Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evolution of cooperation, especially in humans

I develop social evolution theory to study the evolution of cooperation as follows: (1) Many organisms undergo a dispersal phase prior to breeding; I demonstrate that knowing ones dispersal status aids the evolution of helping (by non-dispersers) and harming (by dispersers). (2) Policing driven by group-benefits may be selected to enforce cooperation in human and animal societies. I extend existing theory to show that policing may be harder to evolve that previously thought, but that it is maintained more readily than it evolves. (3) Archeological and anthropological evidence suggests that warfare was prevalent during our evolution. I show that, contrary to previous suggestions, between-group competition can favour any social behaviour (pro-social or anti-social) so long as it helps the group compete, and that such traits can be altruistic or mutually beneficial. (4) Reproductive leveling is analogous to policing; in the human literature there is doubt as to whether it can evolve. I extend my previous work to consider the coevolution of culturally and genetically inherited traits for reproductive leveling and selfishness. I find that cooperation can evolve between non-kin if they share the same culture. (5) Monogamy is thought to favour the evolution of cooperative breeding. I show that in the simplest case, because of the cost of competition between non-dispersing siblings, the level of promiscuity has little or no effect on the evolution of cooperation. (6) Spatial structure (limited dispersal) is thought to favour the evolution of inter-specific mutualisms as it aligns the partners’ interests. I consider the case of plant-fungi mutualisms and show that spatial structure can disfavour cooperation if it limits the potential fungal partners available to the plant.
Welfare of large animals in scientific research.

For the purpose of this paper, large animal species are taken to be those animals that are commonly usedÂ as farm livestock animals namely: cows, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, camelids and deer. The numbers ofÂ procedures in the UK in 2006 involving such animals amounted to around 56,000 out of a total of around 3Â million. It may be that human perception of these animals as livestock animals impairs our consideration ofÂ their needs, compared to say those of common pet animals, dogs or cats. As the perception of their environment,Â and the potential to suffer, of livestock animals is likely to be similar however, we should not neglectÂ their needs. The use of large animals in scientific procedures has advantages in some respects â€“ the animalsÂ are in the main domesticated, and are therefore comparatively docile and have been bred to cope with captivity. Â Nevertheless they can display aggressive behaviour and are capable of causing significant injury, so anÂ understanding of their behaviour can reduce risks to staff caring for and working with these animals. ThisÂ presentation considers the behaviour of these animals, their needs, signs of discomfort and pain, and meansÂ to ameliorate both their welfare and the safety of staff engaged in their use. Â
Interaction between Diplodia pinea or Diplodia scrobiculata and fungal endophytes isolated from pine shoots

Four endophytes isolated from healthy shoots of adult red pine (Pinus resinosa Aiton) or jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees were tested as potential biocontrol agents of the conifer shoot blight and canker pathogens Diplodia pinea (Desmaz.) J. Kickx fil. and Diplodia scrobiculata J. de Wet, B. Slippers & M.J. Wingfield. The effect of the endophytes on the germination of Diplodia species conidia and on the symptom severity caused by these pathogens on P. banksiana seedlings under greenhouse conditions was evaluated. Aggressiveness of each organism also was determined by means of single inoculations on jack pine seedlings. The results indicated that the endophyte Trichoderma atroviride P. Karst. showed a clear antagonism to Diplodia species. The culture filtrate of this fungus was able to reduce spore germination of D. scrobiculata. Furthermore, it was able to inhibit the D. pinea invasion when both organisms were inoculated in the same seedling. The observed reduction in the symptom severity on jack p.
Description of Immature Stages of Claudiella ingens Reichardt & Vanin, 1976 and Comparative Notes on Other Torridincolidae (Coleoptera, Torridincolidae)

The mature larvae and pupae of Claudiella ingens Reichardt & Vanin, 1976 from Grão Mogol, Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil are described. Larvae and pupae were found associated with teneral and mature adults in shallow and fast-flowing water. Larvae and pupae of C. ingens, Iapir borgmeiri (Reichardt & Vanin, 1976) and I. britskii (Reichardt & Costa, 1967) are very similar. Morphological studies of immature specimens failed to provide any additional characters to stress the generic differences between Claudiella and Iapir, which are only present in adults.
Reproductive biology of the Australian herring Arripis georgiana

