Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of differences in field performance of vegetatively and seed-propagated Eucalyptus varieties I: survival and leaf gas exchange

The aim of this study was to compare survival rates and leaf gas exchange of micro- and macro-propagated Eucalyptus grandis × E. nitens, and seed-propagated E. grandis and E. nitens, at a site in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where the conditions were suitable for cold-tolerant hybrid eucalypts. Fourteen months after planting, 50% of micropropagated E. grandis × E. nitens had survived, compared with 87% for macropropagated E. grandis × E. nitens, 53% for seed-propagated E. grandis and 93% for E. nitens. Differences in instantaneous leaf gas exchange and parameters derived from the light and CO2responses of gas exchange were not significant between micro- and macro-propagated plants, but were significant between species. All trees used water more efficiently during photosynthesis at 16 months (winter; June 2004) than at 14 months (autumn; April 2004) after planting. However, micropropagation yielded plants that were most vulnerable to the combination of prolonged dry conditions and air frost
TIMP‐2 over‐expression reduces invasion and angiogenesis and protects B16F10 melanoma cells from apoptosis

The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor TIMP‐2 has a high specificity for gelatinase A/MMP‐2. An imbalance between gelatinase A and TIMP‐2 in favor of enzymatic activity is linked to the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) associated with several physiologic and pathologic events, including angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Since TIMPs are secreted molecules, they have the potential to be used for gene therapy of certain tumors. We transfected B16F10 murine melanoma cells, a highly invasive and metastatic cell line, with an expression vector harboring a cDNA encoding for human TIMP‐2. The clones obtained were isolated and examined for TIMP‐2 over‐expression and changes in tumor cell phenotype. The amount of recombinant TIMP‐2 produced correlated with a reduction in invasion. In an in vivo angiogenesis assay, TIMP‐2‐transfected clones showed reduced levels of blood vessel formation, and in vitro conditioned media from TIMP‐2 transfectants showed diminished induction of endothelial cell migration and invasion. TIMP‐2 over‐expression limited tumor growth in vivo and neoangiogenesis when cells were injected subcutaneously in mice in the presence of Matrigel. However, TIMP‐2 over‐expressing clones were found to be more resistant to apoptosis than parental and control melanoma cells, while necrosis was increased. Our data confirm the role of TIMP‐2 in the down‐regulation of metastasis and angiogenesis but indicate a possible involvement in tumor cell survival. Int. J. Cancer 75:246–253, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Species Composition, Distribution, and Diversity of Woody Species in a Tropical Dry Forest of India

We investigated the composition of tropical dry forest woody species at adult, sapling, and seedling stages, in terms of plant diversity, distribution, and importance value index (IVI), and identified the dominant and ubiquitous species in the five study sites having variable edaphic properties. Species varied markedly in the composition and IVI at different sites. The semi-evergreen species, Shorea robusta, was dominant at the wettest site at all the three growth stages; at the driest site, highly deciduous species Lannea coromandelica was the dominant adult species and Nyctanthis arbortristis the dominant sapling and seedling species. Soil moisture content (SMC) altered the distribution of about 8% of the adult species. ANOVA indicated significant site-wise differences in the Shannon-Wiener index, Whittaker’s evenness, Margalef’s species richness, and β-diversity for the woody species at all the three stages. The Shannon-Wiener index, Whittaker’s evenness, Margalef’s species richness, and β-diversity were greater in seedlings as compared to adult and saplings of tree species. These variations in species composition and distribution are evidently on account of different levels of SMC as well as habitat heterogeneity as indicated by β-diversity which was independent of SMC.
INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC STUDIES WORKING PAPER SERIES W 02 : 08 October 2002 Exchange rate interventions in centralized labor markets

