Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Carcinogenic and Modifying Potentials by Test Compounds Using a Mouse Lung Carcinogenesis Bioassay

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and the incidence of lung cancer is increasing. Therefore, it is particularly important to detect carcinogenic or tumor promoting substances of lung carcinogenesis in our environment, so that such harmful chemicals can be eliminated from our environment. Furthermore, detection of chemopreventive agents of lung carcinogenesis is also important to reduce our risk of lung cancer. It is necessary to establish reliable in vivo animal models of lung carcinogenesis for that purpose. The A/J mouse is a mouse strain sensitive to lung carcinogens, and also develops spontaneous lung tumors without any chemical treatment. In our department, we have demonstrated that a treatment of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyle)-1-butanone (NNK), a tobacco specific nitrosamine, or 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (MeIQx), a heterocyclic amine, induced lung tumors in the female A/J mouse in 16 and 32 weeks. The lung tumors developed in the A/J mouse are histopathologically classified as adenocarcinomas, adenomas, and alveolar cell hyperplasias. Some of these types of lung cancer are similar to those of human lung cancer. We also investigated the chemopreventive effects of bovine LF (bLF) on different phases of NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice. The A/J mouse is very useful mouse strain as a reliable in vivo model, which can be used for detecting chemopreventive agents of lung carcinogenesis.
Soil preference and burrow structure of an endangered tarantula, Brachypelma vagans (Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae)

Brachypelma vagans is an endangered tarantula included in Appendix II of CITES because of its popularity as a pet. However, little is known about its ecology, in particular microhabitat choices. In this work we analyse the structure of the vegetation surrounding burrows of this tarantula, as well as soil preference for the burrow at different sites in relation to the density of the species. We also offer the first description of the burrow of this spider. Brachypelma vagans mostly uses open sites with low vegetation for establishing its burrow, rather than primary or secondary forest. The burrows are essentially built in sites with deep clay soils, whereas sandy soils or soils with a high density of roots and stones are avoided. The soil characteristics may be the key factor determining the presence of B. vagans. The burrow of B. vagans is deep and complex, exhibiting various chambers, even if only one seems to be used by the occupant. The structure of the burrow and soil characteristics are obviously related. These results could help determine the real distribution of B. vagans within its geographic range, and might be useful for a better management focused on protection and reintroduction.
Triagem de genótipos de hortaliças para resistência a Meloidogyne enterolobii

The objective of this work was to identify genotypes of lettuce, sweet potato, bean, tomato, and Capsicum resistant to the nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii (Syn. M. mayaguensis), and to classify them according to their resistance degree. The following were evaluated: 10 genotypes of lettuce, 8 of sweet potato, 10 of bean and snap bean, 25 of Capsicum, and 6 of tomato genotypes. Reproduction factor and reproduction index were determined, and genotypes were classified according to their resistance degree to the nematode. Moderate levels of resistance were observed in the bean cultivar Apore and in the accessions of pepper BGH-433 and BGH-4285, and of sweet pepper, PIM-031, PIX-022I-31-07-02, and PIX-022I-31-13-01. All tomato genotypes are susceptible to M. enterolobii. Lettuce cultivars Julia, Hortencia, Veronica, Grand Rapids and Baba de Verao, and sweetpotato clones UFLA07-49 and UFLA07-53 are very resistant to the nematode. Apparently, the resistance to M. enterolobii is controlled by different genes from the ones which confer resistance to other species and races of Meloidogyne.
Yield Spread and Economic Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from Japan

In this paper, we adopt the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lags (NARDL) model extended by Shin et al. (2014) to investigate the relationship between the treasury yield spread and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) in Japan. This model helps us to explore the short- and long-run asymmetric reactions of explained variables through positive and negative partial sum decompositions of changes in the explanatory variable(s). In our research, the testing of the NARDL specification reveals the existence of a significant long-run asymmetric equilibrium between the yield spread and EPU in Japan. On the other hand, we find a significant positive nexus between the treasury yield spread and EPU reduction in the long run. We speculate that because of low inflation, a poor economic outlook and the low interest rate environment since 1990, financial agents are markedly sensitive to negative shocks resulting from EPU. This means that when facing a good economy, bond agents are quick to sell, especially with higher-risk long-term interest rate bonds. Meanwhile, because the Bank of Japan announced the Stock Purchasing Plan in October 2002 and from the point view of portfolio management, while the influence of a positive economic outlook dominates the negative outlook, flight from quality has no role in asset portfolio adjustment. The empirical implications are that the long history of unconventional monetary policy supports the demand for both bonds and stock markets. When taking the stock market into consideration, the correlations between the yield spread, EPU and stock market capture the full wealth effects of the low interest rate environment in Japan.
Optimization of Alkaline Protease Production in Submerged Fermentation Using Bacillus cereus Isolated from an Abattoir Wastewater in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

