Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Five-year Study on the Effect of Cluster Thinning and Harvest Date on Yield, Fruit Composition, and Cold-hardiness of ‘Vidal Blanc’ (Vitis spp.) for Ice Wine Production

The aim of this 5-year study was to investigate the influence of cluster thinning (CT) and harvest date on yield components, fruit composition, and bud cold-hardiness in 'Vidal blanc' (Vitis spp.) grapevines grown in northern Ohio. It is unknown whether delaying harvest of 'Vidal blanc' for ice wine production would impact negatively winter- hardiness. 'Vidal blanc' grapevines were cluster-thinned at post-fruit set (Eichhorn- Lorenz (EL) Stage 31) to two crop levels by retaining 40 (CT40) and 60 (CT60) clusters per vine. Each crop level was harvested at three dates: normal harvest (HD1), fall harvest (HD2) after the first killing frost, and winter harvest (HD3) corresponding to the typical commercial harvest for ice wine. Generally, and as expected, the high crop level CT60 increased crop weight and cropload and decreased total soluble solids and pH. Delayed harvest decreased crop weight, cluster weight, berry weight, and titratable acidity but increased total soluble solids and pH. Bud cold-hardiness, determined by thermal analysis and after two freezing events, was not different among all treatments. It was concluded that CT40 produced optimum vine size and cropload thus balanced vines. Furthermore, delaying fruit harvest in 'Vidal blanc' for ice wine production in the northeastern United States and Canada improves fruit composition but has no adverse influence on bud cold-hardiness.
Male Association Preference for Conspecifics in the Redband Darter, Etheostoma luteovinctum (Teleostei: Percidae) Based on Visual Cues

Divergent visual signals and associated mate preferences are frequently hypothesized to result in behavioral isolation between species lineages. Females are traditionally predicted to be the choosier sex, using visual cues such as male color to facilitate mate recognition and assessment. However, a number of authors have hypothesized that males also are selective in choosing mates and that male preferences can be important in maintaining behavioral isolation. Darters of the genus Etheostoma (Percidae) are a diverse group of sexually dimorphic fishes in which males of most species exhibit elaborate nuptial coloration during spawning seasons. Male coloration is hypothesized to play a role in maintaining behavioral isolation between darter species, and females show association preferences for conspecific male coloration. However, the degree to which males exhibit preferences for conspecific female visual cues is less clear. We examined conspecific association preferences based only on visual signals in male Redband Darter, Etheostoma luteovinctum. We presented individuals with a choice of a conspecific female or a female E. hopkinsi, a heterospecific that is almost completely behaviorally isolated from E. luteovinctum and differs in coloration and body shape. Males exhibited a statistically significant association preference for conspecifics in dichotomous choice trials where only visual cues were available. This is the first study to document a significant conspecific association preference in males of a darter species, providing evidence that males may contribute to behavioral isolation from E. hopkinsi. Differences in female coloration, body shape, or behavior appear to serve as important signals that would help maintain behavioral isolation between E. luteovinctum and E. hopkinsi upon secondary contact.
Identifying Positive Features of the Sadness Prototype

Sadness, an emotional experience of daily life, is typically associated with negative experiences such as the loss of a loved one. However, sadness also has an adaptive function, as it can help us respond appropriately to environmental demands. While previous research has revealed positive functions of sadness, it is unclear whether laypeople recognize any positive aspects of sadness. In the present three-part study, we aimed to identify whether laypeople conceptualize any positive features of sadness. In Part 1, we asked Japanese participants (n = 122) to describe the features of “sadness,” and their responses revealed 37 different sadness features, some of which were assumed to be positive aspects (e.g., meaning making). In Part 2, we asked a second group of Japanese participants (n = 140) to rate the centrality of each previously named feature, and we then classified the features into either central or peripheral sadness features. At this point, participants reported positive aspects of sadness (e.g., co-occurrence of positive emotion). To confirm the differences between central and peripheral features, in Part 3 we examined automatic responses toward these features from a third group of Japanese participants (n = 91) and demonstrated the relationship between the concept of sadness and its characteristic features. We presented these participants with a subset of the features of sadness and then asked them to complete a recall and recognition task. As expected, they recalled central features more often than peripheral features of sadness, and they generated false recognitions to central features. In conclusion, this three-part study indicated that there are positive features related to the function of sadness that laypeople can identify in their mental lexicon.
Host Plant Species of Bemisia tabaci Affect Orientational Behavior of the Ladybeetle Serangium japonicum and Their Implication for the Biological Control Strategy of Whiteflies

