Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Ovsynch protocol versus Cosynch protocol in dairy cows

As a research on the reproductive physiology and endocrinology surrounding the estrous cycle in dairy cattle has been compiled, several estrous synchronization programs have been developed for use with dairy cows. These include several programs that facilitate the mass breeding of all animals at a predetermined time (timed-AI) rather than the detection of estrus. We studied on 15 dary cows which were synchronized by Ovsynch and Cosynch programs. The estrus response for cows in Ovsynch protocol was of 63%. Pregnancy per insemination at 60 days was of 25%. Estrus response for cow in Cosynch protocol was of 57%. Pregnancy per insemination at 60 days was of 57%. Synchronization of ovulation using Ovsynch protocols can provide an effective way to manage reproduction in lactating dairy cows by eliminating the need for estrus detection. These are really efficient management programs for TAI of dairy cows that are able to reduce both the labour costs and the extra handling to daily estrus detection and AI.
Spring wheat response to enhanced ammonium supply. II. Tillering.

(.) The objective of this study was to determine the effects of EAS on the number and origin of vegetative and headed tillers and on the number of fertile spikelets and kernels of each tiller. Knowledge of these effects will aid in determining when and how EAS increases grain DM. Increased grain DM with EAS in this study resulted from an increase in the number of headed tillers plant −1 (.)
Aegilops Species from Semiarid Areas of Lebanon: Variation in Quantitative Attributes under Water Stress

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Hyperresponsive febrile reactions to interleukin (IL) 1α and IL-1β, and altered brain cytokine mRNA and serum cytokine levels, in IL-1β-deficient mice

IL-1β is an endogenous pyrogen that is induced during systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or IL-1-induced fever. We have examined the fever and cytokine responses following i.p. injection of IL-1 agonists, IL-1α and IL-1β, and compared these with response to LPS (i.p.) in wild-type and IL-1β-deficient mice. The IL-1β deficient mice appear to have elevated body temperature but exhibit a normal circadian temperature cycle. Exogenously injected IL-1β, IL-1α, or LPS induced hyperresponsive fevers in the IL-1β-deficient mice. We also observed phenotypic differences between wild-type and IL-1β-deficient mice in hypothalamic basal mRNA levels for IL-1α and IL-6, but not for IL-1β-converting enzyme or IL-1 receptor type I or type II. The IL-1α mRNA levels were down-regulated, whereas the IL-6 mRNA levels were up-regulated in the hypothalamus of IL-1β-deficient mice as compared with wild-type mice. The IL-1β-deficient mice also responded to LPS challenge with significantly higher serum corticosterone and with lower serum tumor necrosis factor type α levels than the wild-type mice. The data suggest that, in the redundant cascade of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β plays an important but not obligatory role in fever induction by LPS or IL-1α, as well as in the induction of serum tumor necrosis factor type α and corticosterone responses either by LPS or by IL-1α or IL-1β.
Vegetation change over 40 years in the Weenen/Muden area, KwaZulu-Natal: evidence from photo-panoramas

The utility of panoramic photographs for studying the extent and pattern of vegetation change, in particular of bush encroachment, was investigated by revisiting thirteen sites in the Weenen and Muden areas of KwaZulu-Natal that had been photographed in 1955. The ubiquitous feature of all sites was the marked increase in woody cover, from a mean of 21% woody cover for all topographic units (plains, hill slopes, river bank and river terrace) in 1955, to 59% woody cover in 1998. Although sample sizes were small, the increase in woody cover was greater on hill slopes (45% mean increase in woody cover) than on the plains (26%), and on north-facing slopes (56%) rather than on south-facing slopes (32%). The increase in woody plant cover was accompanied by a change in composition from open or mixed woodland, to one dominated by Acacia species, in particular by A. tortilis at lower altitudes and by A. karroo at higher altitudes. In some cases, scrub Acacia individuals were already evident in the photographs in 19.
Evaluation of entomopathogenic fungus against Alternaria porri (Ellis) causing purple blotch disease of onion

