Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in population density and energy use between birds and mammals: A macroecological perspective

1. Data from 364 mammal and 564 bird species were used to compare these two taxa in the patterns of variation in population density and energy use as a function of body mass. 2. This study demonstrates previously unappreciated quantitative differences between mammals and birds. Over a wide range of sizes, population densities and rates of energy use are at least one order of magnitude higher in mammals than in birds of similar size. The highest population densities are found in species that weigh about 100 g in mammals and 30 g in birds. 3. Comparisons between mammals and birds from the same dietary category indicate that mammals maintain higher densities and use more energy than birds. Insectivorous mammals and birds maintain the lowest densities. 4. Flying mammals and birds reach lower densities and use more energy than non-flying forms. 5. These findings reveal relationships between the morphology, physiology and behaviour of individual organisms and the ecological performance of these endothermic vertebrates in populations, communities and ecosystems: relationships that have not previously been appreciated.
Introduction: disease resistance in plants

This paper discusses in general terms the mechanisms proposed to explain the resistance of higher plants to infection and colonization by bacteria and fungi, especially the type of resistance associated with rapid killing of host cells and very limited growth of the pathogen; that is, with the hypersensitive reaction of the plant to infection (h.r.). The main points considered are: the significance of the h.r. for obligate and other types of parasites; the nature of the h.r. and the means by which it is invoked; the absence of the h.r in compatible host-parasite combinations; the h.r. and the production of phytoalexins, and the role of the latter in resistance; the part played by cell-wall degrading enzymes in the earliest stages of infection; the relation between the h.r. in interactions between races of a pathogen and different forms of a host species, on the one hand, and the resistance of all plants to almost all pathogens, on the other. Also discussed is the less specific but important type of resistance in which the pathogen continues to grow in resistant plants more slowly than in susceptible plants.
Short-Term Recruitment of Trees in a Forest Fragment in Singapore.

To assess the current population dynamics of trees in an isolated 100-ha tropical forest fragment in Singapore we censused all trees >=1 cm dbh in a 2-ha permanent plot in 1993 and again in 1995 (N=13,470). We then examined the pattern of recruitment into the 1 cm dbh size class, comparing recruits to the existing flora and comparing recruitment rates among species to test hypotheses about patterns of short-term change. The overall plot recruitment rate was 6.5 % (annualized rate of 2.6 %), comparable to recruitment rates found in tropical forests elsewhere in the world. The hypothesis that species diversity is declining was found to be untrue, the recruitment class had a slightly elevated diversity compared to the existing 1-3 cm dbh class. When we classified species by abundance class, floral form, dispersal form, stature class and successional status, we found no evidence that abundant species are becoming more abundant, nor was regeneration of dioecious species repressed, and all stature classes were replacing themselves at similar per-capita recruitment rates. There was no sign of successful invasion by secondary forest species and the majority of secondary forest species in the canopy show no evidence of replacing themselves. The only evidence of biologically significant change among recruits was in regard of dispersal syndromes. We found that species with abiotically dispersal (both Dipterocarpaceae and non-Dipterocarpaceae) showed per-capita recruitment rates of over 10 %, compared to 6.5 % for biotically dispersed species. However, comparative data from large forests suggest that these high rates may be generally characteristic of these species. In contrast, the family Myristicaceae, rich in species and individuals, and closely associated with dispersers now extinct in Singapore, showed a recruitment rate of only 2.5 %, far below what comparative data from unfragmented forests portray as characteristic. Thus, in contrast to the bird and mammal populations, for which over half the species have been lost in the last 150 years, our data on the current short-term dynamics of trees reject the hypothesis that most species of Bukit Timah are in the midst of rapid decline.
Subfamilies Coccinellinae and Coccidullinae (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) with New Records from AJK, Pakistan

