Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of nematode community similarities assessed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and by morphological identification

Molecular biology techniques for nematode community analysis that are high throughput and operable by non-experts are in high demand for soil biological assessments. In the development of such techniques, the closeness of the analytical results to those obtained by conventional methods is of key importance. In this context, we compared similarity relationships of nematode community structures between polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and individual-based morphological identification (CONV) using 12 nematode samples recovered from crop field soils in four localities in Japan. First, we determined whether the primer set chosen to amplify the 18s rRNA genes of nematode taxa was suitable for DGGE by comparing community structures of four selected samples between clone libraries (CLs) and those revealed by CONV. We considered the primer set to be suitable because we found significant correlations in the structures between CLs and CONV in three of the four samples examined. Then we determined the community structure of 12 samples by both DGGE and CONV, and calculated distance matrices to examine if analytical results were similar between the two methods. The correlations in matrices were 0.400-0.603, depending on the types of distance measures, and were always significant between the two methods. In comparing dendrograms drawn based on the matrices, DGGE and CONV were actually similar to some extent in that samples from a single locality tended to group together, although some localities were split in DGGE. We also conducted DGGE with four additional selected samples to confirm that the band pattern (i.e., number, position and relative intensity) was consistent in each sample across subsamples and gels. Given these results, we expect DGGE to become a useful and efficient tool for nematode community analysis, especially for non-experts, but our method of evaluation has limitations and more tests are needed.
Intraspecific genetic variation of Batrachospermum gelatinosum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in eastern North America

House D.L. , Vandenbroek A.M. and Vis M.L. 2010. Intraspecific genetic variation of Batrachospermum gelatinosum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in eastern North America. Phycologia 49: 501–507. DOI: 10.2216/09-104.1 Batrachospermum gelatinosum is a widespread taxon of freshwater red algae in eastern North America and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. A total of 193 individuals from 16 stream segments in eastern North America ranging from Alabama in the south to Nova Scotia in the north, as well as three individuals from Europe were collected. Genetic variation among these individuals was assessed using the cox1 barcoding region. Five haplotypes were revealed from the North American specimens with a single widespread haplotype representing most individuals. Of the other four haplotypes, three were collected exclusively in Alabama and one in Massachusetts. These five haplotypes only differed by 1–4 bp. There were two haplotypes detected in the European samples, which differed from the North American ones by 7–10 bp. This study substantiates previous research using the internal transcribed spacer region that B. gelatinosum is a genetically homogenous species that is highly plastic in its morphology. The data from this study implies a southern glacial refugium potentially in Alabama and subsequent dispersal of one haplotype to all northern areas. This pattern is similar to that seen in B. helminthosum and numerous other organisms. Currently, there are only genetic data on three freshwater red taxa, and information from other widespread Batrachospermales in eastern North America are needed to provide generalized phylogeographic patterns for this group and compare them with other aquatic organisms.
Initiation of the Vascular System in the Shoot of Zea mays L. (Poaceae). II. The Procambial Leaf Traces

When all of the procambial strands are identified and followed in serial cross sections of shoot tips of Zea mays, a pattern to the initiation of the vascular system emerges. A primary thickening meristem, which is near the periphery of each disk of insertion bearing a leaf primordium, generates a succession of waves of isolated procambia. Differentiation of the ground meristem between these isolated procambial sites (dot‐to‐dot growth) advances a resulting sympodium proximally toward a leaf primordium and distally in the axis. Sympodia are not destined to become particular leaf traces; competition among the adjacent procambial sites determines the course of a sympodium. A sympodium becomes recognized as a particular leaf trace when a dot‐to‐dot interconnection (capturing) occurs between a procambial site in the leaf primordium and a site in a recent wave of a disk of insertion. Those procambia that do not contribute to a leaf trace because they persist in isolation will eventually contribute to the horizontal component of the nodal plexus.
A study of water repellency and its amelioration in a yellow-brown sand. 1. Severity of water repellency and the effects of wetting and abrasion.

