Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EXTENDED-SPECTRUM BETA-LACTAMASE-PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA COLI AND KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE ISOLATES FROM THE URINE OF DOGS AND CATS SUSPECTED OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION IN A VETERINARY TEACHING HOSPITAL

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing microorganisms often cause severe infections; they have only limited therapeutic alternatives and have emerged in both human and veterinary medicine. Companion animals have prolonged contact with humans and could serve as a reservoir for ESBL strains. Information regarding ESBL producers in companion animals is rather limited compared to that regarding humans. Therefore, the objective of this study was to screen for ESBL producers in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis in urine samples collected from dogs and cats in which urinary tract infection was suspected in a veterinary teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition, bla genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis, and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed on these ESBL producers. From December 2011 to March 2013, disc tests of cefotaxime and ceftazidime, with and without clavulanic acid, were performed on 60 E. coli, 22 K. pneumoniae, and 18 P. mirabilis samples isolated from urine; 2 E. coli and 5 K. pneumoniae samples with the ESBL phenotype were identified. CTX-M-15 was the most frequently found bla gene. CTX-M-14, SHV-11, SHV-12, and SHV-28 were also identified. MLST analysis did not detect a predominant ST type in either E. coli or K. pneumoniae; nonetheless, K. pneumoniae ST15 and ST11, which are zoonotic agents of public health concern, were detected in our study. All ESBL-producing bacteria exhibited a multidrug-resistant phenotype. The occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae in companion animals underscores the importance of ESBL screening and epidemiological study in veterinary hospitals.
Mountain invasions on the way: are there climatic constraints for the expansion of alien woody species along an elevation gradient in Argentina?

Fil: Tecco, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal; Argentina
Canopy cover and understory composition determine abundance of Vaccinium myrtillus L., a key plant for capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), in subalpine forests in the Pyrenees

Background: The dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus – with high cover, height, and fruit production – benefits capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Aims: Our aim was to quantify landscape (e.g. elevation, geographic location, and precipitation), site (e.g. overstorey cover and stoniness) and very fine scale factors (e.g. spatial associations in the understorey) that affect cover, height, and fruit production of V. myrtillus in subalpine forests in thePyrenees, with understorey usually dominated by Rhododendron ferrugineum. Methods: We sampled 155 plots (0.5 m × 5 m) in six sites. For each plot, in the understorey layer, we assessed species cover, height for R. ferrugineum and V. myrtillus, number of total fruits in V. myrtillus, and spatial associations among V. myrtillus and the remaining cover types. Results: Overstorey cover negatively influenced V. myrtillus cover, its height, and particularly, the number of fruits, which was also negatively influenced by R. ferrugineum cover. Associations between R. ferrugineum and V. myrtillus were site dependent, while V. myrtillus showed mostly positive associations with grasses and mosses. Conclusions: Reducing overstorey and R. ferrugineum cover has the strongest positive effect on increasing V. myrtillus fruit production, but with additional positive effects on V. myrtillus cover and height. Increases in grass and moss coverage could favour V. myrtillus.
Effectiveness of Liquid Hog Manure and Acidification to Kill Pratylenchus spp. in Soil

