Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental and spatial factors influencing the distribution of cladocerans in lakes across the central Canadian Arctic treeline region

We examine the role of local environmental and spatial factors in explaining variation in the composition of cladoceran assemblages from surface sediments within a set of 50 lakes spanning a broad southwest to northeast transect across the central Canadian Arctic treeline region from Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) to the northern boundary of the Thelon Game Sanctuary (Nunavut Territory). Within each lake, the cladoceran fauna was identified based on the subfossil exoskeletal remains preserved in recently deposited lake sediments. Physical and chemical limnological data were measured in August of 1996 and 1998. Spatial data were generated based on latitude and longitude using Principal Coordinates of Neighbors Matrices analysis (PCNM). The relationships between cladocerans and the measured environmental and spatial variables were examined using both unconstrained (Principal Components Analysis, PCA) and constrained (Redundancy Analysis, RDA) ordination techniques. Variance partitioning, based on partial RDAs, was used to identify the relative importance of significant environmental and spatial explanatory variables. Three environmental variables were identified as significantly influencing cladoceran community structure: surface water temperature, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and total phosphorus (TP). Five PCNM-generated spatial variables were also significant in explaining cladoceran distributions. Variance partitioning attributed 14% of the variance in the distribution of Cladocera to spatial factors, an additional 10% to spatially-structured environmental variables, and 8% to environmental factors that were not spatially-structured. Within the central Canadian Arctic treeline region, spatial and other environmental processes had an important influence on the distribution of cladoceran communities. The strong influence of spatial factors was related to the large ecoclimatic gradient across treeline. The distribution patterns of cladocerans suggest that they have potential for use in paleoenvironmental assessments of northern ecosystems, a region of considerable interest for environmental change research.
LIFE CYCLES OF SOME SPECIES OF TRIATOMA (HEMIPTERA: REDUVIIDAE)

Abstract This report deals with studies of the biology of 10 species of the genus Triatoma Laporte, all of which were collected in Argentina and reared in the Microbiology and Parasitology Institute of the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires.The specific purpose of the study was to determine, for each species, average values for number of eggs per female, proportion of eggs hatching, time required for hatching and for the development of each instar nymph, the longevity of female and male adults, and the length of egg-adult and egg–egg cycles.These studies extend the knowledge of the biology of vector species of Chagas’ disease and have been done in conjunction with studies of the geographical distribution of the insects. Résumé Los autores dan a conocer algunos aspectos de los estudios realizados en los últimos siete años sobre desoves y tiempos de evolución de algunas especies del género Triatoma Laporte. Estos estudios se han completado con otros ecológicos, etológicos y de distribución geográfica. En este trabajo se presentan el promedio de huevos por hembra, prornedio y porcentaje de huevos viables, tiempos de incubation de huevo, de desarrollo de los cinco estadios preimaginales, de sobrevida de los adultes y de duración de los ciclos huevo–adulto y huevo–huevo de cada especie.En cada caso se consignan las temperaturas minimas y maximas que prevalecieron durante las observaciones, el numéro de ejemplares sobre los que se hizo el estudio, tipo de alimentation y procedencia de la cepa.De las estudiadas, la especie con mayor numéro de huevos es T. guasayana (245), de los que eclosionan 206. El mayor porcentaje de viabilidad lo présenta T. delpontei (87%). T. infestons es la de más rápido desarrollo, produciéndose la eedisis del adulto a los 96 días. Por el contrario, T. eratyrusiforme es la más lenta, cuyo ciclo huevo-huevo necesita entre doce y diez y siete messes.
Variation for selected morphological and quality-related traits among 178 faba bean landraces collected from Turkey

Faba bean is cultivated worldwide and widely used in Mediterranean countries, Asia and Europe. However, only a few faba bean breeders are active in cultivar development. As a result, a limited number of varieties are available for growers. Plant genetic resources or germplasm are fundamental sources for plant breeding, and the assessment of the genetic diversity among germplasm accessions is useful to facilitate more efficient use of plant genetic resources. A mini-core collection of faba bean germplasm (178 landraces and four cultivars), from diverse geographic regions of Turkey, was assessed for agro-morphological performance and some quality traits. There were substantial variations for the investigated morphological and quality characteristics. The analysis of variance revealed that the differences among 182 accessions were significant for all the studied characters. Some accessions showed very good agronomic performance for some traits. Positive and negative correlations existed among different morphological and agronomic traits. Landraces have been classified into four different groups using a cluster analysis. These results suggest that an a priori classification of accessions according to the growing area does not strictly correspond to phenotypic grouping. From the spatial distribution of landraces, however, it has been possible to identify ‘superior’ accessions of some traits. These findings indicate a number of useful traits in the gene pools and a wide range of phenotypic variation that provides a good source of diversity for use in modern faba bean breeding programmes.
Rendimento de Carcaça, Mensurações e Peso de Cortes Comerciais de Cordeiros Santa Inês e Bergamácia Alimentados com Dejetos de Suínos em Confinamento

