Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Host Plants on Biology and Life Table Parameters of Aphis spiraecola (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Abstract The development, survivorship, longevity, reproduction, and life table parameters of the spirea aphid, Aphis spiraecola Patch, were evaluated at 25°C on seven commonly grown plants (Polyscias crispata (Bull) Merrill cultivar chicken-gizzard aralia, P. scutellaria (Burman) Fosberg, Vibernum suspensum Lindley, grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfadyen), rough lemon (C. jambhiri Lushington), pineapple orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck variety pineapple orange], orange jessamine [Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack]) in the laboratory. Spirea aphid failed to survive on orange jessamine. The developmental times for the immature stages ranged from 7.9 d on P. scutellaria to 9.9 d on grapefruit or pineapple orange. The immature survival varied from 92.7% on P. scutellaria to 78.8% on pineapple orange. The average number of nymphs reproduced per female were 42.7, 35.7, 28.7, 22.3, 18.0, and 11.7 on P. crispata, P. scutellaria, V. suspensum, grapefruit, rough lemon, and pineapple orange, respectively. Female adults lived an average of 14.1, 15.3, 12.2, 11.0, 12.0, and 9.3 d on these same hosts. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) for spirea aphid on P. crispata was highest. Jackknife estimates of rm varied from 0.308 on P. crispata to 0.177 on pineapple orange. The mean population generation time on these hosts ranged from 11.6 to 13.2 d. It was concluded that the ability of spirea aphid to feed and develop on a wide range of host plants increases its chance to infest citrus and thereby spreading the citrus tristeza virus.
An Extended Linkage Map for Watermelon Based on SRAP, AFLP, SSR, ISSR, and RAPD Markers

Seventy-one amplifi ed fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), 93 sequence related amplifi ed polymor- phism (SRAP), and 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to extend an initial genetic linkage map for watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai). The initial map was based on 151 randomly amplifi ed polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 30 and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. A testcross population previ- ously used for mapping of RAPD and ISSR markers was used in this study: {plant accession Griffi n 14113 (C. lanatus var. citroide (L.H. Bailey) Mansf. ) x the watermelon cultivar New Hampshire Midget (C. lanatus var. lanatus)} x PI 386015 (C. colocynthis (L.) Schrad. ). The linkage map contains 360 DNA markers distributed on 19 linkage groups, and covers a genetic distance of 1976 cM with an average distance of 5.8 cM between two markers. A genomic DNA clone representing 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC-) synthase gene, involved in ethylene biosynthesis, was also mapped. As in previous mapping studies for watermelon, a large number of AFLP and SRAP markers were skewed away from the 1:1 segregation ratio, and had to be excluded from the fi nal mapping analysis. The stringent mapping criteria (JoinMap 3.0 mapping program) produced linkage groups with marker order consistent with those reported in previous mapping study for watermelon. Cultivated watermelon accounts for 2% of the world area devoted to vegetable crops (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 1995). In the United States, water- melon production has increased from 1.09 million Mg in 1980 to 3.54 million Mg in 2003, with a farm value of $310 million (U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2003). The traditional watermelon cultivars are diploids (n =11; Shimotsuma, 1963). However, in recent years, there has been an increased demand by consumers for seedless (triploid) watermelons, and produc- tion has increased considerably. During 2003, over 60% of the watermelons produced in the United States were seedless (USDA, 2003). There is a continuous need to enhance disease and pest resistance in watermelon cultivars, improve fruit quality, and develop new seedless watermelon cultivars suitable to consumer
VideoOneNet: Bidirectional Convolutional Recurrent OneNet with Trainable Data Steps for Video Processing

