Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutritional characteristics of amazonian fish fat (Colossoma macropomum) and its effect on lipid metabolism of rats fed hypercholesterolemic diets

Os efeitos da ingestao da gordura de Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) foram analisados em relacao a alguns parâmetros nutricionais e lipidicos. Para isso ratos Wistar recem desmamados alimentados por 6 semanas com dietas aterogenicas contendo 7,5% oleo de soja (SO), oleo de figado de bacalhau (CO), sebo (LA), ou gordura de Tambaqui (TF) foram utilizados. Consumo alimentar e ganho de peso foram medidos semanalmente. Triglicerides sericos foram determinados no inicio do experimento. Colesterol plasmatico foi determinado no inicio, 2a e 4a semanas do experimento. Apos o sacrificio, colesterol e triglicerides hepaticos, triglicerides, colesterol sericos foram determinados. Os resultados mostram consumo alimentar e ganho de peso semelhante em todos os grupos. Nao houve diferencas na trigliceridemia entre os 4 grupos no inicio e 6a semana do experimento. Em relacao a colesterolemia, animais do grupo TF tiveram niveis de colesterol semelhantes aos do grupo SO, significantemente mais baixos que no grupo LA e mais altos comparados ao grupo CO. Os niveis de colesterol em LDL + VLDL foram mais altos nos animais do grupo TF e LA comparados aos grupos CO e SO. Entretanto, animais do grupo TA tiveram HDL mais alto que animais do grupo CO. A taxa (VLDL+LDL)/HDL foi mais alta nos animais do grupo LA quando comparados com os demais grupos. Nos animais do grupo TA, as concentracoes de triglicerides e colesterol hepaticos foram similares ao do grupo SO. Nos concluimos que a gordura de Tambaqui e uma boa fonte alimentar de lipides e pode ser usada como substituto de gordura da carne bovina, com efeitos similares ao oleo de soja quando os fatores de risco de aterosclerose sao considerados.
Floral display and pollination success in Achillea ptarmica (Asteraceae)

In a natural population of the self-incompatible Achillea ptarmica, many-headed inflorescences attracted most pollinators (flies), and each pollinator visited more heads on large inflorescences than on smaller ones. The visitation rate did not increase disproportionately with inflorescence size, as would be expected if clusters of heads had a synergetic effect on pollinator attraction. Both the calculated visitation rate per head and the percentage seed set increased slightly as a function of head number. The removal of rays from all heads in the inflorescence reduced the approach rate by 51%, but had only a small negative effect on seed set (12%). Hence, ray removal probably affected male fertility (pollen donation) to a greater extent than female fertility. The decline in pollination success was similar for all inflorescence sizes, suggesting that ray and inflorescence size have independent effects on the total display, and thus represent separate targets for pollinator-mediated selection. Residual variation in seed set was strongly correlated with patch identity, indicating clonal or environmentally induced differences in female reproductive success.
Effect of plant extracts on methanogenesis and microbial profile of the rumen of buffalo: a brief overview

Plants rich in secondary metabolites (saponins, tannins, essential oils, etc.) have antimicrobial activity which can be exploited for selective inhibition of a particular group of microbes in the rumen. We have screened a large number of plant extracts for their potential to inhibit methanogenesis and ciliate protozoa in an in vitro gas production test using buffalo rumen liquor as the inoculum. Out of 93 plant extracts tested, 11 inhibited in vitro methanogenesis to the extent of 25–50% and nine plant extracts inhibited methanogenesis more than 50%. Among 20 extracts exhibiting antimethanogenic activity, nine were ethanol extracts, 10 were methanol extracts and only one was a water extract. Some of these plant extracts inhibited ciliate protozoa as tested by microscopic examination and 14C-labelled radioisotopic technique, but the protozoa inhibition was not correlated with methane inhibition, indicating that the methanogens sensitive to plant secondary metabolites may or may not be having any symbiotic relationship with ciliate protozoa. Methane inhibition was accompanied by a drastic fall in the number of methanogens as determined by real time PCR. Plants that appeared to have some potential as feed additives to control methanogenesis by the ruminants are: (i) seed pulp of Sapindus mukorossi (rich in saponins) and Terminalia chebula (rich in tannins); (ii) leaves of Populus deltoides, Mangifera indica and Psidium guajava (rich in tannins and essential oils); and (iii) flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum and bulb of Allium sativum (rich in essential oils). Some of the plants reported in literature exhibiting antimethanogenic activity include Equisetum arvense, Lotus corniculatus, Rheum palmatum, Salvia officinalis, Sapindus saponaria, Uncaria gambir and Yucca schidigera.
Effect of conservation and conventional tillage on soil water storage, water use efficiency and productivity of corn and soybean in Northeast China

