Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultraphytoplankton in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: towards deriving phytoplankton biomass from flow cytometric measurements of abundance, fluorescence and light scatter

Prochlorophytes, cyanobacteria and eukaryotic ultraphytoplankton from the southern Levantine Basin of the eastern Mediterranean Sea were analyzed by flow cytometry to obtain measurements of cell abundance, relative cellular fluorescence and relative cellular hght scatter. Assuming that fluorescence is a proxy for chlorophyll and that light scatter is a proxy for cellular carbon, phytoplankton biomass can be expressed as the sum (over all cell groups) of adaptive cellular characteristics (i.e. chorophyll and carbon) weighted by cell abundance. On this basis, much of the carbon appeared attributable to eukaryotic ultraphytoplankton, but chlorophyll was more evenly partitioned such that the contributions from prochlorophytes and cyanobacteria were also significant. The subsurface chlorophyll maximum coincided with the maximum in total fluorescence but not with the maxlrnum abundance of cells nor with the presumed maximum in the carbon biomass of ultraphytoplankton.
Effect of Storage on Starch Content and Modification of Cassava Starch

The effect of storage on yield and modification of starch using hydrochloric acid and acetic anhydride were studied. Yield of starch from fresh roots (24.4%) was significantly greater than yield (16,2%) from roots stored at room temperature for six days. On a dry weight basis the amount of starch in the roots decreased over a six day storage period. The proximate composition of cassava starch on dry weight basis was 0.24% ash, 0.13% fat, 0.49% protein, 0.15% crude fibre and 98.4% starch. The isolated starch was treated with different concentration of hydrochloric acid to produce acid thinned and dextrinized starches and different concentration of acetic anhydride to produce acetyl substituted starches. The alkali number of acid thinned and dextrinized starches increased with acid treatment while the viscosity decreased. The degree of substitution increased with the concentration of acetic anhydride used. The cold water solubility of the acid thinned and acetyl substituted starches were similar to that of native starches while the solubility of the dextrinized starches increased with the acid concentration. The viscosity of the acetyl substituted starches increased with the degree of substitution.
Races of Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum (Smith) Dye, the causal organism of bacterial blight of cotton, in Nigeria.

Races 6, 7 and 10 of Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum (Smith) Dye, the causal organism of bacterial blight of cotton, were identified among twelve isolates of the pathogen from the three cotton growing zones of Nigeria. Races 7 and 10 were, however, predominant. The races were distinguished by inoculation of eight cotton lines known to differentiate through possession of different resistance genes. Further work is necessary, on a much greater number of isolates, to determine therange and distribution of different virulence types in Nigeria.
Antioxidant Activity of Sugar-Tolerant Yeast Zygosaccharomyces Rouxii

Functional foods have been increasingly popular in Japan and are widely claimed to be beneficial for health. Among many kinds of such food, one distinct type is fermented food employing osmophilic or osmo-tolerant yeasts under high concentration of salt or sugar. We are the first to investigate the antioxidant activities of a strain of sugar-tolerant yeast isolated from high-sugar fermented food. In search of novel natural antioxidants, we screened 17 strains of yeast, including 7 sugar-tolerant strains, 4 salt-tolerant strains and 6 conventional strains, based on DPPH-scavenging (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) capacity of their ethyl acetate extracts. A sugar-tolerant strain of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (MAFF 237555) yielded a maximum amount of extract which exhibited the strongest activity of 66.3% at 2 mg ml−1. The yeast was cultured under various conditions at different pH and different glucose concentrations for different numbers of incubating days and the antioxidant activity of each solvent extract was determined using different assay methods of DPPH, FRAP (Ferric reducing/antioxidant power), NBT (nitro blue tetrazolium) and the capacity for inhibiting linoleic acid oxidation, in comparison with natural and synthetic standard compounds. In most cases, while the activity of the extract was lower than that of BHA, it was higher than or comparable to that of ascorbic acid or α-tocopherol, tested under the same concentration range of 1 mg ml−1 to 5 mg ml−1. The results suggested that the yeast had a wide spectrum of moderately strong antioxidant activity and it could be utilized as a source of natural antioxidant.
Periphyton Responses to Higher Trophic Levels and Light in a Shaded Stream

