Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATIONS OF ANTIMICROBIAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ARGEMONE MEXICANA MEDICINAL PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST BACTERIA WITH GASTROINTESTINAL RELEVANCE

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate antibacterial potential and phytochemical analysis of various extracts of A rgemone Mexicana. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of various extracts of A. Mexicana were analysed by using agar well disc diffusion method. Results: The ethanolic and methanolic extracst of A. mexicana had showed significant antimicrobial activity. Similar result was not observed in other four extracts. The higher content of reducing sugar, flavanoids, tannin, sterol, terpene and alkaloid were found in all the extracts of A. Mexicana are comparable with Amoxicillin. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study indicate that A. mexicana is a potential source of antimicrobial and thus could prevent many diseases. Keywords: A. mexicana, Antimicrobial activity, Phytochemical analysis, Infectious diseases, Medicinal plants and Plant extract.
Reanalysis of and attribution to near-surface ozone concentrations in Sweden during 1990–2013

Abstract. We have constructed two data sets of hourly resolution reanalyzed near-surface ozone (O3) concentrations for the period 1990–2013 for Sweden. Long-term simulations from a chemistry-transport model (CTM) covering Europe were combined with hourly ozone concentration observations at Swedish and Norwegian background measurement sites using retrospective variational data analysis. The reanalysis data sets show improved performance over the original CTM when compared to independent observations. In one of the reanalyses, we included all available hourly near-surface O3 observations, whilst in the other we carefully selected time-consistent observations. Based on the second reanalysis we investigated statistical aspects of the distribution of the near-surface O3 concentrations, focusing on the linear trend over the 24-year period. We show that high near-surface O3 concentrations are decreasing and low O3 concentrations are increasing, which is reflected in observed improvement of many health and vegetation indices (apart from those with a low threshold). Using the CTM we also conducted sensitivity simulations to quantify the causes of the observed change, focusing on three factors: change in hemispheric background concentrations, meteorology and anthropogenic emissions. The rising low concentrations of near-surface O3 in Sweden are caused by a combination of all three factors, whilst the decrease in the highest O3 concentrations is caused by European O3 precursor emissions reductions. While studying the impact of anthropogenic emissions changes, we identified systematic differences in the modeled trend compared to observations that must be caused by incorrect trends in the utilized emissions inventory or by too high sensitivity of our model to emissions changes.
The Evolution of Developmental Pathways

PART I: Context and Foundations - Evolution and Embryology: A Brief History of a Complex Pas de Deux - Information Sources for Reconstructing Developmental Evolution I: Fossils - Information Sources for Reconstructing Developmental Evolution II: Comparative Molecular Studies - Genetic Pathways and Networks in Development - Conserved Genes and Functions in Animal Development - PART II: Case Studies in Pathway Evolution - Evolving Developmental Pathways I: Sex Determination - Evolving Developmental Pathways II: Segmental Patterning in Insects - Evolving Developmental Pathways III: Two Organ "Fields," The Nematode Vulva and the Tetrapod Limb - PART III: Conundrums - Genetic Source Materials for Developmental Evolution - Costs and Constraints: Factors that Retard and Channel Developmental Evolution - On Growth and Form: The Developmental and Evolutionary Genetics of Morphogenesis - Speciation and Developmental Evolution - Metazoan Origins and the Beginnings of Complex Animal Evolution - The Coming Evolution of Evolutionary Developmental Biology - Appendix 1: Genetic Nomenclature - Appendix 2: Cladistics - Appendix 3: Molecular Clocks - Glossary - References
Habitat diversity in forest plantations reduces infestations of the pine stem borer Dioryctria sylvestrella

Summary 1. The risk of pest damage in forest monocultures is a growing concern as the area of plantation forest expands world-wide and sustainable management is becoming a general goal. Numerous studies have demonstrated that pest insects are less abundant in more diverse agroecosystems, but limited experimental evidence exists for a similar relationship in forestry. Because plantation forests are usually mosaics of single-species stands, the aim of this study was to test the effect of forest diversity at a landscape level on pest insect infestations. 2. Within a stand of maritime pine, trees attacked by the stem borer Dioryctria sylvestrella showed no spatial aggregation and clusters of 66 trees proved to be an optimal sampling unit for determining overall percentage infestation. 3. The spatial distribution of stem borer infestation levels was examined in three maritime pine stands bordered by mixed-species stands of broad-leaved trees, and overall infestation levels compared between four such maritime pine stands and four other maritime pine stands of the same structure but far from any broad-leaved stands. 4. The percentage of trees infested was significantly lower in the pine stands bordered by broad-leaved stands than in the pine stands surrounded by other pine stands, and in the former, stem borer infestation showed a significant logistic increase with distance from the stand edge. This could be due to effects of resource concentration or natural enemy attack, both of which are discussed. 5. These results suggest that the conservation or restoration of non-productive mixed-species stands adjacent to intensively managed plantations is a useful preventive method for pest management in forest monocultures.
INDIAN CLOVE ESSENTIAL OIL IN THE CONTROL OF TOMATO BACTERIAL SPOT