Arripis georgiana was collected from along the Western Australian and South Australian coasts at regular intervals between October 1996 and December 1998. The trends exhibited during the year by gonadosomatic indices, gonadal maturity stages and oocyte stages demonstrate that spawning is restricted to south-western Australian waters from at least as far north as ~28˚43′S to as far east as ~119˚24′E, and that it occurs mainly during late May and early June. The simultaneous presence of post-ovulatory follicles and hydrated and yolk-granule oocytes in some ovaries during the spawning period indicates that A. georgiana is a multiple spawner, i.e. females spawn more than once in a breeding season. In south-western Australia, where all life-cycle stages are found, the overall sex ratio in catches collected by netting was close to parity, whereas females predominated in those obtained by anglers. The length at which 50% of fish reached maturity was 197 mm for females and 179 mm for males, and just over 50% of females and ~80% of males attained maturity at the end of their second year of life. The implications of these data for management of the fishery for A. georgiana are discussed.
Plant drought stress and outbreaks of spider mites: a field test.

A4bstract. I conducted a field experiment to clarify the relationship between drought stress of bush beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, and outbreaks of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, in the presence or absence of an important spider mite predator, Phytoseiulus persimilis. Spider mite populations were highest on well-watered and on severely stressed bean plants and lowest on slight-to-moderately stressed plants, indicating a nonlinear relationship. The predator exaggerated this pattern, reducing mite populations the most on moderately stressed plants and having the least impact on mites from severely stressed plants. Number of mites per unit leaf mass (a measure of mite injury to plants) was highest on severely stressed plants, lowest on slightly stressed plants, and intermediate on well-watered plants. Bean yield was negatively influenced by drought stress, with those plants that experienced high numbers of mites per unit leaf mass appearing to be more sensitive to drought than plants with low numbers of mites. The implications of these data for understanding the causes of pest outbreaks are discussed.
Effect of date syrup on pasting, rheological, and retrogradation properties of corn starch gels

The effect of date syrup on pasting, rheological, and retrogradation properties of cornstarch gels was investigated using an HR-2 Discovery Rheometer equipped with a pasting cell and parallel plate geometry. Pasting and rheological measurements were made on 6% (dry basis) corn starch with different levels of date syrup (starch:syrup; 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, or 1:3). The pasting measurements showed that addition of the date syrup increased the pasting temperature with increasing date syrup levels versus controls. Rheological measurements showed that peak viscosity and elastic modulus (G’) increased with increases in date syrup (1:2–1:3) but this decreased at 1:1 versus control. Changes in elastic modulus as a result of cold storage for 1 wk decreases with increases in date syrup concentration. This suggested that the date syrup could be an effective sweetener in reducing starch gel retrogradation during cold storage.
Butterfly Community Composition Across a Successional Gradient in a Human‐disturbed Afro‐tropical Rain Forest

Knowledge of the recovery of insect communities after forest disturbance in tropical Africa is very limited. Here, fruit‐feeding butterflies in a tropical rain forest at Kibale National Park, Uganda, were used as a model system to uncover how, and how fast, insect communities recover after forest disturbance. We trapped butterflies monthly along a successional gradient for one year. Traps were placed in intact primary forest compartments, heavily logged forest compartments with and without arboricide treatment approximately 43 years ago, and in conifer‐clearcut compartments, ranging from 9 to 19 years of age. The species richness, total abundance, diversity, dominance, and similarity of the community composition of butterflies in the eight compartments were compared with uni‐ and multivariate statistics. A total of 16,728 individuals representing 88 species were trapped during the study. Butterfly species richness, abundance, and diversity did not show an increasing trend along the successional gradient but species richness and abundance peaked at intermediate stages. There was monthly variation in species richness, abundance, diversity and composition. Butterfly community structure differed significantly among the eight successional stages and only a marginal directional change along the successional gradient emerged. The greatest number of indicator species and intact forest interior specialists were found in one of the primary forests. Our results show that forest disturbance has a long‐term impact on the recovery of butterfly species composition, emphasizing the value of intact primary forests for butterfly conservation.
Studies on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Monech)