Abstract The dominant factors affecting crop production in Northeast China are the low amount of rainfall in spring and high loss of soil water through evaporation during summer, both of which contribute to the lower soil water use efficiency (WUE). The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil water storage (SWS), WUE, and soybean and corn yields in Northeast China from 2009 to 2011. The soil water contents under NT were higher than CT, especially in the 0–30 cm soil. SWS was lower in spring and autumn but higher in summer and it was influenced by both rainfall and tillage practices. NT had the greatest SWS and CT the least, with RT having intermediate values in the 30-cm surface. Leaf area index was higher for CT compared with the RT and NT in corn, but it was higher for RT than CT and NT in soybean. The evapotranspiration in the crop growing seasons was higher for NT and RT than for CT in the two corn years (2009, 2011), but no differences were found in the soybean year (2010). The WUE was greatly affected by weather conditions, (i.e., 64% lower in the wet year), and also affected by tillage; that is, CT and RT were 36 and 15% higher than NT in 2009, but no differences in other years. We conclude that RT was a good compromise for both soybean and corn crops, as it was associated with higher economic returns for farmers. Further research is required to compare the effect of the conservation tillage on the WUE and economic returns for other locations in Northeast China.
The proximate causes of male-biased natal emigration in Columbian ground squirrels

The results of this study support the hypothesis that male-biased emigration of yearling male Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) is socially induced. The likelihood of emigration from both the natal site and the natal colony was correlated with parameters of social structure and behavior. Agonism by the mother and (or) neighboring adult females, in association with parturition and lactation, apparently caused the initial shifts of yearling males away from their natal home ranges. After these shifts, yearling males that lived in areas where the number of neighboring males (both adult and yearling) was high relative to the number of females emigrated to areas within the natal colony that were more female-biased (intracolony emigration), or emigrated from the natal colony (intercolony emigration). Reduced numbers of adult males apparently resulted in lower rates of emigration by yearling males. Among the latter, emigrants appeared to be subordinate to non-emigrants. We discuss these findin.
Energy availability, spatio‐temporal variability and implications for animal ecology

Global environmental change, through anthropogenic activities and climatic changes, is promoting broad‐scale alterations to energy availability across the world's ecosystems. However, spatio‐temporal variation in available energy is a key driver of animals' life histories, movement patterns and abundance, thus shaping the global distribution of individuals and species. As such, there is an increasing need to understand how and where changes to energy availability will produce the greatest impacts on animal ecology, and ultimately on the distribution of biodiversity.
Long‐term effects of maternal cortisol exposure and mild hyperthermia during embryogeny on survival, growth and morphological anomalies in farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar offspring

With the objective of elucidating potential effects of prenatal stress on ontogeny of the progeny, a long-term experiment was designed where mature farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar females were cortisol-administered 6 days prior to stripping and additionally, fertilized eggs were exposed to mild hyperthermia during incubation. This study is a supplement to a previous paper and demonstrates that maternal cortisol increment caused several durable impacts on offspring survival, growth and morphological abnormalities, and that the most distinct effects were observed in offspring exposed to both augmented prenatal cortisol levels and a subsequent episode of early thermal stress. Moreover, offspring displaying anomalous morphology had reduced fork length and body mass compared to their normal counterparts.
267 EFFECT OF SEMINAL PLASMA IN LAMA GLAMA SPERM

In South American camelids, raw semen only presents sperm with oscillatory movements. Therefore, it is necessary to treat these cells to enable them to acquire progressive motility. The effects of raw seminal plasma (SP) on sperm movement patterns (oscillatory, progressive, and hyperactive) have apparently not yet been reported. The objective of this study was to determine effects of raw seminal plasma on sperm motility, viability, and acrosomal status in fresh llama semen. A total of 15 ejaculates were collected (electroejaculation) from 5 llamas (n = 5, r = 3). Each ejaculate was diluted 4 : 1 in 0.1% collagenase in HEPES-TALP (HT) medium and incubated 4 min at 37°C, with the objective of separating spermatozoa from SP. Immediately after incubation, each ejaculate was divided into 2 and centrifuged for 8 min at 800 × g. Pellets were resuspended in either HT or raw SP and maintained at 37°C until evaluation (at 0, 1.5, and 3 h). Sperm motility was evaluated using a phase contrast microscope and a warm stage. Propidium iodide and carboxyfluorescein diacetate were used for assessing membrane integrity (viability). Acrosomal status was evaluated with the Coomassie blue stain. A split-plot design was used with treatment as a factor, with 2 levels (HT and SP) and time as the other factor, with 3 levels (0, 1.5, and 3 h), and blocked by males. There was no significant interaction between treatments (HT and SP) and times (0, 1.5, and 3 h) for each of the seminal characteristics evaluated. Progressive sperm motility was observed after collagenase treatment in all samples. Progressive motility disappeared immediately after the addition of raw SP and showed only oscillatory movements. In contrast, samples incubated in HT maintained progressive motility and became hyperactive. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in total motility of sperm incubated in HT among incubation times (0 h: 30.8 ± 18.9%; 1.5 h: 26.5 ± 11.5%; and 3 h: 21.5 ± 13.5%). However, in samples incubated with SP, a decrease (P 0.05) between treatments (HT and SP); samples incubated in HT retained 78.4% of the initial viability (32.8/41.8, 3 h/0 h), and samples incubated in SP retained 69.7% of their initial viability (24.4/35.0, 3 h/0 h). The percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes was not different (P > 0.05) between treatments (HT and SP); however, the percentage of sperm with intact acrosomes decreased after 3 h of incubation in both samples (HT and SP). Due to the presence of a high percentage of progressive and hyperactive motile sperm in samples incubated in HT and their absence in samples incubated in SP, we concluded that raw seminal plasma preserved oscillatory sperm motility. Further studies are needed to understand the effects of SP on South American camelid spermatozoa.
Male Parental Care and Polygyny in Birds