The goals of this work were to assess the potential of Indian clove essential oil in the reduction of tomato bacterial spot, and the activation of some plants biochemical defense responses. Tomato plants of cv. Santa Cruz Kada were sprayed with Indian clove essential oil (0.2 mg ml-1) and inoculated with Xanthomonas vesicatoria seven days later. Acibenzolar S-methyl (0.2 mg ml-1) was used as control. Indian clove essential oil and acibenzolar-S-methyl gave a control of 53.0% and 89.0%, respectively. The expression of resistance induced by Indian clove essential oil was made evident by an increase in β-1,3-glucanase, chitinase and peroxidase activity, which was also observed in plants sprayed with acibenzolar-S-methyl. This increase started in the first hours after spraying and continued for up to 12 days, while the lignin content increase was observed 12 days after spraying. Indian clove essential oil is a potential resistance inducer of tomato bacterial spot.
Further notes on Leptolida (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria) from Canadian Pacific Waters

This paper includes new data on Anthoathecatae and Tiarannidae. Paulinum gen. nov., Paulinum lineatum spec. nov., and Euphysa vervoorti spec. nov. are described. A single specimen was assigned tentatively to the Trichydridae as incertae sedis gen., incertae sedis spec. nov. An additional four species (Calycopsis bigelowi, Merga reesi, Paragotoea bathybia and Modeeria rotunda) are recorded from Canadian Pacific and adjacent waters for the first time. The species Bythotiara depressa Naumov, 1960 is redescribed and its relationship to other Calycopsidae is discussed. Other data are briefly summarized to update the Anthomedusae portion of Arai & Brinckmann-Voss (1980:1).
Actividad biológica de extractos de Melia azedarach sobre larvas de Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

In the course of searching for plant chemicals with potential insecticide properties, the activity of Melia azedarach L. senescent leaf and ripe fruit extracts (2, 5 and 10%) was evaluated on larvae of Spodoptera eridania Cramer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). This polyphagous species is considered a sporadic pest on many important crops. Food consumption was assessed and an antifeedant index was calculated through choice tests. Also, food consumption, larval mortality, weight and depositions were recorded and nutritional indices were calculated in no-choice tests. Results from choice tests showed a strong antifeedant effect of both extracts. In no-choice tests, the leaf and fruit extracts strongly reduced food consumption and larval weight, except with fruit extract at the lowest concentration. Larvae did not reach the pupal stage when high concentrations of leaf or fruit extract were used. Antifeedant activity was corroborated by nutritional indices, which also revealed negative effects of extracts on relative consumption, growth rates and efficiency in utilization of ingested and digested food, although digestibility was not affected. Our results suggest that M. azedarach extracts could be incorporated in management programs for this insect pest.
Fungi colonizing the grain of spring wheat grown in the conventional and organic systems

The abundance and species composition of fungi colonizing grain of spring wheat cvs. ‘Koksa’ and ‘Torka’, grown in the conventional and organic farming systems, was assessed in 2004–2006. More colonies of Alternaria alternata, Aureobasidium pullulans, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium spp. , Gibberella spp. were isolated from wheat grain obtained from conventional farms. Intensive chemical control did not reduce the abundance and species diversity of Fusarium spp. , Gibberella spp. A considerably higher number of Epicoccum nigrum colonies were isolated in the organic farming system, as compared with the conventional system.
Antischistosomal Natural Compounds: Present Challenges for New Drug Screens

