates of 0, 8, 16, or 24 Mg C/ha. Compost amendment had no effect on crop emergence but did reduce weed emergence. Inhibition of seedling emergence ranged between 15 and 57% for giant foxtail, 0 and 23% for velvetleaf, and 16 and 76% for common waterhemp. Soil amendment enhanced weed growth but not crop growth. A response surface regression analysis indicated that, while large-seeded crops have constant relative growth rates, small-seeded weed species increase their relative growth rates with compost amendment (P < 0.0001, r2 = 0.5252). Nomenclature: Common waterhemp, Amaranthus rudis Sauer #3 AMATA; corn, Zea mays L. ‘Pioneer 3563’; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi SETFA Herm. ; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Pioneer 92B84’; velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti ABUTH Medicus; winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Arapahoe’. Additional index words: Compost amendment, relative growth rate, germination inhibition, organic amendment, seedling emergence, soil quality. Abbreviations: EI%, percentage emergence inhibition; MTE, mean time of emergence; RGR, relative growth rate; VOA, volatile organic acids.
Strategies for Manipulating Metabolic Fluxes in Biotechnology

Abstract Strategies for biotechnologically manipulating metabolic fluxes are critically examined in relation to a model system. The common idea of first identifying the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway to a desired end-product, and then increasing its activity, is shown to be completely ineffective; such manipulation typically produces only trivial changes in flux. Manipulating the activities of all of the enzymes in a biosynthetic pathway by amounts calculated to increase a desired flux while leaving all other fluxes and all concentrations unchanged is potentially effective, and can be applied to any system without regard to its regulatory design. however, it requires accurate knowledge of the initial state of the system and the ability to make precise changes to numerous activities. The classical information about the regulatory mechanisms that exist in living organisms suggests that one can make much simpler manipulations, involving only the steps that remove the desired end-product, with almost equally satisfactory results.
Sensitivity of French temperate coniferous forests to climate variability and extreme events (Abies alba, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris)

Questions: (1) How do extreme climatic events and climate variability influence radial growth of conifers (silver fir, Norway spruce, Scots pine)? (2) How do elevation and soil water capacity (SWC) modulate sensitivity to climate? Location: The sampled conifer stands are in France, in western lowland and mountain forests, at elevations from 400 to 1700 m, and an SWC from 50 to 190 mm. Methods: We established stand chronologies for total ring width, earlywood and latewood width for the 33 studied stands (985 trees in total). Responses to climate were analysed using pointer years and bootstrapped response functions. Principal component analysis was applied to pointer years and response function coefficients in order to elucidate the ecological structure of the studied stands. Results: Extreme winter frosts are responsible for greater growth reductions in silver fir than in Norway spruce, especially at the upper elevation, while Scots pine was the least sensitive species. Exceptional spring droughts caused a notable growth decrease, especially when local conditions were dry (altitude<1000 m and SWC<100 mm for silver fir, western lowlands for Scots pine). Earlywood of silver fir depended on previous September and November and current-year February temperature, after which current June and July water supply influenced latewood. Earlywood of Norway spruce was influenced by previous September temperature, after which current spring and summer droughts influenced both ring components. In Scots pine, earlywood and latewood depended on the current summer water balance. Local conditions mainly modulated latewood formation. Conclusions: If the climate becomes drier, low-elevation dry stands or trees growing in western lowlands may face problems, as their growth is highly dependent on soil moisture availability.
The genus Trichosanthes L. (Cucurbitaceae) in Thailand

Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) in Thailand comprises 17 species, seven of which have been described as new here: T. dolichosperma Duyfjes & Pruesapan, T. erosa Duyfjes & Pruesapan, T. inthanonensis Duyfjes & Pruesapan, T. kostermansii Duyfjes & Pruesapan, T. pallida Duyfjes & Pruesapan, T. phonsenae Duyfjes & Pruesapan, and T. siamensis Duyfjes & Pruesapan. Two new subspecific entities have been described: T. pubera Blume subsp. rubriflos (Cayla) Duyfjes & Pruesapan var. fissisepala Duyfjes & Pruesapan, and T. tricuspidata Lour. subsp. javanica Duyfjes & Pruesapan. A key to taxa, descriptions with distributional and ecological data and illustrations are presented.
Hatching distribution of eggs varying in weight and breeder age