The effectiveness of liquid hog manure (LHM) and Acidified LHM to kill Pratylenchus spp. in potato soils was examined using two micro-plot and one field experiment. Micro-plot experiments were conducted in 2004 and 2005 using two slightly acid soils (designated BPF and MS) harbouring Pratylenchus spp. Treatments applied to the two soils in 2004 were; Control, Sulfuric acid (equivalent to 1,800 liters ha -1 ), LHM (equivalent to 58,500 liters ha -1 ), and Acidified LHM (equivalent to 2,400 liters sulfuric acid plus 58,500 liters LHM ha -1 ). Treatments were repeated in 2005. Sulfuric acid was used to reduce soil pH to 4.3 and 5.5 in 2004 and 2005, respectively. By harvest in 2004, only Acidified LHM reduced Pratylenchus spp. population in BPF and MS soils by 94% and 91 %, respectively. By harvest in 2005, LHM and Acidified LHM reduced populations by 56% and 61 %, respectively, for BPF, and by 60% and 93%, respectively, for MS soil. The field experiment was conducted in 2005 on a commercial potato field. Different combinations of LHM (equivalent to 58,500 liters ha -1 ) and sulfuric acid were added to field plots. Post-application, LHM acidified to pH 6.2 and 5.5 reduced Pratylenchus spp. populations by 51% and 89%, respectively. However, Acid (pH 4.6) and LHM treatments reduced populations by 43% and 74%, respectively. By harvest, no treatments reduced populations compared to Control treatment. We conclude LHM and Acidified LHM killed Pratylenchus spp. in the slightly acid soils examined consistent with VFA toxicity being the mechanism; acidification seemed to enhance LHM to kill Prutylenchus spp. only when VFA concentration of LHM was low.
Vertebrate social communication: Ecological and evolutionary insights from social signals

Wilson (1975) defines communication as "the action on the part of one organism (or cell) that alters the probability pattern of behavior in another organism (or cell) in a fashion adaptive to either one or both the participants". Only a definition this broad can capture all the term "communication" encompasses; eavesdropping where only the receiver benefits from detection of the signal or cue, manipulation where the signaler benefits at the expense of the receiver, and what Peter Marler (1977) described as "true communication", where both the signaler and receiver derive benefit from the information conveyed between the participants. It is not an exaggeration to say that communication is the glue that binds societies together: just as cells within each living organism must be in constant communication to coordinate their activities, the individuals and their relationships that collectively define a society require ongoing, and often highly intricate forms of communication. Social signals then, are the various contact, recognition, recruitment, territorial, alarm, distress, arousal, intent, reproductive, and mobbing signals that serve to modulate social interactions among organisms. While the methods employed in studying communication have changed dramatically with advances in technology (Terhune, 2011), understanding the information content of signals remains the most valuable method of determining what is important to the organism from the organism's own perspective (Marler, 1961; but see Owren et al. 2010). As such, deciphering the information conveyed by social signals provides valuable insight into both the proximate and ultimate factors shaping organismal life-history and behavior, including both perceptual and underlying cognitive abilities (e.g., Cheney and Seyfarth, 1990; Zahavi and Zahavi, 1997; Pepperberg, 1999; Reby et al., 2005; Stevens 2010). While this special issue focuses on vertebrate social signals, and within that circumscribed domain, almost exclusively on acoustic signals, it is critical to recognize that communication-related research as a whole involves a much wider range of taxa, deals with all possible sensory channels, and also provides information of applied value, including that used in censusing populations (e.g., Peake and McGregor, 2001), in promoting reproductive success among captive animals (e.g., Swaisgood et al., 2003), in controlling "pests" (e.g., Foster and Harris, 1997), or in other aspects of conservation, including the mitigation of potential affects of anthropogenic noise (e.g., Slabbekoorn et al., 2010; Pijanowski et al., 2011). Readers with a more general interest in communication are encouraged to consult more comprehensive resources, such as the most recent edition of Jack Bradbury and Sandra Vehrencamp's Principles of Animal Communication (Bradbury and Vehrencamp, 2011).
Effect of Italian heavy pig diets based on different barley varieties with or without non-starch polysaccharides degrading enzymes on growth performance, carcass characteristics and fresh thigh quality