Biological control through the use of antagonistic micro-organisms is a potential and non-chemical means of managing plant diseases. Alternaria porri causes purple blotch disease mostly in onion. In this study, three different entomopathogenic fungi, viz. Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Verticillium lecanii, were tested against A. porri. All the three entomopathogenic fungi showed inhibitory effect against A. porri subjected to in vitro studies under dual culture technique, spore (conidial) germination, food poisoning (mycelia germination) and seed germination. The percentage inhibition of mycelial growth (PIMG) of A. porri (69.24, 56.17, and 45.81%) and the percentage inhibition of conidial germination (CG) (97.81, 42.11, and 67.69%) were observed for B. bassiana, V. lecanii and M. anisopliae, respectively. Seed germination index was found to be maximum with M. anisopliae (5557 ± 107.7) and B. bassiana (4390 ± 129.9). B. bassiana exhibited efficient antagonism against A. porri showing the highest PIMG and CG with moderate seed germination index. Microscopic examination showed the disintegrated edge of conidia which had turned black and also stopped the growth of germ tube. Hence, these entomopathogenic fungi were found to be more effective antagonistic organisms and also moderately promote seed vigour index (4390 ± 129.9) as well as plant growth. The present study indicated that the entomopathogenic fungi evaluated have shown significant inhibition of A. porri. Thus, there is a possibility of exploiting them in the management of the disease.
Host plant variation plastically impacts different traits of the immune system of a phytophagous insect

Summary 1. Host plant quality affects herbivorous insect performance and consequently their susceptibility to natural enemies. Recently, it has been hypothesized that the immune function of herbivorous insects can be altered by their host plant, thus generating variation in their susceptibility to entomopathogens. Previous studies testing this hypothesis provided contradictory outcomes, mainly as a result of the differences in methodology such as measuring a single-immune parameter rather than considering trade-off-mediated interactions between immune defence systems of the insect. Here, we hypothesized that plant-mediated changes in insect immunity could result from the alteration of physiological immune effectors of the herbivore evident as trade-offs. 2. Larvae of an inbred strain of the European grape berry moth Eupoecilia ambiguella were reared on five artificial diets each based on a different grape variety (Chardonnay, Chasselas, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Riesling) and tested for changes in the baseline concentration of haemocytes, activities of the prophenoloxidase (PPO) system and of antimicrobial peptides of their haemolymph. Immune responsiveness of larvae across diets was also assessed by measuring changes in haemocyte concentration and activity of the PPO system after a bacterial immune challenge. 3. We found that variation among diets significantly affected immune defences of larvae. The alteration of the E. ambiguella immune system appears plastic and partly mediated by existing physiological trade-offs between immune pathways, at least between induced antibacterial defences and the PPO system. 4. These results clearly show that host plant quality can affect immune defences and potentially disease resistance of E. ambiguella and that these changes in immunity may also result from intrinsic trade-offs between immune defence systems in insects.
Pollen fates and the limits on male reproductive success in an orchid population

Male reproductive success in higher plants depends largely on the fates of pollen, but current methodologies have given only partial insights into this important aspect of plant mating. We present a detailed analysis of the proportions and absolute amounts of stained pollen involved in six key fates for the hawkmoth-pollinated African orchid Disa cooperi. Despite being packaged into pollinaria, high proportions (> 0.95) of the pollen removed from anthers were lost during transport by hawkmoths in both years. The proportion of pollen lost correlated positively with the number of pollinaria removed from a plant, so that pollen export did not vary with pollen removal. Most pollen was dispersed to neighbouring plants, with rare long-distance dispersal up to 65 m. Of the pollen that reached stigmas during both years, roughly equal amounts were involved in facilitated self-pollination vs. cross-pollination, but the relative proportions of these fates differed between years. Contrary to expectation, we found that self-pollination between flowers did not increase with the number of open flowers, even though moths probed significantly more flowers on larger plants. However, during both years the fraction of removed pollen exported to other plants declined significantly with increasing self-pollination on the source plant, indicating that once self-pollination occurred it reduced (discounted) subsequent pollen export opportunities. The packaging of pollen into pollinaria in orchids appears to increase overall transfer efficiency by at least an order of magnitude relative to plants with granular pollen. Nevertheless, considerable uncertainties remain in the male reproductive success of individual orchids. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 86, 175–190.
STUDIES ON INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF YIELD AND ITS ATTRIBUTES AND PATH ANALYSIS IN PIGEONPEA [CAJANUS CAJAN (L.) MILLSP.]

