Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Host Suitability of Prunus Rootstocks to Four Meloidogyne Species and Pratylenchus vulnus in Spain

Ten almond varieties and three experimental peach-almond hybrids were evaluated for their reactions against M. arenaria, M. incognita, M. javanica, M. hapla, and Pratylenchus vulnus. In a first experiment, four almond varieties commonly used as rootstocks in Spain were susceptible to M. incognita, M. arenaria, and M. hapla. In a second experiment, the almond D-3-5, and the hybrids G x N No 9 and Cachirulo showed varying degrees of resistance to M. javanica. The remaining cultivars were susceptible to M. javanica. In a third experiment, all tested materials were good hosts of P vulnus. The peach-almond hybrid G x N No 1, highly resistant to several species of root-knot nematodes, had the highest level of parasitism by P vulnus. In an histological study, P vulnus colonized extensively the cortical parenchyma of the roots of Garrigues, Garfi and G x N No 1 forming large pockets that contained all stages of the nematode as well as cavities.
Research on temperature: limiting factor of development of tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrik) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

The objective of this work is to study the effect of temperature variations on the biology of the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta. The duration of the development cycle of this bioagressor was 18.5 ± 2.52 days at 30 ± 1 ° C, 32.9 ± 4.22 days at 21 ° C. ± 1 ° C and 71.5 ± 12.16 days at 15 ± 1 ° C. Similarly fertility depends on the temperature. The number of eggs laid per female varies between 28 and 260 eggs. The analysis of variance applied to the effect of temperature on the stages of development of T. absoluta and egg incubation shows a very highly significant difference obtained with a probability of less than 0.01. The potential number of generations calculated in the Algiers region in 2009 was 8.3. In 2010 it is equal to 7.72.
Energetic response to human disturbance in an endangered songbird

Physiological changes in response to environmental stressors can reveal cryptic effects of disturbance that can potentially lead to species decline. However, such responses may vary with life history. We used heart rate telemetry to continuously and instantaneously measure energy expenditure in response to human‐mediated disturbance in a free‐living breeding population of the endangered [International Union for Conservation of Nature, vulnerable] black‐capped vireo Vireo atricapilla (n=10). Heart rate predicted 84% of energy expenditure as determined by respirometry (n=3). Each bird mounted with a 0.5 g heart rate transmitter were subjected to standardized disturbance trials for 1 or 4 h during the day, and for 1 h at night. Only 1‐h daytime disturbances elicited an increase in heart rate but this was not significant when compared with control no‐disturbance periods. Our findings suggest that black‐capped vireos quickly acclimate to a limited amount of human disturbance during the breeding season, which may be an adaptive response for any ‘fast‐living’ species with a short life span and a short and synchronized breeding season. Because similar results were reported for another fast‐living species, the common white‐eyed vireo Vireo griseus, we suggest that life‐history traits are stronger predictors of short‐term physiological responses to disturbances than population status.
Widespread Cytotypic Variation, Cytogeography and Dynamic Analysis of Lysimachia mauritiana (Primulaceae) on Amamioshima, Kakeromajima and Tokunoshima Islands in the Amami Group of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

1 The Community Center for the Advancement of Education and Research at the University of Kochi, 5–15 Eikokuji-cho, Kochi 780–8515, Japan 2 Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture, Tokai University, Kawayo, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto 869–1404, Japan 3 Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshidanihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606–8501, Japan 4 Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903–0213, Japan
Strategies and tools for studying the metabolism and function of γ-aminobutyrate in plants. II. Integrated analysis

γ-Aminobutyrate (GABA) is a ubiquitous nonprotein amino acid that accumulates in plants in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. In a companion paper, we discussed the origin of GABA from glutamate and subsequent catabolism to succinic semialdehyde and either succinate or γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and the characteristics of genes and proteins responsible for GABA permease, glutamate decarboxylase, GABA transaminase, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, and succinic semialdehyde reductase activities. In this paper, we explore gene expression and transcript–metabolite relationships during the response to abiotic stress, and describe phenotypes of genetic mutants and relationships of GABA metabolism to other plant functions. Evidence indicates that both gene-dependent and -independent processes are involved in the response of the GABA pathway to abiotic stresses. Study of stress-specific responses and their interplay with the C/N network and various signalling pathways would be more informative if circadia.
Anthropocene invasion of an ecosystem engineer: resolving the history of Corophium volutator (Amphipoda: Corophiidae) in the North Atlantic