The effects of higher trophic levels on benthic primary producers were examined in the context of light limitation in a shaded headwater stream. Abundance (presence or absence) of a predatory fish Semotilus atromaculatus and a grazing snail Elimia clavaeformis were manipulated with in situ Plexiglas channels, while spatial variability in ambient light was related to variability in primary productivity among channels. Indirect effects of fish on periphyton were insignificant, possibly because grazers that are vulnerable to fish predation were scarce during the experiment, or because fish preyed upon other predators of grazers. Snails had compensatory effects within the periphyton: they diminished biomass and productivity in the loosely attached layer, but stimulated productivity in the tightly attached layer. Snails appeared to mitigate shading of the tightly attached layer by the loosely attached layer. Benthic primary productivity was highly correlated with ambient light levels, accounting for 42% of the.
Study of Pattern of Pediatric Dermatoses in a Tertiary Care Centre In Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir.

Background: There are nearly half a billion children in this country as children up to 19 years of age consist of more than 40% of population in India. Children are world`s most important resource, but most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society. Skin diseases are one of the major health problems in children and are associated with significant morbidity. There is definite variation in pattern of dermatoses in different age groups and seasons, knowledge about this variation will help in proper clinical diagnosis of different dermatoses. Objectives: To study the pattern of pediatric dermatoses in a tertiary care centre in Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, G.M. C. Jammu. All children below 19 years of age were included in the study. The diagnosis was made after taking detailed history, cutaneous and systemic examination, and appropriate investigations. The dermatoses were divided into different groups and their frequency with respect to age and season was noted. Chi-square test was used to find out significance of any apparent association. Results: The total of 1000 children with 1020 dermatoses was seen during the study period. Among these children, 20 had more than one dermatoses. Male female ratio was 1.63: 1. The majority of dermatoses belonged to infections and infestations group (43.73%) followed by dermatitis and eczema group (21.67%). Acne Vulgaris (29.82%) was single most common dermatoses in adolescents unlike other age groups. In age group 6-12 years dermatophytoses was the commonest infection while in age groups 3-6 years and 1-3 years popular urticaria was commonest dermatoses in infections and infestation group. Dermatoses like scabies, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and perniosis were common in winters; popular urticaria and tinea versicolor were common in summer and rainy season; and miliaria and urticaria in summer.
The Effect of Sowing Date and Plant Density on Cotton Yield

This study was conducted to determine the interaction between sowing date and plant density of Nazilli 84 cotton cultivar’s in Aegean Region. It was found that delaying sowing date significantly decreased seed cotton yield but the differences among plant densities were non-significant in both cultivars. The correlation coefficients and path analysis results among yield components, fiber technological characteristics and dry matter accumulation at first true leaf boll retention showed that the ginning turnout had the highest positive direct effect on seed cotton yield. It was concluded that when the plant has less boll retention, dry matter accumulations between flowering-boll retention had adverse effect on seed cotton yield
Evidence against universal metabolic allometry

Summary 1A long-standing theoretical problem in biology is the relation between organism size M and metabolic rate Q. 2This long history of research into such a basic pattern is due to the particular shape of the relationship: it is generally observed that the relation is well described as Q ∝ Mb where b is most often between 0·5 and 1. 3Numerous analyses have focused on determining b using interspecific data, in particular to test whether b = 2/3 or b = 3/4. 4Here a large amount of intraspecific data on fish are analysed, which show that b ≠2/3, b ≠ 3/4, and especially that there is no single, universal value of b.
The effect of bio‐dynamic and conventional agriculture management on Erigoninae and Lycosidae spiders

