Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of predation risk on microhabitat use by goldfish

For prey individuals, predation risk constitutes an important cost of foraging. They respond by altering their foraging behaviour in risky areas that involves a trade-off between energy intake and safety. In particular, prey can vary the amount of time they spend in safe and risky foraging patches in response to the level of perceived predation risk. Using Giving up Densities (GUDs), we examined foraging behaviour decisions of goldfish groups foraging in open and cover habitats. We specifically compared the foraging behaviour of goldfish in the two habitats in the presence and absence of a predator (little egret). In the absence of a predator, the goldfish equalised GUDs between open and cover habitats. However, in the presence of a predator, the GUDs were significantly lower in the cover microhabitat than in the open. The goldfish spent almost twice the time foraging in the open GUD trays in the absence of the predator. The number of visits and time spent per visit to the foraging patch were significantly higher in the absence of a predator. However, the goldfish group harvested food pellets at a similar rate in both risky and non-risky environments, suggesting that in risky environments they forego apprehension and instead rely on time allocation to manage risk.
GABA regulates resonance and spike rate encoding via a universal mechanism that underlies the modulation of action potential generation

Different mechanisms for action potential (AP) generation exist that shape neuronal coding and network dynamics. The neuro-transmitter GABA regulates neuronal activity but its role in modulating AP dynamics itself is unclear. Here we show that GABA indeed changes the AP mechanism: it causes regularly firing hippocampal CA3 neurons to bistably switch between spiking and quiescence, converts graded discharge-to-current relationships to have abrupt onsets, and induces resonance. Modeling reveals that A-currents enable these GABA-induced transitions. Mathematically, we prove that this transition sequence originates from a single universal principle that generically underlies the modulation of AP dynamics in any conductance-based neuron model. Conductance clamp experiments in hippocampal and brainstem neurons show the same transitions, confirming the universal theory. In simulated networks, synaptically controlled AP dynamics, permits dynamic gating of signals and targeted synchronization of neuronal sub-ensembles. These results advance the systematic understanding of AP modulation and its role in neuronal and network function.
Factors Affecting Formation of Large Calcite Crystals (≥1 mm) in Bacillus subtilis 168 Biofilm

ABSTRACT B4 is the most common medium used in general organomineralization studies and has been used to assay or to characterize mineral precipitation potential. In an exercise for the optimization of the laboratory conditions of crystal precipitation in vitro, we used Bacillus subtilis 168 as a type strain and its isogenic mutants. While literature is mainly focused on observing generic precipitation, we investigated the requirement to obtain large crystals (≥1 mm), which could be advantageous in wide-ranging implications for bioconsolidation of soil, sand, stone, and cementitious materials. Calcite crystals are visible on B4 agar plates within 7 days at 37°C after inoculum of B. subtilis 168 strain. In this study, we show that to form large crystals with a diameter ≥1 mm several conditions must be met: i) Reduced amount of B4 medium into the Petri plate improve crystal formation. 55 mm Petri plates contained only 4 ml of B4 agar medium reached a plateau in 6 days at 37°C. High moisture and presence of water condense would decrease crystal formation. ii) Inoculation of cells using a rod instead of a circular shaped spot. When the same number of B. subtilis cells was streaked, rod-shape biofilm significantly fostered crystal precipitation, while spot-shape prevented precipitation. iii) When more than one biofilm is present within the same plate, mutual interactions can affect precipitation in each biofilm. iv) Spherical nucleation sites are identified as initial step during the formation of large calcite crystal.
The Effects of Internet Reciprocal Teaching on EFL Students'''' New Literacies of Online Comprehension and Self-Efficacy

This study examined the effects of Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) on improving EFL secondary students’ new literacies of online research and comprehension and self-efficacy on Internet. 133 students were assigned randomly to two experimental groups ( n = 68) and two control groups ( n = 65). The experimental groups’ students received Internet reciprocal teaching instruction for 12 weeks; meanwhile, the control groups received regular reading instruction. Two formats of Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA) were used to assess students’ reading comprehension before and after the experiment. A survey for Internet use was also administered to measure changes in students’ frequency of Internet use and self-efficacy on Internet before and after the treatment. Independent samples t-test results of the ORCA posttest showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups on the overall online reading comprehension and its four sub-skills in favor of the experimental groups. Moreover, comparing the results of the experimental and control groups on the survey after the experiment revealed that students of the experimental groups outperformed students in the control groups in self-efficacy on Internet but not on the frequency of Internet use. Pearson product-moment formula indicated that there was a significant relation between self-efficacy and reading comprehension. In addition, readers’ self-efficacy was different with their proficiency levels. The study demonstrated that IRT has positive effects on improving
Digestibility and growth performance in fingerlings of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fed with diet containing high-carbohydrate ingredients