Abstract The effect of diets based on two different barley varieties, with or without non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) degrading enzymes was evaluated on growth performance, carcass characteristics and fresh thigh quality in Italian heavy growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (64) were assigned to four diets: two diets based on 85% of hulled normal-amylose barley (Cometa, with or without NSP enzyme complex) and two diets based on 85% of hulless low-amylose barley (Alamo, with or without NSP enzyme complex). The diets were formulated according to three growth phases with same lisyne:digestible energy ratio. The NSP enzyme complex did not improve the Cometa and Alamo diets in terms of pig growth performance, carcass characteristics and fresh thigh quality. Throughout the study, the Alamo group had greater (p < 0.05) final body weight, average daily gain and gain per megacalorie of digestible energy than the Cometa group. Higher (p < 0.05) carcass and thigh weights, and lower (p < 0.01) thigh chilling losses were observed for the Alamo group compared with the Cometa group. The Cometa diet decreased (p < 0.01) polyunsaturated fatty acids level, and increased (p < 0.01) monounsaturated fatty acid content and saturated fatty acids/polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio in subcutaneous fat of fresh thighs. No appreciable differences were observed in the color of subcutaneous fat and biceps femoris of pigs fed the Cometa and Alamo diets. Feeding hulless low-amylose barley to growing-finishing pigs can be valuable to promote growth performance and carcass characteristics. No NSP enzyme complex is needed when hulled normal-amylose barley or hulless low-amylose barley are used in diets for heavy pigs.
Phytochemical investigations and micropropagation of Tylophora indica (Burm. F.) merill from nodal explants

Tylophora indica (Burm. F.) Merill is commonly known as asthma herb. It is a threatened medicinal plant (climber) of the family Asclepiadaceae. The present paper deals with phytochemical studies in Tylophora indica. Plant extracts were analysed for phytochemical constituents. The qualitative and quantitative analysis confirmed the presence of various phytochemicals like Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Phenols, Saponins, Steroids, Tannins and Terpenoids. Some compounds were also estimated quantitatively (Alkaloids, Flavonoids and Saponins). In vitro clonal propagation is an alternative method of propagation. Multiple shoot buds were regenerated from nodal explants on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of growth regulators and efficiently rooted on half-MS medium supplemented with IBA/IAA. The regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred to the glasshouse, acclimatized and transferred to the field.
An Okhotsk adult female human skeleton (11th/12th century AD) with possible SAPHO syndrome from Hamanaka 2 site, Rebun Island, northern Japan

We present the oldest human skeletal case yet identified with possible SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis), a chronic disease involving the skin, bone, and joints. A human skeleton with a severe pathological condition was recovered from a shell mound of the prehistoric Okhotsk culture at the Hamanaka 2 site, Rebun Island, Hokkaido, Japan in 2013. Morphological and Amelogenin gene analyses determined the sex as female, and the age at time of death was estimated to be in the forties using analysis of the auricular surface of the ilium. The stable isotope ratios of this individual (NAT002) and other Hamanaka 2 samples indicated a heavy dependence on marine mammals and fish for dietary protein intake. Radiocarbon age on collagen from the bone of NAT002 was 1689 ± 20 BP, or 1060–1155 (68.2%) calAD. Macroscopic and computed tomography (CT) findings indicated diffuse hyperostosis in the axial and appendicular skeleton, including the mandible, vertebrae, clavicles, sternum, scapulae, humeri, radii, ulnae, and ilium, caused by osteitis and synovitis. The bilateral clavicles were most affected, in which CT imaging revealed irregular cortical thickening, termed ‘grotesque periostitis. ’ The case was diagnosed as most likely having SAPHO syndrome, although dermatological findings could not be detected. Although SAPHO syndrome is a fairly new concept in autoimmune diseases, this case suggests the syndrome originated much earlier in human history.
INFLUÊNCIA DA TEMPERATURA NA RESISTÊNCIA E NO MÓDULO DE ELASTICIDADE EM MADEIRA DE HÍBRIDOS DE EUCALIPTOS

