Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rastrococcus invadens sp. n. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) introduced from the Oriental Region to West Africa and causing damage to mango, citrus and other trees.

Rastrococcus invadens sp. n. has been accidentally introduced to West Africa where it is causing considerable damage to many plants, especially mango and citrus, in Togo and Ghana. The origin of the mealybug is the Oriental Region, where it is known from a wide area, but it has always been mistaken for R. spinosus (Robinson), a closely related species. Serious outbreaks on mango in some areas of the Oriental Region suggest recent introductions also, although records from other parts of the Oriental Region are as early as 1900.
Effect of Fermentation Temperature and Culture Medium on Glycerol and Ethanol during Wine Fermentation

Yeast strain BH8, which exhibited significant differences from nine other yeast strains studied for glycerol production, was selected to investigate the effect of fermentation temperature (13 and 25°C) and culture medium (synthetic medium and grape must) on fermentation kinetics, yeast growth, and glycerol and ethanol synthesis at three different stages of wine fermentation. Yeast viability was better at 13°C than at 25°C in both growth media, and the more complex grape must enabled yeast cells to reach a higher population density. The accumulation of glycerol, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) activity, and the level of expression of the GPD1 gene were highest in the initial stages of fermentation, which potentially counteracted the hyperosmotic stress caused by the high concentration of sugar in the media. More glycerol was produced during fermentation at 25°C than at 13°C and in grape must compared to the synthetic medium at both temperatures. Ethanol production was mainly affected by fermentation temperature. More ethanol was produced at 13°C than at 25°C, with lower expression of the ADH1 gene and level of ADH activity. The expression of the HSP104 and ALD6 genes was induced by ethanol stress in the final stages of fermentation. The amount of glycerol produced was not correlated to the production of acetic or succinic acid.
Multiple predator defence strategies in Daphnia pulex and their relation to native habitat

Daphnia may respond with an array of anti-predator defences (behavioural, morphological and life history) to a chemical cue (kairomone) exuded by its predators: fish and Chaoborus. Given the wide array of potential responses, it is an interesting question whether anti-predator defences are coupled or independent of each other. Since anti-predator responses are costly and even possessing the genetic information to respond to a certain predator might involve a cost, clones may only react to predators they co-occur with in nature. In this study, we provide evidence for an uncoupling of responses by Daphnia pulex in several anti-predator defences against Chaoborus. We were unable to detect a correlation between behavioural (migration), morphological (neck-spine induction) and life history [growth rate, neonate size and size at first reproduction (SFR)] responses. Furthermore, anti-predator responses did not always comply with what is commonly believed. We found that Daphnia clones can migrate up or down when exposed to fish or Chaoborus kairomone and that population growth rate, neonate size and SFR can increase or decrease in response to Chaoborus kairomone. We also show patterns in anti-predator defences that seem to relate to the habitat from which clones were derived. Daphnia clones that were collected in habitats with Chaoborus as the dominant predator tended to react strongly to Chaoboms kairomone by migrating upward and producing neck-spines. The migration behaviour against fish kairomone in these clones was often an unexpected upward migration. The Daphnia clone that co-existed with fish predators showed a downward migration in the presence offish as well as Chaoborus kairomone. Clones that had occurred with either both or no predators had mixed responses. We sometimes found an upward migration in combination with smaller body size as a response to Chaoborus kairomone. This may be interpreted as a behavioural defence against Chaoborus and a life-history defence against fish. Daphnia seem not to exhibit defence behaviour against predators they do not co-occur with. It might be costly for Daphnia to maintain genetic information to respond to these predators and protect that information from genetic drift.
Intraspecific variability of Pisolithus spp. as a response to changes in soil characteristics in a Moroccan cork oak plantation

Soil characteristics may be an important factor in structuring fungal communities. We relate the above- and below-ground distribution of the ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) Pisolithus spp. to changes in soil chemistry in a Quercus suber plantation located in the Maâmora forest (Morocco). Intrageneric variability of 115 fruit bodies was studied, using morphological characterization, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Two Pisolithus spp. genotypes were identified: 97% of the fruit bodies represent Pisolithus arhizus; the remaining 3% correspond to Pisolithus species 4, as previously described by Martin et al. [New Phytologist 153 (2002) 345-357]. Multivariate analysis (PCA) showed that species structure was strongly correlated with soil characteristics. P. arhizus fruit bodies were frequently found in the Eastern part of the plot at low molasic clay, N and P contents, while Pisolithus species 4 were collected only in the Western part at the high molasic clay, N and P contents. To determine whether this change in fruit body structure was expressed at the belowground level, we used morphological and molecular techniques to characterize the Pisolithus ectomycorrhizas. Only ectomycorrhizas of P. arhizus were identified at the low P–N–molasic clay site and disappeared completely at the high P–N–red clay site, where no Pisolithus species 4 mycorrhizas were found. However, autocorrelation among soil parameters makes it difficult to isolate the effects of individual parameters. These results show the local-scale impact of natural spatial heterogeneity on an ectomycorrhizal fungal genus.
Please Scroll down for Article Critical Reviews in Toxicology Effects of Atrazine on Fish, Amphibians, and Aquatic Reptiles: a Critical Review Effects of Atrazine on Fish, Amphibians, and Aquatic Reptiles: a Critical Review