Birds differ markedly from other animal groups in that males of most avian species pair monogamously with females and provide large amounts of paternal care (Lack 1968). Males of polygynous bird species, though, provide much less care to their nestlings than do males of most monogamous species (Verner and Willson 1969; Silver et al. 1985), suggesting that parental effort and mating effort provide conflicting demands on the time and energy of males (Westneat et al. 1989). As such, we would expect polygyny to arise only in those situations in which it pays for a male to reduce parental effort in order to increase mating effort. Under the framework proposed by Emlen and Oring (1977), two different situations could favor, for males, the pursuit of polygynous matings at the expense of reduced parental effort. First, the benefit of male parental care might be low. If females can adequately raise a brood of young without male assistance, then pursuing extra mates might be more beneficial to males than behaving parentally. Under this hypothesis, male parental care is relatively less critical to nestling survival in polygynous species than in monogamous species. Alternatively, polygynous species might differ from monogamous ones in the opportunity to gain additional mates (i.e., environmental potential for polygyny; Emlen and Oring 1977) rather than in the relative value of male parental care. If the opportunities for additional matings are low, then increased male parental care would be favored, even if the gains from male assistance are relatively small (so long as these gains outweigh the probability of obtaining additional mates). If, in contrast, opportunities for additional matings are high, the males would be expected to reduce parental effort and pursue extra mates and/or extra-pair copulations instead. These two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive; a combination of increased mating opportunities and decreased benefits of paternal care would lead to a polygynous mating system. The hypotheses do differ, though, in the factor considered most important in the evolution of a polygynous mating system. The first hypothesis holds the benefits of male parental care to be the important factor; it predicts that male parental care has a relatively greater effect on nestling survival in monogamous than in polygynous species. The second hypothesis, however, suggests that polygynous species differ from monogamous ones only in the opportunity for extra matings and not in the value of male parental care. As such, the second hypothesis predicts no difference between polygynous and monogamous species in the relative survival of nestlings lacking male parental care. A review of male-removal studies (Bart and Tornes 1989) suggested that, although male
Dendroclimatological Potential of Drought-Sensitive tree Stands in Southern Tibet for the Reconstruction of Monsoonal Activity

Southem Tibet is influenced by the Asian summer monsoon which causes 70-80% of the annual precipitation to fall between June and August, showing a steep gradient from east to west. Teleconnections between the tree-ring chronologies of a sampling network have demonstrated a distinct dendroecological region in the catchment area of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, where tree growth is mainly limited by summer precipitation. Ring width at these sites is strongly correlated to late summer (August to October) precipitation of the year prior to growth, indicating that the trees bear a high potential for the reconstruction of the rainfall variability at the northwestem fringe of the monsoonal regime. Light rings and other wood anatomical features like intra-annual growth bands can be observed in the westernmost stands of Pinus densata. If these growth bands occur in the earlywood of the tree ring, they can be explained by cold events during spring; ifthey are located in the transition zone between earlywood and latewood, they are caused by dry conditions during May and especially June, which points to a delayed arrival of the moist monsoonal air masses in southem Tibet in the corresponding years.
Conservation of genetic diversity in regenerated landraces of Italian ryegrass

