Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generic limits within the Eupodiscaceae: I. Observations on three unusual species of Cerataulus, with reference to the type species, C. turgidus

Scanning electron and light microscope observations are presented of Biddulphia brittoniana Kain & Schultze, B. heteroceros Grunow and B. multicornis Grunow. All these species possess unusual modes of chain formation, including entangling spines and clasping of the external tubes of the rimoportulae. The three species are transferred to Cerataulus Ehrenberg based on their loculate valve structure, rows of areolae with internal foramina and external groups of fine pores interrupted by spinules and locular walls, the presence of ocelli pointing away from the apical axis, and of a sipho marginalis. Observations on C. turgidus (Ehrenberg) Ehrenberg, the type species of this genus, are also provided, and the generic description is emended. Morphological features that separate Cerataulus from Pleurosira (Meneghini) Trevisan, Odontella C. Agardh and Zygoceros Ehrenberg are discussed. The overall good preservation of the materials examined here also provides new insights into the structure of the sipho marginalis.
Chemically‐mediated host‐plant location and selection by root‐feeding insects

Abstract. Recent studies have shown that root‐feeding insects can be of considerable importance in terms of agricultural damage, their indirect impacts on above‐ground herbivores and their efficacy as biocontrol agents of weeds. To date, isolated studies have made it difficult to identify the mechanisms by which soil‐dwelling insects locate and select host‐plant roots. This review synthesizes 78 studies describing root location and selection. Soil insect herbivores do not rely on encountering roots at random, but orientate towards them using semiochemicals that enable specialist insects to distinguish host‐plants from unsuitable plants. Secondary plant metabolites released into the rhizosphere (alcohols, esters and aldehydes representing 37% of reported examples) underpin host‐plant location and recognition, with 80% having ‘attractant’ properties. Insects feeding on a limited range of plants tend to exploit host‐specific secondary metabolites, whereas nonspecialist feeders appear to use more general semiochemicals. When insects reach the roots, contact chemosensory cues act as either ‘phagostimulants’ (48% of the compounds being sugars) or feeding ‘deterrents’ (notably phenolic compounds). Twenty studies conclude that CO2 is the major primary plant metabolite that allows insects to locate to roots. However, several features of CO2 emissions from roots mitigate against it as a precise location cue. In addition to its lack of specificity, gradients of root emitted CO2 do not persist for long periods and vertical gradients of CO2 in the soil tend to be stronger than horizontal gradients. A conceptual model is presented, emphasizing the importance of soil properties (e.g. porosity, moisture) on chemical diffusion and insect motility.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization and Relationships of Turkish Local Eggplant Heirlooms

A total of 38 eggplant genotypes, of which 32 were heirloom accessions collected from different regions of Burdur province five were different local genotypes from other provinces, and one was a cultivar, were used as reference in this study. The phylogenetic relationships among these heirlooms were evaluated using 40 morphologic descriptors and five randomly amplified polymorphic RAPD markers. The horizontal dendrograms were created by using UPGMA with both morphologic and molecular data. Burdur heirloom accessions showed high genetic diversity based on morphological and molecular data. The genetic similarity rates ranged from 0.29 to 0.91 according to the morphological data, and ranged from 0.84 to 0.98 according to the molecular data. Molecular data generated by RAPD method, compared to morphological data, were insufficient to reveal genetic diversity. Therefore, in order to confirm genetic variations, studies based on other molecular methods are necessary. The regional genetic populations include a wide eggplant genetic diversity which can be good source for the breeding studies performed in the future.
GROWTH-ENHANCED TRANSGENIC SALMON CAN BE INFERIOR SWIMMERS

We examined the consequence of remarkably fast growth rates in transgenic fish, using swimming performance as a physiological fitness variable. Substantially faster growth rates were achieved by the insertion of an "all-salmon" growth hormone gene construct in transgenic coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). On an absolute speed basis, transgenic fish swam no faster at their critical swimming speed than smaller non-transgenic controls, and much slower than older non-transgenic controls of the same size. Thus, we find a marked trade-off between growth rate and swimming performance, and these results suggest that transgenic fish may be an excellent model to evaluate existing ideas regarding physiological design.
Lessons from a limpet: modelling decisions of central place foragers