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. The herbicide atrazine is widely used in agriculture for the production of corn and other crops. Because of its physical and chemical properties, atrazine is found in small concentrations in surface waters—habitats for some species. A number of reports on the effects of atrazine on aquatic vertebrates, mostly amphibians, have been published, yet there is inconsistency in the effects reported, and inconsistency between studies in different laboratories. We have brought the results and conclusions of all of the relevant laboratory and field studies together in this critical review and assessed causality using procedures for the identification of causative agents of disease and ecoepidemiology derived from Koch's postulates and the Bradford–Hill guidelines. Based on a weight of evidence analysis of all of the data, the central theory that environmentally relevant concentrations of atrazine affect reproduction and/or reproductive development in fish, amphibians, and reptiles is not supported by the vast majority of observations. The same conclusions also hold for the supporting theories such as induction of aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estradiol. For other responses, such as immune function, stress endocrinology , parasitism, or population-level effects, there are no indications of effects or there is such a paucity of good data that definitive conclusions cannot be made.
Differences in foraging times between two feeding guilds within Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) in southern Thailand

Abstract: Bats are important but understudied pollinators in the Palaeotropics, and much about their interactions with night-blooming, bat-pollinated plant species is still unknown. We compared visitation times to flowering and fruiting plant resources by nectarivorous bat species (obligate pollinators) and frugi-nectarivorous bat species (facultative pollinators) throughout the night to examine the temporal variability that occurs within Pteropodidae foraging. Timing of pollination is an important determinant of plant reproductive success and more temporally restrictive than fruit dispersal. We netted 179 nectarivorous bats and 209 frugi-nectarivorous bats across 367 total mist-net h at five plant species providing floral resources and six plant species providing fruit resources. We found that all three nectarivorous bat species in southern Thailand forage significantly earlier in the evening (20h30 versus 22h00), and over a significantly shorter time interval (1.73 h versus 3.33 h), than do the five most commonly netted frugi-nectarivorous species. These results indicate that the two feeding guilds may be imposing different selective pressures on bat-pollinated plant species and may comprise different functional groups. We propose that the observed differences in bat foraging times are due to temporal constraints imposed by the rewards of the plant species that they visit.
Effects of dietary fat, vitamin E and zinc supplementation on tibia breaking strength in female broilers under heat stress

The objective of this experiment was to characterize the relationship between dietary fat and antioxidant supplementation, on tibia breaking strength (TS) and performance parameters in broiler chickens under heat stress. The chicks with a similar body weight were equally assigned to one of the two controlled-environment chambers from 21 to 56 days of age. The birds were fed diets as follows: 1) basal diet supplemented with 5% saturated fatty acid; 2) basal diet supplemented with 5% unsaturated fatty acids (2% canola oil plus 3% fish oil); and 3) the second diet supplemented with antioxidants (100 IU vitamin E and 50 mg/kg zinc); that birds received these 3 diets in two temperatures (22°C and 32°C). Results showed that feed conversion ratio was not influenced by antioxidant and fat supplementation but antioxidants could improve body weight gain and feed conversion ratio significantly; although, higher feed intake was observed (P < 0.05). High environmental temperature showed deleterious effects, including: reduction of feed intake and live weight and increase of feed conversion ratio. Characterization of tibia bone showed that, the higher environmental temperature decreased length and width of tibia, ash and its strength, significantly (P < 0.05). Key words:
Morphological Evaluation and Measurement of the Respiration Activity of Cumulus-oocyte Complexes to Assess Oocyte Quality

Abstract: Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a non-invasive and sensitive technique for measuring cellular respiration. In this paper, we review the SECM technique, to establish it as an accurate method for measuring the respiratory activity of single cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and oocytes in animals as well as in humans. Oxygen consumption rates of COCs are influenced by the surrounding cumulus volume and the mitochondrial activity of the cumulus cells. An increase in the oxygen consumption rate was found in bovine oocytes, whereas the oxygen consumption of human oocytes tends to decrease during in vitro maturation (IVM). To analyze the metabolic activity of mitochondrial respiration, ATP content and mitochondrial distribution in bovine oocytes have been examined. An electron microscopic study confirmed mitochondrial reorganization in bovine oocytes during oocyte maturation. These results show that the respiratory activity of oocytes changes with maturation status during IVM and mitochondrial reorganization may partly influence respiratory activity. The SECM procedure is therefore a useful technique for evaluating the metabolic activity and quality of oocytes and cumulus cells in the IVM process.
Relationship between heterosis and genetic diversity in Indian pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] accessions using multivariate cluster analysis and heterotic grouping.