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of one cycle of seed regeneration on the conservation of genetic diversity in five Italian ryegrass landraces (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Regeneration took place outdoors, in a sheltered site surrounded by tall Galician wheat, 20 m from the nearest source of alien pollen. A balanced mixture of seed (the same weight of seed per plant) was made from 90–100 plants harvested within each population. The conservation of allele frequencies was assessed by starch gel electrophoresis. Five enzyme systems from 78–153 plants per population were examined on slices of a single histidine–citrate starch gel. Each regenerated population differed from its original landrace in at least one of the five loci. The mean heterozygosity per locus was 0.45 for original and regenerated populations, and the mean number of alleles per locus was 3.7 and 3.6 for original and regenerated populations, respectively. There was no loss of common alleles (frequency >0.05) in the five regenerated populations compared with the original populations. Only three rare alleles (frequency < 0.05) were lost (e.g. alleles phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI)-2a, PGI-2c* and shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH)-1d in Padrón, Pravia and Luarca, respectively). No regeneration effect (P>0.05) was observed in the six agromorphological characters. However, a significant landrace effect was observed (P < 0.05) in the five agromorphological traits and the regenerated landraces deviated from the original landraces in 20% of direct comparisons. The results suggest that the method of regeneration used was not very suitable for maintaining the genetic integrity of the original landraces.
Designing and Evaluating a Context-based Lesson Sequence Promoting Conceptual Coherence in Biology

Context-based education, in which students deal with biological concepts in a meaningful way, is showing promise in promoting the development of students’ conceptual coherence. However, literature gives little guidance about how this kind of education should be designed. Therefore, our study aims at designing and evaluating the practicability of a context-based biology lesson sequence. Four design principles for conceptual coherence were defined: build upon familiar concepts; focus on core concepts; stimulate establishing connections between concepts; and reflect on these connections. These design principles have been elaborated into a lesson sequence about concepts related to cellular metabolism and the relevant connections between the concepts have been visualised in a reference concept map. The activities of teacher and students that were expected to contribute in establishing these connections were described in a research scenario. The lesson sequence was conducted in a 10th-grade class of 21 students, aged 15–16, in senior general secondary education. Data were collected from video-recordings in the classroom. The observed activities of the teacher and students were compared with the intended activities. The findings show that a research scenario is a powerful tool to systematically evaluate the design and to provide information for improving it.
Zur Messung der Verdaulichkeit des Phosphors aus mineralischen Phosphor‐Trägern sowie aus Mineralfuttern, Eiweißkonzentraten und Alleinfuttern für Schweine

Zusammenfassung Die Bestimmung der Verdaulichkeit des Phosphors (P) aus mineralischen Einzelkomponenten, Mineralfuttermitteln, Eiweiskonzentraten und Alleinfuttermitteln fur Schweine im Differenzversuch sollte uberpruft werden. Hierzu wurden vier Bilanzversuche mit je vier wachsenden Schweinen einer anfanglichen Lebendmasse von 30 kg durchgefuhrt. Die zu prufenden Futtermittel wurden in unterschiedlichen Anteilen einer Grundmischung zugelegt, die arm an P war. Die P-Gehalte aller Futtermischungen wurden so eingestellt, das durchgehend eine suboptimale Versorgung der Schweine mit P gegeben war. Die Verdaulichkeit des P wurde fur die Testmischungen und die Grundmischungen gemessen und fur die gepruften Futtermittel aus dem Unterschied berechnet. Die P-Verdaulichkeit war zwischen den untersuchten Futtermittelgruppen deutlich verschieden. Auch innerhalb einer Gruppe waren mit Ausnahme der Alleinfutter signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den gepruften Futtermitteln erkennbar. Fur Mono-Natrium-Phosphat, Mono-Calcium-Phosphat und Di-Calcium-Phosphat-Anhydrid wurden Verdaulichkeiten des P von 96 %, 91 % und 87 % ermittelt. Die Verdaulichkeit des P der untersuchten Mineralfutter und Eiweiskonzentrate lag zwischen 69 % und 83 % bzw. zwischen 63 % und 73 %. Die Verdaulichkeit des P aus den ausgewahlten Alleinfuttermitteln lag zwischen 54 % und 56 %.
Trophic ecology of native and introduced fish species from the Chillan River, South-Central Chile

Summary The native continental ichthyofauna of Chile has a low richness in species and marked endemism in comparison to the rest of South America. Since the end of the 19th century 26 fish species have been introduced into the Chilean systems. The study covers the trophic ecology of three native and two exotic fish species from the Chillan River. Stomach contents were analyzed and prey items identified at the family level, then compared with the environmental availability by sampling the benthos and using Ivlevs Electivity Index to determine the degree of election. The relative importance of each prey item was determined and the Morisita Index applied to determine the level of overlap. The results indicate a greater trophic spectrum for introduced rather than for native species. The Relative Importance Index identified Chironomidae as the most important prey item for all species studied. An elevated overlap was observed between the diets of the five species, being greater within the native and introduced species (> 0.9) than between the two groups (< 0.8). These results do not reveal competition, but allow the authors to infer the negative effects of the introduced species to the conservation of native fish.