Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flowering intensity in white yam (Dioscorea rotundata)

SUMMARY White or Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata), grown for its underground tubers, is an important food in West Africa. Progress in yam breeding is constrained by variable flowering behaviour, making hybridization difficult. Yam clones may be dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite with variable sex ratios. The proportion of plants that flower and the flowering intensity also vary with season and location. The objective of the present work was to investigate whether variation in flowering behaviour was related to factors determining rate of development (photoperiod and temperature through sowing date, location and year) or growth (cumulative solar radiation and temperature). Sex ratios, the proportion of plants that had flower buds and open flowers, and the number of flowers or spikes was recorded in one male (TDr 131) and one female (TDr 99-9) clone of white yam grown in the field in Nigeria at three locations and at different sowing dates. Clone TDr 131 was uniformly male flowering, while clone TDr 99-9 exhibited a number of sex types with gynoecious, monoecious and trimonoecious plants observed. The proportion of flowering plants was low in both clones, averaging 0·34 in clone TDr 131 and 0·13 in clone TDr 99-9. Day of vine emergence had a significant and contrasting effect on the proportion of flowering plants and on flowering intensity in the two clones. In clone TDr 131, the proportion of flowering plants and flowering intensity declined with later vine emergence at all locations (r=0·43–0·53; P<0·05), whereas in clone TDr 99-9 the proportion of flowering plants increased with later emergence (r=0·46, P<0·01). In clone TDr 131, this response was strongly associated with warmer temperatures (r=0·49–0·50; P<0·05) and greater cumulative radiation (r=0·85–0·93; P<0·001) between vine emergence and flowering, rather than photoperiod at vine emergence. This suggests that flowering behaviour in the male clone TDr 131 is strongly influenced by factors that affect growth rather than development. Clone TDr 99-9, on the other hand, exhibited no clear relations between flowering and growth or developmental factors, though the proportion of flowering plants and flowering intensity was greatest at planting dates close to the longest day and at temperatures of 25–26°C. This might suggest that flowering behaviour in clone TDr 99-9 is controlled by photothermal responses.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DINOFLAGELLATE FLAGELLAR APPARATUS IV. GYMNODINIUM ACIDOTUM 1

Gymnodinium acidotum Nygaard is a freshwater dinoflagellate that is known to harbor a cryptomonad endosymbiont whose chloroplasls give the organism an overall blue‐green color. The ultrastructure of G. acidotum was examined with particular attention being given to the three dimensional nature of the flagellar apparatus. The fiagellar apparatus is composed of two functional basal bodies that are slightly offset and lie at an angle of approximately 90° to one another. As in other dinoflagellates the transverse basal body is associated with a striated, fibrous root that extends from the proximal end of the basal body to the transverse flagellar opening. At least one microtubular root extends from the proximal end of the transverse basal body, and a multi‐membered longitudinal microtubular root is associated with the longitudinal basal body. The most striking feature of the flagellar apparatus of G. acidotum is the large fibrous connective that extends from the region of the proximal ends of the basal bodies to the cingulum on the dorsal side of the cell. A similar structure has been reported from only one other dinoflagellate, Amphidinium cryophilum Wedemayer, Wilcox, and Graham. The presence of this structure as well as similarities in external morphology suggest thai these two species may be more closely related to each other than either is to other gymnodinioid taxa. The taxonomic importance of dinoflagellate flagellar apparatus components is discussed.
Ultrastructure of spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa in Hoplias malabaricus (teleostei, characiformes, erythrinidae)

