Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diet and trophic guilds of fish assemblages in two streams with different anthropic impacts in the northwest of Paraná, Brazil

In the present study, we describe the diets of the fish assemblages in two streams in the Maringa region of Parana that are under the influence of different anthropic impacts. We also evaluate how the origin and use of food resources varies temporally and spatially and how the trophic organization of the fish assemblages differs between the two streams. Fish were collected every two months from October 2006 to October 2007 using sieves, seining and closing nets along two 50 m stretches of each stream. We used the volumetric method to analyze the stomach contents of 599 fish belonging to 15 species. We then employed ANOSIM, SIMPER, NMDS and cluster analyses (using the Bray-Curtis index) to examine how different factors (species, stream, sampling site and season) influenced the diets of the assemblages. The dietary analysis revealed a total of 21 types of items consumed, with the most common being detritus and immature Diptera. Spatial factors resulted in differences in diets between the two streams, with detritus representing the material consumed most often in the Morangueiro stream and immature Diptera being the most consumed item in the Quecaba stream. SIMPER analysis indicated a 76.33% dissimilarity between species' diets during the dry and rainy seasons, with detritus, immature Diptera and testate amoebae making the greatest contributions to this differentiation. In the Morangueiro stream, three trophic guilds were found: detritivorous, detritivorous/aquatic insectivorous, and aquatic insectivorous. In Quecaba stream, six trophic guilds were present: detritivorous, benthophagous, aquatic insectivorous, terrestrial insectivorous, herbivorous and carnivorous. Autochthonous items were generally the items most consumed by species, in particularly in the Quecaba stream. In the Morangueiro stream, food items of indeterminate origin were more relevant. The differences in the diets of fish species between the two streams support the conclusion that urbanization causes the disruption of aquatic environments and trophic organization.
STUDIES ON THE MODE OF ACTION OF DIPHTHERIA TOXIN

It has been demonstrated that low concentrations of highly purified diphtheria toxin specifically inhibit incorporation of labeled amino acids into polypeptides in extracts from HeLa cells and from rabbit reticulocytes. No inhibition of incorporation occurs in the absence of a specific cofactor. This cofactor has been identified as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). It has been shown that it is one of the steps involving transfer of amino acids from soluble ribonucleic acid to the growing polypeptide chain that is affected by the toxin in the presence of NAD.
Trophic interactions among native and introduced fishes in a northern Patagonian oligotrophic lake.

In summer the littoral zone of Lake Rivadavia contained almost all the juveniles of the native fish species present in the lake together with juveniles of the introduced salmonid Oncorhynchus mykiss. In particular, a high degree of foraging interaction was found among juveniles of the native species Aplochiton zebra and Percichthys trucha and juveniles O. mykiss. Differences in the juvenile assemblage composition, both in the presence and in the relative proportion of the species were associated with areas with different densities of vegetation. The adults of nearly all species were generalized benthic invertebrate predators. Only adults of A. zebra were absent in the littoral. Juvenile and adult O. mykiss were the only fish that preyed on planktonic organisms. Oncorhynchus mykiss was the only species that performed an ontogenetic diet shift between juveniles and adults, changing main prey categories from benthic to planktonic species.
Ecogeographical rules: elements of a synthesis

The development of a more synthetic approach to understanding spatial patterns in biogeography, particularly of the way in which these patterns interact, constitutes a major challenge for the field. Here we propose some key elements of such a synthesis for what can broadly be termed ‘ecogeographical rules’, that is spatial patterns in biological traits. These include understanding: (1) the different kinds of patterns (intraspecific, interspecific and assemblage), and the distinctions between them; (2) the unifying role that geographical ranges play in linking the patterns together; (3) that this unification can be obscured by the methodological assumptions made in documenting some patterns (e.g. assuming that intraspecific variation does not significantly influence interspecific and assemblage patterns in traits); (4) the implications of other methodological issues for the nature of observed patterns (e.g. how ranges are located on positional or environmental axes for interspecific patterns); (5) the need for further development of models linking different types of traits; (6) the nature of the generality of documented patterns at all levels, and particularly the difference between the frequency with which patterns are documented in the literature and the variety of extant species; and (7) the constraints that the form of intraspecific patterns place on interspecific and assemblage patterns, and that interspecific patterns place on assemblage patterns.
Effects of equilibrium relative humidity on in vitro growth of Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata

Mycelial growth in vitro of 2 fungal pathogens responsible for postharvest loss of horticulture produce, Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata, was related to equilibrium relative humidity (e.r.h) at ambient temperature (20¦C) using solutes to adjust the 'osmotic water potential' of the growth medium. Colony diameter growth of B. cinerea and A. alternata on solid medium (1/2 potato dextrose agar) was initially stimulated slightly when the e.r. h. was decreased from 99.7 (unamended medium) to 99.3% (-0.4 to -1.0 MPa). Thereafter, colony diameter growth continually decreased as a function of reducing e.r. h. over the range 99.3-94.3% e.r. h. (-1.0 to -8.0 MPa). Similar trends were recorded with both pathogens for their dry matter growth in liquid medium (Oxoid Czapek Dox) as a function of osmotic potential. Initial stimulation of dry matter growth at -1.0 MPa (equivalent to 99.3% e.r.h.) was not evident in liquid medium. Fungal growth data suggest that postharvest mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata on wounds, senescing tissue or secretions such as cell sap or nectar could be restricted through control of e.r. h. in packages of horticulture produce.
Effect of neonatal thymectomy on the immunological responsiveness of the mouse

The effect of thymectomy on the lymphocyte population and immune response of C3H, (Ak ×T6)F1 and C57BL mice has been investigated. Thymectomy performed in the immediate neonatal period was associated with severe depletion in the lymphocyte population and serious impairment of the immune response of the mature animal to Salmonella typhi H antigen and to allogeneic and heterospecific skin grafts. Clinically, the mice appeared healthy until about 2 to 4 months of age when two-thirds of the animals died from a syndrome characterized by progressive wasting and diarrhoea. Thymectomy in infancy was still associated with some impairment of the immune response to skin homografts particularly when donor and hosts were closely related immunogenetically. Thymectomy after 3 weeks of age was not associated with any significant impairment of homograft immunity. Neonatally thymectomized mice subsequently grafted with thymus tissue were capable of rejecting allogeneic skin grafts and showed evidence of immunity to such grafts. The lymphoid tissue of the thymus-grafted mice appeared normal and was shown to contain cells that had been derived from the thymus graft. It is concluded that, during very early life, the thymus produces the progenitors of immunologically competent cells which mature and migrate to other sites. Present evidence does not, however, exclude the production by the young thymus of a humoral factor necessary to the maturation or proliferation of lymphocytes elsewhere in the body.
Differential Expression of Mouse α5(IV) and α6(IV) Collagen Genes in Epithelial Basement Membranes

We first completed the primary structure of the mouse alpha5(IV) and alpha6(IV) chains, from which synthetic peptides were produced and a chain-specific monoclonal antibodies were raised. Expression of collagen IV genes in various basement membranes underlying specific organ epithelia was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining using these monoclonal antibodies and other antibodies from human and bovine sequences. It was possible to predict the presence of the three collagen IV molecules: [alpha1(IV)](2) alpha2(IV), alpha3(IV)alpha4(IV)alpha5(IV), and [alpha5(IV)](2)alpha6(IV). In skin basement membrane two of the three forms, [alpha1(IV)](2)alpha2(IV) and [alpha5(IV)](2)alpha6(IV), were detected. The alpha3(IV)alpha4(IV)alpha5(IV) molecule was observed as the major form in glomerulus, alveolus, and choroid plexus, where basement membranes function as filtering units. The molecular form [alpha5(IV)](2)alpha6(IV) was present in basement membranes in tubular organs such as the epididymis, where the tubes need to expand in diameter. Thus, the distribution of the basement membranes with different molecular composition is consistent with tissue-specific function.
The Impact of Hunting on the Mammalian Fauna of Tropical Asian Forests

People have hunted mammals in tropical Asian forests for at least 40,000 yr. This period has seen one confirmed global extinction (the giant pangolin, Manis palaeojavanica) and range restrictions for several large mammals, but there is no strong evidence for unsustainable hunting pressure until the last 2000–3000 yr, when elephants, rhinoceroses, and several other species were progressively eliminated from the large parts of their ranges. Regional declines in most species have occurred largely within the last 50 yr. Recent subsistence hunting has typically focused on pigs and deer (hunted with dogs and spears or with snares), monkeys and other arboreal mammals (often caught with blowpipes), and porcupines and other rodents (smoked or dug out of burrows). Over the last 50 yr, the importance of hunting for subsistence has been increasingly outweighed by hunting for the market. The hunted biomass is dominated by the same species as before, sold mostly for local consumption, but numerous additional species are targeted for the colossal regional trade in wild animals and their parts for food, medicines, raw materials, and pets. Many populations of mammalian dispersers of large seeds and understory browsers have been depleted or eliminated, while seed predators have had a more variable fate. Most of this hunting is now illegal, but the law enforcement is generally weak. However, examples of successful enforcement show that hunting impacts can be greatly reduced where there is sufficient political will. Ending the trade in wild animals and their parts should have the highest regional conservation priority.
Microbial biomass and production associated with decaying leaf litter of the emergent macrophyte Juncus effusus