The ability to engineer real wage cuts in centralized labor markets has depended on exchange rate interventions. This paper provides some structure to the question of how a monetary union would a¤ect the connection between bargaining structure and macroeconomic performance. The results indicate that the precautionary saving motive in anticipation of transitory terms of trade shock is signi.cantly reduced if an implicit contract is in place ensuring labor market clearing at all times. Thus, a pro-cyclical volatility is created in private consumption as well as real exchange rates. This hints that a monetary union membership, might endogenously change the real wage dynamics in centralized labor markets and the pending problem of cyclical unemployment in EMU currency area is therefore over-estimated. JEL classi.cation: E21, J51, F33, F41
THE GREATER SHEARWATER PUFFINUS GRAVIS AT‘ ITS BREEDING GROUNDS.

Summary. 1 An account is given of the breeding cycle of the Greater Shearwater, with speciat reference to the colony (estimated at 4,000,000 breeding birds) at Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cunha group. 2 The birds arrive at the breeding grounds during late August and September. There is a brief laying season during the second week of November and the chicks hatch early in January. In April the adults desert their young, when they are full–grown but still in down. Fully feathered juveniles are found at the beginning of May and start flying towards the end of the first week of May. As far as is known the juveniles have all left the breeding grounds by early June. 3 Special points of interest relating to the breeding cycle are:. -(a) The presence of Greater Sheanvaters at the breeding grounds in large numbers at least one–and–a–half months in advance of the laying season. (b) The overcrowding of the breeding grounds at Nightingale. (c) The courtship ceremonies. (d) A strongly developed diurnal habit during the breeding season, although the birds are most active after 4 p.m. (local time) and at night. (e) The presence of large numbers of juveniles at the breeding grounds during May. (f) The apparent absence of adults from their burrows. from mid–April onwards. 4 The occurrence of the Greater Sheanvater at the north–easterly limits of its range at the time breeding IS beginning suggests that a proportion of the population fails to breed each year, and that the main return from the north takes place in mid–ocean, and down the west side of the Atlantic, mainly in August. 5 Flight and locomotion are described. 6 Data collected on the exploitation of this species by the Tristan islanders show that the annual depletions are not more than l% of the estimated Shearwater population at Nightingale.
Response of New Zealand white rabbits to thermal stress and its amelioration during winter and summer of North Sinai, Egypt☆

Abstract Sixty growing and 42 doe New Zealand white rabbits were used. During the winter, warming air temperature significantly improved litter size at weaning, pup weaning weight and pup weight gain from birth to weaning. This indicated that the cool winter of North Sinai has negative effects on does. During the hot and humid summer all parameters of economic importance in rabbit production were reduced. Treatment of rabbits with shearing and/or chilled drinking water significantly improved productive and reproductive traits and reduced the effects of heat stress on thyroid, kidney and liver functions and thermoregulation.
The morphology of the intestine of the insectivorous horseshoe bat {Rhinolophus hildebrandti, Peters): a scanning electron and light microscopic study

Summary The gastrointestinal tract of the horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hildebrandti (Peters), was studied macroscopically, with the light microscope and with the scanning electron microscope. Macroscopically, the stomach was of the simple type and the intestine was a short convoluted tube with an almost uniform diameter. A caecum, an appendix and a colon were absent, and the only portion of the large intestine observed was a short rectum which had a distinctly greater diameter than the rest of the intestine. The proximal part of the intestine showed a brief ‘honeycomb’ segment preceding the ridge-like transverse villi that occupied the rest of the foregut. In the region immediately proximal to the rectum the villi joined in a geometrical pattern to form chambers resembling ‘reticular cells’ of the ruminant stomach. The villi were covered with a prominent columnar epithelium occasionally interrupted by goblet cells. Generally, the intestine of Rhinolophus resembles that of the other bats which have been studied, but showed structural details suggestive of an increased surface area. Resume Le tractus intestinal du Rhinolophe, Rhinolophus hildebrandti (Peters) a eteetudie au moyen d'un microscope simple et d'un microscope electronique. Macroscopiquement, l'estomac est de type simple, et l'intestin est un tube court enroule d'un diametre presque constant. Il n'y a ni caecum, ni appendice, ni colon, et la seule portion de gros intestin observeeetait un rectum court d'un diametre nettement plus grand que le reste de l'intestin. La partie proximate de l'intestin presente un court segment en “nid d'abeille” qui precede le reste de l'intestin strie transversalement. Dans la partie qui precede directement le rectum, les villosites transversales rejoignent un schema geometrique pour former des chambres semblables aux “cellules reticulaires” de l'estomac des ruminants. Les villosites etaient couvertes d'un epithelium en colonnes tres visible, interrompu ca et la par des cellules en gobelet. Globalement, l'intestin du Rhinolophe ressemble a celui des autres-chauves souris qui ont dejaeteetudiees mais presente des detais de structure qui suggerent une augmentation de la surface.
Quality Characteristics of Ostrich Liver Pâté

