Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating photosynthetic activity in microbial mats in an ice‐covered Antarctic lake using automated oxygen microelectrode profiling and variable chlorophyll fluorescence

An automated oxygen microprofiler measured a positive flux of oxygen from microbial mats in ice‐covered Lake Hoare, Antarctica, from noon, at a photon flux of 20 µmol m−2 s−1, through to midnight (< 2 µmol photons m−2 s−1). Daily average oxygen flux was 200 µmol m−2 h−1; and, whereas it was maximal at noon, when a 10 mm broad concentration peak was observed 5 mm below the mat surface, flux correlated only weakly with irradiance. In contrast, relative electron transfer rate, estimated from variable chlorophyll fluorescence, suggested a linear relationship between photosystem activity and irradiance. This contradiction arose because of the conjunction of photosynthetic production of oxygen deep into these transparent, gelatinous mats (diel oxygen change was observed to 17 mm depth) and oxygen diffusion rates too slow to allow equilibration of oxygen concentration profiles with instantaneous production and consumption of oxygen. To confirm this, we developed a mathematical simulation of oxygen dynamics that included diffusion, photosynthesis, and respiration. The simulation further indicated that (1) net oxygen evolution is light limited is and confined to the upper few millimeters of the mat, (2) below 5–7 mm, respiration balanced photosynthesis, (3) below 17 mm, respiration and photosynthesis approached zero, even though organic carbon and dissolved oxygen were present, and (4) photosynthesis deep into the mat was dependent on high light transmission through the gelatinous matrix. These conclusions are consistent with current understanding of mat growth dynamics and point to approaches for long‐term analysis of microbial mat productivity.
Non-Topical Coherence in Social Talk: A Call for Dialogue Model Enrichment

Current models of dialogue mainly focus on utterances within a topically coherent discourse segment, rather than new-topic utterances (NTUs), which begin a new topic not correlating with the content of prior discourse. As a result, these models may sufficiently account for discourse context of task-oriented but not social conversations. We conduct a pilot annotation study of NTUs as a first step towards a model capable of rationalizing conversational coherence in social talk. We start with the naturally occurring social dialogues in the Disco-SPICE corpus, annotated with discourse relations in the Penn Discourse Treebank and Cognitive approach to Coherence Relations frameworks. We first annotate content-based coherence relations that are not available in Disco-SPICE, and then heuristically identify NTUs, which lack a coherence relation to prior discourse. Based on the interaction between NTUs and their discourse context, we construct a classification for NTUs that actually convey certain non-topical coherence in social talk. This classification introduces new sequence-based social intents that traditional taxonomies of speech acts do not capture. The new findings advocates the development of a Bayesian game-theoretic model for social talk.
Prey abundance and predator reproduction: rats and pythons on a tropical Australian floodplain

A 5-yr field study examined the ways in which prey abundance can influence the reproductive rates of predators. Water pythons (Liasis fuscus) on the Adelaide River floodplain in tropical Australia prey almost exclusively on dusky rats (Rattus colletti). Rat numbers varied dramatically among years of the study. Feeding rates of pythons were highest when rats were abundant, and the snakes were in good condition (mass relative to body length) at these times. The proportion of adult female pythons that reproduced in a given year was also tightly linked to rat abundances. However, reproductive output per litter (offspring size, and fecundity relative to maternal body size) was unaffected by prey availability, perhaps because of high fecundity-independent costs of reproduction. Instead, female pythons reproducing in “good” years were in better condition after oviposition. These data support an energy-limitation model for snake reproduction, whereby prey availability determines predator reproductive output, but .
Mating disruption of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), using Isomate C plus dispensers in apple orchards of Bulgaria.

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is an important pest of pome fruit and walnut orchards throughout the world and the respective key pest in Bulgaria. Codling moth resistance to many insecticides has been recently detected in Bulgaria. As part of anti-resistance strategy mating disruption with Isomate C plus dispensers (ShinEtsu, Japan) was tested against codling moth (CM) in the two consecutive years 2006 and 2007. In both years Isomate-C plus dispensers inhibited completely the CM captures in the pheromone traps installed in the experimental plot. This indicated that mating disruption was very successful. Before harvest, damage stayed there at in a low level – 0.06% in 2006 and 0.5% in 2007. As comparison in the conventionally treated orchard, eleven to fifteen treatments (17-23 active ingredients) were applied during the season to control CM, leaf miners, leaf rollers and San Jose scale. Eight to fourteen of them (14-21 active ingredients) were timed against codling moth. In spite of that, fruit damage before harvest reached 3.4% in 2006 and 5.2 in 2007. The overwintering population in autumn 2006 reached 1.1 larvae per tree, but increased to 3.3 larvae per tree in 2007. CM population in the conventionally treated orchard was apparently resistant The results of this investigation will open the possibilities for usage of the pheromone dispensers as an alternative measure to control codling moth in Bulgaria. This should promote ecological fruit products and preservation of the natural environment, in accordance with the European standards for integrated fruit production. The studies are being continued.
Proteomic Analysis Identifies Markers of Exposure to Cadmium Sulphide Quantum Dots (CdS QDs)