The fauna of subfamilies Coccidullinae and Coccinellinae (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir were explored and studied. This study reveals that 2 species in 2 genera of subfamily Coccidullinae, whereas 30 species under 18 genera in subfamily Coccinellinae were reported were reported from the study area. Among these species Illeis indica, Illeis shensiensis, Phrynocoria perrotteti, Propylea luteopustulata, were reported for the first time from Pakistan. Seven genera and 8 species were new records to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir fauna. A description of each species was given with synonymus, past record, present record, distribution and remarks. Description of genitalia was provided for each species; color plates of adult specimens and genitalia were also provided.
Relative abundance of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and its parasitoids, and the impact of augmentative release of Eretmocerus spp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on the population dynamics of the pest in Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Whitefly infestations and parasitism were monitored year-round in overlapping cotton crops sown on three dates in Burkina Faso. The relative abundance of B. tabaci (Gennadius) and its parasitoids, Eretmocerus spp. and Encarsia spp. , was recorded in control and insecticide-sprayed plots. Low B. tabaci populations developed during the first half of the rainy season. Pest populations increased when rainfall was ending, and the levels reached were higher in insecticide-treated plots (48 nymphs/leaf) than in control plots (25 nymphs/leaf). Parasitism reached 88.7% in control plots, and 53.7% in insecticide-treated plots. Eretmocerus spp. nymphs were more abundant than Encarsia spp. in both treated and control plots. A positive and significant curvilinear relationship was observed where % parasitism, on a linear scale, rose to a plateau with logarithmic increase in host density. In general % parasitism was correlated with the abundance of pest populations except in March and April where parasitism increased while B. tabaci populations decreased. In a separate experiment, adult Eretmocerus spp. were released into caged cotton plants to study the impact of augmentative releases of the parasites on the population dynamics of the pest. Pest densities increased from 1.47 nymphs/leaf to 39.4 nymphs/leaf in the control, but were reduced to 0.8 and 0.6 nymphs/leaf in the cages where, respectively, 4 and 8 parasitoids were released per plant. It appears that parasitism is an important factor reducing B. tabaci populations during and after the cotton-growing season, and that Eretmocerus spp. are promising biological control candidates against the pest in cotton.
Estimating past floristic diversity in montane regions from macrofossil assemblages

The relationship between the diversity of higher plant macrofossils in surface sediments of lakes and the surrounding vegetation is examined in two mountain regions; Grødalen in central Norway and the south‐east Cairngorms in Scotland. Two lake sediment cores from each area were also analysed to examine vegetation history and to estimate changes in biodiversity through the Holocene.
Microstructure and Composition of Digitaria exilis Stapf (acha): A Potential Crop

ABSTRACT Microstructure of the mature caryopsis of Digitaria exilis Stapf was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy and compared to chemical composition. The general structure of the caryopsis was similar to that of other grains, notably the millets. Thin bracts (the palea and lemma) and two glumes encased the caryopsis which consists of the thin, compressed layers of pericarp, testa, and cuticle surrounding the endosperm and embryonic tissues. The endosperm consisted of a single layer of aleurone cells and the starchy endosperm. The aleurone layer was thin over most of the starchy endosperm and thicker at the junction of the embryo and starchy endosperm. Aleurone cells contained lipid droplets and protein bodies. The cell contents of the starchy endosperm consisted of simple, polyhedral starch granules, lipid droplets, and protein bodies. Protein bodies were more abundant toward the periphery, and diminished toward the central portion of the starchy endosperm. Cells in certain regions of the .
Characteristics of sperm of polyploid Prussian carp Carassius gibelio

Wild-captured 16 diploid, five triploid and one tetraploid Prussian carp Carassius gibelio males produced motile haploid, aneuploid (1·5n) and haploid to aneuploid (> 2n) sperm, respectively, in similar concentration and with the lowest percentage of live spermatozoa in sperm for the tetraploid male (mean ±s.d. 83·03 ± 1·76%; P 0·05).
Effect of Bioturbation by Nereis sp., Mya Arenaria and Cerastoderma sp. on nitrification and denitrification in estuarine sediments