This study isolated and screened protease-producing bacteria from abattoir wastewater, it determined the effect of physical and nutritional components on the production of the crude protease produced by a selected bacterium in order to obtain a bacterium capable of producing protease with properties for industrial applications. Abattoir wastewater samples were collected from different locations in Ile-Ife, Nigeria and using pour plate method, one milliliter each of the aliquot was inoculated into skimmed milk agar medium (SKMA) to obtain colonies of protease-producing bacteria after proper dilution. All the protease-producing bacterial isolates were further screened for protease activity by submerged fermentation technique. The growth curve and protease activity of the best isolate was determined. The effect of different components of the growth medium on protease production was also determined. Forty-three isolates were obtained, five of the isolates gave appreciable diameter of clear zones of hydrolysis by rapid plate assay technique, out of which Bacillus cereus gave the highest enzyme activity of 75.79 Units/ml/min by submerged fermentation process. The optimal production of the enzyme was obtained after 44 hours of incubation with an inoculum volume of 2.0 ml. The optimal pH and temperature of production were 10.0 and 50°C respectively, while the best carbon and nitrogen source was sucrose and NH4Cl respectively. The study concluded that abattoir wastewater served as a good media for the growth of proteolytic bacteria while the strain of Bacillus cereus isolated could be applied in the industries for protease production.
Flowering and fruiting periodicity in a premontane rain forest in Pacific Colombia.

The timing and levels of flowering and fruiting were studied in a premontane rain forest in western Colombia. Flower production is less seasonal than fruit production, and periods of peak fruiting do not always closely follow the periods of higher flowering activity. Fruit production is more equitably distributed through the year than in seasonal tropical environments, but there are two small fruiting peaks that center on the wetter portions of the year. Proportionally fewer canopy species than understory species produce bird-dispersed fruits, and almost all understory trees produce this type of fruit. Species of Miconia fruit sequentially through the year, but the total number of individuals in fruit varies seasonally. This variation is apparently offset by an increase in fruiting activity of other trees as there is no marked seasonal depression in the availability of fruit for birds.
An application of the localized weighted ensemble Kalman filter for ocean data assimilation

We presented a new local particle filter named the localized weighted ensemble Kalman filter (LWEnKF), which was tested and verified using a simple high‐dimensional Lorenz 96 model. A revised LWEnKF, the proposal weights calculation of which is modified through localization to prevent filter degeneracy for real geophysical models, is explored further in this article and shows lots of potential in the implementation of real complex models. For geophysical models, the ocean dynamics changes slowly compared with that of the atmosphere. With a relatively low resolution, it is weakly nonlinear in the surface layers of the ocean model used in this article, which fits the linear and Gaussian assumptions of the EnKF but could be a challenge for particle filters in the data assimilation process. With only 50 particles, the LWEnKF assimilates the sea‐surface temperature (SST), sea‐surface height (SSH), temperature, and salinity profiles with affordable computational cost, providing a reasonable forecast. Moreover, the LWEnKF is compared with the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the local particle filter (PF). For observed variables, the LWEnKF performs comparably to the EnKF, as the observation operator is linear. For unobserved variables, the LWEnKF provides more accurate forecasts than the EnKF, since the latter considers only the correlations, while the former considers higher‐order moments. The local PF ensemble does not converge to the observed solution in an ample amount of time in this study, which needs further investigation.
It's All about the Parents: Inequality Transmission across Three Generations in Sweden

A recent literature studies the role of grandparents in status transmission. Results have been mixed, and theoretical contributions highlight biases that complicate the interpretation of these studies. We use newly harmonized income tax records on more than 700,000 Swedish lineages to establish four empirical facts. First, a model that includes both mothers and fathers and takes a multidimensional view of stratification reduces the residual three-generation association in our population to a trivial size. Second, data on fathers' cognitive ability show that even extensive controls for standard socioeconomic variables fail to remove omitted variable bias. Third, the common finding that grandparents compensate poor parental resources can be attributed to greater difficulty of observing parent status accurately at the lower end of the distribution. Fourth, the lower the data quality, and the less detailed the model, the greater is the size of the estimated grandparent coefficient. Future work on multigenerational mobility should pay less attention to the size and significance of this association, which depends heavily on arbitrary sample and specification characteristics, and go on to establish a set of more robust descriptive facts.
Post-dispersal predation on isolated seeds : a comparative study of 40 tree species in a Southeast Asian rainforest