The use of cadmium sulphide quantum dot (CdS QD)-enabled products has become increasingly widespread. The prospect of their release in the environment is raising concerns. Here we have used the yeast model Saccharomyces cerevisiae to determine the potential impact of CdS QD nanoparticles on living organisms. Proteomic analyses and cell viability assays performed after 9 h exposure revealed expression of proteins involved in oxidative stress and reduced lethality, respectively, whereas oxidative stress declined, and lethality increased after 24 h incubation in the presence of CdS QDs. Quantitative proteomics using the iTRAQ approach (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) revealed that key proteins involved in essential biological pathways were differentially regulated over the time course of the experiment. At 9 h, most of the glycolytic functions increased, and the abundance of the number of heat shock proteins increased. This contrasts with the situation at 24 h where glycolytic functions, some heat shock proteins as well as oxidative phosphorylation and ATP synthesis were down-regulated. It can be concluded from our data that cell exposure to CdS QDs provokes a metabolic shift from respiration to fermentation, comparable to the situation reported in some cancer cell lines.
Undersampling and the measurement of beta diversity

Beta diversity is a conceptual link between diversity at local and regional scales. Various additional methodologies of quantifying this and related phenomena have been applied. Among them, measures of pairwise (dis)similarity of sites are particularly popular. Undersampling, i.e. not recording all taxa present at a site, is a common situation in ecological data. Bias in many metrics related to beta diversity must be expected, but only few studies have explicitly investigated the properties of various measures under undersampling conditions. On the basis of an empirical data set, representing near‐complete local inventories of the Lepidoptera from an isolated Pacific island, as well as simulated communities with varying properties, we mimicked different levels of undersampling. We used 14 different approaches to quantify beta diversity, among them dataset‐wide multiplicative partitioning (i.e. ‘true beta diversity’) and pairwise site x site dissimilarities. We compared their values from incomplete samples to true results from the full data. We used these comparisons to quantify undersampling bias and we calculated correlations of the dissimilarity measures of undersampled data with complete data of sites. Almost all tested metrics showed bias and low correlations under moderate to severe undersampling conditions (as well as deteriorating precision, i.e. large chance effects on results). Measures that used only species incidence were very sensitive to undersampling, while abundance‐based metrics with high dependency on the distribution of the most common taxa were particularly robust. Simulated data showed sensitivity of results to the abundance distribution, confirming that data sets of high evenness and/or the application of metrics that are strongly affected by rare species are particularly sensitive to undersampling. The class of beta measure to be used should depend on the research question being asked as different metrics can lead to quite different conclusions even without undersampling effects. For each class of metric, there is a trade‐off between robustness to undersampling and sensitivity to rare species. In consequence, using incidence‐based metrics carries a particular risk of false conclusions when undersampled data are involved. Developing bias corrections for such metrics would be desirable.
Storage study of low-fat spread from safflower milk blended with buffalo milk

Low fat spread was prepared by following standardized method, was packed into presterilised polystyrene cups and stored at 5°C. The shelf life of product was determined in terms of acceptability of product, acidity and free fatty acid content of product during storage. The product remained good up to 13th day and fair quality up to 15th day of storage.
Soluble Flt‐1, Placental Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Serum Levels to Differentiate Between Active Lupus Nephritis During Pregnancy and Preeclampsia

To evaluate mean serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble Flt‐1 (sFlt‐1) in pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inactive disease, active lupus nephritis, and preeclampsia for differential diagnosis between these conditions.
Controlling motor neurons of every muscle for fly proboscis reaching

We describe the anatomy of all the primary motor neurons in the fly proboscis and characterize their contributions to its diverse reaching movements. Pairing this behavior with the wealth of Drosophila’s genetic tools offers the possibility to study motor control at single-neuron resolution, and soon throughout entire circuits. As an entry to these circuits, we provide detailed anatomy of proboscis motor neurons, muscles, and joints. We create a collection of fly strains to individually manipulate every proboscis muscle through control of its motor neurons, the first such collection for an appendage. We generate a model of the action of each proboscis joint, and find that only a small number of motor neurons are needed to produce proboscis reaching. Comprehensive control of each motor element in this numerically simple system paves the way for future study of both reflexive and flexible movements of this appendage.
Effect of donor strain and maturation stage of rabbit oocytes on results of penetration test of rabbit semen