Water repellency of Himatangi sand was assessed by in situ water infiltration measurements and in the laboratory using the Molarity of an Ethanol Droplet (MED) technique. Infiltration rates on water repellent areas were an order of magnitude lower than rates on adjacent, less repellent areas. The surface (30mm) soil of cores removed from repellent areas was severely repellent(MED > 2.2), and soil to a depth of 150mm was moderately repellent. MED was strongly correlated with soil carbon content (R 2 =0.79). Attempts were made to overcome repellency by wetting the soil and by abrasion. The water repellency of Himatangi sand increased when the gravimetric soil water content, w, was increased from 0.03 to 0.05, and then declined rapidly with further increases in soil water content. Air-dry samples were agitated in an end-over-end shaker for a range of 1-48 h. Soil water repellency was significantly (P < 0.01)reduced by agitation for up to 8 h. Warter repellency of samples which had been shaken for 2,.
BEHAVIOR OF POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum L.) SEEDS SUBMITTED THE FERMENTATION AND DRYING

Sementes de roma (Punica granatum L.) foram submetidas a diferentes periodos de fermentacao (0; 24; 48; 72 e 96 horas), com e sem secagem. Avaliaram-se suas qualidades fisica e fisiologica, atraves das determinacoes do grau de umidade, peso de 100 sementes, porcentagem de emergencia e velocidade de emergencia de plântulas (IVE). O delineamento experimental adotado foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial, onde os cinco periodos de fermentacao frente as duas condicoes (com e sem secagem) constituiram os tratamentos. Sementes submetidas ao maior periodo de fermentacao apresentaram sarcotestas mais degradadas, favorecendo, consequentemente, uma melhor absorcao de agua, resultando numa porcentagem de emergencia de 55% e IVE de 0,38, em 72 horas de fermentacao. A secagem das sementes apos fermentacao promoveu uma menor porcentagem de emergencia e IVE, apesar de se verificar um aumento de ambos, quando as sementes permaneceram em fermentacao por um maior periodo. O comportamento verificado nas sementes de roma frente aos tratamentos empregados parece estar associado a fenomenos de dormencia ou sensibilidade a secagem, caracteristica esta, de sementes recalcitrantes.
Chemical Characterization of Canola and Sunflower Oil Deodorizer Distillates

Abstract In the present work deodorizer distillates of canola and sunflower oil were studied for their chemical characterization. Tocopherols, sterols, hydrocarbons and fatty acid composition were determined by Gas chromatography Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results indicated that deodorizer distillates of canola oil (DDCLO) studied had higher saponification value in the range of 164.2-175.8 mg/g and all deodorizer distillates of sunfl ower oil (DDSFO) had high iodine value of 126.2-127.1 g/100 g. Peroxide value and free fatty acids were present in the range between 7.0-8.9 mEq/Kg and 35.7-54.4 g/100 g in DDSFO and DDCLO samples, respectively. Contents of oleic acid (49.3-51.1 g/100 g) and linolenic acid (6.2-7.5 g/100 g) were significantly greater in DDCLO samples. Conversely, DDSFO contained concentrated amount of linoleic acid (52.8-53.3 g/100 g). Tocopherols and hydrocarbons were significantly higher in all DDSFO samples while, sterols were dominant in DDCLO samples. GC-MS provided excellent results for simultaneous determination of tocopherols, sterols, hydrocarbons and fatty acid composition of deodorizer distillates of canola and sunflower oil
Low Volatility Needs Little Trading