Central place foraging behaviour is widespread among both vertebrates and invertebrates. Due to their limited behavioural repertoires, homing limpets (Mollusca Gastropoda) represent an ideal system for the study of optimisation problems in central place foragers. A simple model of limpet behaviour is proposed, based on stochastic dynamic programming, and predictions are compared with published observations. The model was kept as general as possible, so as to be flexible enough to describe the behaviour of almost any central place forager. The state of the forager was characterised by two state variables: the quality of food encountered and the distance from the home site. At each time step, the animal must decide if it is: (a) to accept a patch it has encountered, (b) to continue onwards or (c) to return homewards. Average patch energy content was assumed to increase with distance from home. To simulate different spatial arrangements of resources, the possibility of an autocorrelation in rewards, due to spatial proximity of visited sites, was also allowed. With no autocorrelation, all patches are considered independent of one another, whereas with increasing levels of autocorrelation, one valuable patch is more likely to be followed by another valuable patch. The model allowed reproduction of the typical tri-phasic behaviour observed in many limpet species. This is characterised by a rapid outward phase, a slow central phase, and a rapid return phase. This behaviour changed somewhat with the degree in autocorrelation of rewards due to spatial proximity. When patch contents were highly autocorrelated, the three phases were sharply separated, while with lower levels of autocorrelation, more gradual transitions between the phases occurred. Model results generally agree with published reports of limpet behaviour and they also seem to offer a useful benchmark for understanding more general aspects of central place foraging behaviour in other animals.
Numbers, activities, and diversity of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in a freshwater, eutrophic lake sediment

The microbiological and chemical potential for ammonia oxidation in a freshwater, eutrophic lake sediment was examined in relation to environmental changes caused by seasonal, dimictic circulation. Poulations of both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers as estimated by most probable number (MPN) were sustained throughout extended anaerobic summer intervals, with nitrite oxidizers outnumbering ammonia oxidizers by a factor ranging from 3.0 to 8.1. Ammonia oxidation potential on a per cell basis was affected by seasonal changes and was seen to decrease as oxygen was removed from the sediments. Pure-culture isolations from a positive MPN tube inoculated with oxygenated sediment and representing a single point in a seasonal cycle produced ammonia-oxidizing strains belonging to the genus Nitrosospira. These strains did not react with known ammonia-oxidizer serotypes and, therefore, extend the serological diversity of this group of bacteria. An immunofluorescence analysis of MPN tubes from sediment collected during a .
Pigments, polysaccharides, and photosynthetic products of Phaeosaccion collinsii

Zoospores of Phaeosaccion collinsii averaged 70 µ3 and contained total N 2.24 pg, DNA 0.19, and chlorophyll a 0.62 pg per spore. In addition, chl c, "cis"-β-carotene, fucoxanthin, and violaxanthin were principal pigments and a minor unidentified carotene was present.Photosynthetic rates of zoospores were 0.37 × 10−12 g C per spore per hour, or 0.59 mg C per mg chl a per hour at 5°. The principal products of photosynthesis were mannitol and a water-soluble glucan.Carbohydrates in the thalli were fractionated and evidence is presented for the presence of a laminarin-like glucan, mannitol, myo- and scyllo-inositols. Alginate was absent.The relationship of P. collinsii to other algal groups is discussed and it is concluded that its affinities lie with the Chrysophyceae.
Niche breadth and overlap of four species of Sphagnum in southern Ecuador