Serangium japonicum Chapin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a predominant predator with a preference for Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). To date, the orientational behavior of S. japonicum toward B. tabaci-infested plants has seldom been reported. In this study, greenhouse cage experiments and bioassays with wind tunnels, a Y-tube olfactometer and B. tabaci-induced plant volatiles were executed to clarify this behavior. In greenhouse cage experiments, B. tabaci adults significantly preferred eggplant, cucumber and tobacco to cotton and tomato, whereas S. japonicum adults preferred B. tabaci-infested eggplant, cucumber and cotton to tobacco and tomato. In wind tunnel bioassays, B. tabaci showed a clear preference for eggplant, cucumber and tobacco. Compared with B. tabaci-infested eggplant, cucumber or cotton, B. tabaci-infested tobacco was rarely visited by S. japonicum. In Y-tube bioassays, S. japonicum did not distinguish between B. tabaci-infested and uninfested eggplant. Nine common plant volatiles were detected in different plant species, suggesting that these volatiles may play an important role in the process by which S. japonicum looks for prey. In light of the current results, we discuss the implications of our findings and put forward to a new strategy—i.e., an eggplant + B. tabaci + S. japonicum system—to control B. tabaci damage in the integrated management of whitefly.
Nodular symbionts of Shepherdia, Alnus, and Myrica from a sand dune ecosystem: trends in occurrence of soilborne Frankia genotypes

A successional sand dune system along the Lake Michigan shoreline was chosen to study the impact of edaphic factors, vegetation cover, and topographic position on Frankia strain distribution and infectivity. On this site, three actinorhizal species, Myrica gale L. , Alnus incana (L.) Moench subsp. rugosa (Du Roi) Clausen, and Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. , grew in different communities. Soil samples were collected on plots devoid of actinorhizal plants and serially diluted to inoculate the three native host plants in a greenhouse study. Strains present in the nodules formed were then genetically characterized using PCR-RFLP of the 16S23S intergenic spacer (IGS). An additional study site was included to estimate the impact of the sympatric presence of the three host species on soil infectivity and strain diversity. On this second site, soils used as inocula were collected in the rhizosphere of M. gale and S. canadensis. The M. gale and A. incana nodular strains belonged to an homogeneous cluster, wherea.
Diet and Nutraceutical Supplementation in Dyslipidemic Patients: First Results of an Italian Single Center Real-World Retrospective Analysis

Background: Dyslipidemias are a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorders mainly characterized by an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or other conditions, such as acute pancreatitis in hypertriglyceridemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of diet treatment and nutraceutical (NUTs) supplementation on the plasma lipid profile in outpatient dyslipidemic subjects, considering the influence of several factors (i.e., gender, age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits). Methods: 487 dyslipidemic patients spanning from 2015 to 2019 were treated with a Mediterranean diet or NUTs in a real-word setting and were retrospectively analyzed. General characteristics and lipid profile at baseline and after the follow-up period were evaluated. Results: Diet alone reduced total cholesterol (−19 mg/dL, −7.7%), LDL cholesterol (−18 mg/dL, −10.1%), and triglycerides (−20 mg/dL, −16.7%). Triglycerides (TG) decreased more in men, while women were associated with higher reduction of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Different types of NUTs further ameliorate lipid profiles when associated with diet. Nevertheless, most patients at low ASCVD risk (222 out of 262, 81.6%) did not achieve the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines recommended LDL-C goals (i.e., LDL-C < 116 mg/dL). Conclusion: Lipid-lowering diet improves lipid profile, and NUTs can boost its efficacy, but taken together they are mainly unsatisfactory with respect to the targets imposed by 2019 EAS/ESC guidelines.
Vegetation Biomass Dynamics and Patterns of Sexual Reproduction in a Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie

Abstract The sustainability of natural grasslands is in large part dependent upon the successful ingress and propagation of alien plant species. We attempted to characterize the propagation potential of the dominant plant species of a southeastern Montana mixed-grass prairie community including two introduced grasses, Bromus japonicus and B. tectorum. Aboveground standing crops and densities of seeds were estimated on 10 dates between September 1991 and August 1993 and seedling densities were estimated on 21 dates between September 1991 and July 1993. Total aboveground standing crop ranged from about 110 to 340 g m−2 and was dominated by three grasses: Bouteloua gracilis, a warm-season, perennial; Pascopyrum smithii, a cool-season, perennial; and B. japonicus, a cool-season, annual grass. Seed production was dominated by B. japonicus (∼10,400 seeds m−2). Bouteloua gracilis and P. smithii seed production was negligible with maximum densities of about 120 and 25 seeds m−2, respectively. Density of seedlings was greatest for B. japonicus (∼2100 seedlings m−2), Festuca octoflora (∼1100 seedlings m−2), and Plantago patagonica (∼350 seedlings m−2). Maximum number of B. gracilis seedlings was 25 m−2. No P. smithii seedlings were observed during the study. Temporal differences in seedling densities were closely tied to late summer-early fall precipitation patterns. Although community-level seed production and seedling establishment processes were dominated by B. japonicus, the overwhelming presence of herbage produced by the two vegetative propagating species, B. gracilis and P. smithii, casts doubt on a trend in ecological succession toward an annual grass-dominated community.
An efficient in vitro regeneration protocol for faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

A reliable regeneration system for faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has been difficult to establish, delaying its genetic improvement. In the present work a rapid, reproducible and efficient regeneration method was developed for faba bean using single cotyledon explants with half embryonal axis. MS medium supplemented with 6 µM TDZ (thidiazuron), 10 µM 2-iP and 4 µM kinetin induced 30 to 50 adventitious buds /shoots after two weeks of culture, which were elongated on MS medium supplemented with 6 µM 2-iP and 2 µM kinetin. With healthy and strong roots established, shoots were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 5 µM IBA within 10 to 14 days. Shoots of 5 cm long were most suitable for rooting. Potting-mixture with good aeration and less capacity to retain water was most suitable for successful establishment of faba bean plantlets. Garden soil mixed with sand (gravel) and bio-manure (1:1:1) was most suitable for transplantation. TDZ promoted adventitious bud formation while 5 µM IBA was most suitable for rooting, higher concentrations were toxic to plantlets. Aeration of the potting mixture was important for rapid micropropagation and successful establishment. The efficient regeneration protocol reported here allows for successful micropropagation of faba bean, which is essential for future genetic improvement of plants via transformation protocols. Key words: Vicia fab, organogenesis, transplantation, TDZ, IBA and kinetin.
Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Saprophytic Bacteria Isolated from Ambient, Near-Shore Sediments of an Urbanized Estuary: Absence of β-Lactamase Drug-Resistance Genes

