Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of people with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance

This research was undertaken to investigate Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. The prevalence of diabetes is a rapidly growing with considerable social and economic costs to our community. It is desirable that progress from prediabetes to frank diabetes be stopped or delayed. There has been considerable research undertaken in lifestyle and pharmaceutical prevention or delay or diabetes but there is no cure, pharmaceutical interventions often have side effects and lifestyle interventions are not always achieveable. There have been a number of clinical trials of Chinese herbal medicine interventions in recent years but there has been no review undertaken of Chinese herbal medicine interventions. The objective of this research was to review the evidence for the treatment of prediabetes with traditional Chinese herbal medicine and examines the traditional Chinese medicine approach to the treatment of prediabetes. This involved two main pieces of research a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting blood glucose; and a double blinded, randomised and placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a Chinese herbal formula, Jiangtang Xiaozhi for the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in persons with prediabetes and mild diabetes. In the preparation for the conduct of the clinical trial and systematic review an examination of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patterns of disharmony and treatment principles was undertaken. An inter-rater reliability study of the TCM diagnosis of people with prediabetes using a subset of the clinical trial participants was also conducted. The systematic review was undertaken using the Cochrane review methodology and examined 16 trials lasting four weeks to two years involving 1391 participants receiving 15 different Chinese herbal medicines in eight different comparisons. No
Maintenance of fresh boysenberry fruit quality with UV-C light and heat treatments combined with low storage temperature

Summary Mature boysenberries (Rubus hybrid) were harvested, heat-treated (45°C for 1 or 3 h or 47°C for 1 h) or exposed to UV-C light (2.3, 4.6 or 9.2 kJ m–2), and stored at 20°C for 2 d. Fruit treated with 9.2 kJ m–2 or 45°C for 1 h showed less damaged drupelets per fruit and/or remained firmer than untreated fruit after 2 d. Those treatments were selected for further analyses. In another experiment, boysenberries were either UV-C (9.2 kJ m–2) or heat-treated (45°C for 1 h) and stored either at 20°C for 1 d or at 0°C for 4 d before transfer to 20°C for 1 d. Both UV-C and heat treatments reduced softening and/or fruit damage. Treated fruit had lower respiration rates and anthocyanin leakage than control fruit suggesting greater tissue integrity. Titratable acidity, pH, total sugar content and antioxidant activity in treated fruit showed fewer changes than in control fruit when stored at 20°C for 1 d. Results suggest that heat or UV-C treatment, alone or in combination with refrigerated storage, may be a useful non-chemical mean of maintaining boysenberry fruit quality and extending postharvest life.
Electrophoretic Data and Plant Speciation

Electrophoretic information is a useful supplement to other data used to infer modes of speciation in plants. With regard to primary speciation (evolutionary divergence), available data from enzyme electrophoresis indicate that: 1) rapid and recent speciation is correlated with little or no allozyme divergence; and 2) geographical modes of speciation are evidenced by divergence at genes coding soluble enzymes. Isozyme data are useful for testing hypotheses of hybrid specia- tion at the diploid level. Enzyme electrophoresis may also provide useful information for distin- guishing auto- and allopolyploids, and for determining the diploid progenitors of the latter.
Estuarine populations of the snapping turtle (Chelydra) as a model for the evolution of marine adaptations in reptiles

WILBUR, H. M. , AND J. TRAVIS. 1984. An experimental approach to understanding pattern in natural communities, p. 113-122. In: Ecological communities: conceptual issues and the evidence. D. R. Strong, Jr., D. Simberloff, L. G. Abele and A. B. Thistle (eds.). Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA 27514. PRESENT ADDRESS: SMITHSONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, PO Box 28, EDGEWATER, MARYLAND 21037. Accepted 16 Sept. 1985. EPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, THE UNIVERSITY OF ORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, C APEL ILL, NORTH CAROLINA 27514. PRESENT AD-
Distribution of parasitism by Macrocentrus grandii (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) in maize infested by Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera : Pyralidae)

Macrocentus grandii Goidanich is a braconid parasitoid of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner). Over a 3-yr period, we collected corn borer larvae from maize fields in Illinois to determine how host density and other factors influence the distribution of parasitism. The proportion of parasitized larvae was not density dependent at the single-stalk and field scales. Parasitism was always higher in the first generation of the bivoltine population. Proportion of parasitized larvae was correlated with the proportion of stalks that had at least one parasitized larva and with the frequency of infested stalks. These correlations indicated that searching and oviposition by the female parasitoid may be random among maize stalks. The apparent inefficiency of this parasitoid is discussed.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF BIASES ON WATERFOWL HARVEST ESTIMATES