Abstract Three different sets of undisturbed sediment cores containing: Nereis sp. (polychaete, 2,000 indo m-2), Mya arenaria (bivalve, 1,100 indo m-2) or Cerastoderma sp. (bivalve, 1,100 ind. m-2) were incubated in the laboratory. Rates of oxygen consumption and denitrification were measured. Total denitrification rates were 8 ± 4, 12 ± 4, 13 ± 6 and 40 ± 20 µmol N m-2 h-1 in control cores and cores containing Cerastoderma sp. , Mya arenaria and Nereis sp. , respectively. Denitrification was partitioned, by the 15N isotope pairing technique, into the contribution from NO3 in the overlying water (dw) and from NO3 generated within the sediment (dn). The polychaetes stimulated aerobic respiration, dw and dn rates – 2-times more than the bivalves. The effect of both bivalves on oxygen uptake, dw and dn processes was similar. The bivalves stimulated dn more than dw, whereas the polychaetes preferentially stimulated dw. The different irrigation mechanisms used by the polychaetes and the bivalves were thought to .
Antioxidant Capacities of Fruit Extracts of Five Mulberry Genotypes with Different Assays and Principle Components Analysis

This study provides a basis and principle for developing an integrated antioxidant assay of mulberry. Five genotypes (Miaoli No. 1, 73C020, 46C019, 74H3023, and 68H22024) and three maturity stages (unripe, medium ripe and fully ripe) of mulberry (Morus sp.) fruit were analyzed for their total phenolic contents (TPC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl–scavenging (DPPH-SC) ability, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC). Significant correlations were obtained for the four assays used (r ranging from 0.390 to 0.787, all P < 0.01). Two-way ANOVA revealed that there were significant effects of genotype, maturity stage, and the interaction of genotypes and maturity stages for TPC, FRAP and ORAC, whereas only maturity stage and the interaction term were significant for DPPH-SC activity. Principal component analysis showed that Miaoli No. 1 and 74H3023 possessed the highest antioxidant capacity, while genotype 68H22024 possessed the lowest. Principal component analysis could group and separate mulberry genotypes based on their different antioxidant activities. Overall, the present results provided basic data for choosing mulberry fruits with higher antioxidant activity for direct consumption or for production of fruit juice.
The ability of wheat cultivars to withstand drought in UK conditions: resource capture

Experiments in three dry seasons (1993/94, 1994/95, 1995/96) on a loamy medium sand at ADAS Gleadthorpe, Nottinghamshire, England tested responses of green area, radiation interception, water uptake and above-ground dry matter growth of six wheat cultivars to irrigation. Cultivars differing in date of introduction (Haven 1987, Maris Huntsman 1969, Mercia 1983, Rialto 1991, Riband 1985 and Soissons 1989) were chosen for contrast in flowering time and maximum green area. Maximum soil moisture deficit (SMD) exceeded 140 mm in all years, with large deficits (> 75 mm) from early June in 1994 and more prolonged large deficits in 1995 and 1996. Restricted water availability first affected canopy expansion at a SMD of 74 mm (50% available water capacity; AW), and canopy senescence at 95 mm (64% AW). Decreases in biomass at harvest were larger with prolonged droughts in 1995 and 1996 (424–562 g/m2) than in 1994 (222 g/m2). Compared in the two driest years, 1995 and 1996, the decrease in biomass was greater in Haven (599 g/m2) than in Maris Huntsman (420 g/m2) (P < 0·05). The better drought resistance of Maris Huntsman appeared to arise through its greater water use efficiency (WUE); 6·2 cf. 5·5–5·7 g/m2/mm. The susceptibility of Haven to drought was possibly due to restricted water uptake, depression of radiation use efficiency (RUE) and accelerated senescence. The cultivars differed in flowering by up to 9 days but date of flowering correlated poorly with biomass response to irrigation. Early flowering was, however, correlated with favourable distribution of seasonal water use with respect to the grain filling period. The maximum green area index (GAI) of cultivars varied from 4·4 to 5·3 (P < 0·01), but differences were countered by shifts in the extinction coefficient (K), such that season-long radiation interception varied little. Green area index maxima did not therefore relate to the pattern of growth or water use, and they were correlated poorly with the biomass responses. Cultivars did not differ in their maximum depth of water extraction; they all extracted water to 1·65 m depth in each year. It is concluded that early flowering and high WUE might offer scope for improving drought resistance in the UK's temperate climate, but that small maximum GAI seems less useful.
A potential contamination error associated with insect protein mark‐capture data