The differentiation of spermatids in Hoplias malabaricus is characterized by chromatin compaction, flagellum development, nuclear rotation, nuclear fossa formation, and excess cytoplasm elimination. In the resulting spermatozoon, the head is round and the nucleus contains chromatin compacted in thick filaments, peripherically arranged, to a central electron-lucent area. The acrosome is absent. The nuclear fossa is eccentric but not pronounced. The proximal centriole penetrates it and is oblique to the flagellum. The long midpiece has several converging elongate vesicles, forming membranous hoops in the initial segment of the flagellum, but has no cytoplasmic channel. The mitochondria are elongate and branched or C-shaped and located around the initial segment of the axoneme. The lateral flagellum does not show lateral projections. The ultrastructural characteristics of H. malabaricus spermatozoa are similar to the Cypriniformes.
Potential impacts of climate change on nitrogen transformations and greenhouse gas fluxes in forests: a soil transfer study

Relatively little research has been conducted on how climate change may affect the structure and function of arid to semiarid ecosystems of the American Southwest. Along the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona, USA, I transferred intact soil cores from a spruce‐fir to a ponderosa pine forest 730 m lower in elevation to assess the potential impacts of climate change on soil N cycling and trace gas fluxes. The low‐elevation site has a mean annual soil temperature about 2.5°C higher than the high‐elevation site. Net rates of N transformations and trace gas fluxes were measured in high‐elevation soil cores incubated in situ and soil cores transferred to the low‐elevation site. Over a 13‐month period, volumetric soil water content was similar in transferred soil cores relative to soil cores incubated in situ. Net N mineralization and nitrification increased over 80% in transferred soil cores compared with in situ soil cores. Soil transfer significantly increased net CO2 efflux (120%) and net CH4 consumption (90%) relative to fluxes of these gases from soil cores incubated in situ. Soil net N2O fluxes were relatively low and were not generally altered by soil transfer. Although the soil microbial biomass as a whole decreased in transferred soil cores compared with in situ soil cores after the incubation period, active bacterial biomass increased. Transferring soil cores from the low‐elevation to the high‐elevation site (i.e. simulated global cooling) commonly, but not consistently, resulted in the opposite effects on soil pools and processes. In general, soil containment (root trenching) did not significantly affect soil measurements. My results suggest that small increases in mean annual temperature can have large impacts on soil N cycling, soil–atmosphere trace gas exchanges, and soil microbial communities even in ecosystems where water availability is a major limiting resource.
Sodium Dependent Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution in a Marine Diatom

Photosynthetic oxygen evolution in air-equilibrated cultures of Phaeodactylum tricornutum is dependent on the presence of sodium, but not potassium; sodium cannot be replaced by either potassium, lithium or ammonium. Respiration is not sodium dependent. At constant C02 concentrations the depression of oxygen evolution in the absence of sodium is more pronounced at pH 8-0 than at pH 6-5 and it is concluded that sodium facilitates the utilization of bicarbonate. Sodium increases the affinity of Phaeodactylum for inorganic carbon as does growth at low inorganic carbon concentrations.
The influence of temperature on light enhanced glycoalkaloid synthesis in potato

Summary The influence of temperature on total glycoalkaloid (TGA) synthesis in tubers exposed to light (250 jumol m“2 s”2 PAR, Photosynthetically Active Radiation) or dark environments for 96 h was examined in three potato cultivars. Following 96 h light or dark the tubers were stored without light at 5°C or 24°C and TGA concentrations monitored over the subsequent 30 and 90 days. Exposure to light and cultivar were found to be major factors influencing TGA concentrations; temperature had no significant effect. TGA content in illuminated tubers of cvs ‘Pentland Hawk’ and ‘Kerrs Pink’ were significantly higher (P < 0.01) compared with tubers placed in the dark. TGA concentrations in cv. ‘Desiree’ increased significantly only following exposure to light at low temperatures (P < 0.05). Removal of tubers from storage at 5°C and immediate illumination at 24°C altered the ratio of glycoalkaloids in cvs ‘Pentland Hawk’ and ‘Kerrs Pink’. Regardless of cultivar and storage temperature TGA concentrations were higher at the end of the storage period compared with initial TGA concentrations. During storage TGA concentrations fluctuated widely and gradual accumulation of glycoalkaloids with time was rarely demonstrated except in cv. ‘Desiree’. Tubers stored at 24°C accumulated higher TGA concentrations than those stored at 5°C in cv. ‘Kerrs Pink’ but not in cvs ‘Pentland Hawk’ and ‘Desiree’. Tubers of cv. ‘Kerrs Pink’ exposed to light prior to storage accumulated glycoalkaloids more rapidly than unexposed tubers during storage at 24°C and occasionally at 5°C. Light enhanced glycoalkaloids are not degraded over time.
Efficacy of combination of intralesional corticosteroid injection and cryotherapy versus intralesional corticosteroid injection alone in patients of keloid