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) achieve the state-of-the-art results on a wide range of image processing tasks, however, the majority of such solutions are problem-speciﬁc, like most AI algorithms. The One Network to Solve Them All (‘OneNet’) procedure has been suggested to resolve this issue by exploiting a DNN as the proximal operator in Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) solvers for various imaging problems. In this work, we make two contributions, both facilitating end-to-end learning using backpropagation. First, we generalize OneNet to videos by augmenting its convolutional prior network with bidirectional recurrent connections; second, we extend the ﬁxed fully connected linear ADMM data step with another trainable bidirectional convolutional recurrent network. In our computational experiments on the Rotated MNIST, Scanned CIFAR-10 and UCF-101 data sets, the proposed modiﬁcations improve performance by a large margin compared to end-to-end convolutional OneNet and 3D Wavelet sparsity on several video processing problems: pixelwise inpainting-denoising, blockwise inpainting, scattered inpainting, super resolution, compressive sensing, deblurring, frame interpolation, frame prediction and colorization. Our two contributions are complementary, and using them together yields the best results.
CYTOTOXICITY AND GENOTOXICITY EFFECTS OF A NEEM BASED PESTICIDE, NEEMASTRA ON MERISTEMIC CELLS OF ALLIUM CEPA

Department of Zoology, Shillong College, Shillong, India ISSN: 0976-3031 RESEARCH ARTICLE CYTOTOXICITY AND GENOTOXICITY EFFECTS OF A NEEM BASED PESTICIDE, NEEMASTRA ON MERISTEMIC CELLS OF ALLIUM CEPA *1Lucy Mary Jyrwa, 1Deisa Nora Shabong, 2James Steword Khongsngi and 1Shanwell Khongwir 1Department of Zoology, Shillong College, Shillong, India 2Department of Zoology, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India
Fungal and mycotoxin contamination in Bt maize and non-Bt maize grown in Argentina.

A Bt maize hybrid and its non-transgenic counterpart harvested during 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 harvest seasons from different locations within the maize-growing area in Argentina were compared for fungal and mycotoxin contamination. Fusarium species were the most prevalent on both genotypes with an isolation frequency >60% across all locations. The percentage of infection was lower in Bt maize than in non-Bt maize (P<0.05). There were no statistical differences in infection percentage due to genotype, fungicide treatment and their interactions. Fumonisins were detected in all of the samples from all locations and genotypes. Total fumonisin levels (fumonisins B1, B2 and B3) in the Bt and the non-Bt hybrid were significantly different (P<0.001), with lower toxin levels in the Bt maize in all locations but one evaluated during the two harvest season. There was no significant difference in deoxynivalenol levels between Bt and non-Bt maize. Application of the fungicide tebuconazole did not alter either the infe.
REVISION OF THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF BOLIVIA. II: THE PITVIPERS (SERPENTES: VIPERIDAE)

ABSTRACT Twelve species (Bothriopsis bilineata, B. oligolepis, B. taeniata, Bothrocophias microphthalmus, Bothrops andianus, B. atrox, B. jonathani, B. moojeni, B. neuwiedi, B. sanctaecrucis, Crotalus durissus, Lachesis muta) and five genera of pitvipers are known from Bolivia. Known ranges of several species are expanded to accommodate recently collected material and Bothrops andianus is reported from Bolivia. The holotypes of Bothrops andianus and Lachesis peruvianus are redescribed. Bothriopsis oligolepis (Werner) is shown to be synonymous with Lachesis peruvianus Boulenger rather than L. chloromelas. We designate a lectotype of Bothriopsis chloromelas (Boulenger) and apply this name to the ornately patterned forest pitviper endemic to the northern and central Andes of Peru. Morphological variation and reproductive data are reported for B. sanctaecrucis. References to Bolivian specimens of B. jararacussu are based on misidentifications of B. sanctaecrucis. Although the known ranges of B. brazili, B. jararacussu, and Bothrocophias hyoprora approach Bolivia's borders, these species have not yet been collected within the country. A rectangular loreal is rare in pitvipers and may be a synapomorphy of two small Andean pitvipers: B. andianus and B. lojanus.
The Food Composition of Immature and Non-breeding White Storks in Poland

Abstract The food of immature White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) feeding in meadows in Poland was studied by pellet analysis. The most important food items by numbers were insects, mainly beetles, which constituted 83% of all prey items (N = 5,958 items) and were found in all pellets (N = 163). However, by biomass, 58% of food consisted of small mammals, mainly voles Microtus sp. Insects (22%) and earthworms (11.5%) were secondary resources. Literature on White Stork diet in Europe also showed that voles, insects and earthworms were the dominant food of breeding White Storks. Their roles changed with latitude, habitat, time, as well as method of data analysis. Generally, the diet of non-breeding storks was similar to breeding birds, but more of the prey was obtained in dry habitats.
USE OF BODY STORES IN SHOREBIRDS AFTER ARRIVAL ON HIGH-ARCTIC BREEDING GROUNDS

