Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A sequential ranking system for developmental stages of an acanthocephalan, Leptorhynchoides thecatus, in its intermediate host, Hyalella azteca.

Based on morphological features, 22 stages were defined in the development of Leptorhyn- choides thecatus in its intermediate host, Hyalella azteca. The ranking system allows close comparison of development and growth within or among amphipods, and is amenable to nonparametric statistics. Certain aspects of L. thecatus development are redescribed. Apical nuclei arise from the central, nuclear mass, rather than a cortical nucleus. Lateral, nucleated bands, previously thought to be somatic muscle anlagen, are actually the median longitudinal canals. The body cavity develops in a single step as muscles of the body wall and the median longitudinal canals separate from the proboscis receptacle and genital strand. Developmental anomalies (short, conical proboscis, misaligned hooks, and ventrally shortened trunk) were observed and are thought to be induced by high temperatures. Many factors, such as temperature, rearing conditions, and intraspecific competition, may affect size or developmental rates of parasites. These effects can be identified and character- ized only if developmentally equivalent in- dividuals can be recognized and ranked ac- cording to their developmental condition without regard to their chronological age. Pre- vious descriptions of acanthocephalan devel- opmental stages (Meyer, 1931; Kates, 1943; Van Cleave, 1947; Butterworth, 1969) recog- nized no more than nine ranks and were based on acquisition of major structural fea- tures (e.g., body cavity). They were not suf- ficiently sensitive to changes within these structures for close comparisons. Develop- mental descriptions are usually based on time-specific morphology. Individual varia- tion cannot be quantified, and effects of ex- perimental manipulation cannot be simply or precisely described. A morphologically based, sequential ranking system is desirable. DeGiusti (1949) provided a well-illustrated, comprehensive account of day-to-day changes during development of Leptorhynchoides thecatus in its intermediate host, Hyalella az- teca. Based on this description and examina- tion of many additional specimens, we devel- oped a ranking system which recognizes 22 stages. Each stage is defined by morphologi- cal features, and is assigned a rank number.
Variation of Total Nitrogen, Non-protein Nitrogen Content, and Types of Alkaloids at Different Stages of Development in Erythrina americana Seeds†

The flowers, string beans, seeds, and pods (without seeds) of Erythrina americana were studied in connection with the protein nitrogen, non-protein nitrogen content, and type of alkaloid at different stages of development of the fruit. The protein nitrogen from flowers to mature seeds increased, while the levels of non-protein nitrogen decreased with maturation. The alkaloids accumulated not only at the end of maturation in the seeds but also in young tissues. On a dried basis, a high content of alkaloids was observed in flowers and dry seeds in comparison to low levels in dry pods. The highest concentrations were found in the mature seeds. The GC/MS analysis showed the presence of β-erythroidine, which was the major alkaloid in all the tissues examined. Erysodine and erysovine were found in the mature and dry tissues but not in flowers. N-Oxide alkaloids were only found in mature tissues. Keywords: Alkaloids; development; erysodine; erysovine; Erythrina americana; gas chromatography−mass spectrometry; Le.
Controle de Brachiaria brizantha, com uso do glyphosate, na formação de pastagem de Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.)