Niche breadth and overlap values ofS. magellanicum, S. recurvum, S. sancto-joseph- ense, and S. subsecundum var. rufescens from four peatlands in southern Ecuador are similar to those reported for Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in North America. The pH, conductivity, and concentrations ofFe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and P indicate that these peatlands are similar to intermediate or transitional poor fens in the Northern Hemisphere. Niche diversification of Sphagnum in North America has been investigated by Vitt and Slack (1984). They examined microhabitat parameters of conductivity, pH, Ca, K, Mg, Na, height above the water table, and shade for 13 Sphagnum species in northern Minnesota. Calculations of niche breadth and overlap suggested independent species utiliza- tion of the gradients. In the peatlands they exam- ined, they found that niche breadths of Ca and pH become narrower from hollow to hummock, but the broadest niche breadths were for midhummock spe- cies along the height gradient. Individual species appear to interact independently to different gra- dients. This led Vitt and Slack to conclude that species of Sphagnum are largely equilibrium species as opposed to fugitive species. Slack (1982) suggests that equilibrium species have well-defined niches distinct from close competitors, whereas fugitive species are characterized by strong niche overlap with similar species. Vitt and Slack (1984) noted an exception with one species, S. russowii Warnst. , which they believe to be a fugitive species since it is found in a wider range of habitats than the other species. The broad niche overlap of such species is attributed to the ruderal nature (Andrus 1986). Andrus (1986) does not quite agree with Slack's (1982) interpretation that Sphagnum species are best classed as equilibrium species. He feels that this is probably more appropriate for species in well-de- veloped and slowly evolving peatlands. The distri- bution of Sphagnum in peatlands is envisioned by Slack (1982) as a function of colonizing ability and competitive interactions since the last disturbance event, with the establishment of Sphagnum as a short phase compared to growth of the Sphagnum in an established peatland, which is viewed as a relatively long-lived habitat. However, Andrus notes that periodic drought and fire are common phe- nomena in northern peatlands. Such disturbances create short-lived habitats that are often character- istic of fugitive species.
Induction of Systemic Resistance in Cucumber by Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria: Duration of Protection and Effect of Host Resistance on Protection and Root Colonization

Two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Pseudomonas putida strain 89B-27 and Serratia marcescens strain 90-166, which previously induced systemic resistance (ISR) in cucumber 'Straight 8' against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare, were used to determine the duration of ISR in cucumber. ISR activity induced by strain 89B-27 occurred at the first-leaf stage, increased over time, and was maintained at least to the fifth-leaf stage. With strain 90-166, ISR was less stable, occurring at the second-, fourth-, and fifth-leaf stages. Cultivar specificity of ISR and colonization capacity of the two strains were studied in one resistant and three susceptible cucumber cultivars under greenhouse conditions. Strain 89B-27 induced systemic resistance in all three, whereas strain 90-166 induced systemic resistance in two of the three susceptible cultivars. Both strains failed to induce resistance in the resistant cultivar. Root colonization patterns of strains 89B-27 and 90-166 also differed. Populations of strain 89B-27 declined at a consistent rate over time, dropping from log 10 8.2 CFU/g fresh weight of roots 1 week after planting to log 10 3.2 CFU/g fresh weight of roots by 4 weeks after planting. In contrast, populations of strain 90-166 declined rapidly from log 10 7.4 CFU/g fresh weight of roots 2 weeks after inoculation and then decreased more slowly to log 10 3.2 CFU/g fresh weight of roots by 4 weeks after planting. There was no relationship between ISR activity and populations of the two strains on roots. ISR increased over time, while populations of the bacteria decreased.
THE USE OF LABORATORY-SCALE FERMENTATIONS AS A TOOL FOR MODELLING BEER FERMENTATIONS