Resolving the natural histories of species is important for the interpretation of ecological patterns, as it provides evolutionary context for the interactions between organisms and their environment. Despite playing an integral role on the intertidal mudflats of the North Atlantic as an abundant food source for predators and as an ecosystem engineer that alters the soft sediment environment, no previous studies have provided empirical evidence to determine the biogeographical origin of the amphipod Corophium volutator. To resolve its status as introduced or indigenous in Europe and North America, we analyzed sequence data for two mitochondrial loci and two nuclear markers, aiming to determine whether the present range of C. volutator is the result of unresolved taxonomy, persistence in glacial refugia, natural trans-Atlantic dispersal, or human-mediated introduction. Our results demonstrate a reduced genetic diversity in North American populations that is a subsample of diversity in European populations, with coalescent analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA supporting different models of multiple introductions from Europe to the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine in North America. These results suggest that C. volutator was introduced to North America prior to the first surveys of local biota in the 20th Century, which has broad implications for interpretations of community and ecosystem interactions in the North Atlantic intertidal. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 115, 288–304.
Controle de nematóides parasitos gastrintestinais por Arthrobotrys musiformis em ovinos naturalmente infestados mantidos em pastagens

The objective of the present study was to assess in vitro and in vivo the predatory fungus Arthrobotrys musiformis administered orally, in the form of alginate-microencapsulated conidia, or in natura in liquid medium after passage through the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. Maintenance of the predatory activity of the fungus was evaluated in the in vitro test, and its ability to control parasitic nematodes in naturally infested sheep maintained on pastures was analyzed in the in vivo test. The result of the in vitro test confirmed the viability of A. musiformis (95.5%) even after passage through the gastrointestinal tract. In vivo analysis revealed no difference in the number of eggs per gram between treated and control groups, probably because of the low crowding of the corrals, the insufficient amount and interval time of conidial supplying, permitting dispersal and migration of the larvae in the pasture. However, helminths recovered at autopsy from the tracer animals showed that A. musiformis reduced 50.9% and 57.6% the number of Trichostrongylus colubriformis in the groups treated with microencapsulated conidia and conidia in natura, respectively, and 95% the number of L4 larvae of Haemonchus in the group treated with conidia in natura. Despite the inconclusiveness of the results, A. musiformis was considered a promising agent in the biocontrol of gastrintestinal parasitic nematodes.
MARKED DECREASE IN THE RIGIDITY OF STARFISH OOCYTES INDUCED BY 1‐METHYLADENINE 1

Extreme rigidity of immature starfish oocytes as measured by compression method was found to decline during the early phase of their maturation when induced by 1‐methyladenine (1‐MeAde). The onset of this decrease in stiffness occurred within 5 to 9 min of 1‐MeAde treatment, well before the breakdown of the germinal vesicle, progressively declining to reach a minimum stiffness after 20 min. Dithiothreitol, known as an artificial maturation‐inducing agent, caused a similar change. The stiffness is thus expected to serve as a quantitative indicator of the early process of cytoplasmic events, which would induce the breakdown of the germinal vesicle. Cytochalasin B (3 μg/ml) also reduced the stiffness, but unlike the former two agents, the effect was reversible, and did not interfere with the process of maturation. Due to the effect of cytochalasin B, it became possible to enucleate immature oocytes by centrifugal force. Non‐nucleate fragments thus obtained still maintained their marked stiffness, which was decreased by the action of 1‐MeAde, with a time‐course similar to that of intact oocytes.
Effects of transport time and location within truck on skin bruises and meat quality of market weight pigs in two seasons