Many studies of post-dispersal seed predation have focused on density and distance dependent mortality, while relatively few have examined the fates of isolated seeds. Yet, scatter-dispersed seeds (sensu Howe) are commonly deposited singly or in small groups. Furthermore, even in species with highly aggregated seed distributions, the fates of the most widely dispersed individuals may be critical for recruitment. We compared predation rates on single, isolated seeds, among 40 species of trees in lowland tropical rain forest at Gunung Palung, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Seeds were placed along four replicate transects and monitored for damage by predators, removal and germination in four trials, each lasting at least 30 days. Tethering of seeds did not affect removal rates, indicating that removals were attributable to seed predators and not merely to physical disturbance by animals or abiotic factors. After 30 days, mortality due to seed predation, averaged over species, was more than 50%; among species, predation losses ranged from 0 to 100%. Over the range of seed sizes we examined (0.1 g to 11.6 g fresh weight) predation rates were negatively associated with seed size and with the thickness and hardness of the seed coat. Lower predation on larger seeds is contrary to theoretical predictions and some prior empirical findings, and may be partially explained by the scarcity of predators capable of penetrating the physical defenses of large seeds with hard seed coats. Large, soft seeds with low predation rates may have poor nutrition or may be protected by chemical defenses. Species differed greatly in 30-day germination rates, ranging from 0 to 47%. Some species with low predation rates also had low germination rates; the implications for the overall risk of predation during the seed stage are discussed. Predation rates were not associated with species' natural dispersal mode (clumped vs scatter-dispersed), contrary to theoretical predictions. Spiny rats (Maxomys spp.) were the most abundant seed eating rodent. Caged spiny rats avoided large, hard seeds and preferred soft, medium sized seeds. The substantial rates of post dispersal predation on isolated seeds that we measured may be sufficient to influence strongly the population dynamics and life history evolution of trees in this rain forest community.
Botanical conservation value related to origin and management of ponds

1. A botanical conservation index, derived from the national and local rarity of aquatic macrophyte species, and also hydrophyte-species richness, were determined for 57 ponds in East Yorkshire, England. 2. Ponds were selected to represent diverse origins (i.e. ancient moats, village ponds, gravel pits, clay pits, borrow pits and ponds of miscellaneous origin). 3. High conservation indices and species richness were found in gravel pits, clay pits and borrow pits. 4. When the ponds were grouped on the basis of water chemistry and on vegetation, using SPSS hierarchical cluster analysis and TWINSPAN respectively, the groups did not reflect conservation value or pond origin. 5. High conservation indices and species richness were, however, associated with the presence of adjacent freshwater bodies and bankside angling. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproductive capacities in the sexual forms of the gynodioecious species Thymus vulgaris L.

The reproductive capacities of the females (male-steriles or mS) of Thymus vulgaris L. have been investigated, in terms of size and weight of plants, seed production, germination ability and pollination. The data, collected during nine years under controlled conditions and in natural situations are discussed in comparison with the results known in the literature. It is suggested that the large diversity of characteristics promoting sexual polymorphism could justify the high and variable rates of mS met in natural conditions in T. vulgaris.
FIRST EVIDENCE OF PALYTOXIN ANALOGUES FROM AN OSTREOPSIS MASCARENENSIS (DINOPHYCEAE) BENTHIC BLOOM IN SOUTHWESTERN INDIAN OCEAN 1

Benthic dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis Schmidt are common in tropical and subtropical water, and some species produce toxins potentially involved in human intoxication events. A benthic bloom of Ostreopsis mascarenensis Quod was observed near Rodrigues Island during a survey of benthic dinoflagellates in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The morphology of O. mascarenensis was studied by LM and SEM. Preliminary screening of a crude extract of an O. mascarenensis bloom revealed neurotoxicity in mice similar to that induced by palytoxin. After partition of the crude extract, the highest toxicity was retained in the butanol‐soluble fraction, which retained hemolytic activity suggestive of palytoxin analogues. Two new toxins, mascarenotoxin‐A and ‐B, were resolved from this fraction by HPLC coupled to a diode array detector. The closed mass spectrum profile and fragmentation pattern obtained by advanced nano–electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry between purified toxins and a reference palytoxin confirmed the mascarenotoxins as palytoxin analogues. These results were confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry with the identification of specific fragment ion m/z 327. An on‐line liquid chromatography protocol coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was developed for detection of these palytoxin analogues. The present study describes the first purification, chemical, and toxicological characterization of new palytoxin analogues isolated from a benthic bloom of O. mascarenensis. These results suggest that O. mascarenensis, which is largely distributed in the southwestern Indian Ocean, could be a source of palytoxin poisoning in this tropical area.
Temperature-related cline in the root mass fraction in East Asian wild radish along the Japanese archipelago