This study aimed to evaluate glyphosate efficiency in the control of Brachiaria brizantha, cv marandu, for Tifton-85 pasture formation. The experiment was carried out in the field in 10L capacity polyethylene pots, and arranged in a randomized block design, in a 2 x 8 factorial scheme, with two application times, eight glyphosate rates (0; 90, 180; 360; 720; 1,080; 1,440; and 1,800 g e.a. ha-1), and four replicates. Each plot had a vase with two B. brizantha cv. Marandu and two Tifton 85 plants. The first application time was before B. brizantha plant tillering, when the plants were 10cm high and the second one, when B. brizantha was around 20cm high and showed four or five tillers. For each application time, visual evaluations of B. brizantha control and intoxication in the Tifton85 plants were conducted at 15, 30 and 60 DAA (days of application). At 60 DAA, the plants were cut and dried in a greenhouse, and sprouts were evaluated at 60 DAC days after cut. Control percentage of 90% of B. Brizantha, at 60 DAA, was obtained with 133.60 g ha-1 in the first application and 365.63 g ha-1 in the second. At 60 DAA after the first and second application, respectively, low dosages of glyphosate (133.60 and 365.63 g ha-1), were observed to promote B. brizantha control with absence of sprouts at 60 DAC, and mild intoxication of Tifton 85 without influencing its yield. Due to the higher tolerance of Tifton 85 to glyphosate, it is possible to control B. brizantha by using low doses of glyphosate, without compromising Tifton 85 forage yield.
Synergisms among Habitat Fragmentation, Livestock Grazing, and Biotic Invasions in Southwestern Australia

Abstract: The agricultural development of southern Australia over the past 200 years has resulted in extensively fragmented systems, often with only small, isolated remnants of native vegetation remaining. Grazing by sheep and cattle has affected both the remaining fragments and the surrounding matrix, and non‐native plant and animal species have had dramatic effects on the native biota. Invasive plant species have the potential to significantly alter ecosystem composition and functioning, and invasive animals, particularly rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculatus), foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) and cats ( Felis catus) effectively alter habitat and drive native fauna to local extinction. These different influences often interact. For instance, smaller fragments are often more prone to plant invasion and are more likely to have been grazed in the past. Invasion of plant species is often linked with livestock grazing or rabbit invasion, and other higher‐order interactions are also apparent. Classical fragmentation studies that concentrate on parameters such as habitat area and isolation but ignore changes in habitat condition brought about by livestock and invasive species are unlikely to yield meaningful results. Similarly, management of fragmented ecosystems must account for not only the spatial characteristics of the remaining habitat but also the importance of other influences, particularly those that impinge on fragments from the surrounding matrix.
Early blight destroys potato foliage in the northern Baltic region

In recent years, potato early blight [Alternaria solani (Ellis & G. Martin) L.R. Jones, A lternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl. ] has occurred with increasing frequency in European potato fields, including those in northern regions. In our study, early blight was evaluated during the two years 2010–2011 on potato plants in a conventional farming experiment. Both growing seasons were very favourable for early blight development and evaluation. Our study indicates that, despite chemical treatments, potato early blight is a great problem for potato growers in conventional farming systems in the North-East region in years when temperatures are higher than average. In 2011, early blight damage was particularly high on the untreated (N0P0K0) treatment plots where severity increased abruptly from an initial 2% to 91%, and killed the potato haulms within five weeks. In 2010, the most severely infected plants were also recorded on the untreated (N0P0K0) plots, where 70% of foliage was destroyed by the end of the growing season. Results showed that a more efficient chemical strategy is needed against this disease on susceptible cultivars. Breeding and growing more resistant cultivars of potato is considered the most efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly control method for sustainable cultivation in conventional growing systems. As an increase in the frequency of warmer summers is predicted, greater problems from this pathogen are to be expected in Northern Europe.
Effekter av två olika hösilagefoderstater på tarmfloran och träcksammansättningen hos häst och gris