: Quality characteristics and storage properties under light and darkness conditions of 2 types of pâtes (campagne and spread) prepared with ostrich liver were evaluated. Pâte evaluation was based on microbial, textural, color, sensory, oxidation, and water-holding capacity characteristics. Only 2-thiobarbituric acid values and redness were influenced by storage conditions (light and darkness), mainly due to the prooxidant effect of light. Pâte spread was more susceptible to meat matrix destabilization during storage. Both types of pâtes showed higher scores in product quality.
Seasonality and Status of Nesting Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) at D'Arros Island, Amirantes Group, Seychelles

Abstract We report on data collected during the first long-term turtle monitoring and conservation program conducted in the Amirantes Islands Group of Seychelles. Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting activity was recorded on a daily basis, year-round, over a period of 62 months between November 2004 and December 2009 at D'Arros Island, in the context of a community-based turtle monitoring and conservation program coordinated by the D'Arros Research Centre (DRC). Green turtle nesting occurred year-round with a distinct peak in late March but also evidence of a bimodal pattern with a dominant peak during February to April and a secondary peak in July and August. For hawksbills, nesting peaked in early December, with 94.0% of nesting emergences during the four-month interval from 1 October to 31 January. Along the 5-km nesting beach, the estimated average number of clutches laid annually was 95 for green turtles (range 65–120) and 300 (range 277–318) for hawksbills. Assuming an average of 5 clutches annually for green turtles and 4–5 for hawksbills, this would represent some 20 green turtles and 60–75 hawksbill females nesting annually. This indicates an increase in nesting activity—but not necessarily in numbers of nesting females—from that reported in the early 1970s, early 1980s, and mid-1990s when exploitation was intense. During the 5 years that the DRC turtle conservation and monitoring program was underway, turtle poaching has virtually ceased at D'Arros Island and adjacent St. Joseph atoll.
Classification of the genus Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae): a preliminary parsimony analysis

A parsimony analysis was performed for 25 species of the genus Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) using the phylogenetic analysis package PAUP, based on 14 of the morphological characters most commonly used for Lucilia species identification. Species descriptions were derived primarily from those given by Aubertin (1933). Parsimony analysis, using equally weighted characters, produced 45 trees and the strict consensus tree derived from these identified three groupings to be present in all 45 trees. The first group was composed of two uniquely North American species Lucilia caeruleiviridis and Lucilia cluvia. The second group contained Lucilia ampullacea, Lucilia caesar and Lucilia illustris. The third group, contained the six species previously described by some authors as the sub-genus Phaenicia: Lucilia cuprina, Lucilia pilosiventris, Lucilia regalis, Lucilia richardsi, Lucilia sericata and Lucilia thatuna, but also contained Lucilia bufonivora and Lucilia silvarum. Using a majority rule consensus tree th.
Effects of repeated slash removal in thinned stands on soil chemistry and understorey vegetation