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is one of the most important food legume crops in the semi-arid regions of the world. India is the largest pigeonpea growing country however; its productivity per unit area by world standard is sparingly low and stagnant owing to several biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to increase its productivity, high yielding and disease resistant varieties/hybrids should be developed. Hence, an attempt was made to assess relationship between heterosis and genetic diversity as well as forming heterotic groups for pigeonpea breeding. Three CMS lines were crossed with 20 elite genotypes/restorers in a line x tester mating system and the resultant 60 F1 hybrids along with their parents were evaluated for various morphological traits to predict the genetic relationship among parents and heterosis in their crosses. The parental genotypes under study fell into five distinct non-overlapping clusters. Maximum intra-cluster distance was in cluster III (263.80) followed by cluster IV (253.62) and cluster I (244.81). The intercluster distances varied from 299.93 (between cluster I and II) to 727.79 (between cluster II and IV). Generally, the crosses derived from high diversity group showed high positive significant heterosis for seed yield. However, some crosses give very high negative heterosis for seed yield although their parents belong to a high diversity group. The reason for this possibly will be linkage of alleles for complex genetic traits as biomass and yield. Consequently, the precision of genetic distance can be obtained by estimating genetic distance through molecular techniques. Among the top fifteen heterotic hybrids for seed yield, ten crosses were resulted from crossing between parents of low diversity while, five from the high diversity group. Heterotic grouping evinced that usually, yield, heterosis and specific combining ability are higher in inter-group crosses than in intra-group crosses. It could be concluded that genetic diversity can be utilized as a reliable parameter for predicting heterosis in hybrids.
IL-2 receptor α chain (CD25JAC) expression defines a crucial stage in pre-B cell development

The analysis of the expression of the alpha chain of the IL-2 receptor (CD25, TAC) on the surface of B lineage cells in mouse bone marrow reveals that it is a useful marker to distinguish pre-B-I from pre-B-II cells. CD25 is not expressed on CD45R(B220)+ c-kit+ CD43+ TdT+ lambda 5+ c mu- sIg-IgH chain locus DJH-rearranged pre-B-I cells of mouse bone marrow. It is expressed on large cycling CD45R(B220)+ c-kit- CD43+ TdT- lambda 5+ c mu+ sIg- and on small resting CD45R(B220)+ c-kit- CD43- TdT- lambda 5- c mu- sIg- IgH chain locus VHDJH-rearranged pre-B-II cells. Therefore, the transition from pre-B-I to large pre-B-II cells is marked by the downregulation of c-kit and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), and by the upregulation of CD25. SCID, RAG-2T, microMT and lambda 5T mutant mice do have normal, if not elevated numbers of pre-B-I cells but lack all CD25+ pre-B-II cells in their bone marrow. The expression of a transgenic H chain under control of the microH chain enhancer in RAG-2T bone marrow B lineage precursors allows the development of large and small CD25+ pre-B-II cells. The results suggest that the differentiation of pre-B-I to pre-B-II cells in mouse bone marrow requires the expression of microH chains and surrogate L chains in membranes, probably on the surface of precursor B cells.
Studies on the Movement of Water Through Apple Trees

Resistances to the flow of water through young potted apple trees were estimated by measuring the transpiration rate of trees with and without root systems. Root system resistances were obtained by difference. Whole-plant resistances were of the order 10 x 1013 Pa s m-3 and there was some evidence that root resistances (Rr) varied with transpiration rate; the ratio liT■ Rx (where Rx is resistance to water flow in the stem system) altered from 2:1 at relatively high transpiration rates to 1:1 at lower rates. The trunk of a 9-year-old orchard tree (trunk diameter ~7 cm, height ~2-5 m) was cut under water and estimates of the flow resistances in this tree were obtained. These were much lower than the resistances to flow in the potted trees. Capacitance (defined as the change in stored water content per unit change in plant water potential) values were calculated for the small trees and the large tree from measurements of weight and water potential changes after the trees were removed from water. They were very similar on a weight basis (approx. 2-0 x 10~8 kg kg-1 Pa-1). Leaf capacitance values (~1 x 10~8 kg Pa-1 m-2) were also obtained. Stomatal conductances decreased with water potential and increased with short-wave radiation, but the relationships were not definitive. Estimates of boundary layer conductance in a greenhouse (very low wind speeds) were of the same order (~ 5 mm s-1) as values obtained previously.
Correlation Analysis Between Antioxidant Activity and Phytochemicals in Korean Colored Corns Using Principal Component Analysis