Emergent macrophytes are a major source of organic matter production in freshwater wetlands, and often represent the bulk of the plant material entering the detrital pool. We examined the decomposition and microbial dynamics associated with litter of the emergent macrophyte, Juncus effusus (soft rush), during its movement from an aerial standing dead to a submerged decay environment. Standing dead leaves of J. effusus were collected after an initial period of standing litter microbial decay, placed in 1‐mm mesh litter bags, and submerged in a wetland. Litter bags were retrieved periodically over 268 d and analyzed for microbial (fungal and bacterial) biomass and production, ATP concentrations, litter mass loss, and quality (C:N:P and plant fiber). Submerged litter decay of J. effusus was slow (k = 0.0010 d−1), with only 23% weight loss after 268 d. Both fungal and bacterial biomass and production decreased significantly soon after standing plant litter was submerged in the wetland surface waters. Despite decreases in microbial biomass and production, fungal decomposers remained the dominant microbial assemblage associated with decaying plant litter, accounting for 99% and 91% of the total microbial biomass and production, respectively. Mean fungal production ranged from 73–2,836 mg C g−1 AFDM d−1 (AFDM: ash‐free dry mass remaining) during the study period, whereas attached bacterial production ranged from 4–32 mg C g−1 AFDM d−1. Patterns of litter ATP and nutrient concentrations (N and P) were similar to those observed for fungal and bacterial biomass, suggesting that at least a portion of the detrital N and P may have been incorporated into microbial biomass. Significant changes in microbial colonization and activity associated with emergent macrophyte litter can occur following the collapse of standing dead plant matter to the water or surface sediments. Furthermore, our findings suggest that fungi are significant contributors to the decay of coarse particulate plant matter in wetland ecosystems.
Occurrence and diversity of Ralstonia solanacearum populations in Brazil = Ocorrência e diversidade de populações de Ralstonia solanacearum no Brasil

Ralstonia solanacearum is a gram-negative soil-borne bacterium capable of infection of hundreds of vegetable species over more than 50 botanical families, causing bacterial wilt, except for bananas, when the disease is called Moko. It deserves special attention, from all other plant pathogenic bacteria, for its high phenotypic and genotypic plasticity, a characteristic that makes disease control extremely difficult. In this context, frequent and necessary surveys are conduct in the attempt of characterizing the prevailing strains of R. solanacearum in each region where the disease has been reported. However, knowledge about occurrence and diversity of R. solanacearum in Brazil is fragmented and in some cases, based on inconclusive studies with few strains, little representative of a given region. The need to obtain a greater picture guided this review. The occurrence of this bacterium in Brazilian States and the possible causes for its dissemination are presented, with emphasis on studies of genetic variability of populations of R. solanacearum in the country. The compiled results report a wide distribution of the bacterium in Brazil and great variability of its populations among locations. Partly due to the difficulty of detecting small titer of bacteria in samples, paucity of information about the origin of inoculum in certain regions is observed, as well as the need for detecting the presence of the pathogen in asymptomatic plants, potato tubers with latent infections, soil, and water, which are the major causes of bacterial dissemination into areas without any disease history.
Alternative feedstuffs utilisation in Nigerian poultry industry: potentials, problems and prospects

The potentials, problems and prospects of utilizing alternative feedstuffs in Nigerian poultry industry were reviewed. Research findings showed that alternative feed resources, particularly novel feed resources, were available and could be safely used in poultry nutrition. Several researchers indicated their suitability, a few envisaged the limitations to their effectiveness and some attempted to offer hints on their improvement. Generally, there was seemingly little scientific documentation about Nigerian cases that would have created the awareness for immediate adoption by prospective poultry farmers. This review therefore puts together the classifications of these feed resources with examples, their accessibility and safety to serve as a reorientation strategy to achieve research and value-addition plans of transforming the Nigerian livestock industry.
Fire-related cues break seed dormancy of six legumes of tropical eucalypt savannas in north-eastern Australia