Scheeren, M. B. , Gonyou, H. W. , Brown, J., Weschenfelder, A. V. and Faucitano, L. 2014. Effects of transport time and location within truck on skin bruises and meat quality of market weight pigs in two seasons. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 71–78. The effects of season (winter vs. summer), transport time (T: 6, 12 and 18 h) and truck compartment (C) on skin bruise score and meat quality were evaluated in 384 pigs distributed across the top front (C1), top back (C4), middle front (C5) and bottom rear (C10) compartments. Bruise score was higher (P=0.01) in winter than in summer. A T×C interaction was found for pHu value in the longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle and for drip loss in the LT and semimembranosus (SM) muscles, with higher (P<0.001) pHu being recorded in the LT muscle and lower drip loss in the LT and SM muscles (P<0.001 and P=0.01, respectively) of pigs located in C10 following 18 h of transport. In summer, higher (P=0.03) pHu values were found in the LT muscle of pigs transported in C4 and lower drip lo.
Temporal Expression of Myosin Heavy Chain Gene during Ascidian Embryogenesis

A muscle‐specic monoclonal antibody, termed Mu‐2, recognizes a single 220‐kd polypeptide which first appears in early tailbud‐stage embryos of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi (17). In the present investigation, a cDNA library was prepared from poly(A)+ RNA isolated from tailbud embryos. The resulting cDNAs were inserted into the expression vector γgt11, and the library was screened with the Mu‐2. One of positive clones, containing an insert about 1.6‐kb in length, was selected and subcloned. Partial sequence analyses at the 5′ terminus and at the 3′ terminus of the 1.6‐kb cDNA allowed the amino acid sequence. The deduced sequence showed extensive homology to the rodent myosin heavy chain protein. Using an antisense RNA probe generated from the cDNA, Northern blot hybridization was carried out to measure the level of the myosin heavy chain gene transcripts during normal embryogenesis. These transcripts were not detected at pregastruia stages, after which they accumulated rapidly.
Anther culture in Citrus clementina: a way to regenerate tri-haploids

Abstract. Regenerants from anther culture of Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan. cvv. Nules, SRA 63, and Monreal were obtained in different experiments from 1994 to 2002. Genetic analysis of 37 such regenerants was carried out using 4 microsatellite markers that were heterozygous in the parental genotypes. The results showed that in all cases but one the regenerants carried only one or the other allele of the parental genotype, and were therefore homozygous and produced through a process of gametophytic embryogenesis. Ploidy analysis by flow cytometry of 94 regenerants showed that as many as 82% of them were tri-haploids, rather than haploids or doubled-haploids as expected, with other ploidy levels such as n, 2n, 4n, and 6n occurring at very low percentages (2, 10, 3, and 3%, respectively). Regeneration from anther culture is therefore proposed as a rapid, and attractive method of obtaining new triploid varieties in clementine, which could be of great interest for the fresh fruit market that now requires fruit to be seedless.
ACCase inhibitor herbicides – selectivity, weed resistance and fitness cost: a review

The worldwide application of the group of herbicides known as ACCase inhibitors is associated with the widespread appearance of resistant biotypes among weeds. Accordingly, ACCase inhibitor resistance has become the third most frequent type of weed resistance. ACCase (acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase) inhibitors, which include aryloxyphenoxypropionate, cyclohexanedione and phenylpyrazolin herbicides, are applied postemergence to control weedy grasses. Their phytotoxicity is specifically attributed to the inhibition of lipid biosynthesis, while their selectivity is mainly due to the fact that they are able to block the eukaryote-type ACCase enzyme of Poaceae. Certain herbicides can be applied to cereals, because herbicide “safeners” allow the herbicides to be degraded metabolically. Resistance can evolve through both non-target and target-site processes, and many amino acid substitutions have been identified that result in resistance. Cross-resistance to different herbicides is also relatively common. Nevertheless, in many cases, it has been found that resistant biotypes show no reduction in fitness. Cycloxydim-tolerant maize, without genetic modification, is now used also in European farmland, and it can be a suitable alternative to transgenic herbicide tolerant crops when combined with herbicide rotation and monitoring for resistance.
Protein Kinase Cα and ζ Differentially Regulate Death-Inducing Signaling Complex Formation in Cigarette Smoke Extract-Induced Apoptosis1