Apparent digestibility Coefficients (ADCs) of 4 raw materials (Corn, Millet, Sorghum and Fonio meals) and growth performance were determined for juvenile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. A reference diet and 4 test diets (Corn, Millet, Sorghum and Fonio) each including 70 % of reference diet and 30 % of the raw material to be tested were formulated. After 7 weeks of feeding in hatchery of glass tanks (containing 50-L of water), faeces were sample for proximate analyses. Body weights of fish from each tank were recorded weekly. The highest ADCs of carbohydrate (96.15%) and energy (93.64 %) were obtained in fish fed with fonio. Maximum growth and feed utilization were observed in fish fed with control diet and corn. Among studied test ingredients, fonio presented the best digestible energy.
Constituents of Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile with Novel Kinase Inhibitory Activity

Abstract Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile belongs to the genus Acacia, which includes about 1400 species in subtropical and tropical Africa including Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, and Mozambique as well as Asia from India to Burma. This plant is traditionally used to treat several pathologies such as mouth, ear, and bone cancer. Moreover, it possesses many other biological activities (antidiarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antifungal). We report here the extraction, purification, and identification of two known compounds [ethylgallate and (+)-catechin] from the bark of the tree that were further tested for their inhibitory activities against a panel of disease-related protein kinases. Both compounds were active, and (+)-catechin showed the best activity by inhibiting nine out of fourteen protein kinases with an IC50 value in the µg/mL range. This compound gave the highest activity against CLK1 with an IC50 of 2.1 µg/mL. The ethyl acetate extract and its components, such as catechins and other polyphenols, which also had protein kinase inhibitory activity, can be exploited in the research for anticancer agents.
Availability of floral resources in yellow passion fruit cultivars

The reproductive strategies and resources available in the flower are characteristics that stimulate research studies on the genetic improvement and fruit yield of commercial cultivars. In this sense, this study aimed to study the floral biology aspects of passion fruit cultivars in Tangara da Serra region, Mato Grosso State, Brazil at different evaluation times. The experiment was carried out with eight cultivars of yellow passion fruit from an ex situ germplasm bank of the State University of Mato Grosso. The floral resources (pollen and nectar) were evaluated in a completely randomized, factorial arrangement (8 cultivars x 5 evaluation times), with five replications. Throughout anthesis, the pollen viability, stigma receptivity, and sugar volume and concentration in the nectar were evaluated. The evaluations were carried out in 1-h intervals, between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. The highest nectar volume production was at 2:30 p.m. , decreasing gradually thereafter at the later evaluation times, for all cultivars. Pollen viability increased from the first to the second evaluation time and then decreased gradually until the last evaluation. Stigma receptivity was higher than 90% in all cultivars, at all evaluation times. BRS Rubi do Cerrado and FB 200 were the most promising cultivars for nectar volume and concentration, pollen viability, and stigma receptivity characteristics.
Reduced contamination and infection via inhibition of adhesion of foodborne bacteria to abiotic polystyrene and biotic amoeba surfaces

Adhesion of foodborne pathogens to materials of industrial surfaces is an important step in their transmission through the food chain. Adhesion is also a prerequisite for bacterial colonisation within a host, to enable intracellular invasion. We deﬁne a strategy to reduce contamination and infection by Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli using an ethanol extract of Alpinia katsumadai seeds (AlpE) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as anti- adhesive agents. We show for the ﬁrst time that AlpE and EGCG reduce adhesion of individual cultures to polystyrene (AlpE, up to 10.6% ; EGCG, up to 39.7%) and to the amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii (AlpE, up to 52.6% ; EGCG, up to 53.4%). The combination of AlpE/EGCG signiﬁcantly reduced C. jejuni adherence to the abiotic (45.5%) and biotic (52.2%) surfaces. Thus, using natural agents from plants at low doses, we can potentially reduce the primary source of food contamination and a frequent source of infections.
Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd

Predation on livestock affects the human-carnivore conflict and can also lead to great economical loss for farmers. Lions are the predator that attacks the most cattle in Kenya, but there are also attacks from hyenas, leopards and jackals. Predation on livestock is a worldwide problem and it is therefore of big importance to investigate how the predator attacks are affecting the cattle that survived in the exposed herd. If predator attacks leads to chronic stress in the cattle, it can affect the reproduction cycle of the animals, the health and also their productivity. In this study two herds that had been attacked by predators during the last 10 months (one herd with cows and one herd with steers), and also two control herd that had not suffer from any attacks during the same time were chosen to be analyzed for hair cortisol as an indicator of stress. Hair samples were collected from the tail switch from 10 random individuals from each of the four herds and then analyzed for cortisol, as cortisol gets deposit in the hair constantly as it grows. The result in cortisol indicates that there was no significant difference between attacked and non-attacked herds or between steers and cows. There is also no significant difference in cortisol levels between animals with different body condition scores. There was a significant difference in cortisol levels in the color of the hair, with light hair containing the highest amount of cortisol.
Relationships between seasonal (spring or autumnal) thermal variations and cell proliferation in heterothermic vertebrates, as revealed by PCNA expression in the brain of adult Rana bergeri (Günther, 1986)