Foram utilizados 21 cordeiros das racas Santa Ines e Bergamacia, confinados por um periodo de 75 dias, sendo alimentados com dietas contendo 24% de dejetos de suinos, na forma de biju (dejeto obtido pela raspagem e varredura do piso das baias de crescimento e terminacao) ou dejeto peneirado seco - DPS (dejeto obtido atraves da peneiracao da parte solida do material contido na lâmina d'agua e na agua da lavagem das baias). Os animais foram abatidos aos 210 dias de idade, sendo determinados o peso e o rendimento das carcacas, suas mensuracoes e o peso dos cortes comerciais. As diferentes dietas nao afetaram o peso ao abate (PA), peso de carcaca quente (PCQ), rendimento de carcaca quente (RCQ), peso de carcaca fria (PCF), rendimento de carcaca fria (RCF) e percentual de perda ao resfriamento (PPR). Os cordeiros da raca Bergamacia apresentaram maior PA, PCQ e PCF. Nao foram verificadas diferencas entre as dietas ou entre as racas para os parâmetros: comprimento total, comprimento da perna, comprimento total da perna, comprimento interno, perimetro da garupa e largura de garupa. No entanto, foi verificada maior profundidade de torax e espessura de gordura subcutânea nos cordeiros da raca Bergamacia. Tambem nao foi encontrado nenhum efeito das dietas e das racas para os cortes paleta, carre, peito/fralda, lombo, pernil, braco anterior e braco posterior.
Reconstructing Hybrid Speciation Events in the Pteris cretica Group (Pteridaceae) in Japan and Adjacent Regions

Abstract Polyploidy, hybridization, and agamospory have been considered important mechanisms in fern speciation. By integrating the methods of cytology, molecular phylogeny, and morphology, we examined the origins of polyploid species in the Pteris cretica group, which comprises five agamosporous taxa and six sexual species. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using both cpDNA (rbcL and trnV-trnM) and a low-copy nuclear gene (gapCp). The combined results of cytology and the phylogenetic trees suggested that the sexual diploid P. kidoi had played a central role in the diversification of polyploid species in the P. cretica group. Some triploid clones of agamosporous P. cretica var. cretica originated through hybridization between the diploid cytotype of P. cretica var. cretica and the sexual diploid P. kidoi. The sexual polyploid species, P. henryi, P. multifida, P. ryukyuensis, and P. yamatensis, and the hexaploid race of P. deltodon have arisen through allopolyploidization between their respective ancestral parent species and P. kidoi. Additionally, the agamosporous triploid P. nipponica and P. cretica var. albolineata might have originated through hybridization between P. cretica var. cretica and an unknown ancestral diploid parent of P. ryukyuensis. Agamosporous P. cretica var. cretica harbored considerable genetic variation within both the diploid and triploid cytotypes. Because we could not find clear genetic differences between the diploid and triploid P. cretica, both cytotypes might be autopolyploids, or alternatively have originated through hybridization among the same members of ancestral sexual species.
Migrations and Growth of the Thornback Ray (Raia clavata L.)