Highly significant differences were found among the genotypes for all the characters studied except plant height, days to maturity, length of the fruit, diameter of the fruit, node at which mosaic disease appears and days at first mosaic symptoms appears. Highest phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation observed for node at which mosaic disease appears, days at first mosaic symptom appears and number of branches per plant. The GCV and PCV values for most of the characters were found to be very distant to each other, indicated that characters much influenced by environmental factors. The heritability estimates in broad sense were high for number of branches per plant, days to maturity, length of the fruit, days to 50% flowering and node at which mosaic disease appears, while low heritability estimates were observed for number of fruits per plant and node at which first flower appears. The genetic advance as percentage of mean was high for node at which mosaic disease appear, days at first mosaic symptom appear and number of branches per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for number of branches per plant and days to maturity indicating that they are governed by additive genes and could be effectively improved through selection.
Worker populations of Formica lugubris Zett. nests in Irish plantation woods

Abstract. 1. Estimates of worker populations of Formica lugubris Zett. nests in Irish plantation woods were obtained using capture—mark—recapture methods. Forager numbers were estimated by paint‐marking individuals on the foraging routes and ‘recapturing’ by traffic counts. Colony‐size was estimated using Stradling's (1970) 32P‐radiolabelling technique. Worker brood was estimated by excavation and direct count.
ERK5 Activation Inhibits Inflammatory Responses via Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor δ (PPARδ) Stimulation*

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) decrease the production of cytokine and inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, which are associated with aging-related inflammation and insulin resistance. Recently, the involvement of the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in regulating inflammation has been suggested, but the exact mechanisms for reducing inflammation by HO-1 remains unclear. We found that overexpression of HO-1 and [Ru(CO)3Cl2]2, a carbon monoxide (CO)-releasing compound, increased not only ERK5 kinase activity, but also its transcriptional activity measured by luciferase assay with the transfection of the Gal4-ERK5 reporter gene. This transcriptional activity is required for coactivation of PPARδ by ERK5 in C2C12 cells. [Ru(CO)3Cl2]2 activated PPARδ transcriptional activity via the MEK5/ERK5 signaling pathway. The inhibition of NF-κB activity by ERK5 activation was reversed by a dominant negative form of PPARδ suggesting that ERK5/PPARδ activation is required for the anti-inflammatory effects of CO and HO-1. Based on these data, we propose a new mechanism by which CO and HO-1 mediate anti-inflammatory effects via activating ERK5/PPARδ, and ERK5 mediates CO and HO-1-induced PPARδ activation via its interaction with PPARδ.
APLICAÇÃO DOS MODELOS RUSLE E WEPP PARA A ESTIMATIVA DA EROSÃO HÍDRICA EM MICROBACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DE VIÇOSA (MG)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as perdas de solo e agua medidas em uma bacia experimental localizada em Vicosa (MG) com aquelas calculadas pelos modelos RUSLE e WEPP. Nas simulacoes realizadas, a bacia foi dividida em seis sub-bacias de acordo com as caracteristicas de suas encostas. Nas simulacoes do WEPP dois diferentes valores foram considerados para a condutividade hidraulica do solo (K0): um igual a taxa de infiltracao estavel (Tie) medida (condicao A) e outro calculado a partir de procedimentos internos do WEPP (condicao B). A perda de agua calculada na condicao A foi proxima do valor medido, sendo que a condicao B superestimou bastante este valor. A RUSLE calculou valor de perda de solo proximo ao medido. A condicao B do WEPP estimou baixo valor de perda de solo, entretanto, maior que o observado. Na condicao A, a perda de solo calculada foi nula, sendo proxima ao valor medido. Ambos modelos estimaram bem a perda de solo, contudo a RUSLE apresentou melhor estimativa. Sugere-se que os procedimentos internos de calculo do WEPP devem ser cuidadosamente utilizados para condicoes brasileiras.
Fitase e digestibilidade aparente de nutrientes de rações por tilápias-do-nilo