The question has arisen if the seasonal cycle, made of temperature and photoperiod variations, might activate proliferation of quiescent stem cells still present in adult brain of some living in fresh water, earth-dwelling Anamnia and heterothermic Amniota. Previously, some authors performed seminal autoradiographic, quantitative observations focused on a handful of adult Rana esculenta specimens which, once caught in nature in spring and autumn, were submitted to temporary artificial hibernation and compared with untreated controls. In not-brain-injured and not-cold-shocked samples the encephalic proliferation appeared lower in frogs caught in spring than in those caught in autumn. At the light of these data, an immunohistochemical investigation has been carried on not-brain-injured, not-cold-stressed adult Rana bergeri, captured in their habitat in spring and in autumn. The labelling was observed mainly in the forebrain, where it was more pronounced in the specimens caught in autumn than in those captured in spring. This pattern confirms and reinforces the findings of past authors in the same species and under similar experimental conditions.
Novel cyclodextrin-based pH-sensitive supramolecular host–guest assembly for staining acidic cellular organelles

The preparation and characterization of a supramolecular host–guest inclusion complex between a fluorescent indolizinyl-pyridinium salt and β-cyclodextrin is reported. The formation of the inclusion complex was investigated by ESI-MS experiments, transmission electron microscopy, Job's plot investigations and molecular docking studies, proving the formation of 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 species. Several interesting features of the investigated fluorescent indolizinyl-pyridinium salt/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes like the absence of cytotoxicity, cellular permeability, long-lived intracellular fluorescence and selective accumulation within acidic organelles made them remarkable candidates for the intracellular labelling of acidic organelles (lysosomes or mitochondria). Taking into account that a number of reported or commercially available cell staining dyes with low toxicity and solubility have already been used in cyclodextrin formulations with good results regarding the improvement of their properties, our results showed that this approach may also work with new and interesting toxic dyes capable of forming host–guest inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins.
EFFECT OF HONEY ON SPERM CHARACTERISTICS AND PREGNANCY RATE IN MICE

The aim of the current study is to demonstrate the effect of honey on the sperms characteristics (sperm concentration, sperm motility, grade of activity and sperm normal morphology) as well as pregnancy rate in mice. Sperms were obtained from caudal epididymis of male mice and prepared by adding10% of honey to the IVF medium using direct sperms activation technique for 30 minute incubation period before artificial insemination. The study revealed a significant (P > 0.05) increase in active sperm motility (grade A and grade B) 49% and pregnancy rate 53.3% in female mice artificially inseminated with sperms. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in sperm concentrations and normal sperm morphology. In conclusion, the honey was beneficial in improving male fertility of mice by enhancing sperm motility and pregnancy rate of female mice.
Harvesting Method Affects Water Dynamics and Yield of Sweet Orange with Huanglongbing

Changes in grove management practices may change crop water dynamics. The objective of this study was to estimate sap flow, stem water potential (Ψstem), and citrus yield as affected by harvesting methods in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) trees affected by Huanglongbing. The study was initiated in March 2015 for two years on five-year-old commercial sweet orange trees at a commercial grove located at Felda, Florida (26.61° N, 81.48° W) on Felda fine sand soil (Loamy, siliceous, superactive, hyperthermic Arenic Endoaqualfs). All measurements were replicated before and after harvest in four experiments (A, B, C and D) under hand and mechanical harvesting treatments. Sap flow measurements were taken on four trees per treatment with two sensors per tree. Sap flow measured by the heat balance method at hourly intervals during March and April of 2015 and 2016 significantly declined after harvesting by 25% and 35% after hand and mechanical harvesting, respectively. Ψstem measured after harvest was significantly higher than measurements before harvest. The average value of Ψstem measured increased by 10% and 6% after hand and mechanical harvesting, respectively. Mechanical harvesting exhibited lower fruit yields that averaged between 83%, 63%, 49% and 36% of hand-harvested trees under A, B, C and D experiments, respectively. It is concluded that the hand harvesting method is less stressful and less impactful on tree water uptake and fruit yield compared with mechanical harvesting.
Estudos filogenéticos e taxonômicos em Myrcia DC. sensu lato (Myrtaceae), com ênfase no clado Guianensis = Phylogenetic and taxonomic studies in Myrcia DC. sensu lato (Myrtaceae), with emphasis on the Guianensis clade