Objective To compare the efficacy of combination of intralesional corticosteroid injection and cryotherapy with intralesional corticosteroid injection alone in patients of keloid. Methods A clinical trial was carried out in the department of Dermatology and Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh for duration of January 2013 to August 2013. About 30 patients (group A) were treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide with cryotherapy and 30 patients (group B) were treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide. Results Improvement rate was highest for the lesions on the chest, which was 18 (34.6%) and lowest for back 3 (5.8%). Out of all patients from group A, the mean size of the lesions were 8.17cm, 5.90 cm, 4.32 cm, and 3.57 cm at 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit and 4th visit, respectively. In group B, the mean size of the lesions was 7.50 cm, 4.92 cm, 3.00 cm, and 4.75 cm at 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit and 4th visit, respectively. Among the patients of group A and B, 27 (90%) and 25 (83.3%) cases improved, respectively. Conclusion Each of the treatment was individually effective in the treatment of keloid but study with a larger group of patients for longer period may result in superior outcome in clinical practice through improved compliance.
Are Vegetation—Environment Relationships Different Between Herbaceous and Woody Groundcover Plants in Barrens with Shallow Soils?

Abstract: The extent to which woody vegetation exhibits more expansive community structures and different relationships with environmental variables than herbaceous plants is poorly understood in savannas and barrens worldwide, especially those with shallow soils. We explored this question in oak barrens, which are savanna habitats characterized by shallow soils, in southern Ohio, USA. Groundcover plant aerial cover and environmental data were collected using 75 randomly located 1-m2 quadrats in 3 barrens. A combination of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and &bgr;-flexible cluster analysis revealed 3 distinct herbaceous plant assemblages that varied in abundances of C4 and C3 graminoid species and several forbs. Herbaceous vegetation patterns were correlated with soil acidity, soil depth, plant available water, and especially soil organic matter and quadrat slope. By contrast, woody plants were more widely distributed than herbs, and woody vegetation patterns were strongly correlated only with soil organic matter, although they were weakly associated with quadrat slope and an index of tree influence. The expansion of woody plants into barrens is likely not restricted by most edaphic factors; thus, barrens are highly susceptible to woody plant encroachment that has been fostered by anthropogenic alterations to natural fire regimes (suppression, dormant season fires). We hypothesize that fires that are intended to mimic natural lightning fires during the growing season will be most effective in deterring woody plant encroachment. Nomenclature: Gleason & Cronquist, 1991.
Caracterização de linhagens de tomateiro originadas de cruzamento interespecífico quanto à resistência à requeima

In this research we evaluated tomato lines for resistance to late blight. An amount of 72 genotypes (70 tomato lines F8 plus the accesses of BGH-UFV '184'and '1497') was evaluated. The lines were derived from interspecific crossing between Solanum lycopersicum ('Santa Clara') and Solanum habrochaites f. glabratum (access BGH-UFV '6902'). The experiments were conducted in field in the randomized blocks design with two and three replications in the first and second experiment, respectively. The plants were inoculated with a sporangia blend of Phytophthora infestans from the six different tomato producing cities of Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in a concentration of 103 sporangia mL-1. We evaluated the percentage of disease severity, presented as an area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). In both experiments 10 tomato lines plus the access BGH-UFV '1497' were selected. The lines identified as 50 I, 90 J, 127 F, 145 B and 164 G presented medium values of AUDPC inferior to the resistant witness. It was possible the introgression of late blight resistance genes present in S. habrochaites f. glabratum in S. lycopersicum.
Plasma levels of trace elements in patients with different symptoms of Schizophrenia