Five lines, three testers and their fifteen crosses were evaluated to study the genetic relationship among yield components through association and path analysis. The association studies indicated significant positive correlation of seed yield with pods per plant in parents and plant height, pods per plant and harvest index in crosses. Path coefficient analysis showed that out of fourteen characters, pods per plant, days to flowering, plant height and pod length in parents, while pods per plant in crosses showed high positive direct effects on seed yield, indicating that these characters should be given due importance while making selection for increased seed yield in pigeonpea.
Ontogenetic shifts in phenotype–environment associations in Nile perch, Lates niloticus (Perciformes: Latidae) from Lake Nabugabo, Uganda

Habitat-associated trait divergence may vary across ontogeny if there are strong size-related shifts in selection pressures. We quantified patterns of phenotypic divergence in Nile perch (Lates niloticus) from ecologically distinct wetland edge and forest edge habitats in Lake Nabugabo, Uganda, and we compared patterns of divergence across three size classes to determine whether trends are consistent through Nile perch ontogeny. We predicted that inter-habitat variation in biotic (e.g. vegetation structure) and abiotic (e.g. dissolved oxygen concentration) variables may create divergent selective regimes. We compared body morphology using geometric morphometrics and found substantial differences between habitats, although not all trends were consistent across size classes. The most striking aspects of divergence in small Nile perch were in mouth orientation, head size, and development of the caudal region. Medium-sized Nile perch also showed differences in mouth orientation. Differences in large individuals were related to eye size and orientation, as well as caudal length. The observed patterns of divergence are consistent with functional morphological predictions for fish across divergent trophic regimes, high and low predation environments, and complex and simple habitats. Although this suggests adaptive divergence, the source of phenotypic variation is unknown and may reflect phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic differences. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110, 449–465.
New records of springtails in New Zealand pasture: how well are our pastoral invertebrates known?

Abstract Twenty-four collembolan species are recorded from improved pastures and clovers in New Zealand, of which 17 can be named to species or probable species, the others only to genus. Of the 17 named species, nine have been recorded before from New Zealand but the other eight are new records for the country. All named species are considered as introduced to New Zealand, probably originally from Europe and are unlikely to colonise native habitats. As all named species reported as new records can be abundant at times, this indicates poor knowledge of a major part of New Zealand's agricultural fauna. Collembola are a group of important microarthropod detritivores that make a significant contribution to ecosystem services. The absence so far of quantification of the contribution this and other soil groups make to ecological resilience and function is a serious problem.
Foraging Ecology of Seabirds at Sea: Significance of Commercial Fisheries in the NW Mediterranean.

Seabirds feeding ecology was studied at sea to assess the significance of two commercial fisheries, trawlers (demersal fishery with diurnal activity) and purse seiners (pelagic fishery with nocturnal activity), in the NW Mediterranean. Trawlers offered high amounts of discards (mostly fish of small size) on a predictable basis, and consequently attracted large numbers of seabirds. At the Ebro Delta, discards provided in average 65% of the energy requirements of the seabird breeding community, being most important for large gulls and of little significance for terns. Purse seiners produced few discards, on an irregular basis, and attracted lower numbers of seabirds during discarding (after dawn). During the fishing operation, at night, only Audouins Gulls Larus audouinii attended these vessels, capturing live fish concentrated near the sea surface, attracted by powerful lamps. During the breeding season, Audouins Gulls preferentially attended trawlers in spite of potential competition with the more aggressive and opportunistic Yellow-legged Gulls Larus cachinnans, since the former showed to be more efficient at capturing discards and reduced competition by showing a wider range of feeding techniques. Only during trawler closures, Audouins Gulls occurred in important numbers at purse seiners (thus acting as a secondary food resource for most individuals). During the non-breeding season Audouins Gulls shifted to preferentially attend purse seiners, presumably because competition at trawlers strengthened at this period. The rare and threatened Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus also made significant use of discards, which represented more than 40% of the energy requirements of the whole population during the breeding season. Seabirds feeding upon discards showed higher levels of mercury, as discards make accessible to them demersal fish that is more polluted than epipelagic fish (natural prey for most seabirds). Thus, the risks of toxicity by this metal are higher for those species capturing discards. Given the significance of commercial fisheries for seabirds in the NW Mediterranean, and considering the increasing ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, fisheries managers should regard these birds when designing fishing policies.
Effects of stoat's presence and auditory cues indicating its presence on tree seedling predation by meadow voles