The objective of this work was to develop a homologous in vitre penetration test to evaluate the behaviour of rabbit sperm. Three treatments were applied to sperm (fresh, treated with heparin and frozen with a DMSO-sucrose extender), and two types of oocytes (immature or in vitre matured) belonging to tour different rabbit lines were used. The test was performed in TCM-199, under the following conditions: 37°C, 5% CO 2 and saturated humidity for 6 hours. After incubation, oocytes were denuded and they were observad under microscope to record the number of sperrnatozoa/oocyte. Results obtained showed significant differences between all the treatments of sperm in the percentage of oocytes with adhered sperrnatozoa (80%, 57%, 28% oocytes with adhered spermatozoa for fresh, treated with heparin and frozen semen, respectively, P<0.05). At the same time, larger number of sperm/penetrated oocyte were observad for fresh semen than for the other treatments (21.3± 3. 7, 3.9 ± 0.6 and 2.3 ± 0.2 sperm/oocyte for fresh, treated with heparin and frozen semen, respectively, P<0.01). The resistance of fresh semen to the incubation conditions was higher than that of frozen or treated with heparin semen, which could determine the differences observed between thern in the results of the test. From the results obtained, it could be concluded that immature oocytes could be used to evaluate the behaviour of rabbit sperm, since even fresh semen were capable to adhere to the surface of these oocytes; on the other hand, further studies are necessary to improve the resistance at the incubation conditions of frozen semen, which will probably permit to predict its fertility in vivo.
Productive traits and meat fatty acid profile of broiler chickens fed diets containing micronized fava beans (Vicia faba L. var. minor) as the main protein source

SUMMARY A trial was conducted to assess the effect of diets containing fava beans (Vicia faba var. minor) on productive traits, carcass yields, and meat fatty acid profiles of broiler chickens. Hubbard strain broiler chicks, divided into 2 groups, received a durum wheat middlings-based diet containing soybean meal (190 g/kg) or dehulled-micronized fava beans (310 g/kg) as the main protein source from 14 d to slaughter age (49 d). Replacement of soybean meal with fava beans as the dietary protein source had no effect on broiler growth performance, carcass dressing percentage, and abdominal fat. In contrast, meat quality characteristics were affected (P < 0.05) by dietary inclusion of fava beans. Accordingly, breast and drumstick muscles of birds fed the fava bean diets had lower L* (lightness) and higher a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values when compared with birds fed the soybean meal diets. Total collagen and water-holding capacity values were higher in the fava bean treatment. The polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration in breast and drumstick muscles was significantly increased with inclusion of the alternative protein source, whereas the saturated fatty acid concentration was similar among treatments. The n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio of the broiler muscles decreased significantly in the fava bean group. It was concluded that replacing soybean meal with dehulled-micronized fava beans at 31% of the diet had no adverse effect on broiler growth performance and meat quality.
The Mechanisms of Plant Stress Mitigation by Kaolin-based Particle Films and Applications in Horticultural and Agricultural Crops

Kaolin-based particle films have use in reducing insect, heat, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and ultraviolet radiation stress in plants resulting from the reflective nature of the particles. Particle films with a residue density of 1 to 4 gm -2 have been evaluated in a range of crops and agricultural environments. The particle film is a general insect repellant resulting from the change in the plant's leaf/fruit texture but also because it changes the reflected light signature of theplantcausinginsectavoidanceformanypests.Thealterationofreflectedlightistheresultoftheabilityoftheparticlefilm to reflect infrared (IR), PAR, and ultraviolet radiation. Reflection of IR can reduce canopy temperature as much as 5 8C, whichwillreducepotentialtranspiration.ThereductionofPARbythefilmattheleafleveliscompensatedinvaryingdegrees by diffusion of PAR into the interior of the canopy. Whole canopy photosynthesis can be increased by the combined particle film effects of reducedcanopy temperature and increased diffusion ofPARinto the interior of the canopy. In apple, reducing fruit surface temperature, PAR, and ultraviolet is an effective means of reducing sunburn damage. The use of a reflective particle film is effective in mitigating environmental stress and has significant economic benefits in agricultural crops. Kaolin-based particle films can reduce insect, heat, PAR, and ultraviolet stress in horticultural crops because of their ability to modify the microenvironment of the plant canopy as a result of the reflective nature of the particles. Particle films with a residue density of 1 to 4 gm -2 leaf area have been evaluated in a range of crops and agricultural environments. The particle film is a general insect repellant resulting from the change in the plant's leaf/fruit texture but also because it changes the reflected light signature of the plant causing insect avoidance for many pests. A general review of particle film ef- fects on insect pests and insect predators is
Efficacy of Postemergence Corn and Soybean Herbicides on Volunteer Horseradish (Armoracia Rusticana)