To determine changes of plasma trace elements levels (zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron) in schizophrenic patients with positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. The observations in the present study suggest that alterations in essential trace elements Mn, Cu, Zn, Se and Fe may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Supplementation of trace minerals -rich diet, which are thought to increase the antioxidant system activity, can be useful and effective in the treatment of the schizophrenia.
Effects of Resource Allocation on Behavioural Strategies: A Comparison of Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and Two Domesticated Breeds of Poultry

Three diAerent breeds of poultry, representing diAerent degrees of domestication, were observed in semi-natural conditions in order to study diAerences in foraging behaviour, activity levels and social behaviours which could be caused by correlated responses to selection for increased production. The breeds used were: (i) red junglefowl (Gallus gallus); (ii) Swedish bantam, which is a domestic breed that has not undergone selection for production traits; and (iii) Hy-Line, a White leghorn laying hybrid, selected mainly for food conversion eAciency. The birds were oAered ad libitum food simultaneously from sites where the food was freely available and from sites where the birds had to search and scratch for food which was mixed with wood-shavings. The behaviour was observed three times per day (48 min/d), 3 d per week in eight groups (four birds per group) of each breed between 7 and 18 wks of age. Junglefowl and bantam obtained a significantly higher proportion of their food from the site that required eAort. The opposite case was true for the Hy-Line. Overall, bantams performed significantly more foraging behaviour than Hy-Lines. The Hy-Line breed was more inactive and less involved in social interactions than the junglefowl and the bantam. The results support the idea that selection for high production results in modified behavioural strategies. Behaviours that are of high energetic cost, such as extensive foraging and social interactions, were of lower in frequency in the laying hens compared to junglefowl and bantam, allowing the laying hens to save energy that can be reallocated to production traits.
Too much of anything is bad for you, even information: how information can be detrimental to cooperation and coordination

Repeated games of cooperation share the same equilibrium selection problem as coordination games. In both settings, providing information might help players coordinating on efficient equilibria. Which equilibrium is most likely to be selected strictly depends on the type and the amount of information provided. It is then natural to ask under which conditions providing more information increases efficiency. The present thesis makes a step in answering this question. It analyzes how the presence of information regarding either the opponent, or the options that are available for choice, might change players' behavior. It focuses on two settings where increasing information might be detrimental for players: a repeated Prisoner's dilemma, and a coordination game. The first chapter develops a theoretical model in which players have limited information about the opponents' previous moves. When applied to the Trust Game, we show that by increasing the amount of information disclosed to the first player, more exploitative equilibria appear, in which that player obtains a smaller payoff. These equilibria disappear in settings in which the information the first player obtains about the second player's past behavior is limited. This is a case in which providing a player more information may reduce his payoff in equilibrium. In the second chapter, we test this latter result with a laboratory experiment, and we show that subjects do understand that different behavior might be optimal in different settings. Subjects tend to use a fully cooperative strategy more often when only minimal information is available. Moreover, subjects trying to exploit the opponent succeeded in gaining more than the mutual cooperation payoff only when the information provided to the opponent is sufficiently rich, that is when our model predicts that exploitative outcomes are equilibria. The last chapter considers the effects of introducing information about the options available for choice in a coordination game. It reports the results from a simulated crowdfunding experiment. We show that the presence of non payoff-relevant information is able to make a project focal. However, when returns from coordination are uncertain, the presence of information is instead detrimental for coordination.
Production of faeces in natural populations of aphidophagous coccinellids (Col.) and estimation of predation rates