Various types of protein‐spray solutions have proven effective for externally tagging arthropods for mark‐release‐recapture and mark‐capture type dispersal research. However, there is concern that certain standardized arthropod collection methods, such as sweep netting, might lead to high incidences of protein transfer from field‐marked to unmarked arthropods during sample collection and sample handling. Native arthropods were collected in sweep nets from a field of alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. (Fabaceae). The nets also contained 10 egg white‐, 10 bovine milk‐, 10 soy milk‐, and 10 water (control)‐marked Hippodamia convergens Guérin‐Méneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) that were visually distinguishable by a yellow, white, green, and blue dot, respectively. The plant debris and arthropods from each sweep net collection were then placed into either a paper or a plastic bag and frozen for storage. The contents of each sweep net sample were thawed and the color‐coded H. convergens and field‐collected arthropods were examined for the presence of each protein by an egg white (albumin), bovine milk (casein), and soy milk (soy trypsin) enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data revealed that only 0.67, 0.81, and 0% of the field‐collected unmarked arthropods acquired an egg white, bovine milk, and soy milk mark, respectively. ELISA results also showed that all the egg white‐marked H. convergens retained their mark, but 22.1% of the bovine milk‐marked and 5.1% of the soy milk‐marked H. convergens (color‐coded beetles) lost their mark during the collection and sample handling processes.
Quality Assurance of Laboratory Tests for Tuberculosis

Clinical microbiology laboratories play a critical role in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) and monitoring its treatment. Poor quality laboratory services remain a major barrier to diagnosis by microscopy and culture, and may complicate the interpretation of drug susceptibility testing (DST) results. External quality assessment (EQA) for microscopy is an important component of quality assurance, and includes panel testing, slide rechecking, and on-site supervision. Periodic panel testing is the simplest way to assess the performance of laboratories. Rechecking of a sample of routine smears by a higher-level laboratory is the method of choice for evaluation and continuous motivation of peripheral laboratories. On-site supervision allows the observation of workers’ performance under actual conditions, including equipment handling, laboratory safety, adequacy of supplies, and the processes used for smearing, staining, reading, recording, and reporting. Culture performance is not easily measured, and existing EQA programs are not sensitive enough to estimate the sensitivity of the process. Therefore, laboratory regulations and accreditation programs are critical to assure the quality of cultures. The Supranational Reference Laboratory Network (SRLN) was organized in 1994 to ensure optimal performance of laboratories conducting DST. A panel of 30 pretested and coded isolates is exchanged annually within the network for proficiency testing. It has been demonstrated that education and an EQA program can improve the proficiency of TB laboratories. However, quality programs in Korea are still weak. Expanded and strengthened laboratory quality improvement systems are necessary to achieve TB control in this country. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009; 12:147-153)
A case of iatrogenic myositis in piglest

Se observo un caso de miositis infecciosa debido a iatrogenia en lechones destetados. Seis lechones de cuatro camadas mostraron cojera uni y bilateral de los miembros traseros, inhabilidad para moverse, posicion de perro sentado e hiperflexion de los miembros posteriores. Las lesiones encontradas a la necropsia fueron: osteocondrosis, osteomielitis, nodulos linfaticos inguinales aumentados 30 veces su tamano normal y abscesos entre las falanges. Otros hallazgos fueron presencia de manchas de hierro en musculos semitendinoso y semimembranoso, sangre acuosa, palidez de la canal y esplenomegalia. Se concluyo que los desordenes esqueleticos y la cojera junto con la bubonalgia observados en estos lechones se debieron a inyecciones de hierro realizadas en forma septica e inadecuada por operarios de la granja.
Selection between Densities of Artificial Vegetation by Young Bluegills Avoiding Predation