The aim of this study was to investigate if the botanical composition of haylage affects pH, dry matter content and microbial composition of the faeces in horse and pig and ileal environment in pigs. Two separate studies were conducted where pigs and horses were fed two diets containing haylages with different botanical composition. The first haylage was from a tilled land dominated by timothy and meadow fescue and the other haylage came from a meadowland with a large inclusion of dandelion, 25 % and common couch. The dry matter content (70.8 % and 73.0 % respectively) and the pH-value (5.7) were similar in both feeds. The first study was made as a three-periods switch-back study with 7 Standardbred horses. In the first and the third period, 7 and 9 days long respectively, the diet consisted of the haylage from the tilled land, oats, sugar beet pulp, soy bean oil meal, lucerne pellets and brewers yeast. The second period, which lasted for 16 days, the horses were fed the meadowland haylage and a small amount of sugar beet pulp. Faeces were collected once in the first and the third period and twice in the second period, three days at the time. The second study was conducted with four castrated ileum fistulated Yorkshire pigs and made up as a change-over study in two periods. The pigs were fed haylage together with a mix of maize starch, sugar, casein and rapeseed oil for two weeks with each haylage. The pigs were fitted with a Post Valve T Caecum cannula and samples were collected on day 9, 12 & 14 in each period. Samples of faeces were collected on day 8-11 in each period. The faecal pH-value was significantly (P< 0.05) higher when horses and pigs were fed diets containing the meadowland haylage (pH 5.79 on haylage from tilled land and 6.26 on meadowland haylage). The dry matter content of the horse faeces were significantly (P< 0.05) lower on the meadow land haylage (19.5-20.6 %) the second period than on the haylage from the tilled land period I (25 %). No effects of pH-value could be observed in the caecum samples from the pigs. The microbial populations of the faeces and digesta were investigated with Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism methodology. Five of the bacterial groups detected in the horse faeces differed significantly (P<0.05) between periods and one of the bacterial groups from the pig digesta samples differed with diet.
Critical Thermal Maxima of Two Geographic Strains of Channel and Hybrid Catfish

AbstractCritical thermal maxima have been used extensively to provide physiologically and ecologically valuable reference points that identify early signs of thermal stress. In catfish pond culture, daily temperature maxima up to 36°C and daily fluctuations of as much as 6°C are observed. These extreme conditions will probably be exacerbated by the effects of global climate change. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus have a broad natural distribution from southern Canada to northern Mexico. If regional genetic differences could cause strains with a southern distribution to have greater thermal tolerance than strains with a northern distribution, and consequently a greater critical thermal maximum, then hybrid catfish (Channel Catfish × Blue Catfish I. furcatus) strains might be expected to have greater critical thermal maxima than their respective Channel Catfish strains because Blue Catfish have a more southern range of distribution. To examine this, we quantified differences of acute thermal tolerance i.
Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) do not follow herring movements in the Bay of Fundy, Canada

Abstract Aerial surveys of hauled-out harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)were conducted along the mainland New Brunswick coast of the Bay of Fundy, 1–2 times monthly from January to mid-December 1987. A gradual summer increase and autumnal decrease in seal numbers were observed. Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the Bay of Fundy move onshore and are caught in weirs between May and November. Comparison of the seals\s distribution on haul-out sites with that of the Atlantic herring catch indicates that both species moved independently of each other. The seals’ bi-weekly movements to different regions within the Bay appear to be random.
Seedling root morphology and biomass allocation of 62 tropical tree species in relation to drought‐ and shade‐tolerance

1 Water availability is the main determinant of species’ distribution in lowland tropical forests. Species’ occurrence along water availability gradients depends on their ability to tolerate drought. 2 To identify species’ traits underlying drought‐tolerance we excavated first year seedlings of 62 dry and moist forest tree species at the onset of the dry season. We evaluate how morphological seedling traits differ between forests, and whether functional groups of species can be identified based on trait relations. We also compare seedling traits along independent axes of drought and shade‐tolerance to assess a hypothesized trade‐off. 3 Seedlings of dry forest species improve water foraging capacity in deep soil layers by an increased below‐ground biomass allocation and by having deep roots. They minimize the risk of cavitation by making dense stems, and reduce transpiration by producing less leaf tissue. Moist forest seedlings have large leaf areas and a greater above‐ground biomass, to maximize light interception, and long, cheap, branched root systems, to increase water and nutrient capture. 4 Associations among seedling traits reveal three major drought strategies: (i) evergreen drought‐tolerant species have high biomass investment in enduring organs, minimize cavitation and minimize transpiration to persist under dry conditions; (ii) drought‐avoiding species maximize resource capture during a limited growing season and then avoid stress with a deciduous leaf habit in the dry season; (iii) drought‐intolerant species maximize both below‐ and above‐ground resource capture to increase competitiveness for light, but are consequently precluded from dry habitats. 5 We found no direct trade‐off between drought‐ and shade‐tolerance, because they depend largely on different morphological adaptations. Drought‐tolerance is supported by a high biomass investment to the root system, whereas shade‐tolerance is mainly promoted by a low growth rate and low SLA. 6 Synthesis. We conclude that there are three general adaptation strategies of drought‐tolerance, which seemingly hold true across biomes and for different life forms. Drought‐ and shade‐tolerance are largely independent from one another, suggesting a high potential for niche differentiation, as species’ specialization can occur at different combinations of water and light availability.
On the weight of the parts of the brain and on the percentage of water in them according to brain weight and to age, in albino and in wild Norway rats