The increased interest in harvesting logging residues as a source of bio-energy has led to concerns about the potentially adverse long-term impact of the practice on site productivity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects on soil chemistry (pH, C, N and AL-extractable P, K, Ca and Mg) in three different soil layers (FH, 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm mineral soil) and understorey vegetation after the second removal of logging residues in whole-tree thinned stands. The study was performed at four different sites, established in the period 1984–87, representing a range of different climatic and soil conditions: a very fertile Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) site in south-western Sweden and three Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sites located in south, south-central and central Sweden. The effects of whole-tree thinning on soil chemistry and understorey vegetation were generally minor and variable. Across all sites the concentrations of Ca and Mg were significantly lower when slash was removed.
Policy Alternatives to Improve Demand for Water-Related Ecosystem Services in the Panama Canal Watershed

Summary The Panama Canal plays a prominent role in Panama's economy. The functioning of the Canal is dependent on the Canal Watershed (PCW), which provides over two billion gallons of fresh water on a daily basis. Furthermore, the PCW supplies potable water for the major urban centers of the country, including Panama City and Colon. While demand for fresh water is high, by all accounts the provision of water supply is taken for granted in Panama. Although the deforestation of the PCW affects both water quality and quantity, there is little institutional will or social pressure to address these concerns. The result is an absence of formal demand for watershed services, either through direct regulation of land use in the PCW or indirectly through financial inducements offered by the government or water users to land managers. We conclude that the most effective policy alternatives to stimulate demand for such services will complement or address politically salient concerns of the Government of Panama, such as job creation, expanding forestry sector exports, and Canal profitability. Additional information-based campaigns might focus on a long-term goal of raising public awareness of the value of hydrological services and the importance of water conservation.
Role of IFN-γ in induction of Foxp3 and conversion of CD4+ CD25– T cells to CD4+ Tregs

IFN-gamma is an important Th1 proinflammatory cytokine and has a paradoxical effect on EAE in which disease susceptibility is unexpectedly heightened in IFN-gamma-deficient mice. In this study, we provide what we believe is new evidence indicating that IFN-gamma is critically required for the conversion of CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells to CD4(+) Tregs during EAE. In our study, the added severity of EAE in IFN-gamma knockout mice was directly associated with altered encephalitogenic T cell responses, which correlated with reduced frequency and function of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs when compared with those of WT mice. It was demonstrated in both human and mouse systems that in vitro IFN-gamma treatment of CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells led to conversion of CD4(+) Tregs as characterized by increased expression of Foxp3 and enhanced regulatory function. Mouse CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells, when treated in vitro with IFN-gamma, acquired marked regulatory properties as evidenced by suppression of EAE by adoptive transfer. These findings have important implications for the understanding of the complex role of IFN-gamma in both induction and self regulation of inflammatory processes.
Myosin expression levels and enzyme activity in juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) muscle: a method for monitoring growth rates

The activity of glycolytic enzymes and the expression levels of myosin RNA was monitored in the white muscle of juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) reared under different temperature regimes. A group of individ- ually tagged juvenile spotted wolffish was reared for 6 months at 4, 6, 8, and 12 °C. After the rearing trial, biopsy samples were taken from white muscle of each individual and the relationship between individual growth, enzyme ac- tivity, and myosin expression was investigated. A positive relationship between the activities of two glycolytic enzymes (pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase) and individual growth rate was observed. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specially developed primers for myosin mRNA and 18S rRNA for spotted wolffish, we were able to detect differences in the relative myosin expression between experimental groups, and a positive relationship between myosin expression and specific growth rates was observed. These methods may be useful as an indicator of growth rate in wild fish and a fast and reliable indicator of growth potential under culture conditions. The method also has the potential to measure differences in white muscle synthesis in fish reared under variable environmental parameters and during different life history stages.
Imaging probe for tumor malignancy