There have so far been relatively few attempts reported in the literature to develop models for prediction of beer fermentation at large scale as a function of key process conditions. Important outputs would be concentrations of key flavour components, which are important determinants of product quality. Such models would be useful for their predictive power, and in the longer term for process optimization. In this paper, an approach for linking the effect of mixing, based on power input, to kinetic models based on small-scale homogenous fermentations is presented. The kinetic models themselves are useful as they can be used for prediction of ethanol, substrate, ester and higher alcohol yield coefficients, as a function of temperature, pitching rate, gravity and initial dissolved oxygen concentration in the wort, based on on-line measurements of CO 2 . On-line measurement of CO 2 is relatively easy and inexpensive and so models of this kind should provide a useful first stage towards developing more rigorous models for the brewing industry.
Effect of Diabetes on Skin and Brown Fat of Rat Macrosomic Fetuses: Histological and Histochemical Study

Fetal macrosomia is one of the major clinical problems that carry health hazards for both mother and fetus. Diabetic mothers with mild hyperglycemia or gestational diabetes are at a high risk of having macrosomic babies. This study aimed to describe the cellular changes of skin and brown fat of macroscomic fetuses born to mildly diabetic rats. This experimental study used 36 adult female rats divided into control (n=12) and experimental (n=24) groups. The latter were injected intra-peritoneally with Alloxan (100 mg/kg) and animals with blood glucose (130–250) mg/mL (n=16) were designated as diabetic and were housed with known fertile males. On day 21 of gestation, pregnant females were sacrificed and fetuses were weighted and processed for histological and histochemical examination. A significant increase in body weight of macrosomic fetuses born to diabetic mothers (6.6±0.37) was recorded. Mean dermal thickness (7.9±0.2) and brown fat mass (451.8±11.2) were significantly increased (p=0.004 and p=0.04) in macrosomic fetuses. Brown fat adipocytes showed earlier transformation into white fat adiopocytes. Lipid and polysaccharide accumulation as well as significant cell proliferation were observed in both tissues of macrosomic fetuses. Increased thickness of skin and mass of fat brown fat of macrosomic fetuses of mild diabetic rats could be attributed to increased deposition of polysaccharides and lipids as well proliferation of their cells.
An α‐(1,4)‐amylase is essential for α‐(1,3)‐glucan production and virulence in Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that causes respiratory and systemic disease and is capable of surviving and replicating within macrophages. The virulence of Histoplasma has been linked to cell wall α‐(1,3)‐glucan; however, the role of this polysaccharide during infection, its organization within the cell wall, and its synthesis and regulation remain poorly understood. To identify genes involved in the biosynthesis of α‐(1,3)‐glucan, we employed a forward genetics strategy to isolate physically marked mutants with reduced α‐(1,3)‐glucan. Insertional mutants were generated in a virulent strain of H. capsulatum by optimization of Agrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated transformation. Approximately 90% of these mutants possessed single insertions with no chromosomal rearrangements or deletions in the host genome. To confirm the role and specificity of identified candidate genes, we phenocopied the disrupted locus by either RNA interference or targeted gene deletion. Our findings indicate α‐(1,3)‐glucan production requires the function of the AMY1 gene product, a novel protein with homology to the α‐amylase family of glycosyl hydrolases, and UGP1, a UTP‐glucose‐1‐phosphate uridylyltransferase which synthesizes UDP‐glucose monomers. Loss of AMY1 function attenuated the ability of Histoplasma to kill macrophages and to colonize murine lungs.
Isolation and characterization of a BURP domain-containing gene BnBDC1 from Brassica napus involved in abiotic and biotic stress

A new gene encoding BURP domain-containing protein was isolated from oilseed rape (Brassica napus) following drought treatment. The cloned gene, designated as BnBDCI (GenBank accession number AY293830), contains four major domains: an N-terminal hydrophobic domain, a short conserved segment, a characteristic repeated region and a C-terminal BURP domain. BnBDC1 is highly homologous to the dehydration-responsive RD22 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, and belongs to the same gene family as BNM2 from B. napus. Northern blot and semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses show that BnBDC1 is constitutively expressed in rape shoots, but is not detectable in the roots, indicating that the expression of BnBDC1 is tissue specific. The expression level of BnBDC1 transcript is upregulated by mannitol, NaCI and abscisic acid (ABA), downregulated by UV irradiation and salicylic acid, and unresponsive to H 2 O 2 and cold treatment. The accumulation of BnBDC1 transcripts generally increases within 2h after initiation of the promoting stimulus. These results suggest that BnBDCI has similar functions to those of RD22 of Arabidopsis, and may play an important role in response to osmotic stress and/or plant pathogen infection in B. napus.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WATER MOVEMENT IN LEAF SCORCH DECLINE AFFECTED AND HEALTHY COCONUT PALMS USING LITHIUM AS A NON-RADIOACTIVE TRACER