The effect of bio‐dynamic and conventional (= intense) agriculture management on the structure of the spider fauna in cereal fields and on the activity densities of dominant Erigoninae and Lycosidae species was compared in a 4‐years‐study in the Niederrheinische Bucht, F. R. G. The percentage of the two species most commonly sampled (Oedothorax apicatus and Erigone atra, both Erigoninae) was 66% on bio‐dynamic and 81% on conventional fields. Their activity densities on conventional fields were usually higher than on the corresponding bio‐dynamic fields. In contrast, all other spiders were more common on bio‐dynamic fields. 11% of the spiders sampled on biodynamic fields were Lycosidae; on conventional fields, species of this family became almost extinct (2%). The dominant Lycosidae was Pardosa amentata. Most species of Lycosidae were largely restricted to the field‐edges, only Pardosa prativaga invaded the field‐centers in higher numbers. It is concluded that the occurence of Lycosidae in arable land depends on agricultural management as well as on the presence of nearby undisturbed areas.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF LOW- AND HIGH-GLUCOSINOLATE OILSEED RAPES TO DAMAGE BY FLEA BEETLES, PHYLLOTRETA SPP. (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE)

The oilseed rape crop, Brassica napus L. and B. campestris L. , has undergone a significant chemical transformation during the last 15 years. Plant breeders produced cultivars with only trace levels of erucic acid in the oil compared with 40-50% in early cultivars, and with 18 μmol/g of glucosinolates or less in the oil-free meal compared with 62-1 15 μmol/g (Daun 1983). The new “Canola” cultivars were developed because erucic acid was a suspected health hazard for humans and glucosinolates caused the meal to be unpalatable or toxic to farm animals.
Seasonal dynamics, composition and feeding patterns of ciliate assemblages in oligotrophic lakes covering a wide pH range

Seasonal changes in the structure of ciliate assemblages in eleven oligotrophic mountain lakes at different altitudes, covering a wide pH range from 4.9 to 6.9, were studied. Seven mountain lakes lay above the timberline (0vre NeÅdalsvatn and Stavsvatn, Norway; Lochnagar, Scotland; Starolesnianske pleso and Nizne Terianske pleso, Slovak Republic; Chuna ozero, Russia; Lago Paione Superiore, Italy) and four acidified lakes (Cerne, Certovo, Plesne and Prasilske jezero, Sumava Mountains, Czech Republic) in the mountain forest. Additionally, thr tropical high latitude Lago de Alchichica (Mexico) was analysed. Ciliate taxons were identified using the quantitative protargol staining approach, and feeding patterns were tentatively detected by using fluorescence microscopy methods. Nano- to microphytoplankton hunters and/ or mixotrophic ciliates prevailed in all acidic lakes. Numbers of ciliates were very low (seasonal lake mean below 200 cells/I) except in two Tatra lakes (to 21000 cells/I). Prostomes of the genera Urotricha, Holophrya and Prorodon dominated in most of the samples, both numerically as well as in biomass (seasonal lake mean from 13.6 to 100% and 4.6 to 99.7%, respectively), particularly in acidified water lakes (Starolesnianske, Certovo and Prasilske jezero). Among mixotrophs, oligotrichs of genera Pelagostrombidium and Limnostrombidium were the most prominent (up to 49.9 and 64.6%, respectively). The picoplankton-feeders (minute oligotrichs, peritrichs and scuticociliates) were found to be an important component even in the oligotrophic environment but this ecological type never dominated within the water column (up to 22.2 and 30.3 %, respectively). Major food sources of gymnostomes, prevailing only in Lochnagar (82.5 and 87.5 %, respectively; Mesodinium sp.), remained unclear; large Askenasia spp. were apparently mixotrophic. Using a cluster analysis, the lakes were grouped according to the total numbers of ciliates and contributions of distinct ecological groups with different feeding patterns. Within low acidic lakes, Lochnagar differed from all others. The rest of the lakes was divided into two subgroups: remote pristine lakes of the Northern transect (the Norwegian lakes and Chuna ozero), and the others, geographically affiliated to the south transect (Pyreneans, Alps, Tatra Mts.). Such a differentiation is in good agreement with the clustering based on chemical parameters reported for the lakes. No marked differences in the ciliate distribution were detected when the above timberline- and forest surrounded mountain lakes were compared.
Biological characteristics of sardine caught by the beach-seine fishery during the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run