Schistosomiasis, or bilharzias, is a neglected disease that remains a considerable public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions. This parasitic disease is the most important human helminth infection in terms of morbidity and mortality and is a growing concern worldwide. It is estimated that more than 200 million people have been infected and that 779 million are at risk of infection, resulting in 280,000 deaths annually (van der Werf et al., 2003; Steinmann et al., 2006). Schistosomiasis is caused by blood-dwelling fluke worms of the genus Schistosoma and is endemic in African, Asian and South American countries. The main disease-causing species are S. mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum. S. mansoni is the most widely distributed, affecting people in Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean, while S. japonicum is confined to China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. S. haematobium is found in Africa and the Middle East. The adult worms colonise the veins of either the portal system (S. mansoni and S. japonicum) or the urinary bladder plexus (S. haematobium) and can live for years or even decades in human hosts; thus, the disease runs a chronic and debilitating course. Egg production is responsible for both the transmission of the parasite and the aetiology of the disease. Schistosomal species are distinguished by differences in their morphology, both in their parasite stages and in their eggs; further species distinction is made by the species of intermediate host snails that support transmission of the parasite (Gryseels et al., 2006). The global strategy for the control of schistosomiasis is by chemotherapy. Systematic searching for chemotherapeutic drugs began almost a century ago, and the development of praziquantel (PZQ) in 1970 was essential for a reduction in morbidity and mortality due to schistosomiasis. Currently, treatment is still based on the use of PZQ, but the long-term application of PZQ results in decreased efficiency and serious concerns regarding the onset of resistance. In addition, PZQ has no prophylactic properties and is ineffective against larval stages of parasites (schistosomula), meaning that for effective treatment and sustainable control, PZQ must be given on a regular basis. Thus, it is prudent to search for novel therapeutics, and recent discussions have focused on reawakening the need to search for alternatives to PZQ (Caffrey, 2007; Doenhoff et al., 2008; Fenwick et al., 2003; Hagan et al., 2004; Keiser & Utzinger, 2007).
Outcrossing rate of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) genotypes under the agro climatic conditions of Northern Germany.

Safflower oil is considered to be one of the highest quality vegetable oils for human nutrition, containing up to 90% linoleic acid. The cultivation of safflower would enlarge the number of species to increase biodiversity and widen crop rotation. Very little effort on safflower breeding has been done in Germany. The knowledge of the pollination system is a prerequisite of efficiently designing future breeding programmes. The cross pollination rate between and within plots was investigated in Gottingen (Latitude: 51° 32' North and Longitude: 9° 57' East ) in 2004 and 2005. A plot of 10 m2 of non-spiny plants was surrounded by plots of spiny plants. Ten nonspiny plants each of the border rows and of the core were harvested individually. The rate of cross pollination was calculated as the ratio of spiny to non-spiny offsprings. The average cross pollination was 6.5% (core), 9.7% (border no.1) and 18.1% (border no. 2). In a second experiment the rate of cross pollination within plots was estimated from non-spiny plants grown in mixture with spiny plants. The outcrossing rate was about 63% in 2004, but about 30% in 2005. Isolating or covering flowers by bags or cloth should be considered in pedigree breeding.
Neuroanatomy : an illustrated colour text

Introduction and overview. Cells of the nervous system. Peripheral nervous system. Autonomic nervous system. Coverings of the central nervous system. Ventricular system and cerebrospinal fluid. Blood supply of the central nervous system. Spinal cord. Brain stem. Cranial nerves and cranial nerve nuclei. Cerebellum. Thalamus. Cerebral hemisphere and cerebral cortex. Corpus striatum. Visual system. Hypothalamus, limbic system and olfactory system. Problem solving.
Financial Deregulation and Economic Growth in Nigeria: Evidence from Error Correction Model

This paper examines the effect of financial deregulation on economic growth in Nigeria using annual data from 1986 to 2016. An index was used to capture financial deregulation. The index was generated using Principal Component Analysis from six variables namely: bank denationalisation, restructuring and interest rate liberalisation, prudential regulation, directed credit abolition, free entry into banking and capital market liberalisation. Johansen Cointegration test and Error Correction Model (ECM) were used to analyze the effect financial deregulation on economic growth. The result shows that there is long run relationship between financial deregulation and economic growth. Furthermore, the result reveals that financial deregulation has positive effect on economic growth both in the short run and long run, but the effect is not significant in the short run. The error correction term shows that the model corrects its short run disequilibrium by 35% annually.
Are Inventors or Firms the Engines of Innovation?

In this study, we empirically assess the contributions of inventors and firms for innovation using a 37-year panel of U.S. patenting activity. We estimate that inventors’ human capital is 5–10 times more important than firm capabilities for explaining the variance in inventor output. We then examine matching between inventors and firms and find highly talented inventors are attracted to firms that (i) have weak firm-specific invention capabilities and (ii) employ other talented inventors. A theoretical model that incorporates worker preferences for inventive output rationalizes our empirical findings of negative assortative matching between inventors and firms and positive assortative matching among inventors. This paper was accepted by Ashish Arora, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Experimental investigation of seawater scrubbing of SO₂ in turbulent contact absorbers and spray absorbers

The SOx emissions of the marine engine are regulated by international maritime conventions. In this paper, the effect of various parameters, including SO2 partial pressure, liquid to gas ratio (L/G), alkalinity and pH, was investigated by seawater scrubbing experiment in a turbulent contact absorber (TCA) and a spray absorber (SA) on a laboratory scale. The experimental data showed that the desulfurization efficiency of TCA was mainly dependent on the value of L/G and irrelevant to the changing way of L/G; the appropriate L/G of TCA was 2.3 dm3/m3 and pH of effluent water was 2.4–2.8 at the L/G of 1.1–2.8 dm3/m3. Comparatively, the desulfurization efficiency of increasing liquid flow rate was better than that of decreasing gas flow rate in the SA experiment. At the gas velocity of 1.58 m/s and L/G of 2.3 dm3/m3, the desulfurization efficiencies and drop pressures of TCA and SA were 75.9% and 42.4%, 690 and 260 Pa, respectively. The results indicate that TCA chosen as an absorber is likely to be a competitive desulfurization technique for controlling marine diesel emission.
Modern hydrophilid clades present and widespread in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Hydrophilidae).