Abstract Stable-isotope analyses of egg components can illuminate the contributions of endogenous and exogenous nutrients to egg formation in cases where birds move from one isotopic biome to another just before egg-laying, as in Red Knots (Calidris canutus islandica) and Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres interpres) nesting in the northeastern Canadian High Arctic. Those populations use inshore marine habitats during the winter and northward migration periods, but switch to feeding and breeding in terrestrial C-3 habitats in the Arctic. Upon the birds' arrival at Alert, Nunavut, Canada, stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values for their red blood cells were consistent with those expected from an inshore marine diet. After the birds switched to a terrestrial diet, those values decayed in a negative exponential fashion until they reached asymptotic values consistent with a local terrestrial C-3 diet. Components of eggs laid later in the season, including lipid-free yolk, albumen, yolk lipid, and albumen lipid, generally showed isotope values consistent with routing from exogenous (i.e. local) nutrient sources, which supports the notion that High Arctic shorebirds are primarily income and not capital breeders. However, eggs in earliest clutches were enriched in 13C and 15N, which suggests that some residual marine nutrients were available for reproduction. The extent to which endogenous stores are transferred to eggs in High Arctic shorebirds may depend on year and climatic conditions.
Molecular analysis of hemaglutinin gene of Avian Influenza viruses isolated in 2012-2013

Avian Influenza virus (AIV) still plays as a major cause of the death in poultry in Indonesia and around the world. The aim of this research was to determine the pathogenicity and to analyze the phylogenetic and genetic distances of hemagglutinin gene of isolated AI viruses in Indonesia in 2012-2013 particularly from West Java, Central Java, and North Sumatra. Samples were obtained from poultry farms that suffered from AI outbreaks, were inoculated and propagated in ten days old specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs. Harvested allantoic fluids at 5 days after inoculation were tested for hemagglutination activity. Positive allantoic fluids were further tested to determine the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtype using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) and to be prepared for sequencing using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The sequence of hemagglutinin genes were analyzed for the amino acid pattern of the cleavage site region and the genetic distances and relationships of those viruses. The result indicated that all of the isolates are classified as HPAI with the pattern of cleavage site regions are QRESRRKKR and QRERRRKR. Six isolates are classified as H5N1 and 3 isolates are H5Nx. All of the isolates have close genetic relationship with the genetic distances less than 0.3 between one to another and also with several AI viruses that caused previous outbreaks in Indonesia.
Relative stability of seed and kernel oil content under moisture stress in sunflower: evolutionary adaptation or physiologically constrained?

The effects of soil moisture stress imposed during 41-71 or 58-93 d after sowing (DAS) on both seed and kernel oil contents in 24 sunflower genotypes were examined. Both early (41-71 DAS) and late stress (58-93 DAS) did not adversely affect the seed and kernel oil contents, while the av. seed yield, 100-seed wt and total DM were reduced especially under early stress. The relative stability in the seed oil content of genotypes under moisture stress was explained partly by its relation to the variation in the kernel:hull ratio. The constancy in seed and kernel oil contents is discussed in the context of physiological constraints determining oil biogenesis and the evolutionary significance of seed oil to seedling fitness.
inhibitor metoclopramide to stimulate ovulation in females of different body weight