Catches of sardine Sardinops sagax made by the beach-seine fishery off the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coast during the annual winter sardine run have been sampled intermittently since 1951, and a substantial amount of data on various biological characteristics of sardine caught off KZN now exists. Information on length frequency distributions, mean caudal length (CL), length–mass relationships, condition factor (CF), age distributions, sex ratio, gonad maturity and diet have been collated and are presented in this paper. Sardine caught off the KZN coast during the past six decades had a mean CL of 17.4 cm (SD 2.0) and have shown a significant increasing trend in mean CL through time; had substantially lower mass-at-length compared to fish that did not participate in the sardine run; have shown two distinct periods of decrease in CF between 1979 and 2005; ranged in age from 1 to 7 years but were numerically dominated by younger fish (1-, 2- or 3-year-olds); had a 1:1 sex ratio and gonads that were predominantly actively developing and undergoing maturation and vitellogenesis; and had a diet dominated by zooplankton, primarily calanoid and harpactacoid copepods and fish eggs. These characteristics, together with some information on meristic and morphological characteristics of sardine caught off KZN, are compared to characteristics of sardine from elsewhere off South Africa's coast to assess the possibility that the former may be a distinct stock or a functionally discrete adult assemblage. Significant differences in characteristics such as CF, vertebral count and body shape were found, supporting the hypothesis that KZN sardine represent a distinct stock or a functionally discrete adult assemblage. However, small sample sizes and plausible alternative explanations for these differences weaken, but do not invalidate, this hypothesis, and further work is needed to answer this question.
Implications of river damming: the influence of aquatic hypoxia on the diving physiology and behaviour of the endangered Mary River turtle

River impoundments are characterized by low oxygen levels as a result of reduced water velocity and increased water depth. Bimodally respiring turtle species are likely to be highly sensitive to changes in aquatic PO2 with decreases in oxygen levels impacting upon their diving ability. The acute and long‐term effects of aquatic hypoxia on dive duration, oxygen consumption and blood respiratory properties were examined in hatchlings of the endangered Mary River turtle Elusor macrurus. It was hypothesized that acute exposure to aquatic hypoxia would cause a decrease in dive duration as a consequence of a decrease in reliance on aquatic respiration. With long‐term exposure to hypoxia, we predicted that Elu. macrurus would have the capacity to compensate for the acute effect of hypoxia and that dive duration would increase due to an increase in aquatic respiration, haemoglobin concentration and oxygen affinity (P50). When exposed to hypoxic conditions, aquatic respiration in Elu. macrurus was substantially reduced resulting in a 51% decrease in dive duration. Contrary to our predictions, Elu. macrurus hatchlings did not acclimate, and long‐term exposure to hypoxic conditions caused Elu. macrurus to lose significantly more oxygen to the hypoxic water than the normoxic acclimated turtles. The exacerbation of long‐term hypoxia on the respiratory physiology and diving ecology of Elu. macrurus raises concerns about the impacts of long‐term environmental change as a result of habitat alteration on the survival of freshwater turtle populations.
A feedback model for the optimal management of renewable natural capital stocks