Cigarette smoke, a major risk factor in emphysema, causes cell death by incompletely understood mechanisms. Death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) formation is an initial event in Fas-mediated apoptosis. We demonstrate that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induces DISC formation in human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) and promotes DISC trafficking from the Golgi complex to membrane lipid rafts. We demonstrate a novel role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of DISC formation and trafficking. The PKC isoforms, PKCα, ζ, ε, and η, were activated by CSE exposure. Overexpression of wild-type PKCα inhibited, while PKCζ promoted, CSE-induced cell death. Dominant-negative (dn)PKCζ protected against CSE-induced cell death by suppressing DISC formation and caspase-3 activation, while dnPKCα enhanced cell death by promoting these events. DISC formation was augmented by wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI3K. CSE-induced Akt phosphorylation was reduced by dnPKCα, but it was increased by dnPKCζ. Expression of PKCα in vivo inhibited DISC formation, caspase-3/8 activation, lung injury, and cell death after prolonged cigarette smoke exposure, whereas expression of PKCζ promoted caspase-3 activation. In conclusion, CSE-induced DISC formation is differentially regulated by PKCα and PKCζ via the PI3K/Akt pathway. These results suggest that modulation of PKC may have therapeutic potential in the prevention of smoke-related lung injury.
Variability, function and phylogenetic significance of periostracal microprojections in unionoid bivalves (Mollusca)

Microprojections of unionoid shells are virtually unstudied but could be important characters for resolving questions on the phylogeny and ecology of these bivalves. By investigating 26 unionoid and three species of their closest living relatives, the Trigonioida, using scanning electron microscopy, we identified three types of periostracal microprojections. (1) Microridges were present only in one species from each of the two unionoid families Mycetopodidae (Anodontites trapesialis) and Iridinidae (Chambardia bourguignati) and may represent a synapomorphy for the mycetopodid-iridinid clade. In A. trapesialis, microridges were additionally equipped with (2) flag-like projections (microfringes), possibly a synapomorphic character for the Mycetopodidae. Examination of partially bleached specimens indicated that both microridges and microfringes are predominantly or purely organic. In contrast, previously undescribed (3) spicule-like spikes represent calcifications within the periostracum. These were found in 20 of the 29 species and four of the six unionoid families. Spikes were particularly large and abundant in umbonal (juvenile) shell regions and species characteristic of fast-flowing habitats. These structures may thus serve in protecting the periostracum and shell underneath, and ⁄ or stabilizing life position by increasing shell friction. Microfringes and microridges, on the other hand, possibly aid in the orientation of the mussel within the sediment.
Reforms in turbulent times: a study on the theory and practice of three irrigation management policy reform models in Mashonaland, Zimbabwe.

This thesis focuses on smallholder Irrigation Management Reform (IMR) policy models implemented in Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces of Zimbabwe. In particular it is concerned with how the models were negotiated, recursively shaped, adopted, transformed and accepted into policy by an array of actors spanning across international funding agencies, government ministries, local agencies responsible for smallholder irrigation development, the irrigators and their surrounding communities. The thesis intends to add to the growing body of debate on IMRs by providing information on ‘the reform process,’ an aspect that has been underplayed so far. It also aims to contribute to the development of an irrigation management policy for the smallholder irrigation sector in Zimbabwe that has been lacking to date.
Processes Contributing to Variability in Regional Patterns of Juvenile River Herring Abundance across Small Coastal Systems

Abstract Many populations of anadromous herring, (e.g., alewives Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring A. aestivalis, collectively referred to as river herring) are in decline. To help understand the various processes influencing their relative abundance, we studied juvenile river herring populations in 11 small, coastal Massachusetts systems. We examined diel and seasonal movements, variation in patterns of abundance, and relationships between juvenile river herring numbers and seven abiotic and biotic factors (stream discharge, pond temperature, habitat availability, pond transparency, pH, food availability, and spawning stock size). Seasonally, juvenile downstream migration peaked in early summer, and most juvenile river herring emigrated between 1200 and 1600 hours. Little or no emigration occurred in late summer when stream channels were often dewatered, although several streams experienced a smaller, more variable emigration peak in the fall. In univariate regressions, stream discharge, pond vol.
A System for Producing Large Quantities of Greenhouse-grown Strawberry Plantlets for Plug Production