Effects of reproduction of European catfish females of different body weight (4.60-11.00 kg) were investigated in two experiments after ovulation stimulation with two doses of carp pituitary (0.4 + 3.6 mg/kg body weight) or a single dose of Ovopel - a preparation containing mammalian GnRH analogue D-Ala 6 , Pro 9 NEt-mGnRH and dopamine receptor antagonist, metoclopramide (1 pellet/kg body weight). It was found in both experiments that all the lighter females spawned after Ovopel treatment while the percentage of spawning females of higher body weight treated with this ovulation stimulator was lower. No statistically significant effect of the experiment was observed with respect to traits characterising the weight of eggs or their quality. e effect of applied ovulation stimulator was statistically significant ( P ≤ 0.01) for the percentage of live embryos after 56-h incubation, however the eggs obtained after Ovopel treatment were characterised by higher quality. e body weight of the females significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) affected the weight of obtained eggs, though expressed in grams only, and the percentage of live embryos after 56-h incubation (P ≤ 0.01). e interaction between the ovulation stimulator and the body weight of females did not affect the traits determining the weight of eggs or the percentage of live embryos after 24- and 48-h incubation. However, it was statistically significant ( P ≤ 0.01) for the percentage of live embryos after 56-h incubation.
Macrozoobenthos of Negro River Basin, Argentine Patagonia

Organisms were collected from thirty‐four sampling stations of the Negro River basin. Fifty‐eight families, with at least 112 different forms, most identified to genus and some to species, were collected; about half are Diptera and the other half Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Mollusca, Acari, Crustacea and miscellaneous invertebrates. Distribution and biotopes are discussed.
Chrysoporthe doradensis sp. nov. pathogenic to Eucalyptus in Ecuador

Canker caused by Chrysoporthe cubensis is a serious disease of commercially grown Eucalyptus in various South American countries. This disease has not previously been recorded from Ecuador. Recent disease surveys in Ecuadorian Eucalyptus plantations have led to the discovery of canker symptoms typical of this disease with fruiting bodies resembling C. cubensis abundant on diseased tissues. The aim of this study was to characterise the fungus based on morphology and sequences of the ITS1/ITS2 regions of the ribosomal DNA operon and β-tubulin genes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that isolates from Ecuador reside in a clade together with other Chrysoporthe spp. , but in a clearly distinct group. The distinct phylogenetic position of the Ecuadorian fungus is supported by unique conidial morphology and it is, therefore, described as Chrysoporthe doradensis sp. nov. Pathogenicity trials on Eucalyptus deglupta showed that the CHRYSOPORTHE DORADENSIS SP. NOV. 64 fungus is highly pathogenic on this commonly planted tree as well as on saplings of Tibouchina urvilleana. Taxonomic novelty: Chrysoporthe doradensis Gryzenh. & M. J. Wingf. sp. nov.
Influence of herbicides-pyroligneous acids mixtures on some soil properties, growth and grain quality of paddy rice

The influence of herbicides-pyroligneous acids mixtures on soil chemical properties, growth and grain quality of paddy rice (Japonica cv. Ilpum) was evaluated in a field experiment. There were thirteen treatments including control (hand weeding), 100% and 50% application rate of three herbicides: Azimsulfuron+cafenstrole (AC), Mefenacet+pyrazosulfuron-ethyl (MPE) and Betazone+cyhalofop-butyl (BCB) and 6 combination of three types of herbicides at 50% recommended rate (RR) diluted with two types of pyroligneous acids: wood vinegar (WV) and rice vinegar (RV) at 500× dilutions; laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Results showed that lower application rate of herbicides combined with WV or RV gave a comparable effect in controlling weeds and on plant growth and chlorophyll content with their respective 100% RR application rate. Among different treatments, 50% AC + WV increased the number of spikelet per panicle and improved the grain quality compared to 100% AC. Treatment 50%MPE+RV decreased the spikelet number per panicle while 50% BCB+WV also reduced spikelet number per panicle, total protein content, and whole grain yield. After harvest, soil acidity, organic matter (OM), available P and EC increased due to treatments application. Overall, depending on the herbicide type, mixing 50% RR of herbicides with 500× of RV or WV dilutions can effectively control the weeds in paddy rice such as Echinochloa crusgalli, Monochoria vaginalis and Scirpus juncoides without suppressing the growth, and yield of rice with acceptable soil impacts that promotes environment health. © 2015 Friends Science Publishers
Abundance, vertical distribution and feeding of chaetognaths in the upper 50 m layer of the eastern Aegean Sea