The optimal management of the environment is becoming increasingly important with our growing awareness of the problems of loss of biodiversity and overconsumption of natural capital stocks. We used perturbation theory to provide simple feedback rules to compute optimal yields and depletion rates for many different types of renewable resources and to find the optimal steady state. The model is arbitrary in the state variable, stock, and quadratic in the control variable, yield. A quadratic objective function includes downward sloping demand or increasing marginal costs which are the most common sources of nonlinearities in economics. As a consequence of the nonlinearity, it is seen analytically that optimal stock levels may increase or decrease with an increased discount rate. The approach allows for managers to perform parameter analysis and to set yields even when the environmental system is subject to exogenous shocks. The feedback rules typify an adaptive approach to resource management and should prove useful in improving the management of the local and global commons. Resume : Au vu de l'accroissement de la sensibilisation aux problemes de perte de biodiversite et de surconsommation des ressources naturelles capitales, il est de plus en plus important de gerer l'environnement de facon optimale. Nous avons utilise la theorie des perturbations pour fournir des regles de retroaction simples dans le but de calculer les rendements optimums et les taux d'epuisement de diverses ressources naturelles, ainsi que de determiner l'etat d'equilibre optimal. Le modele est arbitraire pour la variable d'etat, le stock, et quadratique pour la variable de controle, la production. Une fonction economique quadratique comporte une decroissance de la demande ou une augmentation du cout marginal, les causes de non-linearite les plus frequentes en economie. La non-linearite permet de constater analytiquement que les niveaux optimums des stocks peuvent s'accroitre ou decroitre pour une augmentation du taux d'escompte. L'approche permet aux gestionnaires d'effectuer une analyse des parametres et de fixer des objectifs de production meme lorsque le systeme environnemental est soumis a un choc exogene. Les regles de la retroaction caracterisent une approche d'adaptation a la gestion des ressources et devraient etre utile pour l'amelioration de la gestion des patrimoines local et mondial. (Traduit par la Redaction)
Phenotypic and genotypic resistance profile of Salmonella Typhimurium to antimicrobials commonly used in poultry

Isolates of Salmonella sp (104) from poultry samples were isolated and serotyped where eleven were identified as Salmonella Typhimurium (ST). ST isolates were phenotypically tested by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Four genes related to enrofloxacin (GyrA, GyrB, ParC and ParE), two to gentamicin (AadA and AadB) and two to ceftiofur (BlaCMY-2 and AmpC) resistance were searched by PCR. Our results showed ST resistance to all three antibiotics tested (18.1% for ceftiofur, 45.4% for gentamicin, and 18.1% for enrofloxacin) according to the diffusion test. In the MIC test, the ST isolates showed higher levels of resistance (27.2% for ceftiofur, 54.5% for gentamicin, and 18.2% for enrofloxacin). Three resistance genes out of four searched genes for enrofloxacin were found in the ST isolates. Regarding gentamicin and ceftiofur, resistance genes were found mainly in samples with resistant phenotypic profile. Interestingly, some phenotypically-resistant strains did not present the resistance gene, which suggests an alternative route of resistance. Also, sensitive strains had the presence of the gene. It is possible to conclude that the ST isolates evaluated in this study have a multidrug resistance profile to the antibiotics routinely used in poultry production, and potential of greater levels of resistance in the near future.
Effects of Egg Storage Position and Injection of Solutions in Stored Eggs on Hatchability in Chickens (Gallus domesticus)

These experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of egg storage position and injection of solutions into stored eggs on hatchability in chickens. In experiment 1, a total of 689 eggs were randomly divided into two groups (Normal position : eggs with small end down, Opposite position : eggs with small end up) and were stored at 15°C and 60% relative humidity (RH) for one, two or three weeks in one of the two positions. Eggs were then incubated at 37.5°C and 60% RH. In experiment 2, a total of 120 eggs were divided into two groups (Rotation : the egg box was rotated 45° on the long axis twice a day, Non-rotation : eggs were stored without movement). These eggs were stored for 3 or 4 weeks then incubated as in experiment 1. In experiment 3, a total of 240 eggs were divided randomly into 4 groups (Control : no treatment, Needle : pricked with a needle, Saline : injected with physiological saline, MEM : injected with MEM solution). After storing at 15°C and 60% RH for 2 or 3 weeks, eggs were injected with different solutions and then incubated at 37.5°C and 60% RH. In experiment 1, egg weight loss% differed significantly (P<0.01) within the storage period but no difference due to the storage position was observed. Hatchability was significantly higher (p<0.05) in eggs stored for 2 or 3 weeks in the opposite position. Early mortality was the highest after 3 weeks for the normal position group. In experiment 2, rotation had no significant effect on hatchability. There was a sharp decline in hatchability when eggs were stored for 4 weeks. In experiment 3, injection of physiological saline and MEM solutions did not improve hatchability after 3 or 4 weeks of storage.