The colored corns are used as food as well as for feed in Asian countries; however, the active component of antioxidant activity in Korean colored corns has not been investigated. Thus, we measured the total content of carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins from 40 Korean colored corn genotypes for correlation analysis between antioxidant activity and these phytochemicals. The ferric reducing ability power (FRAP) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) activity were measured in order to study this correlation. As a result, there was large variation in total anthocyanin (coefficient of variation, CV 85.0%) and total carotenoid contents (CV 87.8%), while CVs of total phenol, total flavonoid contents, ABTS and FRAP was relatively low (CV 15.0%, 22.8%, 15.5%, and 16.3% respectively). There were meaningful correlations between ABTS and anthocyanins, phenols, and flavonoids, as well as correlations between FRAP and phenols as well as FRAP and flavonoids. We also obtained a more informative and easily visualized result by using principal component analysis (PCA). Anthocyanins and carotenoids showed a large variation as compared to other compounds. Anthocyanins are a good target to increase antioxidant activity in colored corns.
Effect of root restriction on vegetative growth and leaf anatomy of 'Kyoho' grapevines cultivar

The effects of root restriction on leaf and shoot growth and leaf anatomy of grape were investigated. Root restriction delayed leaf appearance, decreased leaf growth and reduced the rate of leaf expansion during all stage of berry development. Shoot growth of root-restricted vines was also reduced, with the length and thickness of shoots being lower than those of the control. Root restriction also induced adaptive changes in the leaf anatomy. Somata density of leaves from root-restricted vines was higher than that of controls, but the size of the stomata was smaller. The thickness of the leaf, cuticle, palisade layer, spongy mesophyll, and leaf structure tense ratio (CTR) were increased, however, the leaf tissue loose ratio (SR) and the size of guard cells were decreased. In conclusion, our results suggest that root restriction not only reduces growth of vegetative organ, but also alters their anatomy. These changes may be one of the reasons that change the physiological functions of the leaf. Key words: Root restriction, shoot and leaf growth, leaf anatomy.
Factors Influencing Home-Range Size of Swainson's Warblers in Eastern Arkansas

Abstract. Understanding factors affecting space-use patterns can lead to improved knowledge of the ecology and habitat needs of a species. We radiotracked 37 male Swainson's Warblers (Limnothlypis swainsonii) at two sites in eastern Arkansas, White River National Wildlife Refuge, a bottomland site, and St. Francis National Forest, a site with birds in both bottomlands and uplands. We found substantial variation in home-range size and evaluated habitat and nonhabitat predictors of home-range size by information-theoretic techniques. We also evaluated how breeding phase affected home-range size. Several habitat variables were good predictors of home-range size, including understory density, vine-stem density, and other stem-density variables. Overall, vine-stem density and understory density were the best predictors of home-range size, and nonhabitat factors were poor predictors. A three-variable model including density of giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea), vine, and shrub stems as separate variables was a much better predictor of home-range size than a model using total stem density, suggesting that Swainson's Warblers respond differently to different stem types. Birds using areas with fewer vines and more cane exploited smaller home ranges, suggesting better habitat quality. Birds that were tracked a greater proportion of time during the incubation and nestling periods used larger home ranges. Though our study found that birds held smaller home ranges in areas of more cane and fewer vines, a combination of stem factors and understory density appears to explain home-range size best. We recommend that management for Swainson's Warbler focus on maintenance of uniformly dense understory vegetation within forests.
Effects of total replacement of fish oil by pork lard or rapeseed oil and recovery by a fish oil finishing diet on growth, health and fish quality of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

An 84-day growth trial was designed to investigate effects of dietary replacements fish oil with pork lard (PL) or rapeseed oil (RO) on growth and quality of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio var. CAS III) (initial body weight: 158.2 ± 0.2 g), and responses of the fish refed fish oil (FO) diet. Three isonitrogenous (crude protein: 30%) and isolipid (crude lipid: 10%) diets were formulated containing 7.73% FO, PL or RO. Five experimental treatments including FO group (FO), PL group (PL), RO group (RO), group fed PL for 42 days and refed FO for 42 days (PL+rFO), RO and refed FO group (RO+rFO) was tested. At the end of first 42 days, the fish fed PL and RO had higher mortality than that of the control (P > 0.05). At the end of whole experiment, fish fed PL and RO showed higher plasma cortisol than FO fish (P 0.05). PL and RO diet decreased muscle EPA, DHA and n-3/n-6 ratio (P < 0.05), while FO-refeeding had recovery effect. It can be concluded that the replacement of FO by PL and RO does not affect the growth, feed utilization or fish tasting quality in gibel carp. Fish muscle fatty acids modified by dietary PL and RO can be recovered by refeeding with FO diet.