We assessed the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and screened for clinically relevant β-lactamase resistance determinants in Gram-negative bacteria from a large urbanized estuary. In contrast to the broad literature documenting potentially hazardous resistance determinants near wastewater treatment discharge points and other local sources of aquatic pollution, we employed a probabilistic survey design to examine ambient, near-shore sediments. We plated environmental samples from 40 intertidal and shallow subtidal areas around San Francisco Bay (California, USA) on drug-supplemented MacConkey agar, and we tested isolates for antimicrobial resistance and presence of clinically relevant β-lactamase resistance determinants. Of the 74 isolates identified, the most frequently recovered taxa were Vibrio spp. (40%), Shewanella spp. (36%), Pseudomonas spp. (11%), and Aeromonas spp. (4%). Of the 55 isolates tested for antimicrobial resistance, the Vibrio spp. showed the most notable resistance profiles. Most (96%) were resistant to ampicillin, and two isolates showed multidrug-resistant phenotypes: V. alginolyticus (cefotaxime, ampicillin, gentamicin, cefoxitin) and V. fluvialis (cefotaxime, ampicillin, cefoxitin). Targeted testing for class 1 integrons and presence of β-lactam-resistance gene variants TEM, SHV, OXA, CTX-M, and Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase (KPC) did not reveal any isolates harboring these resistance determinants. Thus, while drug-resistant, Gram-negative bacteria were recovered from ambient sediments, neither clinically relevant strains nor mobile β-lactam resistance determinants were found. This suggests that Gram-negative bacteria in this well-managed, urbanized estuary are unlikely to constitute a major human exposure hazard at this time.
Evidence that ABC transporter-mediated autocrine export of an eicosanoid signaling molecule enhances germ cell chemotaxis in the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri

ABSTRACT The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri regenerates the germline during repeated cycles of asexual reproduction. Germline stem cells (GSCs) circulate in the blood and migrate to new germline niches as they develop and this homing process is directed by a Sphigosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) gradient. Here, we find that inhibition of ABC transporter activity reduces migration of GSCs towards low concentrations of S1P in vitro. In addition, inhibiting phospholipase A2 (PLA2) or lipoxygenase (Lox) blocks chemotaxis towards low concentrations of S1P. These effects can be rescued by addition of the 12-Lox product 12-S-HETE. Blocking ABC transporter, PLA2 or 12-Lox activity also inhibits homing of germ cells in vivo. Using a live-imaging chemotaxis assay in a 3D matrix, we show that a shallow gradient of 12-S-HETE enhances chemotaxis towards low concentrations of S1P and stimulates motility. A potential homolog of the human receptor for 12-S-HETE, gpr31, is expressed on GSCs and differentiating vasa+ germ cells. These results suggest that 12-S-HETE might be an autocrine signaling molecule exported by ABC transporters that enhances chemotaxis in GSCs migrating towards low concentrations of S1P. Summary: In the invertebrate chordate Botryllus schlosseri, germ cell chemotaxis towards the primary chemoattractant Sphingosine- 1-Phosphate is enhanced by ABC transporter-mediated export of a secondary chemoattractant: an eicosanoid signaling molecule.
Eavesdropping on the echolocation and social calls of bats

1. Comparisons of original calls and their echoes allow echolocating microchiropteran bats to collect information about their surroundings. Echolocation calls are also a source of information for other animals. A spectacular example is the hearing-based defence of many species of insects that use echolocation calls to detect marauding bats. The role of echolocation calls remains unknown for bats that eat other bats. 2. Other eavesdroppers, biologists, regularly monitor echolocation calls to collect information about the distribution and patterns of habitat use of echolocating bats. People monitoring echolocation calls have discovered cryptic species of bats. 3. Vocal communication in bats involves social calls that serve only in communication, as well as echolocation calls that influence the behaviour of conspecifics and others. There is evidence of individual- and colony-specific social and echolocation calls. 4. The long age-spans of bats and the propensity of some species to roost in groups combine with conspicuousness of echolocation calls to set the stage for the discovery of more behavioural interactions mediated by individual-specific echolocation calls. In the echolocation of microchiropteran bats, signals can serve multiple functions, both for producers and listeners.
Fabrication and Plasma Surface Activation of Aligned Electrospun PLGA Fiber Fleeces with Improved Adhesion and Infiltration of Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells Maintaining their Teno-inductive Potential