Obstructions to the movement of water, by physical blockages in the vascular system, are a possible cause of the Leaf Scorch Decline (LSD) disorder of coconut palms. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the pattern of water movement in healthy and LSD-affected coconut palms, using Lithium, a non-radioactive tracer, as an indicator. Pattern of water transport in the leaf canopy of healthy and LSD-affected palms was similar but the quantities transported were different. Less water movement in moderate-LSD palms than in healthy and mild-LSD palms suggest the development of obstructions to water movement when the disorder increases in severity. Uptake of water into the root system was not affected by the LSD disorder. However, in moderate-LSD palms more water was retained in the roots than in healthy and mild-LSD palms. This also points to restrictions to water movement in the moderate-LSD palms. The relatively high amounts of Li retained in the roots of healthy and mild-LSD palms need further investigation. Key words: Leaf Scorch Decline, visible symptoms, pattern of water movement, non-radioactive tracer doi: 10.4038/cocos.v18i0. 986 COCOS (2007), 18
Patterns and determinants of helminth communities in the Acipenseridae (Actinopterygii: Chondrostei), with special reference to the lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens

Patterns, processes, and some hypotheses regarding the structure of helminth communities in freshwater fishes have been investigated using sturgeons (Acipenseridae), a widely distributed group of basal actinopterygian fishes. Analyses at the infracommunity and component-community levels for one species, Acipenser fulvescens, indicated occasionally dense, but isolationist, gut helminth communities with moderate species richness and a high degree of predictability conferred by host-specific helminths that dominated the communities. Largely predictable helminth communities are also characteristic of acipenserids from Siberian and Ponto-Caspian drainages and basins. Although host specificity was the major determinant of helminth community diversity in most acipenserids, exceptions were found in sturgeons of the Aral Sea drainages, where non-host-specific parasites dominated the helminth communities. Gut complexity and evolutionary age were both found to be poor predictors of community richness in sturgeons an.
Evaluation of Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis Resistance Among Wild Abalone Populations Along the Victorian Coast of Australia

ABSTRACT Between May 2006 and February 2010, abalone viral ganglioneuritis caused by abalone herpes virus (AbHV) spread along the coast of Victoria, Australia, and devastated wild abalone populations, causing high mortality (up to 90% in some areas). However, some abalone from the affected populations survived the epizootic and thus may be naturally resistant to the disease. To test this hypothesis, abalone (Haliotis rubra) from 5 reefs within the geographical range for AVG were collected and tested for resistance to infection and disease. Thus, mature survivors (abalone ∼160 mm in length) and juvenile “new recruits” (abalone ∼70 mm in length) were exposed to the virus using an experimental infectivity model to determine the presence of any potential resistance to the virus. Exposure to AbHV was performed by immersion using 3 serial viral dilutions to ensure that abalone were exposed to at least 1 viral concentration that would provide a morbidity dose of intermediate level. Results indicated that morbidity curves for the wild abalone groups (both mature and juvenile) were similar to those of the susceptible, naive, farmed hybrid (Haliotis laevigata × Haliotis rubra) abalone (positive control) groups. Histological lesions typical of abalone viral ganglioneuritis, and viral DNA, were detected in moribund, challenged abalone, confirming AbHV as the causative disease agent. Results suggest that the surviving wild abalone are not resistant to AbHV and were probably not exposed to pathogenic doses of the virus during the initial outbreak that commenced in 2006.