The production of faeces (PF) was investigated in natural populations of adults of several aphidophagous coccinellid species, since it was thought to be roughly proportionate to the quantity of the food eaten. Immediately after the capture, males and females were placed separately into the small petri dishes, and allowed to produce faeces for 24 h at the temperature 24 ± 1 °C. The relation between PF and the abundance of aphids, and the seasonal and annual variation of PF were studied in Coccinella septempunctata. With aphid abundance ≤0.005 aphids/cm2 of plant surface, PF was not influenced by the variation of aphid density. Above this threshold, PF increased proportionately to aphid abundance. With aphid abundance ≥0.8 aphids/cm2, the adults were likely to be satiated, and PF in females (0.97 ± 0.30 mg/day) was significant greater than in males (0.67 ± 0.19 mg/day). The relationship between PF and aphid abundance was identical in the overwintered pre‐reproductive and reproducing adults, and diapausing individuals of the new generation. However, PF varied substantially in the course of the season, along with variation of aphid density. In 1985 on herbaceous stands, average PF in reproducing adults was 60–95%, before and after the period of reproduction only 30–60%, of the PF in “satiated” populations. In C. quinquepunctata, the relationship between PF and aphid abundance was similar to C. septempunctata, but the increase of PF with aphid abundance was less conspicuous. Tentative estimates of average predation rates in natural populations of C. septempunctata were made. The difficulties in interpreting the PF in terms of predation rates are discussed. With low aphid abundance, small C. quinquepunctata may be relatively more efficient predator than the large C. septempunctata, while with high aphid abundance perhaps the reverse is true.
Studies on Homalomeneae (Araceae) of Borneo VI: Homalomena giamensis, a New Species from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, with Observations on its Pollination

A new species, Homalomena giamensis L.S. Tung, S.Y. Wong & P.C. Boyce, is de­ scribed and illustrated from karst limestone formations at Kampung Giam, Kuching Division, SW Sarawak, to where it is locally endemic. As part of an ongoing project to investigate triggers and barriers in specia­ tion processes in Homalomena, observa­ tions of the pollination of Homalomena giamensis were undertaken to record inflorescence mechanics, interactions with insect visitors, and determine the pollina­ tor. Five insect genera visited during anthesis-Diptera: Drosophilidae (Coloca­ siomyia); Coeleoptera: Chrysomelidae: (Chaloenus & Dercetina sp.); Nitidulidae (genus undetermined), and Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae (Par astasia bimaculata Guerin). The pollinator was determined to be the ruteline scarab. Parastasia bimaculata is a rather widespread species in tropical Asia, and has previously recorded as a pollinat­ ing agent for one Bornean Homalomena. A review of pollination studies of tropical Asian aroids to date is given.
Folate, vitamin B12, alpha-tocopherol and selected liver components in periparturient dairy goats supplemented with choline and vitamin E

Abstract The influence of rumen-protected choline and vitamin E administration on status of folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin E and selected liver components was studied on 4 groups of 12 periparturient dairy goats: control, CTR; choline supplemented, RPC; vitamin E, VITE; choline and vitamin E, RPCE. Plasma folate did not differ between groups, except at parturition when RPC and RPCE goats had higher folate levels than CTR and VITE animals. Neither RPC nor vitamin E affected vitamin B12 plasma concentrations, while a time effect was observed after the third week of lactation, when B12 levels in each group started to increase. Alpha-tocopherol supplementation was associated with increased plasma α-tocopherol in the VITE and RPCE compared to the CRT and RPC groups, while RPC supplementation did not affect a-tocopherol levels in both RPC and RPCE groups compared to CTR and VITE ones. In control and RPC goats liver total lipid did not differ, while DNA contents and their ratio, were respectively higher and lower in RPC supplemented animals. Overall these results suggest that greater choline availability seems to be essential for optimising metabolic health and methyl group status, in dairy ruminants.