The present study presents data on the abundance, vertical distribution and feeding of chaetognaths found in the 0–50 m column in a neritic area of the eastern Aegean Sea during July 2004. The abundance of total chaetognaths ranged between 7.76 and 35.92 ind m−3. The highest values were recorded in the uppermost 20 m and values decreased with depth. The chaetognath community comprised nine species with Sagitta enflata, Sagitta minima, Sagitta serratodentata and Sagitta setosa being numerically the most important. Copepods were the main prey for most chaetognath species, while S. minima showed a higher preference for cladocerans. An evident relation between the presence of food of chaetognaths and their horizontal and vertical distribution in the area of study was found. In the surface 0–50 m of this typical oligotrophic area of the eastern Mediterranean, the chaetognath species occupied different depth strata possibly in order to reduce the interspecific competition.
Body Size Affects the Predatory Interactions between Introduced American Bullfrogs (Rana Catesbeiana) and Native Anurans in China: An Experimental Study

Abstract Introduced American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) have established breeding populations in several provinces in China since their introduction in 1959. Although Bullfrogs are viewed as a potentially important predator of Chinese native anurans, their impacts in the field are difficult to quantify. We used two experiments to examine factors likely to mediate Bullfrog predation on native anurans. First, we examined effects of Bullfrog size and sex on daily consumption of a common Chinese native (Rana limnocharis). Second, we examined whether Bullfrogs consumed similar proportions of four Chinese natives: Black-Spotted Pond Frog (Rana nigromaculata), Green Pond Frog (Rana plancyi plancyi), Rice Frog (R. limnocharis), and Zhoushan Toad (Bufo bufo gargarizans). We found that larger Rana catesbeiana consumed more R. limnocharis per day than did smaller R. catesbeiana, and that daily consumption of R. limnocharis was positively related to R. catesbeiana body size. When provided with adults of four anurans that differed significantly in body size, R. catesbeiana consumed more individuals of the smallest species (R. limnocharis). However, when provided with similarly sized juveniles of the same four species, R. catesbeiana did not consume any species more than expected by chance. Our results suggest that body size plays an important role in the predatory interactions between R. catesbeiana and Chinese native anurans and that, other things being equal, smaller species and individuals are at greater risk of predation by R. catesbeiana.
Are Lives a Substitute for Livelihoods? Terrorism, Security, and US Bilateral Imports

In this article, we assess the impact of counterterrorism measures on trade. Our work brings three value addition to the literature: (1) it develops a simple theory to emphasize the endogeneity between terrorism acts, counterterrorism measures, and trade; (2) it delivers an original strategy to identify empirically the effect of counterterrorism security measures on trade flows (using third country incidents); and (3) it uses a new data set on business visas issued by the United States to test further the hypothesis that terrorism is affecting trade through the security channel. Our results suggest that counterterrorism security measures matter for US imports. The level of the impact is up to three times higher when the acts result in a relatively high number of victims, when the products are sensitive to shipping time, or when they ask for networks and business people mobility in order to be sold.
Developmental Biology of Roots: One Common Pathway for All Angiosperms?

The primary root meristem is formed during embryogenesis and supports the first growth of the seedling into the soil. However, the continuous growth of the above-ground plant parts imposes the establishment of an elaborate root system in order to mine for additional water and nutrients. This can only be achieved by de novo installation of extra root meristems soon after germination. In general, two fundamentally different types of root systems can be found in the plant kingdom. The taproot system is characterized by an elongating primary root with developing lateral roots while in plants with a fibrous root system, the primary root is early on replaced by a plethora of shoot-borne roots. Recently our knowledge on the formation and patterning of the primary root meristem has improved seriously. From early embryogenesis onwards, a response maximum of the cell-fate instructive plant hormone auxin is formed that activates specific patterning genes and leads to the establishment of a root stem cell niche. During lateral and shoot-borne root formation, embryonic gene activities are employed again and as a consequence, these processes can be seen as a replay of embryonic pattern formation. Moreover, the onset of lateral and shoot-borne root formation from apparently fully differentiated cells is in sharp contrast with the embryogenic origin of the primary root and has been a point of controversy for many root biologists. In this review we will give an overview on the parallel mechanisms that might exist between embryonic and post-embryonic root development and will evaluate the potential existence of conserved molecular mechanisms between taproot versus fibrous root development.