This paper deals with the influence of temperature in a range from 20 °C to 240 °C , in the physical properties of wood : humidity and specific and mechanical masses : strength and modulus of elasticity for the parallel compression to the fibers . The experimental program was performed with 78 specimens of hybrids of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla with mean apparent specific gravity of 671 kg/m 3 and moisture content of 11.14%. The test procedures prescribed by NBR 7190 were followed. The results show a linear decrease in moisture content with increasing temperature up to 160°C. T wo straight lines are noteworthy , the first one from 20°C to 65°C with slight decrease in moisture content , reaching 4 % and the second one from 65°C to 160°C with the sharpest loss reaching 0 % content of moisture. Above 160°C, the moisture content is zero , so that the wood loses only organic material, coming to lose 20% by weight when it reaches a temperature of 240°C. The specific mass remains practically constant until the temperature of 100°C. Temperature between 100°C to 240°C, the specific mass decreases linearly reaching 20 per cent. The strength to compression parallel to the fibers increases linearly with the temperature, reaching 19% at 100°C. Above this temperature, the behavior is inverse, with linear decrease until the temperature of 180°C. From 180°C the compression strength decreases reaching the temperature of 240°C at 32% lower than the resistance at the temperature of 20oC. As the modulus of elasticity decreases, it only increases the temperature. Up to the temperature of 120°C, it has a very slight linear decrease of around 8 per cent. However, between 120°C and 200°C the decrease is also linear, but more accentuated, reaching 38 per cent.
Minimally invasive collection of adipose tissue facilitates the study of eco‐physiology in small‐bodied mammals

Adipose tissue is the primary fuel storage for vertebrates and is an important component of energy budgets during periods of peak energetic demands. Investigating the composition of adipose tissue can provide information about energetics, migration, reproduction and other life‐history traits. Until now, most field methods for sampling adipose tissue of small‐bodied vertebrates have been destructive. Therefore, investigations of adipose tissue in small‐bodied vertebrates have been limited in their broadscale application. We developed a field‐ready micro‐adipose biopsy method for sampling adipose tissue of small‐bodied vertebrates, by adopting fine‐needle adipose aspiration. We applied the method to silver‐haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) and then quantified the resulting fatty acid signatures of a summer group and an autumn group to demonstrate one possible application of the method. We successfully obtained interpretable fatty acid signatures from 74·5% of micro‐adipose biopsy attempts, with success positively correlated with body mass index. Summer and autumn groups of bats had different fatty acid signatures likely representing varied available dietary compositions at resident sites (the habitat where adipose deposits are accumulated prior to migration). The fatty acid profile of autumn silver‐haired bats was largely characterized by 16:0, 18:1 and 14:0, and the summer group was characterized by 16:0, 16:1 and 18:0. Our results suggest that fatty acid signatures have the potential to characterize the origins of migrating individuals, or the number of unique subpopulations being supported by a migration route. This field‐ready fine‐needle adipose aspiration method can be used on small‐bodied mammals and modified for application to other small‐bodied vertebrates. This non‐destructive approach to sampling adipose tissue has great value because it allows for robust sample sizes, longitudinal studies of the same individuals across space and time, and sampling of rare, threatened and endangered species.
Redescription of Petrolisthes militaris (Heller, 1862), with description of a new species from the Indo-West Pacific (Decapoda, Porcellanidae)

Petrolisthes militaris (Heller, 1862) is redescribed on the basis of material from the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum - Naturalis, Leiden, and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. A different morphotype, consistently showing a different distributional and ecological range from that of Petrolisthes militaris , is here described as Petrolisthes holthuisi n. sp. Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset based on DNA sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene from individuals representing the two forms support the separation of these into two species. While Petrolisthes militaris has a wide distribution in the Indo-West Pacific including the Red Sea, the new species seems to be restricted to the western side of the Malayan Peninsula through the Malayan Archipelago, eastward to Vanuatu. In addition, Petrolisthes militaris has a broad bathymetric range from the intertidal to 600 m, while Petrolisthes holthuisi n. sp. is limited to shallow water. Keywords: Petrolisthes holthuisi ; Petrolisthes militaris
How do males of Hypsiboas goianus (Hylidae: Anura) respond to conspecific acoustic stimuli?