We present a summary of the fossil evidence documenting the worldwide occurrence of the family Hydrophilidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Hydrophiloidea) in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. We present the first known fossils of the family from the Mesozoic, being c. 100 Myr older than the fossil record available until now. Two Late Jurassic fossils are documented: Protochares brevipalpis gen. nov., sp. nov. from the Talbragar Fish Bed (New South Wales, Australia) and ‘Mesosperchus’ schultzi Ponomarenko, 1985 from Solnhofen (Bavaria, Germany). The occurrence of the Hydrophilidae in the Early Cretaceous is documented by six species, all of which may be already assigned to modern subfamilies/tribes: Baissalarva hydrobioides gen. nov., sp. nov. from the Baissa outcrops (Buryat Republic, Russia) and Cretoxenus australis gen. nov., sp. nov. from Koonwarra outcrops (Victoria, Australia) are both assigned to the tribe Hydrobiusini (Hydrophilinae); Alegorius yixianus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Alegorius sp. from the Yixian Formation (Liaoning, China) may represent the Acidocerinae or Enochrinae, Hydroyixia elongata gen. nov., sp. nov. and H. latissima sp. nov. from the same locality are assigned to the Acidocerinae. The phylogenetic position of Baissalarva hydrobioides is also tested by a phylogenetic analysis. The presence of extant clades (Hydrophilinae: Hydrobiusini, Acidocerinae) in the Early Cretaceous and the wide distribution of the Hydrobiusini in both Gondwana and Laurasia at the same time suggests that the principal extant clades of the Hydrophilidae are at least of Early–Middle Jurassic origin. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London
Ecology and taxonomy of mysids (Mysidacea : crustacea)

The total number of species of mysids known from Australian waters is 94, spanning 38 genera. Distribution records and keys to their identification are provided. Of these species, three new genera and twelve new species from Tasmania and Bass Strait have been described herein. In addition, numerous new records have been reported. Forty-seven of the mysid species and eight genera are endemic to Australia. The Australian mysid fauna exhibits strong links with that of the Indo-West Pacific region. A 12-month field study was conducted at One Tree Point, Bruny Island Southern Tasmania, to investigate the role of mysids in an inshore coastal community. Fourteen species were recorded from the study site; of these, three i.e. Tenagomysis sp.2 n.sp. , Anisomysis mixta australis and Paramesopodopsis rufa n.g. n.sp. , formed dense swarms. The major peaks of abundance for each species were temporally separate. T.sp.2, A.mixta australis and P.rufa were found to exhibit a number of ecological differences, i.e. habitat partitioning (in zones parallel to shore), diet and diel activity, which may explain their co-existence. These three species bred continuously during spring, summer and autumn. Breeding continued at a lower level during winter for T.sp.2 and P.rufa, but A.mixta australis appeared to cease breeding over winter. The breeding pattern was quite similar to that reported for most temperate mysids throughout the world. The annual production was calculated from the field data for each species. Production was found to be greater for T.sp.2 than P.rufa and A.mixta australis, but the annual turnover (P:B) was higher for A.mixta australis (7.7) than T.sp.2 (5.5) and P.rufa (5.3). The values obtained were high compared to those reported for mysid species in colder climates. Trophic relationships within the mysid community were examined. Gut contents analysis of the three mysids revealed a basically omnivorous diet, but P.rufa fed to a greater degree on small crustaceans while the diet of T.sp.2 was composed mainly of large fragments of macroalgae. The stomach contents of A.mixta australis was composed of fine particulate detrital matter. Comparison of stable isotope ratios ( 13C: 12C and H:D) of the mysids with those of potential food sources supported these conclusions. In addition, several fish that fed on mysids were identified by analysis of their gut contents and others were implicated by comparison of their stable isotope ratios. The results suggest that apart from their importance in the diet of several fish species, these mysids play a significant role in the turnover of the macroalgal biomass, and may also be important in structuring the zooplankton and/or meiobenthic community. The results presented here have provided a major contribution to the knowledge of both taxonomy and ecology of Australian mysids. However, the need for continued examination of the taxonomy, biology and ecology of Australian mysids is recognized, and consequently, avenues for further research are suggested.