Predators may control the impact of herbivores on their plant resources by 1) decreasing herbivore numbers, 2) imposing predation risk affecting foraging behavior. The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of a predator and auditory cues indicating its presence on the rate of tree seedling (Acer rubrum, Betula lenta) consumption by meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). The first of our experiments involved introduction of a stoat (Mustela erminea) into an enclosed vole population and the second a playback of recordings of vole distress calls, movements of a stoat and its vocalizations. In both experiments we manipulated vegetation cover and the availability of food next to the experimental seedlings to assess the effects of microhabitat under the different risk situations. The results of the first unreplicated experiment suggested an increased rate of seedling predation in the presence of the stoat. Consistent with these results, the playback of predator sounds in the second replicated experiment caused an increased rate of seedling predation compared to control plots with no recordings. A mowed circle around a seedling station, representing increased risk of predation on the voles, decreased seedling consumption. This effect was modest in the playback treatment. We suggest the results to be due to displacement behavior by the voles exposed to prolonged risk and conflicting demands of foraging and avoiding predators. Alternatively, as suggested by the model of Lima and Bednekoff, prolonged risk of predation forced the voles to decrease their levels of vigilance during low-risk playback breaks. The modest inhibitory effect of cover removal on seedling predation in the playback treatment is consistent with this interpretation. The results confirm recent evidence for trophic cascades mediated by behavioral interactions between predator and prey. They are novel in suggesting that the presence of predation risk can increase the inhibitory effects of consumers on their resources.
Revision of the stonefly family Nemouridae (Plecoptera) : a study of the world fauna at the generic level

Baumann, Richard W. Revision of the Stonefly Family Nemouridae (Plecoptera): A Study of the World Fauna at the Generic Level. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 211, 74 pages, 186 figures, 1 table, 1975. —The Northern Hemisphere family Nemouridae is revised and divided into two subfamilies: Amphinemurinae, new subfamily, and Nemourinae. Of the 17 recognized genera in the Nemouridae, 14 are described and figured and 3 are described as new: Illiesonemoura, Indonemoura, and Mesonemoura; 373 species are assigned to genera or listed as incertae sedis. Keys to subfamilies and genera are given for males, females, and nymphs. Structures of male and female terminalia are described and the terminology defined. A phylogeny is constructed showing the relationships of the genera. Distributions are given for all species, the zoogeography of the family is discussed, and a composite map of the distribution of all genera in Nemouridae is provided. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstampcd in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. SI PRESS NUMBER 6007. SERIES COVER DESIGN: The coral Montastrea cavernosa (Linnaeus). Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Baumann, Richard W. A revision of the stonefly family Nemouridae (Plecoptera) (Smithsonian contributions to zoology, no. 211) Bibliography: p. 1. Nemouridae. 2. Insects—Classification. I. Title. II. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian contributions to zoology; no. 211. QL1.S54 no. 211 [QL 505.3. N4] 591'. 08s [595.7'35] 75-619077
Autofertility and Bee Visitation in Winter and Spring Genotypes of Faba Beans (Vicia faba L.)

Differences in the expression of autofertility and in the evidence of attractiveness to bees were investigated in both autumn-sown and spring-sown faba beans. All six winter stocks and one spring stock expressed very little autofertility, with averages of only 10% of flowers and 7% of ovules fertilized when undisturbed. Three other spring stocks, including a closed-flower population, were moderately autofertile, with 22% of flowers and 17% of ovules fertilized when undisturbed. The remaining two spring stocks, both English cultivars, expressed good autofertility, with 50% of undisturbed flowers and 44% of ovules fertilized. Current levels of autofertility in the winter and closed-flower stocks were inadequate to allow the development of a desirable distribution of pods without substantial bee visitation. If levels of autofertility could be raised simply by selection within populations, then they should have been much higher in these stocks. Therefore, autofertile parents will probably have to be included in programmes for breeding cultivars with improved levels of auto fertility. The closed-flower population received significantly less bee visitation than the other stocks in the spring trial. No variation in attractiveness to bees was found among the open-flowered spring stocks, nor among the winter stocks.