Acoustic communication plays an important role in the social behavior of anurans. Acoustic signals, which can be used in different contexts such as mate attraction and territory defense, may mediate social interactions among individuals. Herein, we used playback experiments to test whether males of Hypsiboas goianus (Lutz, 1968) change their vocal behavior in response to conspecific advertisement calls. Specifically, we used different field playback experiments in which we modified the time interval between advertisement calls to simulate males with distinct states of motivation (Sequence A and B). We did not observe differences in the acoustic response of males of H. goianus between the two types of field playback experiments. On the other hand, we observed that H. goianus males reduce the dominant frequency of the advertisement call and increase the rate of aggressive calls in response to a conspecific competitor. Our results suggest that the acoustic plasticity observed in males of H. goianus represents an aggressive response that allows repelling conspecific individuals.
Trichodina fahaka (Ciliophora: Peritrichia) in Tetradon fahaka from Nile River, Egypt: Seasonality and histopathology

Specimens of Trichodina fahaka parasitizing Tetradon fahaka, collected from the Nile River, were described. Taxonomic and morphometric data for this trichodinid based on wet silver nitrate impregnated specimens were presented. The infection was severe and prevailed almost throughout the year. The overall prevalence was 45% with maximum rate during winter and minimum rate during summer. The most common signs of the gills tissue were hyperplasia of the gill filaments, degeneration and desquamation of most of the superficial cells with different degree of vacuolation.
EPICORMIC SHOOTS FROM THE BRANCHES OF EUCALYPTUS GRANDIS AS AN EXPLANT SOURCE FOR IN VITRO CULTURE

SUMMARY A technique is described for "w vitro " culture of expiants of Eucalyptus grandis mature trees. It is based on epicormic shoots induced on branches 3 cm diameter and 70 cm long in a greenhouse. The paper also describes a method to disinfect expiants and to initiate "in vitro" culture using epicormic nodal segments and apical shoot tips.
IMPORTANCE OF USING THE CORRECT TEST HOST IN ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS OF RHIZOBIUM TRIFOLII

Nodule isolates from indigenous white clovers {Trifolium repens L. ) growing in wet, acid, infertile soil were much more effective with the indigenous clover from which they were isolated than with com mercial white clover (SI00). Commercial clover sown in such a soil became nodulated initially with a relatively ineffective population of rhizobia, but the effectiveness of nodule isolates improved with time. The results have led to the concept that alteration of the fertility status of a pasture may result in the emergence of a different white clover ecotype rather than cause changes in the rhizobial popula tion per se. It is also concluded that nodulation of white clover under field conditions in Ireland probably always tends towards effectiveness.
Stability of Free and Bound Fractions of Some Aroma Components of Grapes cv. Muscat During the Wine Processing: Preliminary Results

The stability of free and glycosidically-bound fractions of some components of Muscat grape aroma (terpenols and aromatic alcohols) was investigated during alcoholic fermentation and in wines of different ages. Some free terpenols, such as linalool, vary little during fermentation; for others, such as geraniol, the decrease is considerable. Hydrolysis of bound terpenols is low. During wine aging, and depending on the different terpenols, slow hydrolysis of terpenoid glycosides seems to occur in wine. Free linalool and α-terpineol increased while geraniol and nerol decreased in older wines.
08. Phylogenetic relationships of Lygodactylus geckos from the Gulf of Guinea islands: rapid rates of mitochondrial DNA sequence evolution?

Mitochondrial DNA (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and cytochrome b) sequences and nuclear sequences (C-mos) were analysed within Lygodactylus thomensis from three volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea that have never been connected to the continent. Our aim was to assess interrelationships between the three subspecies to test a recent hypothesis suggesting high rates of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence evolution in geckos. Our results indicate, based on mtDNA sequence data, that the three subspecies are genetically differentiated at a level more typically observed between species. However, the forms cannot be differentiated using the nuclear marker C-mos. These results further substantiate the hypothesis of rapid rates of mtDNA sequence evolution in geckos, although the alternative that C-mos is evolving more slowly cannot be discounted. They also suggest that present calibrations for molecular clocks are at the upper limit of divergence over time.