The nutrient apparent digestibility of diet with increasing phytase levels based on vegetable ingredients fed to 90 Nile Tilapia juveniles averaging 120.0 g and allotted to none tanks (ten fishes/tank) was determined. The experiment was analyzed as a complete randomized design with nine treatments and six replicates. The treatments consisted of: control (with phosphorus supplementation) and eight treatments without phosphorus supplementation (with 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, 3,500, and 4,000 units of phytase [UF]/kg of diet). All diets were formulated to be isoenergy and isoprotein. The 1,500 UF treatment increased DM and GE digestibility and dietary Ca and P availability. The 1,000 UF treatment increased Zn and Mn availability.
Isolation and characterisation of carotenoid biosynthetic genes from Vitis vinifera

Water shortage is a major factor limiting plant growth and productivity and is predicted to worsen due to changes in the global climate. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in mediating a plant’s response to a range of environmental stress factors, including drought. ABA formation is regulated by a 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), which has been shown to be upregulated during water stress and, when constitutively overexpressed, confers a drought-tolerant phenotype to the resulting transgenics. A full-length functional NCED, isolated from Vitis vinifera cv. Pinotage, was used for overexpression in Arabidopsis. A transgenic A. thaliana plant line collection was established and genetically characterised to confirm that the transgene was overexpressed. An in planta functional analysis of VvNCED1 was conducted to assess the physiological effects of the transgene under normal growth conditions and following high light (HL) exposure and drought stress. In general, VvNCED1 overexpression resulted in increased ABA levels, delayed seed germination and slightly stunted growth relative to the wild type (WT) control. Hormone profiling showed that salicylic acid levels were unaffected but indole acetic acid (IAA) levels were positively correlated to ABA concentrations. The transgenic lines had a lower chlorophyll complement than that of the untransformed control but, with the exception of violaxanthin, similar concentrations of carotenoids were found when expressed per mole chlorophyll a. The lower violaxanthin did not affect xanthophyll cycling in the transgenics following exposure to HL (2100 μmol photons m.s for 30 min). Although the transgenic lines had a similar overall photosynthetic capacity to WT, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was, unexpectedly, markedly higher in the transgenics relative to WT. The fast-relaxing component of NPQ (qE) comprised the majority of this zeaxanthin-independent NPQ indicative of photoprotection. When the VvNCED1 transgenics were water-stressed for 18 days, a marked increase in their tolerance to water stress was observed compared to the response of WT. Comparisons were drawn according to their pigment and hormone profiles, the maximum quantum yield of PSII, stomatal conductance, relative water content and soil moisture content and the degree of lipid peroxidation in the thylakoid membranes. Taken together these results provide a comprehensive summary of the physiological effects of VvNCED1 on carotenoid biosynthesis and suggest a degree of crosstalk between ABA and IAA regulation. Furthermore, this study is the first reported case whereby NCED overexpression was found to increase the photoprotective capacity of the resulting transgenics and has extended our current knowledge of the factors affected during water stress and those parameters conferring drought tolerance. * Corresponding author. Tel. : +27 21 808 3773; fax: +27 21 808 3771 E-mail address: mav@sun.ac. za (M.A. Vivier)
Use of biodiesel‐derived crude glycerol for vancomycin production by Amycolatopsis orientalis XMU‐VS01

Crude glycerol is a primary by‐product in the biodiesel industry. Microbial fermentation on crude glycerol for producing value‐added products provides opportunities to utilize a large quantity of this by‐product. This study investigates the potential of using the crude glycerol to produce vancomycin (glycopeptide antibiotics) through fermentation of Amycolatopsis orientalis XMU‐VS01. The results show that crude glycerol was the most effective carbon source for mycelium growth and vancomycin production, with 40–60 g/L glycerol concentration as optimal range. Among other culture medium components, potato protein (nitrogen source) and the phosphate concentration had significant effects (p<0.05) for vancomycin production. A Box‐Behnken design and response surface methodology were employed to formulate the optimal medium. Their optimal values were determined as 52.73 g/L of glycerol, 17.36 g/L of potato protein, and 0.1 g/L of dipotassium phosphate. A highest vancomycin yield of 7.61 g/L with biomass concentration of 15.8 g/L was obtained after 120 h flask fermentation. The yield of vancomycin was 3.5 times higher than with basic medium. The results suggest that biodiesel‐derived crude glycerol is a promising feedstock for production of vancomycin from A. orientalis culture.
DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase Phosphorylation of IκBα and IκBβ Regulates NF-κB DNA Binding Properties