Although workers in several European countries (England, Germany, Russia, Scotland) are stated (5) to be carrying out marking experiments on rays or skates, the writer is not aware of any recently published account of the results of any of these researches. Fulton (4, p. 191), however, records that in the years round about 1890 he marked 71 thornback rays (R. clavata) and 23 specimens of grey skate (R. batis) in Scottish waters. Two of the thornbacks and one skate were subsequently recovered. Of the former, one—about 36·5 cm. in width on marking—remained at liberty for about three months before being recaptured and had travelled about 13 miles from the place where it had been set free. The other—35 cm. in width—remained at liberty for 278 days and travelled about six miles. The single skate, recaptured after only 10 days, had in that time changed its position by 10 miles. No records of size increments are given.
Insulin Receptor Signaling in the β-Cell Influences Insulin Gene Expression and Insulin Content: Evidence for Autocrine β-Cell Regulation

The insulin receptor (IR) is expressed by insulin-secreting β-Cells, but its cellular function is unknown. We transfected βTC6-F7 β-Cells with cDNAs encoding either wild-type or mutant kinase-inactive (A/K1018) IRs, and by fluorescence-activated cell sorting generated polyclonal β-cell lines that overexpressed each receptor type at levels two- to fourfold higher than the parental cells. β-Cells overexpressing wild-type IRs had a proportional increase in insulin-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity; no change occurred in β-Cells expressing the mutant IR. We observed a threefold increase in cellular insulin content in β-Cells that overexpressed the wildtype IR, as determined by radioimmunoassay. This increase occurred despite a fivefold elevated rate of both basal and 10 mmol/l glucose-induced insulin secretion. Fractional insulin secretion (percentage of total cell insulin releasable at 10 mmol/l glucose) was unchanged in β-Cells overexpressing the wild-type IR compared with the parental β-cell line. Insulin content and insulin secretion were unaffected by overexpression of kinase-inactive IRs. Steady-state insulin mRNA levels were elevated twofold in the β-Cells overexpressing the wild-type IR and unchanged in the β-Cells expressing the kinase-inactive receptor, as determined by Northern blot analysis. The rate of insulin mRNA degradation measured in the presence of 5 μg/ml actinomycin D was not significantly affected in either cell line. In the absence of glucose, the basal level of (pro)insulin biosynthesis in the β-Cells overexpressing the wild-type IR increased significantly (61%) compared with the pcells transfected with the kinase-inactive IR. These data indicate that IR signaling can regulate insulin gene transcription and can modulate the steady-state insulin content of β-Cells.
Endoparasites in 12 Species of Sphenomorphus (Squamata: Scincidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract Three-hundred twenty-four individuals representing 12 species of Sphenomorphus (Scincidae) collected in Papua New Guinea were examined for endoparasites: S. aignanus, S. forbesei, S. fuscolineatus, S. granulatus, S. jobiensis, S. louisiadensis, S. maindroni, S. meyeri, S. minutus, S. nigrolineata, S. simus, and S. solomonis. Found were 2 species of Cestoda, Adenobrechmos greeri, Cylindrotaenia hickmani; 2 species of Digenea, Mesocoelium monas, Zeylanurotrema sphenomorphi; 15 species of Nematoda, 10 species represented by gravid adults, Abbreviata oligopapillata, Aplectana crombiei, Aplectana zweifeli, Cosmocerca zugi, Falcaustra papuensis, Meteterakis crombei, Oswaldocruzia bakeri, Parapharyngodon maplestoni, Physalopteroides milnensis, Pseudorictularia dipsarilis, and 5 represented by immature individuals, Abbreviata sp. (juveniles in cysts), Moaciria sp. , Physocephalus sp. (juveniles in cysts), Acuariidae gen. sp. (juveniles in cysts), Rictulariidae gen. sp. (juveniles in cysts); 3 species of Acanthocephala, Acanthocephalus bufonis, Sauracanthorhynchus sphenomorphicola, unidentified cystacanths; and 1 species of Pentastomida, Kiricephalus sp. (nymph). Mean number helminth species per infected skink was 1.78 ± 0.06 SE (range 1–5); mean number of helminth individuals per infected skink was 14.51 ± 2.01 SE (range 1–274). Mean number of helminth species per skink species was 6.58 ± 0.95 SE (range 2–12). The supracommunity of Papua New Guinean sphenomorphine skinks is discussed. Sixty-four new host records are reported. The initial helminth list is established for 8 species.
Fibrolytic enzymes increase fiber digestibility and growth rate of steers fed dry forages

Seventy-two steers (289 kg) were offered ad libitum cubed alfalfa hay, cubed timothy hay, or barley silage supplemented with incremental levels of xylanase (IU) and cellulase (FPU), combined in a ratio of 1 IU:0.04 FPU. For alfalfa hay, low and moderate levels (900 to 4733 IU kg−1 DM) increased weight gain by up to 30% (P < 0.10), whereas, for timothy hay, the highest level (12 000 IU kg−1 DM) improved gain (P < 0.10) by 36%. No response to enzymes was observed for barley silage. Fibrolytic enzymes improve weight gain of cattle but optimal enzyme levels depend upon the type of forage. Key words: Beef cattle, forages, enzymes, cellulase, xylanase, carbohydrases
Subtree Analysis, Nothofagus and Pacific Biogeography