The author shows that an efficient low-volatility strategy only needs a little amount of trading. The empirical literature on low-volatility investing reveals a concave relation between the amount of trading and the risk reduction. Portfolio simulations confirm this non-linear pattern in which each increase in turnover results in smaller marginal reductions in volatility. In general a moderate trading level of 30% is enough to reduce portfolio volatility by 25% compared with the market index. In addition, low-volatility stocks are relatively liquid and cheap to trade, primarily because they are much larger than the average stock. The law of diminishing returns also applies to other alpha factors such as value and momentum and integrating them into a multi-factor low-volatility strategy is an efficient way to increase factor exposure at low trading costs.
Chemical Composition and Nutritive Value of Truffles of Saudi Arabia

The chemical composition and nutritional quality of truffles of Saudi Arabia, Terfezia claveryi and Tirmania nivea, were studied. Results showed 19.6 and 27.2% protein, 2.8 and 7.4% fat, 7.0 and 13.2% crude fiber, 4.6 and 5.4% ash and 1.8 and 5.1% ascorbic acid for T. claveryi and T. nivea, respectively. Both varieties contained high amounts of K and P and fair levels of Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn. All essential amino acids were present in fairly good amounts. Leucine and lysine were the fist limiting amino acids in T. claveryi and valme in T. nivea. In-vitro protein digestibility (82.8 - 86.7%) was slightly lower than that of Animal Nutrition Research Council (ANRC) casein (90.0%) but the calculated protein efficiency ratio (2.1 - 2.49) was relatively close to the value of 2.5 for ANRC casein.
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ESSENTIALS OF WESTERN VETERINARY ACUPUNCTURE Samantha Lindley, and Mike Cummings. 208 pages, paperback, £34.95 . Oxford, Blackwell Publishing. 2006. ISBN 978 1 4051 2990 9 ! [Figure][1] SCEPTICAL about acupuncture, or just curious? This book will put you in
An investigation into the bacterial aetiology of 'black patch necrosis' in Dover sole, Solea solea L.

A recurring disease known as ‘black patch necrosis’ (BPN) has been the cause of severe mortalities in 0-group and 1-group Dover sole during the period 1974-1978 at the Sea Fish Industry Authority's Marine Cultivation Unit at Hunter-ston, Ayrshire, Scotland. Samples of diseased and healthy Dover sole tissue were examined microbiologically and a long thin filamentous Gram-negative organism, strongly resembling Flexibacter columnar's, was repeatedly isolated from diseased tissue but was not found in healthy tissue. This organism was pathogenic to Dover sole, producing 100% mortality in 96 h at 17.5°C (±2°C) and the organism was reisolated from all the infected fish. The pathogenic isolate and reisolate were examined and compared with reference strain NCMB 1038 of Flexibacter columnarts, formerly known as Chondrococcus columnaris or Cytophaga columnaris. The isolate, reisolate and type culture were identical with respect to cell morphology, oxidase test, catalase production, production of H2S, casein hydrolysis, gelatin liquefaction, hydrolysis of Tween 20, degradation of tyrosine and starch hydrolysis. All bacterial types showed similar patterns of sensitivity to a range of antibiotics. It is proposed that a Flexibacter columnari's-like organism is associated with the condition in farmed Dover sole known as ‘black patch necrosis’.
Upper‐slope fish communities on the Chatham Rise, New Zealand, 1992–99

Abstract Catch rate data for fish species caught in 200–800 m depths during summer trawl surveys of the Chatham Rise to the east of New Zealand in 1992–99 were explored to assess community structure and species associations and to identify changes that occurred within the time series of surveys. The community was dominated by hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae Hector), a Southern Hemisphere merlucciid hake, which was more abundant than all other species combined and occurred at 97% of the 1048 trawl stations. Three groupings offish species were identified on the basis of descriptive and cluster analyses, associated with the 200–350, 350–550, and 550–800 m depth ranges. Redundancy analysis showed that depth, latitude, and to a lesser extent longitude explained most of the variation in abundance and composition of catches. Spatial patterns in species diversity and fish density were investigated. Trends within the time series show a significant decline in the biomass of hoki and changes in biomass of several other abundant species. However, there was little change in diversity, density, or division into groupings. The changes in abundance may be related to increased fishing activity and/or other factors such as changes in catchability because of the rising bottom temperatures observed during the surveys.
Discovery of Soybean Aphid Biotypes