Solid tumors possess unique microenvironments that are exposed to chronic hypoxic conditions ("tumor hypoxia"). Although more than half a century has passed since it was suggested that tumor hypoxia correlated with poor treatment outcomes and contributed to cancer recurrence, a fundamental solution to this problem has yet to be found. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1) is the main transcription factor that regulates the cellular response to hypoxia. It induces various genes whose functions are strongly associated with malignant alteration of the entire tumor. The cellular changes induced by HIF-1 are extremely important targets of cancer therapy, particularly in therapy against refractory cancers. Imaging of the HIF-1-active microenvironment is therefore important for cancer therapy. To image HIF-1activity in vivo, we developed a PTD-ODD fusion protein, POHA, which was uniquely labeled with near-infrared fluorescent dye at the C-terminal. POHA has two functional domains: protein transduction domain (PTD) and VHL-mediated protein destruction motif in oxygen-dependent degradation (ODD) domain of the alpha subunit of HIF-1 (HIF-1α). It can therefore be delivered to the entire body and remain stabilized in the HIF-1-active cells. When it was intravenously injected into tumor-bearing mice, a tumor-specific fluorescence signal was detected in the tumor 6 h after the injection. These results suggest that POHA can be used an imaging probe for tumor malignancy.
Impact of seagrass loss and subsequent revegetation on carbon sequestration and stocks

Seagrass meadows are sites of high rates of carbon sequestration and they potentially support ‘blue carbon’ strategies to mitigate anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Current uncertainties on the fate of carbon stocks following the loss or revegetation of seagrass meadows prevent the deployment of ‘blue carbon’ strategies. Here, we reconstruct the trajectories of carbon stocks associated with one of the longest monitored seagrass restoration projects globally. We demonstrate that sediment carbon stocks erode following seagrass loss and that revegetation projects effectively restore seagrass carbon sequestration capacity. We combine carbon chronosequences with 210Pb dating of seagrass sediments in a meadow that experienced losses until the end of 1980s and subsequent serial revegetation efforts. Inventories of excess 210Pb in seagrass sediments revealed that its accumulation, and thus sediments, coincided with the presence of seagrass vegetation. They also showed that the upper sediments eroded in areas that remained devoid of vegetation after seagrass loss. Seagrass revegetation enhanced autochthonous and allochthonous carbon deposition and burial. Carbon burial rates increased with the age of the restored sites, and 18 years after planting, they were similar to that in continuously vegetated meadows (26.4 ± 0.8 gCorg m−2 year−1). Synthesis. The results presented here demonstrate that loss of seagrass triggers the erosion of historic carbon deposits and that revegetation effectively restores seagrass carbon sequestration capacity. Thus, conservation and restoration of seagrass meadows are effective strategies for climate change mitigation.
DNA Barcoding to Detect Chilli Adulteration in Traded Black Pepper Powder

Value-added forms of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) are an important item of trade globally. Adulteration by default or design of the commodity not only leads to economic loss and public health issues but also to self-respect of a nation. DNA barcoding is assuming significance as a quality assurance technique in many agri-food commodities. Three barcoding loci viz., psbA-trnH, rbcL, rpoC1 were used in the study to detect bio adulteration of traded black pepper powder. PCR amplification of P. nigrum and traded black pepper powder was performed for all the three loci. Sequence analysis and BLAST results revealed chilli adulteration in two out of nine market samples, originating probably from exhausted black pepper powder fortified with chilli. Of the three loci, psbA-trnH proved to be the best and ideal for detection of chilli adulteration in black pepper yielding amplicons of size 600 bp and 350 bp, respectively. Cloning and sequencing of the adulterant specific band of both market samples were done to confirm the results. It was further validated using simulated samples of chilli and black pepper powders in various proportions. The method proved efficient to detect adulteration even at very low levels (0.5% adulteration). HPLC analysis also supported the chilli adulteration of black pepper powder. The method is easy, reliable and efficient, and can be used by the regulatory agencies for quality assurance of black pepper powder.