Wild plants with a wide distribution, including those exposed to a wide variety of environmental conditions, may have variations in key functional traits relevant for agricultural applications. The East Asian wild radish (Raphanus sativus var. raphanistroides) is an appropriate model plant because it is widely distributed and has outstanding sink capacity as well as two cultivars within the species. Multiple common garden trials with 14 populations and three testing sites were conducted across the Japanese archipelago to quantify variations in yield and allocation. Significant inter-population variations and interaction effects with testing sites were detected for the root and shoot mass and the root mass fraction (RMF). While the rank order of the population changed drastically among sites and the variance components of genetic effects were small in yield traits (2.4%–4.7%), RMF displayed a large genetic variance (23.2%) and was consistently higher in the northern populations at all sites. Analyses revealed that the mean temperature of growing season of the seed origin was the most prominent factor explaining variation in RMF, irrespective of the sites. We concluded that the trait of resource allocation had a temperature-related cline and plants in cooler climates could invest more resources into their roots.
Three-Dimensional Wave-Induced Dynamic Response in Anisotropic Poroelastic Seabed

This paper presents a novel analytical solution, which is developed for investigating three-dimensional wave-induced seabed responses for anisotropic permeability. The analytical solution is based on the assumption of the poroelastic and the u − p dynamic form, which considers the inertia force of the soil skeleton. In this paper, the problem is regarded as an eigenvalue problem through a first-order ordinary differential equation in matrix form. The problematic eigenvector involved in the solution is dealt with using numerical computation, and a process is proposed to implement the present solution for the desired dynamic response. A verification, which is compared with two existing solutions, demonstrates an agreement with the present solution. The results show that the amplitude profile of seabed response for a shorter wave period varies significantly. A comparison between the anisotropic and transverse isotropic, as well as isotropic permeabilities reveals that the error of vertical effective stress on the seabed bottom can reach 74 . 8 % for the isotropic case. For anisotropic permeability, when the wave direction is parallel to the higher horizontal permeability direction, the amplitude profiles of pore pressure and vertical effective stress exhibit the greatest dissipation and increment, respectively. For transverse isotropic permeability, the vertical effective stress is independent of the wave direction, which results in the two horizontal effective stresses on the seabed bottom being identical to each other and independent of the wave direction. Our comprehensive analysis provides insight into the effect of anisotropic permeability on different wave periods and wave directions.
Synergism of enzyme inhibitors and mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hom., Aleyrodidae)

Abstract: Synergism of enzyme inhibitors and mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hom., Aleyrodidae), collected from the commercial cruciferous (Brassica oleracea var. italica L.) vegetable fields in Shangjie, Minhou County, Fujian, China (Sj), were studied by using the dry film method and biochemical analysis. In comparison with the insecticide‐susceptible insectarium population of B. tabaci, the resistance ratios in the field population were determined to be 29.3 for methamidophos, 21.8 for chlorpyrifos, 2.2 for phoxim, 72.4 for fenvalerate, 9.4 for avermectin, 5.5 for emamectin benzoate, 1.8 for spinosad, 11.6 for fipronil and 8.0 for imidacloprid. The field population of B. tabaci displayed significantly low acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, but high AChE insensitivity to methamidophos and dichlorvos, as well as high carboxylesterase (CarE) activity. Piperonyl butoxide (PB), triphenyl phosphate (TPP) and diethyl maleate (DEM) showed low synergistic effects on the susceptibility to the nine insecticides in the insetarium population of B. tabaci. On the other hand, in the field population of B. tabaci, high synergism ratios to the nine insecticides with PB, to methamidophos, chlorpyrifos, phoxim, fenvalerate and imidacloprid with TPP, and to methamidophos and avermectin with DEM were found. Significant inhibition of AChE activity by PB and of glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) activity by DEM in the insectarium and field population, of CarE activity by PB, TPP and DEM in the insectarium populations, and of CarE activity by PB and DEM in the field population were found in vivo. The results suggest that the resistance to organophosphates in B. tabaci was associated partly with AChE insensitivity. Oxidative degradation was believed to be the major mechanism of insecticide resistance in B. tabaci found in Sj. Hydrolytic reactions might also be partially involved in the resistance in some cases. These findings indicate that more than one target besides the traditional ones for PB, TPP or DEM might exist in B. tabaci. This might provide a plausible explanation for the improvement in insecticide toxicity by the three enzyme inhibitors. Especially, the highest synergism of PB on the nine insecticides could now be explained by PB's multiple attack on the activity of Car or AChE in B. tabaci.