Abstract Young (35–50 mm, standard length) bluegills Lepomis macrochirus are restricted to vegetated habitats by predation pressure. Vegetation provides refuge by hindering predator foraging success. In this study, we tested the ability of bluegills to actively perceive and select densities of vegetation where they are safe from predation. Bluegills were presented with two plots of artificial vegetation (cover plots) of different densities (1,000, 250, 100, and 50 stems/m2) in an experimental arena and then confronted with a predator, a largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Prey distribution in the arena before, during, and after exposure to the predator, as well as the predator's foraging activities, were recorded for each trial. Before predator introduction, bluegills in all combinations of cover plots spent most of their time in or around the thicker plot of vegetation in the arena. With the predator present in combinations with cover plot 1,000, prey chose this plot as a refuge when attacked. Cover p.
Bacterial abundance and production in different water masses around South Island, New Zealand

Abstract Bacterial numbers and production were measured in the upper water column in the winter and spring of 1993 in five water masses surrounding the South Island of New Zealand. Average bacterial numbers and production were found to be higher in spring (8.5 × 105 cells ml−1 and 0.20 mg m3 h−1, respectively) than winter (5.5 × 105 cells ml−1 and 0.05 mg C m3 h−1 respectively). Bacterial production was strongly correlated with chlorophyll a and primary production (P < 0.001) in spring but not in winter. Spring bacterial production and at 10 m depth averaged across 28 stations was 23% of primary production, and with a growth efficency of 40%, may have consumed up to 57% of primary production. Bacterial biomass was greater than phytoplankton biomass for 75% of the 10 m depth comparisons during winter sampling and 44% during the spring sampling. The bacterial biomass was found to represent 24.6–33.5% of the nitrogen in particulate organic matter (<200 μm) supporting the concept that in New Zealand oceanic w.
Recovery of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA for systematic studies of Naucoridae (Heteroptera): an assessment of preservation techniques and specimen age

Specimens of Pelocoris femoratus (Palisot de Beauvois) (Heteroptera: Naucoridae) preserved in different ways were analyzed to determine which methods of preservation and specimen age lend themselves to the acquisition of PCR amplifiable nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, as a preliminary study to a phylogenetic analysis of the family. Specifically, total DNA was extracted from museum specimens that were either freshly collected, recently preserved in 100% ethanol, or of four age classes (1 to 45-year old) of specimens that were either pinned or preserved in 75% ethanol. Following DNA extraction, the appropriate length of COI mtDNA and nuclear 28s rDNA were amplified using PCR and sequenced. The data revealed that continuous degradation of DNA occurred in ethanol preserved specimens to the point that 30-year old specimens yielded no detectable DNA in spectrometric analysis. However, after an initial, substantial decline in yield, dry-pinned specimens were fairly stable in DNA yield through at least 25 years of specimen age. Both COI and 28s genes were successfully amplified from DNA extracted from pinned (≤ 25 years) or 75% ethanol preserved specimens (≤ 20 years) housed at room temperature in the dark. However, for specimens preserved for longer than 30 years, DNA recovery was less reliable. Our data suggest that it is possible to recover amplifiable DNA from pinned (≤ 25 years) or 75% ethanol preserved specimens (≤ 20 years) for use in phylogenetic analysis when fresh specimens are not available.
Ultrasound-assisted deacetylation of beta-chitin: influence of processing parameters

Ultrasound-assisted deacetylation (USAD) produces chitosan by treating beta-chitin suspended in 40% aqueous sodium hydroxide with high-intensity ultrasound irradiation. Chitosans resulting from the application of non-isothermal and isothermal USAD processes were characterized using NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, viscosity measurements and size-exclusion chromatography. The characteristics of the USAD-produced chitosan strongly depend on the processing temperature and ultrasound parameters, namely the irradiation amplitude and duration, with viscosity-average molecular weight in the range 100 000―750 000 g mol ―1 and average degree of acetylation in the range 6.0―25.0%. Moreover, appropriate adjustment of the USAD parameters allows the production of chitosan with high molecular weight (M w ≈ 10 6 g mol ―1 ) and low degree of acetylation (ca 7.0%) after a single-step short-time processing (30 min) carried out at low to moderate temperature (50―80 °C). The occurrence of cavitation, a phenomenon whose intensity depends on the irradiation amplitude and duration as well as on the processing temperature, is responsible for reducing the average size of the polysaccharide particles, favoring the accessibility of sodium hydroxide to the reactive sites and supporting a more efficient deacetylation of beta-chitin as compared to the thermochemical process.