Broiler chicks from one incubator hatch within long periods of time, which leads to dehydration and reduction in yolk sac reserves of those chicks that have hatched earlier and potentially impairs early performance. The present research investigated the hatching distribution at intervals of incubation using eggs of different weights within one breeder age or eggs from widely different breeder ages. Eggs from breeders at 27 and 59 weeks of age (54 and 69 g) and from breeders at 40 weeks of age, which were graded as light (58 g) and heavy (73 g), were placed in a commercial incubator. There were a total of 1,184 eggs distributed in four treatments and eight replicates: eggs from 27-week-old breeders (27B), eggs from 59-week-old breeders (59B), light eggs from 40-week-old breeders (40BL) and heavy eggs from 40-week-old breeders (40BH). Replicates were comprised of 37 eggs that were placed in each incubator tray. The treatments were physically separated from each other using a plate. Eggs were transferred to a hatcher after 432 hours of incubation and the first chick hatched at 449 hours of incubation. Afterwards, the number of completely hatched chicks from each replicate was recorded at six-hour intervals until 503 hours of incubation, when the hatchings stopped. Hatched chicks were removed from the trays after each measurement. Data were submitted to an analysis of variance with repeated measures. There was a significant interaction between breeder age and incubation length. The hatching onset of eggs from the old breeders was later compared to young breeders. Hatchability (%incubated eggs) was lower for the old breeders; however, differences in hatchability as a percentage of the hatched eggs were not so evident. Complete hatchability occurred only at 503 hours of incubation; however, more than 90% eggs had hatched 18 hours earlier.
ESTUDO DAS ALTERAÇÕES MORFO-HISTOLÓGICASEM LARVAS DE Aedes aegypti (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) SUBMETIDAS AO EXTRATO BRUTO ETANÓLICO DESapindus saponaria Lin (SAPINDACEAE)

Dengue e hoje a arbovirose mais importante no mundo e seu controle esta restrito, basicamente, ao combate ao principal vetor, o Aedes aegypti . As acoes tem como foco a aplicacao de inseticidas quimicos sinteticos que possuem acao rapida e eficaz no combate, porem sao altamente toxicos para os mamiferos e o meio ambiente. Seu uso tem induzido ao desenvolvimento de resistencia do mosquito. Produtos naturais provenientes de plantas poderao representar alternativas as medidas de controle em razao de sua baixa toxicidade para os mamiferos e da ausencia de impacto ambiental. Neste estudo, sao apresentadas as alteracoes morfo-histologicas e a atividade larvicida do extrato bruto etanolico (e.b.e.) da casca do fruto de Sapindus saponaria sobre o A. aegypti, visando ao controle desse mosquito. Larvas de terceiro estadio foram submetidas a diferentes concentracoes do e.b. e. , obtido da casca do fruto de S. saponaria, previamente solubilizado em agua, onde permaneceram por ate 48 horas. As larvas que atingiram estado letargico foram coletadas e fixadas em paraformaldeido, incluidas em resina, seccionadas e as lâminas coradas pela tecnica de hematoxilina-eosina e analisadas por microscospia de luz. A CL 99 do e.b. e. da casca do fruto de S. saponaria sobre larvas de A. aegypti foi de 134,1 ppm. Os efeitos toxicos desse e.b. e. foram observados em concentracoes subletais e as tres regioes do mesentero apresentaram varias alteracoes histopatologicas: destruicao total ou parcial das celulas, alta vacuolizacao do citoplasma, hipersecrecao das celulas epiteliais e pavimentacao do epitelio. Essas alteracoes celulares evidenciam o mecanismo de acao do e.b. e. de S. saponaria sobre larvas de A. aegypti.