Hunters at 2 Iowa Public Hunting Areas were required to bring their waterfowl through check stations and later were mailed a questionnaire asking how many ducks and geese they bagged on these areas. The estimate of the total harvest as extrapolated was about twice the value recorded at the check station. The number of trips was overestimated by about 35 percent. For most estimates, less than 10 percent of the bias could be attributed to the tendency for unsuccessful hunters to be less likely to return the questionnaire. Most of the bias was caused by inaccurate reporting from hunters who returned the questionnaires. One source of response bias was rounding upward of the seasonal bag which increased the harvest estimate by about 5 percent. Another source, caused when some person other than the ad- dressee returned the questionnaire, could have inflated the estimate up to 10 percent. About 75 percent of the detected bias must be attributed to other factors. Probably much is due to hunters including friends' data when reporting their seasonal bag. Some method of estimating its effects on regular surveys is needed. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 42(2):251-262 Many states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Canadian Wildlife Ser- vice estimate the number of waterfowl harvested by hunters within their respec- tive areas of responsibility each year. Crissey (1975) explained the current pro- cedure used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Atwood (1956) demonstrated that there were serious biases in responses to mailed questionnaires. He developed an adjustment that could be used to correct the reported kill. His method was de- signed to estimate a correction factor an- nually, but his system was not flexible enough to deal with the small daily bag limits during the early 1960's. Therefore an average of the correction estimated for
Aquaculture and Florfenicol Resistance in Salmonella enterica Typhimurium DT104

To the Editor: During the epidemic of chikungunya virus infection that occurred on Reunion Island in 2005–06, we reported an overmortality corresponding to the epidemic peak, which was estimated by comparing observed and expected deaths (1). The excess was similar to the number of deaths related to chikungunya infection reported by death certifi cates (2). The case-fatality rate (CFR) on Reunion Island was estimated to be 1/1,000 population. According to Beesoon et al. (3), the fatality rate attributable to chikungunya infection was much higher on Mauritius: 743 deaths in excess of expected deaths led to a CFR of ≈4.5%, with 15,760 confi rmed or suspected cases for 2005 and 2006 as reported in this letter. A similar CFR of 4.9% can be calculated for the city of Ahmedabad, India, during the 2006 chikungunya epidemic (4). This 45to 49-fold difference could be explained by a greater severity of chikungunya infection in Mauritius or Ahmedabad that could be due to a mutating strain, differences in the preexisting conditions of patients, differences in the management of patients, or by coincident deaths in excess from other causes. However, the most probable explanation can be attributed to the surveillance systems of chikungunya cases. On Reunion Island, surveillance was highly sensitive and relied either on active case fi nding or on estimates of suspected cases. Results have been assessed by iterative external studies and serosurveys, and the CFR we found is likely consistent. If we apply this rate to Mauritius, ≈60% of the population would have contracted chikungunya infection during this epidemic. If so, the risk of epidemic resurgence could be much lower than previously expected. This point raises the need to conduct seroprevalence studies in those territories, the only way to evaluate the herd immunity level of the population.
The White-Crowned Sparrow. (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

FEATURES The white-crowned sparrow averages six to eight inches in length (tail tip to bill tip in preserved specimen). The adult bird has feathers on its crown with a black-and-white appearance. The light gray color on the throat feathers carries over to its upper back. The back feathers are brown, and the lower chest feathers are white. The immature bird has brown-and-white stripes on the head which are not as distinctive as those in the adult, and the bird’s overall coloration is more brown than that of the adult. Both the adult and immature birds have a pink bill.
FLORISTIC AND ETHNO BOTANICAL STUDY OF DESERT-NARA REGION, SINDH

One hundred sixty plant species, belonging to 118 genera and 45 families were collected from the Nara desert during 1998-2001 are identified. Of them, one species of gymnosperm, there sedges and twenty species of systematic account with keys to families, genera and species is provided . Statically the area containing the 21.22%, of the plant families, 7.8% of the genera and 2.94% of the total species of Pakistan.
Effect of Gundelia Tournefortii leaves extract on in immature mouse oocytes

Background & Aim: Considering that antioxidants are known as effective free radicals scavenger, it may be able to improve the in vitro oocyte maturation and the fetal quality. This study was designed to determine the effect of Gundelia Tournefortii leaves (GTE) hydro alcoholic extract as a source of antioxidant on in vitro oocyte maturation. Experimental: Germinal vasicle (GV) were recovered from 6-8 weeks old NMRI ovaries. GV were cultured for 24 hours in maturation medium in MEMα supplemented with 7.5IU/ml hCG, 100mIU/ml rhFSH, 5% FCS (control group) and adding different doses of GTE extract (10µg/ml: group 1, 20 µg/ml: group 2, 40 µg/ml: group 3) and then in vitro maturation stages and resumption of meiotic in all groups was recorded by inverted microscope. Results: In group 1, maturation rates were improved compared to the control group. But this difference was not significant. In group 2, maturation rates showed a significant increase compared to the control group (p<0/05). In group 3, also maturation rates showed a significant increase compared to the control group (p<0/05). Recommended applications/industries: The results of this study showed that the Gundelia Tournefortii leaves extract, has a positive effect on oocyte maturation that is doses dependent. So with increasing concentration of Gundelia Tournefortii extract, the rate of maturation immature oocytes is increased. Generally, we conclude that addition of appropriate amounts of natural extracts such as Gundelia Tournefortii to maturation medium improves oocytes maturation.
Pulmonary function improvement following septoplasty