Electrospun PLGA microfibers with adequate intrinsic physical features (fiber alignment and diameter) have been shown to boost teno-differentiation and may represent a promising solution for tendon tissue engineering. However, the hydrophobic properties of PLGA may be adjusted through specific treatments to improve cell biodisponibility. In this study, electrospun PLGA with highly aligned microfibers were cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)-treated by varying the treatment exposure time (30, 60, and 90 s) and the working distance (1.3 and 1.7 cm) and characterized by their physicochemical, mechanical and bioactive properties on ovine amniotic epithelial cells (oAECs). CAP improved the hydrophilic properties of the treated materials due to the incorporation of new oxygen polar functionalities on the microfibers’ surface especially when increasing treatment exposure time and lowering working distance. The mechanical properties, though, were affected by the treatment exposure time where the optimum performance was obtained after 60 s. Furthermore, CAP treatment did not alter oAECs’ biocompatibility and improved cell adhesion and infiltration onto the microfibers especially those treated from a distance of 1.3 cm. Moreover, teno-inductive potential of highly aligned PLGA electrospun microfibers was maintained. Indeed, cells cultured onto the untreated and CAP treated microfibers differentiated towards the tenogenic lineage expressing tenomodulin, a mature tendon marker, in their cytoplasm. In conclusion, CAP treatment on PLGA microfibers conducted at 1.3 cm working distance represent the optimum conditions to activate PLGA surface by improving their hydrophilicity and cell bio-responsiveness. Since for tendon tissue engineering purposes, both high cell adhesion and mechanical parameters are crucial, PLGA treated for 60 s at 1.3 cm was identified as the optimal construct.
Sharing Opportunities for OLTP Workloads in Different Isolation Levels

OLTP applications are usually executed by a high number of clients in parallel and are typically faced with high throughput demand as well as a constraint latency requirement for individual statements. Interestingly, OLTP workloads are often read-heavy and comprise similar query patterns, which provides a potential to share work of statements belonging to different transactions. Consequently, OLAP techniques for sharing work have started to be applied also to OLTP workloads, lately. In this paper, we present an approach for merging read statements within interactively submitted multi-statement transactions consisting of reads and writes. We first define a formal framework for merging transactions running under a given isolation level and provide insights into a prototypical implementation of merging within a commercial database system. In our experimental evaluation, we show that, depending on the isolation level, the load in the system and the read-share of the workload, an improvement of the transaction throughput by up to a factor of 2.5X is possible without compromising the transactional semantics.
Species coexistence, keystone species, and succession: a sensitivity analysis

One of the major questions in ecology is, what controls the structure of communities? We used projection matrix models to examine community dynamics and patterns of succession. The inputs of the model are transition probabilities of species replacements that were measured repeatedly during a long-term (1962-1989) study of diverse coral assemblages on Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef. Transitions varied strikingly among species and sites, reflecting differences in recruitment, growth, longevity (persis- tence), and the rate of replacement of one species by another. Species that had a poor ability to persist (e.g., algae and Pocilloporid corals) were generally good colonists. The observed number of transitions expressed as a proportion of the maximum number possible provides an index of the complexity of interactions in an assemblage, analogous to the concept of connectance in food-web analysis. Transitions occurred to and from nearly every species group, indicating that there was no competitive dominant in this system. We use the models in simulations to track transitory changes in species abundance and community composition following a major disturbance (e.g., due to a cyclone or outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish). Some species showed a rapid initial increase followed by a decline to lower equilibrium levels, while others increased smoothly to a generally higher equilibrial abundance. The length of time required to reach a climax assemblage using the same matrix recurrently (_20 yr) is far greater than the observed interval between major disturbances, supporting nonequilibrium theories of coral reef communities. Climax as- semblages were highly diverse and varied in composition from site to site. The "inter- mediate disturbance hypothesis" does not fully predict successional changes in these shal- low-water coral assemblages since diversity remained very high at equilibrium (i.e., long after a major disturbance). Competitively inferior species were not eliminated because routine mortality ensured that some space always remained available for colonization. We also present a novel method for quantifying the relative importance of each species interaction to community composition and the rate of succession, based on a sensitivity analysis of the transition matrix. The analysis shows that the importance of a species to the dynamics of a community may be unrelated to its abundance at equilibrium, with some rare species groups having a greater impact than more common ones. Sensitivity analysis of this type will provide a powerful means of identifying "keystone" species in complex assemblages where experimental manipulation of each species is impossible.