Studies on the weight of the entire brain of the albino rat at different ages and at different body weights and in the wild Norway rat at different body weights have been already published (Donaldson, '08, '09, '18 ; Donaldson and Hatai, '11). As a continuation of these studies it was desired to determine also the growth relations of the parts of the brain and thus to extend the corresponding observations by Hatai ('XI), Sugita ( '17) , and Stewart ('18). For this purpose studies have been made on the brains of 250 male and 213 female albino rats and, for comparison, on the brains of 53 male and 71 female wild Norway rats. The collection of the material extended over several years, but as all the dissections were made by the same hands, the irregularity arising from the technique is minimized. Similar material has been collected from inbred, exercised, and gonadectomized rats, as well as from those used for other tests, but the present report deals only with data from the normal stock Albinos and from the series of wild Norways just mentioned.
The island syndrome in lizards

Aim Islands are thought to promote correlated ecological and life-history shifts in species, including increased population density, and an infrequent production of few, large, offspring. These patterns are collectively termed ‘the island syndrome’. We present here the first, phylogenetically informed, global test of the ‘island syndrome’ hypothesis, using lizards as our model organisms. Location World-wide. Methods We assembled a database containing 641 lizard species, their phylogenetic relationships, geographic ranges and the following life-history traits: female mass, clutch size, brood frequency, hatchling body mass and population density. We tested for life-history differences between insular and mainland forms in light of the island syndrome, controlling for mass and latitude, and for phylogenetic non-independence. We also examined the effects of population density and, in insular endemics, of island area, on lizard reproductive traits. Results We found that insular endemic lizards lay smaller clutches of larger hatchlings than closely related mainland lizards of similar size, as was expected by the island syndrome. In general, however, insular endemics lay more frequently than mainland ones. Species endemic to small islands lay as frequently as mainland species. Continental and insular lizards have similar productivity rates overall. Island area had little effect on lizard reproductive traits. No trait showed association with population density. Main conclusions Island endemic lizards mainly follow the island syndrome. We hypothesize that large offspring are favoured on islands because of increased intra-specific aggression and cannibalism by adults. Stable populations on islands lacking predators may likewise lead to increased intra-specific competition, and hence select for larger hatchlings that will quickly grow to adult size. This view is supported by the fact that lizard populations are denser on islands – although population density per se was uncorrelated with any of the traits we examined.
Control of the authenticity of orange juice by isotopic analysis

Le rapport isotopique C13/C12 ne permet pas de detecter l'addition de sucre de betterave (seulement du sirop de glucose ou du sucre de canne). La mise en evidence de l'addition du sucre de betterave necessite l'analyse du rapport H2/H1
Soil carbon storage under simulated climate change is mediated by plant functional type