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae)) is an invasive insect pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ) that was fi rst reported in North America in 2000. There are currently no reports of soybean aphid bio- type diversity and this information is needed before aphid resistance genes are deployed. The objective of this research was to test for aphid biotype variation. The response of two A. glycines isolates, one collected in Ohio and the other in Illinois, were compared by infesting eight soybean genotypes in nonchoice tests. The same genotypes also were tested with the Ohio isolate using a choice test. In the nonchoice test, there was a signifi cant (P < 0.0001) effect of aphid isolate, genotype, and a signifi cant aphid isolate by soybean genotype interaction for the number of aphids per plant 10 and 15 d after infestation. The responses of the eight geno- types to the Ohio isolate in the choice test were similar to their responses in nonchoice tests. PI 200538 and PI 567597C were resistant to both the Ohio and Illinois isolates and will be useful sources of resistance to both isolates. These tests confi rm that there are at least two distinct biotypes of A. glycines in North America.
Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with pre (cid:1) -HDL concentrations in subjects with familial low HDL

Pre (cid:1) -HDL particles act as the primary acceptors of cellular cholesterol in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). An impairment of RCT may be the reason for the increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in subjects with familial low HDL. We studied the levels of serum pre (cid:1) -HDL and the major regulating factors of HDL metabolism in 67 subjects with familial low HDL and in 64 normolipidemic subjects. We report that the subjects with familial low HDL had markedly reduced pre (cid:1) -HDL concentrations compared with the normolipidemic subjects (17.4 (cid:2) 7.2 vs. 23.4 (cid:2) 7.8 mg apolipoprotein A-I/dl; P (cid:2) 0.001). A positive correlation was observed between pre (cid:1) -HDL concentration and serum triglyceride (TG) level ( r (cid:3) 0.334, P (cid:3) 0.006). In addition, serum TG level was found to be the strongest predictor of pre (cid:1) -HDL concentration in subjects with familial low HDL. The activities of cholesteryl ester transfer protein and hepatic lipase were markedly increased in subjects with familial low HDL without a signiﬁcant correlation to pre (cid:1) -HDL concentration. Our results support the hypothesis that impaired RCT is one mechanism behind the increased risk for CHD in subjects with familial low HDL. —Söderlund, S. , A. Soro-Paavonen, C. Ehnholm, M. Jauhiainen, and M-R. Taskinen. Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with pre (cid:1) -HDL concentrations in subjects with familial low HDL. J. Lipid Res. 2005. 46: 1643–1651.
Evolution of Colony Characteristics in Social Insects. I. Sex Allocation

The inclusive-fitness model gives a powerful method for analyzing the sex-allocation patterns of social insects, both at the level of individual colonies and at the level of populations. Genetic relatednesses and reproductive values, both of which are essential in constructing the inclusive fitness, are relatively easy to estimate empirically. The reproductive success of males and females, however, can in many cases be difficult to estimate. This is particularly so when workers should be counted as a sexual investment, because colonies either recruit daughter queens as new reproductives or form new colonies by fission. My results suggest that we can predict equilibrium investment ratios in such cases, provided that workers are counted as an investment. When daughter colonies are formed by budding and they remain in close contact with the mother colony and with each other, the fitness consequences can be complicated, and the expected investment ratios depend on local resource competition or local resource enhancement. I suggest various alternative approaches for empirically testing the queen-worker conflict over sex allocation. The most promising approaches are those focusing on single species and comparing sex ratios produced by different colonies and populations. The inclusive- fitness model elaborated in this article can be applied to derive the expected allocation patterns, both as a function of the type of colony (number of reproductives in it) and as a function of the amount of resources the colony can use in sexual production.
Quantitative vs. Fundamental Analysis in Institutional Money Management: Where’s the Beef?