Myrcia s.l. is a large exclusively Neotropical group (ca. 750 species) that includes the traditional genera Myrcia, Marlierea and Calyptranthes. Recent phylogenetic studies based on molecular data have shown these three genera paraor poly-phyletic in respect to each other and, consequently, the synonymization of Marlierea and Calyptranthes under Myrcia is necessary to recognize a monophyletic group. Myrcia s.l. has been divided in nine clades that are the basis for a future formal sub-generic classification, and one of these clades is the main focus of the phylogenetic and taxonomic studies presented herein. As a basis for the phylogenetic studies, a list of 36 species inferred to belong to the Guianensis clade was built. Twenty-six of which were sampled for molecular purposes. The phylogenetic studies were carried out with plastid and nuclear sequences obtained from modern techniques of nextgeneration sequencing, and also with target DNA sequences (ITS, psbA-trnH, trnL-trnF, trnQ-rpl16, ndhF) obtained from the classical Sanger sequencing. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses were employed. Specific relationships inside the Guianensis clade and relationships between this and other Myrcia s.l. clades are discussed in light of geography and morphology. According to the molecular data, seven species of the preliminary list do not belong to the Guianensis clade and a precise morphological circumscription is presented for the group. The Guianensis clade comprises 29 species, three of which are new to science. The main diagnostic characters are the symmetrical and triangular panicle, the glabrous hypanthium prolonged beyond the ovary, the glabrous staminal ring and the 3-locular ovary. The group has a wide geographic distribution, from Caribbean to southern Brazil and Paraguay, with distribution centers in the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest. Based on the phylogenetic results, a complete taxonomic and nomenclatural revision is presented, including descriptions, illustrations, comments regarding morphology, taxonomic affinities, phenology, geographical distribution and conservation status, and identification key. Thirty-six new synonyms are proposed and 95 lectotypifications and five neotypifications are made. Lastly, a new species and taxonomic notes of Myrcia section Aulomyrcia (clade 9 of Myrcia s.l.) are presented.
Microalgal‐driven pH changes in the boundary layer lead to apparent increases in Pb internalization by a unicellular alga in the presence of citrate

Several cases have been described in the literature where different ligands enhanced lead (Pb) bioavailability over what would have been expected on the basis of equilibrium models such as the biotic ligand model (BLM). These exceptions compromise the development of BLMs for this metal, and mechanistic knowledge of the involved processes is still insufficient. The present study shows that the hydrophilic organic ligand citrate enhances Pb internalization by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for both the wild and the wall‐less strains. Despite the high Pb internalization fluxes shown by this alga, which may be near the limits set by diffusion through the boundary layer, and its capacity to assimilate citrate (and potentially Pb‐citrate complexes), neither of these mechanisms could quantitatively account for the observed increase in Pb internalization in the presence of this ligand. However, algal‐driven pH increases in the boundary layer and concomitant changes in Pb speciation successfully explained the observed results. This study suggests that information on bulk solution chemistry is not enough to predict metal bioavailability for organisms that can substantially modify the chemical composition of their boundary layer, as observed for C. reinhardtii.
The porcupine as “Little Thumbling”: The role of Hystrix cristata in the spread of Helianthus tuberosus

Abstract The spread of alien invasive plants deserves strong and applied attention by conservation biologists, because it is regarded as one of the main causes of loss of native biodiversity. Herbivore species may be involved in the dispersal of invasive plants through zoochory. The Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus is an invasive species in Europe, which has been introduced from North America and has shown a rapid spread in newly colonized areas. Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata mainly feed on this species (seeds and tubers) during its flowering period (i.e., late summer, early autumn) and it is suggested to be responsible for its spread through endozoochory. In this paper, the germination rate of the Jerusalem artichoke from faecal pellets of crested porcupines was analysed. Faecal pellets, collected between September and November 2016, were left to germinate at environmental conditions in sterile potting soil. After two weeks, germinated seedlings were genetically identified through DNA barcoding analyses. We reported the first case of endozoochory by the crested porcupine. The results showed a low germination rate (i.e., 16.7% out of 12 excrements), possibly because the digestive tract of crested porcupines affects the propagule viability. Despite this, the Jerusalem artichoke is showing a rapid and alarming increasing trend in our study area, suggesting that a potential role by wildlife may have been occurred. Given the high invasive potential of this plant species, further researches are required to assess and quantify the potential role of herbivores as dispersal agents.