The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) pools exposed to elevated CO2 and warming has not been evaluated adequately in long‐term experiments and represents a substantial source of uncertainty in predicting ecosystem feedbacks to climate change. We conducted a 6‐year experiment combining free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE, 550 ppm) and warming (+2 °C) to evaluate changes in SOM accumulation in native Australian grassland. In this system, competitive interactions appear to favor C4 over C3 species under FACE and warming. We therefore investigated the role of plant functional type (FT) on biomass and SOM responses to the long‐term treatments by carefully sampling soil under patches of C3‐ and C4‐dominated vegetation. We used physical fractionation to quantify particulate organic matter (POM) and long‐term incubation to assess potential decomposition rates. Aboveground production of C4 grasses increased in response to FACE, but total root biomass declined. Across treatments, C : N ratios were higher in leaves, roots and POM of C4 vegetation. CO2 and temperature treatments interacted with FT to influence SOM, and especially POM, such that soil carbon was increased by warming under C4 vegetation, but not in combination with elevated CO2. Potential decomposition rates increased in response to FACE and decreased with warming, possibly owing to treatment effects on soil moisture and microbial community composition. Decomposition was also inversely correlated with root N concentration, suggesting increased microbial demand for older, N‐rich SOM in treatments with low root N inputs. This research suggests that C3–C4 vegetation responses to future climate conditions will strongly influence SOM storage in temperate grasslands.
Stabilization of lead as affected by various amendments and incubation time in a calcareous soil

The effect of different kinds of amendments including coal fly ash (CFA), municipal solid waste compost (MSWC), rice husk biochars prepared at 300°C (B300) and 600°C (B600), zero valent iron (Fe°) and zero valent manganese (Mn°) were evaluated to determine their ability to stabilize lead (Pb) in Pb-spiked soil. The Pb-spiked soils were separately incubated with amendments at the rates of 2 and 5% (W/W) for 45 and 90 days at 25°C. The efficacy of amendments treatment was evaluated by desorption kinetic experiment and sequential extraction producer. According to the results, with increasing time, considerable changes in distribution of chemical forms of Pb occurred and carbonate-bound fraction significantly decreased, while amorphous Fe-bound fraction significantly increased. The applied treatments efficiently decreased the mobility factor of Pb compared to control treatment. Application of Mn°, Fe°, CFA, MSWC, and B600 in soils significantly decreased Pb desorption rate with respect to control treatment. Biphasic pattern of Pb desorption kinetic was fitted well by the model of two ﬁrst-order reactions. In general, present study showed that from the practical point of view, all applied amendments (except for B300) were effective in Pb immobilization; however, application of Mn° at 5% (W/W) rate was the best treatment to immobilize Pb, so it can be recommended for the immobilization of Pb in calcareous polluted soil.
Positive and negative regulation of Fcϵ receptor I‐mediated signaling events by Lyn kinase C‐terminal tyrosine phosphorylation

Although it is known that the Src family tyrosine kinase Lyn initiates Fcϵ receptor I (FcϵRI) signaling by phosphorylation of the receptor subunits, regulation of Lyn kinase activity and its consequences for receptor signaling are incompletely understood. Using a phospho‐Lyn‐specific antiserum, we show an increased phosphorylation of the Lyn C‐terminal regulatory tyrosine and decreased Lyn kinase activity during FcϵRI‐mediated mast cell activation. Mutant Lyn, defective in the C‐terminal tyrosine, constitutively phosphorylated several substrates in resting cells, but did not cause FcϵRI internalization or spontaneous degranulation. FcϵRI‐induced signaling in the presence of constitutively active Lyn exhibited enhanced phosphorylation of the receptor subunits, Syk, LAT, Gab2, phospholipase C (PLC)γ1 and PLCγ2, and production of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate. Although enzymatic activities of PLCγ1 and PLCγ2 were also up‐regulated, amounts of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate, mobilization of intracellular calcium and degranulation were suppressed. Additionally, constitutively active Lyn was strikingly less efficient than wild‐typeLyn in restoring the receptor‐mediated calcium responses in bone marrow mast cells derived from Lyn–/– mice. These findings pinpoint the tight regulation of Lyn kinase activity as a critical event in mast cell degranulation.