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Nasal septal deviation is a frequent cause of increased nasal airway resistance. A narrow nasal airway would result in a decreased airflow into the lungs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the alterations of the pulmonary functions prior to and following septoplasty using spirometry. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> Thirty patients with obvious nasal septal deviations were enrolled in the study. All patients had a detailed otorhinolaryngologic examination, and were performed spirometry, prior to and one month after septoplasty surgery, and the results were compared. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Septoplasty improves the nasal breathing pattern. While reducing FEF<sub>50%</sub> (maximum expiratory flow at 50% of FVC)/FIF<sub>50%</sub>, it increases PEF and FIF<sub>50%</sub> values. In addition, exercise capacity improves following surgery. Postoperative scores showed reduction markedly compared to preoperative values (p<0.001). </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Nasal septal surgery has a positive effect on pulmonary functions. </p><p class="abstract"> </p><p> </p>
Factors Affecting Life Expectancy of the Prairie Vole, Microtus ochrogaster

We determined life expectancy (to within approximately 3 d) of 1457 prairie voles. Microtus ochrogaster, in a free-living population over a period of 6 yr. During this time the population underwent four cycles of abundance, with peak densities of 160, 250, 350, and 624 individuals per ha. Life expectancy was calculated based on the interactions of season, phase of the population cycle, population density, type of natal social group, and weather conditions 21 and 30 d before and after birth. Life expectancy was greatest for animals born (1) in autumn, (2) during the increase phase of the population cycle, (3) at population densities >100/ha, and (4) into communal groups. The combination of these factors appears to result in a surge in population density in late autumn. The short life expectancy of animals born during the peak and decline phases of the population cycle may accelerate the rate of the decline phase. During periods of high temperatures before birth in summer, life expectancy increased with increased precipitation. There was no such interaction of precipitation and temperature after birth. In both summer and autumn, high precipitation after birth resulted in lower life expectancy, possibly reflecting increased mortality of young forced to leave flooded underground nests.
First record of the occurrence and abundance of phorids (Diptera: Phoridae) associated with leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the municipality of Cruz das Almas-BA

As formigas cortadeiras do genero Atta sao consideradas uma das principais pragas florestais e agricolas. Atualmente, o controle quimico com iscas granuladas e considerado o mais eficiente, porem, com a adocao inadequada de manejo pode prejudicar organismos nao-alvo e o agroecossistema. Parasitoides forideos tem sido estudados para que possam ser utilizados como estrategia alternativa de manejo para formigas cortadeiras. O uso de forideos como parte da estrategia de manejo no controle biologico, apesar de ainda ser muito incipiente, pode no futuro se tornar uma alternativa mais segura para o controle de formigas cortadeiras. Assim, o objetivo foi relatar a ocorrencia de parasitoides da familia Phoridae associados a formigas cortadeiras do genero Atta no municipio de Cruz das Almas. Durante os meses de abril a julho, tres ambientes foram estudados, sendo: area de pastagem, plantacao de eucalipto e um fragmento de Mata Atlântica. Em cada um desses ambientes, foram selecionados tres colonias de duas especies de formigas Atta sexdens sexdens e Atta laevigata. Cada coleta consistiu em seis horas de observacao, divididas em oito periodos de 45 minutos. As boas praticas foram feitas nas trilhas e batedores consecutivamente, sempre comecando pelo batedor. Um total de 112 forideos pertencentes a dois generos foram coletados, sendo 64 do genero Eibesfeldtphora e 48 do genero Myrmosicarius. As boas praticas foram feitas nas trilhas e batedores consecutivamente, sempre comecando pelo batedor. Um total de 112 forideos pertencentes a dois generos foram coletados, sendo 64 do genero Eibesfeldtphora e 48 do genero Myrmosicarius. As boas praticas foram feitas nas trilhas e batedores consecutivamente, sempre comecando pelo batedor. Um total de 112 forideos pertencentes a dois generos foram coletados, sendo 64 do genero Eibesfeldtphora e 48 do genero Myrmosicarius.
Immediate and residual effects of prohexadione-calcium, with or without ethephon, applied in a low-pH solution on vegetative and reproductive growth in sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.)