In the money management industry, there is a “quiet” controversy over who does a better job, traditional managers (fundamentalists) or quantitative managers. This issue has recently been examined by Zhao [2006], Wermers, Yao, and Zhao [2007], and others. This article reexamines the issue looking at the period January 2002 to December 2006 using the Plan Sponsor Network Database, which reports how managers actually manage investment portfolios regarding the types of stock selection methods used. This allows the authors to examine not just the primary method used (quantitative, fundamental, or other), but also the impact of secondary methods. The empirical results indicate that when examining performance attributable to the use of a distinct primary investment process, only the fundamental approach significantly adds value. However, when examining marginal performance of a secondary process, over and above a primary approach, no process adds value, and in fact some detract.
Grain and straw yield of barley as influenced by undersowing time of annual forage legumes and fertilization

The annual forage legumes Trifolium quartinianum, T. rupplianum and T. studinari can be undersown barley simultaneously or at first weeding without affecting the grain and straw yield of barley but significantly increasing the total fodder yield. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd
The Utilization of Leaf Litter by Stream Detritivores

Investigations of large and fine particle feeding detritivores (shredders and collectors) fed on conditioned hickory leaves (Carya glabra) revealed density—dependent intra— and interspecific interactions. Shredder (Tipula and Pycnopsyche) growth rates ranged from 0.47 to 1.53% increase in body wt/day depending upon density, species combinations, and culture temperature. Collector (Stenonema) growth rate ranged from 0.13 to 1.80% body wt/day, being greatest at high densities, particularly in combination with shredders. Food consumption ranged from 15.7 to 33.2% body wt/day for shredders and 4.0 to 23.2% body wt/day for collectors. After non—shredder feeding losses are accounted for, estimated shredder standing crop required to account for processing of report leaf litter inputs compare generally to measured shredder standing crop.
Selection, Spatial Distribution, and the Coexistence of Competing Fly Species

Interspecific competitors may change genetically with the result that competing species can coexist in the same ecosystem. As a competing species becomes the dominant species, it is at an evolutionary disadvantage because intraspecific competition is the main selective force acting on it. The sparse species, however, because it is under selective pressure from interspecific competition has an evolutionary advantage. Given sufficient time a genetic adjustment between the competing species should result. To test this theory two competitors, the housefly and blowfly, were released in opposite corners of a multi-celled cage. At first the housefly population suppressed the blowfly population, but in time the blowfly increased, became the dominant species and eventually caused the extinction of the housefly. A genetic check on the blowfly population when it started its comeback showed that it had evolved into a more effective competitor than the housefly. To see if these two species can evolve, coexist and occupy the same niche, a multi-cell cage with increased space-time structure is now under investigation.
Molecular and morphological agreement in Pittosporaceae: phylogenetic analysis with nuclear ITS and plastid trnL–trnF sequence data

Pittosporaceae are a small family of flowering plants largely restricted to Australia, and entirely limited to the paleotropics. Two independent molecular datasets have been constructed with a representative sample from all nine genera of Pittosporaceae to test phylogenetic relationships suggested by recent morphological studies and to examine current morphological delimitations of genera. DNA sequence data derived from the ITS region of nuclear rDNA and from the trnL–trnF region of the chloroplast genome agree in uniting all species sampled from Pittosporum within a single clade, together with all species sampled from the previously segregated genus Citriobatus. Molecular data also confirm that members of the recently established genus Auranticarpa must be excluded from Pittosporum, and that another segregate genus, Sollya, should be placed within Billardiera. Hymenosporum remains a distinct, single-taxon lineage and Rhytidosporum is also confirmed as distinct. In most respects, our results are in agreement with recent taxonomic revisions based on morphology, and support an Australian origin of Pittosporaceae. Multiple dispersal events of Pittosporum from Australia to the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including New Zealand, are suggested, as well as island hopping throughout the Pacific.