, and one fungal taxon, analysed using the programCOMPONENT version 2.0 (Page, 1993). Their cladog-ram is: (Mad (Afr, E SAm)) (S SAm (NZ (NC (NG,Aust)))), relating Madagascar (Mad) to Africa (Afr)and north-eastern South America (E SAm) on the onehand, and southern South America (S SAm) to NewZealand (NZ), New Caledonia (NC), New Guinea(NG) and Australia (Aust) on the other (Fig. 1A). Ofspecial interest is their conclusion that New Zealandand Australia are related more closely to each otherthan to South America, in contrast with cladogramsrelating South America and Australia (e.g. Brundin,1966 and others listed in Linder and Crisp, 1995).
Abacavir/lamivudine fixed-dose combination tablet for the treatment of HIV-1 infection

The fixed-dose combination tablet of the two nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors abacavir (ABC) and lamivudine (3TC) was licensed in 2004. It is dosed once daily with no food restrictions and licensed for the treatment of HIV infection in treatment-naive individuals in combination with another class of antiretroviral. Its virological efficacy has been demonstrated in clinical studies with up to 96-week follow-up in combination with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors. Less lipodystrophy is seen with abacavir than stavudine or zidovudine. Resistance mutations selected by ABC/3TC leave options for future treatment. Abacavir hypersensitivity reaction occurs in 5% of those receiving ABC and genetic susceptibility testing is undergoing trial. ABC/3TC is a largely well-tolerated nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone with proven efficacy.
Presence of β-Lactamase Gene TEM-1 DNA Sequence in Commercial Taq DNA Polymerase

The development and spread of expanded-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) that cause resistance to β-lactam antibiotics has contributed to great concern worldwide. Most ESBLs are derived from TEM and SHV β-lactamases by point mutations within the blaTEM and blaSHV genes, giving rise to extended-spectrum drug resistance (2, 3). The standard method for determining the specific ESBL gene for the more than 90 TEM-type and the more than 25 SHV-type ESBLs is PCR followed by nucleotide sequencing (2). We routinely applied the standard method to confirm that ESBL genes were present in clinical strains of Enterobacteriaceae (6). To avoid cross-contamination, we used separate rooms for sample preparation, PCR assembly, and agarose gel analysis. Recently, we noticed that the negative (water) controls used in PCR amplification for blaTEM genes produced positive results; this did not occur when the blaSHV gene was targeted. The PCR product was of the predicted size, and nucleotide sequencing revealed that it was the blaTEM-1 gene. After systematic analysis of pipette tips, microcentrifuge tubes, and reagents for PCR, we found that the Taq DNA polymerase was the source of contamination. As shown in Fig. ​Fig.1,1, Taq DNA polymerase from manufacturer A produced a strong signal, but that from manufacturer B did not. FIG. 1. PCR products amplified from negative (water) controls with primers targeting the blaTEM gene. The product was run on a 1% agarose gel with 0.5× Tris-acetate-EDTA buffer. All reactions were performed in duplicate. Lane M, DNA size marker; lanes . PCR is widely used to detect specific DNA sequences for purposes of microbial identification, clinical diagnosis, and basic research. Because the method is extremely sensitive, a small amount of contaminating DNA can be a serious problem. Taq DNA polymerase is often expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli. For studies involving gene cloning and protein expression in E. coli, the blaTEM-1 gene has been the most commonly used selective marker for expression vectors that are generally present in multiple copies (9). It is likely that during Taq DNA polymerase purification, the DNA containing the blaTEM-1 gene was not completely removed. This failure may not be a rare occurrence, but the contamination would be detected only if primers specific for blaTEM gene were used. Several reports have documented the presence of exogenous DNA in commercial Taq DNA polymerases (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10). Sources of the contaminating DNA have ranged from bacteria (1, 4) and phage-like DNA (7) to both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (10); in other studies, it was determined that the contaminating DNA was not from E. coli or Thermus aquaticus (5, 8). In all of these previous reports, PCR amplification was performed with universal primers for the highly-conserved 16S rRNA gene, whereas in the present study, amplification was done with primers targeting the blaTEM gene. Nevertheless, investigators, especially those who work on TEM-type ESBLs, should be aware of the possibility that Taq DNA polymerase is contaminated with the blaTEM-1 gene.
Effects of inoculation with stress-adapted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus deserticola on growth of Solanum melogena L. and Sorghum sudanese Staph. seedlings under salinity and heavy metal stress conditions