Viable horseradish roots of various sizes remain in the soil after harvest and can develop into volunteer plants in subsequent crops. Experiments were conducted to evaluate POST herbicides on volunteer horseradish control and to determine if efficacy is dependent upon horseradish root segment size, herbicide rate, horseradish cultivar, or horseradish shoot size at application. In the greenhouse, horseradish root segment size did not affect herbicide efficacy. Chlorimuron, cloransulam, imazamox, (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D) amine, halosulfuron, and imazethapyr plus imazapyr provided greater than 95% foliar control of volunteer horseradish. Chlorimuron, halosulfuron, and 2,4-D amine were also among the herbicides that provided the greatest reduction in horseradish root biomass (69% or greater). Glyphosate provided little foliar control (76%) and root biomass reduction (57%) after one application. The efficacy of 2,4-D amine on horseradish foliage and root biomass increased with increasing herbicide rate; however, the response of horseradish to halosulfuron was similar for all rates evaluated. Root biomass reduction of the horseradish cultivar ‘1573’ was less responsive to 2,4-D amine and halosulfuron applications compared with ‘1038’ and ‘1722’. However, foliar injury from 2,4-D amine and halosulfuron was less for the horseradish cultivar ‘1038’ compared with ‘1573’ and ‘1722’. In field studies, 2,4-D amine applied to 15- and 30-cm-tall horseradish and halosulfuron applied to 15-cm-tall horseradish resulted in the greatest foliar and root biomass reduction. This study indicated that in-season control of volunteer horseradish in rotational crops may be achieved through proper herbicide selection. Nomenclature: Chlorimuron; clopyralid; cloransulam-methyl; 2,4-D amine; dicamba; diflufenzopyr; flumetsulam; glyphosate; halosulfuron; imazamox; imazapyr; imazethapyr; mesotrione; primisulfuron; corn, Zea mays L. ‘Pioneer 33P69LL’; horseradish, Armoracia rusticana (Gaertn., Mey., Scherb.); soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.
Type-II Ising superconductivity and anomalous metallic state in macro-size ambient-stable ultrathin crystalline films.

Recent emergence of two-dimensional (2D) crystalline superconductors has provided a promising platform to investigate novel quantum physics and potential applications. To reveal essential quantum phenomena therein, ultralow temperature transport investigation on high quality ultrathin superconducting films is critically required, although it has been quite challenging experimentally. Here we report a systematic transport study on the ultrathin crystalline PdTe2 films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Interestingly, a new type of Ising superconductivity in 2D centrosymmetric materials is revealed by the detection of large in-plane critical field more than 7 times Pauli limit. Remarkably, in perpendicular magnetic field, we provide solid evidence of anomalous metallic state characterized by the resistance saturation at low temperatures with high quality filters. The robust superconductivity with intriguing quantum phenomena in the macro-size ambient-stable ultrathin PdTe2 films remains almost the same for 20 months, showing great potentials in electronic and spintronic applications.
Active modulation of erythrocyte mechanics.

The classic view of the red blood cell (RBC) presents a biologically inert cell, that upon maturation, has limited capacity to alter its physical properties. This view developed largely due to the absence of translational machinery and inability to synthesise or repair proteins in circulating RBC. Recent developments have challenged this perspective, supporting the importance of post-translational modifications, and greater understanding of ion movement in these cells, that each regulate a myriad of cellular properties. There is thus now sufficient evidence to induce a step-change in understanding of RBC; rather than passively responding to the surrounding environment, these cells have the capacity to actively regulate their physical properties and thus alter blood flow. Specific evidence supports that the physical and rheological properties of RBC are subject to active modulation, primarily by the second-messenger molecules nitric oxide (NO) and calcium-ions (Ca2+). Further, an isoform of nitric oxide synthase is expressed in RBC (RBC-NOS), which has been recently demonstrated to actively modulate the physical properties of RBC. Mechanical stimulation of the cell membrane activates RBC-NOS leading to NO-generation, which has several intracellular effects, including the S-nitrosylation of membrane components. Intracellular concentration of Ca2+ is increased upon mechanical stimulation via the recently identified mechano-sensitive channel, piezo1. Increased intracellular Ca2+ modifies the physical properties of RBC by regulating cell volume and potentially altering important intracellular proteins. A synthesis of recent advances in understanding of molecular processes thus challenges the classic view of RBC, and rather indicates a highly active cell with self-regulated mechanical properties.
Usnea Wirthii Clerc New to North America and the British Isles

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