ABSTRACT Regulation of the IκBα and IκBβ proteins is critical for modulating NF-κB-directed gene expression. Both IκBα and IκBβ are substrates for cellular kinases that phosphorylate the amino and carboxy termini of these proteins and regulate their function. In this study, we utilized a biochemical fractionation scheme to purify a kinase activity which phosphorylates residues in the amino and carboxy termini of both IκBα and IκBβ. Peptide microsequence analysis by capillary high-performance liquid chromatography ion trap mass spectroscopy revealed that this kinase was the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). DNA-PK phosphorylates serine residue 36 but not serine residue 32 in the amino terminus of IκBα and also phosphorylates threonine residue 273 in the carboxy terminus of this protein. To determine the biological relevance of DNA-PK phosphorylation of IκBα, murine severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) cell lines which lack the DNA-PKcs gene were analyzed. Gel retardation analysis using extract prepared from these cells demonstrated constitutive nuclear NF-κB DNA binding activity, which was not detected in extracts prepared from SCID cells complemented with the human DNA-PKcs gene. Furthermore, IκBα that was phosphorylated by DNA-PK was a more potent inhibitor of NF-κB binding than nonphosphorylated IκBα. These results suggest that DNA-PK phosphorylation of IκBα increases its interaction with NF-κB to reduce NF-κB DNA binding properties.
Effect of Solar Eclipse of March 20, 2015 on the Ionosphere

The effects of the solar eclipse of March 20, 2015 on different ionospheric layers were studied, using vertical ionospheric soundings from the ionosondes of Rome (41.8N, 12.5E), Gibilmanna (37.9N, 14.0E), and San Vito dei Normanni (40.6N, 18.0E). The responses of the critical frequencies were investigated during the solar eclipse, and the formulations used for their estimation were corrected taking into account the decreased solar irradiance. This effect was modeled as a Solar Obscuration Factor (SOF) and comparisons with experimental values were performed. A further study on the occurrence of the sporadic E layer during the eclipse is presented. When ionogram analysis is limited to 3 days before and 3 days after the eclipse, the appearance of the sporadic E layer seems to be related to the eclipse. However, when a longer range of days before and after the eclipse event are taken into account this phenomenon does not appear so clear. The behavior of a regional adaptive and assimilative 3D ionospheric model was also tested, assimilating plasma frequency profiles fp(h). Studying the behavior of the model in such unusual conditions enabled the introduction of corrections to the foE, foF1, and foF2 formulations, improving the performances of the model itself.
Caractérisation des principaux miels des régions du Nord de l'Algérie

Les proprietes physico-chimiques (teneur en eau, pH, conductivite electrique, acidite totale, hydroxymethylfurfural, activite diastasique, taux de glucose, de fructose et de saccharose) ainsi que l'analyse pollinique (palynologie) ont ete utilisees afin de caracteriser 28 echantillons de miels du Nord de l'Algerie. Les resultats des analyses polliniques demontrent la dominance des miels monofloraux de Citrus et d'Eucalyptus, avec des pourcentages de pollen variant respectivement de 50 a 60 % et de 80 a 99 %, ainsi que des miels polyfloraux. Ces differents miels caracterisent les regions d'Alger, de Blida, de Tipaza et de Boumerdes. La teneur en eau, le pH, la conductivite electrique, l'acidite totale, l'hydroxymethylfurfural et l'activite diastasique sont inferieurs ou egaux a 18,6 % ± 0,28, 4,23 ± 0,01, 0,80 ± 0,06 ms/cm, 50,4 meq/kg, 38,7 ± 1,8 mg/kg et 34 ± 1,2 unites de Schade/g respectivement. Les taux de glucose, de fructose et de saccharose presentent des teneurs respectives de 37,4 % ± 1,02, 45,9 % ± 0,78 et 7,6 % ± 0,08 comme limites superieures. Ces resultats ont montre que ces miels repondent aux normes internationales et leur caracterisation permettra d'obtenir des labels de qualite propres a l'Algerie.