The beneficial effects of a Glomus deserticola strain isolated from the rhizosphere of grasses (belonging to Poaceae family) growing along the industrial waste from a distillery were investigated under stress conditions. The study was conducted to assess the efficacy of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal ecotype in salinity and heavy metal (HM) tolerance of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in soils amended with various stress levels of NaCl, zinc and cadmium. Mycorrhizal (M) seedlings produced a significantly (p < 0.05) greater growth response and were more tolerant to salt and HM stresses than nonmycorrhizal (NM) seedlings in all treatments. The HM contents in the plant tissues were significantly higher in M than NM eggplants. Furthermore, when the efficacy was compared with other AM isolates in HM-polluted soils with Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanese Staph.) as a test plant, the AM ecotype responded best to these soils, as evident from the significantly greater growth response and its aggressiveness in colonizing roots in all soil types tested. These results suggest that this G. deserticola ecotype can be used as an effective tool to alleviate the adverse effects of excessive salinity and HM toxicity on plant growth. Finally, the isolate may have potential in the bioremediation of polluted soils.
The fat/water relationship in North Sea herring (Clupea harengus), and its possible significance

Data from nearly 900 individual herring sampled in the North Shields, Whitby and East Anglian fisheries during the period 1956–60 demonstrate a linear relationship between the percentage fat and the percentage water contents for whole herring minus gonads and gut content, and the fat/water line derived from the data is described.
Learning to Discover Efficient Mathematical Identities

In this paper we explore how machine learning techniques can be applied to the discovery of efficient mathematical identities. We introduce an attribute grammar framework for representing symbolic expressions. Given a grammar of math operators, we build trees that combine them in different ways, looking for compositions that are analytically equivalent to a target expression but of lower computational complexity. However, as the space of trees grows exponentially with the complexity of the target expression, brute force search is impractical for all but the simplest of expressions. Consequently, we introduce two novel learning approaches that are able to learn from simpler expressions to guide the tree search. The first of these is a simple n-gram model, the other being a recursive neural-network. We show how these approaches enable us to derive complex identities, beyond reach of brute-force search, or human derivation.
Developing pheromone traps and lures for Maruca vitrata in Benin, West Africa

In previous work successful trapping of the legume podborer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), was accomplished using a synthetic pheromone blend consisting of (E,E)‐10,12‐hexadecadienal, (E,E)‐10,12‐hexadecadienol, and (E)‐10‐hexadecenal in a 100 : 5 : 5 ratio. In the present work, experiments were conducted in cowpea fields in Benin to compare different trap designs, and other aspects of the lures. A water‐trap made from a plastic jerry‐can was found to be superior to commercial funnel‐ and sticky‐trap designs, and 120 cm was the optimum height for captures. Generally, lures consisted of polyethylene vials containing 0.1 mg of pheromone. Results showed that shielding the lures from the adverse effects of sunlight with aluminium foil did not increase trap catches of M. vitrata. The degree of isomeric purity of the (E,E)‐10,12‐hexadecadienal and (E,E)‐10,12‐hexadecadienol blend components, in the range 73–99%, had no significant effect on captures, while lures of 80% isomeric purity showed no loss of effectiveness for up to 4 weeks. Similar results were observed with lures from a commercial source containing 0.46 mg of pheromone in the blend ratio 100 : 11 : 6 and 95% isomeric purity. Residue analysis showed that vial lures exposed for 2 weeks in the field still contained 73% of the initial amount of (E,E)‐10,12‐hexadecadienal, compared to rubber septa dispensers, which only retained 22%. Females comprised 11–50% of total catches, confirming earlier, unexpected results for synthetic lures. The observations that effective traps can be made from locally available plastic containers, and that pheromone blend composition and purity are not critical, should reduce costs and improve the feasibility of traps as practical monitoring tools for M. vitrata.