Summary A single application of either prohexadione-calcium (Ca) at 250 mg l–1, or of prohexadione-Ca at 250 mg l–1 plus ethephon at 180 mg l–1, dissolved in water acidified with 1.0 g l–1 citric acid was applied to young ‘Burlat’ sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.). In the year of application, both chemicals provided effective growth control over the entire season, with prohexadione-Ca plus ethephon being more restrictive to growth than prohexadione-Ca alone. This pattern of growth suppression was observed in the dynamics of shoot elongation, mean shoot length, internode length, and total shoot extension. Both chemical treatments increased flower bud set on previous-season shoots. Residual effects (i.e., in the year following treatment, with no additional chemical application) were produced by prohexadione-Ca plus ethephon, which reduced the mean shoot length to 56.6% of untreated control trees, and by both treatments significantly limiting the length of all internodes relative to the controls. No residual effects were observed on the numbers of flower buds in year-2.
Effect of chocolate brown HT with olive oil on some neurotransmitters in different brain regions, physiological and histological structure of liver and kidney of male albino rats

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic administration of chocolate brown HT or chocolate brown HT with oil on norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and gamm-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents in different brain areas (cerebellum, striatum, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, brain steam and hippocampus) and liver and kidney functions of male albino rats. In addition, histopathological examinations of the liver and kidney of the male albino rats were carried out. The results show that chronic oral administration of chocolate brown HT (200 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.)) caused a significant decrease in the content of norepinephrine, dopamine and gamm-aminobutyric acid in all the tested regions. This may be attributed to the inhibition of ATP formation leading to decreased synthesis or re-uptake of NE, DA and GABA in the presynaptic cell. Chronic oral administration of chocolate brown HT (200 mg/kg b.wt.) with olive oil caused no significant change in the total content of norepinephrine, dopamine and gamm-aminobutyric acid in all the tested brain areas at different time intervals. The results also revealed that the urea content and level of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase significantly increased while alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine significantly decreased in chocolate brown HT treated rat. On the other hand, administration of chocolate brown HT in combination with olive oil resulted in the amelioration of the functional analysis of the brain, liver and renal tissues which were confirmed by histological observation of the hepatic and renal tissues. Finally, it was concluded that olive oil ameliorated the unusual findings of chronic administration of chocolate brown HT due to its antioxidant capacity of capturing free radicals. Key words: Chocolate brown HT, olive oil, NE, DA, 5-HT, GABA, brain regions, male albino rats.
Food Partitioning among Fishes of the Virgin River

Food partitioning of one introduced and six native fishes was investigated from two different sites in the Virgin River. Replicate benthic samples from riffle areas indicated that chironomid and simuliid larvae composed the major food base available to fishes. Relativized electivity values suggest that chironomid larvae were nearly always selected over simuliid larvae by all species. Stomach analysis revealed seasonal interand intra-specific differences in diets. Desert and flannelmouth suckers fed on a mixture of sediment, detritus, filamentous algae and invertebrates. Roundtail chubs consumed largely Spirogyra, Cladophora and diatoms. Woundfin and spinedace were omnivorous, consuming an array of benthic and drift animals and plant matter. Speckled dace and red shiners were insectivorous, consuming large numbers of small dipterans. Food overlap among native fishes was uncommon, occurring in a biologically meaningful way on only four (7%) of the 55 possible occasions. Biologically meaningful food overlap (>0.60) between the exotic red shiner and native fishes occurred on four (25%) of the 16 possible occasions.
Temperature alters algicidal activity of DNA and RNA viruses infecting Chaetoceros tenuissimus

Viral infection is considered a significant factor affecting the dynamics of diatoms in marine environments. Two different diatom viruses — the single-stranded DNA virus CtenDNAV and the single-stranded RNA virus CtenRNAV, that both infect and lyse the marine planktonic diatom Chaetoceros tenuissimus Meunier — have been isolated from western Japan. To understand the ecological relationship explaining how they share the same host species in nature and how the host population survives, basic host growth and physiology of viral infections should be examined. We evaluated the relationship between host growth rates and viral infections with respect to water temperature within the range of 10 to 30°C. The maximum growth rates of 2 different strains of C. tenuissimus were 3.4 to 3.5 divisions d−1, which were obtained at 25 to 30°C. The viral infection tests showed that the decline in the host population due to CtenDNAV was faster at higher water temperatures. The susceptibilities of the host strains to CtenRNAV (but not to CtenDNAV) were diverse, and varied with water temperature. The results indicate that successful CtenDNAV proliferation occurs during seasons with higher water temperature that are more suitable for host growth. However, CtenRNAV proliferation does not necessarily correlate with temperature-dependent host growth. The host populations grow in the water column during the course of a year, and the different temperature-dependent viral proliferations allow the 2 viruses to coexist in a narrow spatial region. Additionally, the viral infections seem to be accelerated during the host stationary growth phase, but not during the logarithmic growth phase, which might contribute to host population survival in nature.