A greenhouse hydroponic system, which uses suspended plastic troughs, was found to be an efficient system for the production of high quality strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) plantlets. In this system micropropagated mother plants of ‘Oso Grande’ and ‘Sweet Charlie’ produced an average of 84 and 80 daughters per mother plant, respectively, in 1996, at a plant density of 3 mother plants/ft2 (32 mother plants/ m2). Nearly 100% of the plantlets harvested from the system were successfully rooted in plug trays, and showed no symptoms of leaf or crown diseases.
A survey of annual pesticide usage during the control of sheep ectoparasites in Northern Ireland, 2005

SUMMARY The current paper presents information from a survey of the practices associated with the control of ectoparasites on sheep in Northern Ireland in 2005, including the estimated total quantities of pesticide active ingredients used. It also provides comparative data to that obtained from previous surveys in 1981 (Jess & Marks 1986), 1988 (Foy et al.1995) and 1997 (Jess et al.2000). The total number of sheep farms in Northern Ireland decreased by 25% to 8822 farms with a consequent 26% reduction in total sheep population to 2·1 million sheep compared with the previous survey in 1997. During this period, the number of sheep treated for ectoparasites decreased by 40%. The total quantity of organophosphorus (OP) compounds used for ectoparasite control decreased by approximately 67%, from 7·8 tonnes in 1997 to 2·6 tonnes in 2005, during which an estimated 0·38 of all sheep treated for ectoparasites received the OP active ingredient diazinon. The survey results indicate a decline in the practice of plunge-dipping sheep for ectoparasite control with the proportion of farms using this treatment method decreasing from 0·58 to 0·16 between 1997 and 2005. In 1997, an estimated 0·8 of all sheep treated for ectoparasites in Northern Ireland were plunge-dipped, which reduced significantly to 0·28 during 2005. Conversely, the use of alternative methods has increased with pour-on formulations of insecticides, macrocyclic lactones and growth regulators being applied to 0·33 of all sheep treated in 2005 compared with 0·09 in 1997. Use of intramuscular or subcutaneous injections of macrocyclic lactones for ectoparasite control has also increased to 0·24 of all sheep treated in 2005 compared with 0·1 in 1997. The proportion of sheep treated in communal spray showers also increased from 0·01 in 1997 to 0·14 in 2005. Control of blowfly maggots (Lucilia spp.) and prevention of sheep scab (Psoroptes ovis) were the main reasons given by farmers for sheep treatments. On the farms that plunge-dipped, an estimated 0·68 of surplus dip wash was disposed of immediately after dipping took place, with 0·8 of farms emptying the dipping tanks using a vacuum tanker and 0·54 spreading the surplus dip wash directly onto land. An estimated 0·35 of these farmers mixed the dip wash with slurry pre-disposal. The survey suggests that the products used for spray showers are those recommended for plunge-dipping as there are no contemporary products recommended for use in spray showers. Macrocyclic lactone injections recorded in the survey had the dual function of controlling both endo- and ectoparasites.
Inflorescence Bud Retetion In `Kerman' Pistachio: Effects Of Defruting Date And Branch Size

Alternate bearing in pistachio is correlated with crop load; a heavy crop on 1-year-old wood appears to cause abscission of inflorescence buds on current wood. Defruiting heavily bearing trees before or during the period of nut growth stopped inflorescence bud loss. This relationship between crop and bud loss was affected by the fruiting status of neighbouring shoots(.)
Improved Equations for the Prediction of Seed Longevity

Equations for predicting seed longevity in storage have been improved so that they now take into account variations within a species in initial seed quality which is affected by genotype and pre-storage environment and so that they are more accurate over a wider range of storage environments. These improvements have been incorporated into a seed viability nomograph for barley {Hordeum distichum L. ) which may be used to predict percentage viability of any seed lot after any time in any storage environment within the range 20 to 90 °C and 5-25 per cent moisture content. Applications of the improved equations to seed drying and to long-term seed storage for genetic conservation are discussed.