This paper describes an assessment of the effect of exposure to fire-related cues (heat shock, smoke and nitrate) and the interactions between the cues on seed dormancy release of tropical savanna legumes in north-eastern Australia. Ten legume species were tested, comprising both native and exotic species. The ten species responded variously to the treatments. Brief exposure to temperatures between 80 and 100°C was found to break the seed dormancy of the native ephemeral herbs Chamaecrista mimosoides, Crotalaria calycina, Crotalaria montana, Indigofera hirsuta and Tephrosia juncea, as well as the exotic ephemeral herb Crotalaria lanceolata. Exposure to 80°C combined with treatment with a nitrate solution produced an additive effect on the germination of Chamaecrista mimosoides and Crotalaria lanceolata. However, the four species with the heaviest seeds, two exotic ephemeral herbs (Chamaecrista absus and Crotalaria pallida) and two native perennials (Galactia tenuiflora and Glycine tomentella) displayed no significant increase in germination with exposure to fire-related cues. Exposure to 120°C for 5 min produced seed mortality in all species tested. Two of the largest seeded species, Crotalaria pallida and Galactia tenuiflora, displayed the lowest tolerance to heat shock, with seed mortality after exposure to 100°C for 5 min. These data indicate that fire can promote the germination of some tropical savanna legumes. As a proportion of seeds of each species displayed no innate dormancy, some germination may occur in the absence of fire, especially of exotic species.
Breeding structure of an isolated cactophilic Drosophila population on a sandstone table hill

The effect of host cacti on the breeding structure of an isolated population of cactophilic Drosophila gouveai was studied. A comparison was made, using F statistics, of the allozyme frequencies at 11 loci among temporal samples of the adult population and six samples of progeny obtained from individual rotting cactus cladodes. The population appears to be structured by the cacti, forming breeding groups, and approximately four individuals contribute gametes to the progeny of each cladode. This D. gouveai population had a low degree of heterozygosity, compared with mean values for most Drosophila species, however it was within the range of values reported for other cactophilic Drosophila. Zusammenfassung Ziel der Untersuchung der Paarungsstruktur einer isolierten Population der kaktophilen Spezies Drosophila gouveai war die Bestimmung des Strukturniveaus in Abhangigkeit von den jeweiligen Wirtskakteen. Vergleiche der Allozymfrequenzen wurden mittels F-Statistik an elf Loci der Gesamptpopulation durchgefuhrt, von der zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten Proben genommen wurden, und an sechs Loci der Nachwuchsgenerationen, die sich in isolierten, verrottenden Kakteenkladodien entwickelten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Populationin Bezug auf die Kakteen in Form von Paarungsgruppen strukturiert ist, und dass zum Nachwuchs innerhalb einzelner Kladodien jeweils circa vier Individuen Gameten beitragen. Die geschatzten Heterozygotiegrade wurden mit bereits publizierten Werten anderer kaktophiler und mit nicht-kaktophilen Drosophila -Arten verglichen. Dieser Vergleich zeigte, dass der niedrige Heterozygotiegrad der D.gouveai Population mit den Werten anderer kaktophiler Arten ubereinstimmt.
CANCER CELL AND FAS LIGAND (CD95 LIGAND): IMMUNE ESCAPE OR SELF-ATTACK

Life or death of a cancer cell is influenced by autocrine/paracrine and immune/nonimmune interactions that ultimately result in the victory of either the host or the cancer cell. Cross-linking of the soluble or membrane-bound Fas ligand (FasL/CD95L) with its receptor (Fas/CD95) induces apoptosis of Fas-expressing cells. This apoptotic pathway has been utilized by cancer cells as a mechanism of immune escape toward the activated lymphocytes of the host. However, in some systems, this down regulating mechanism may be directed against the cancer cell either by self-attack or by neighboring immune defense cells. Soluble FasL may contribute to the process in either direction. Additionally, nonimmune Fas/FasL interactions also appear to have important contributions to cancer development, invasion, and therapy by allowing survival of cells with unrepaired damaged DNA (when defective); by degrading neighboring tissues; and by inducing chemo/radiotherapy resistance. Thus, the expression of FasL by malignant cell has several implications in cancer biology and underscores similarities between the cancer cell and the trophoblast that also expresses FasL and displays invasion characteristics.
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) Invasion in the Northern Great Plains: A Story of Rapid Dominance in an Endangered Ecosystem

Kentucky bluegrass was introduced into the present-day United States in the 1600s. Since that time, Kentucky bluegrass has spread throughout the United States and Canada becoming prolific in some areas. In the past century, Kentucky bluegrass has been a presence and often a dominant species in some prairies in the Northern Great Plains. Sometime within the past few decades, Kentucky bluegrass has become the most-common species on the untilled, native prairie sites of much of North and South Dakota. In this article, we hypothesize how Kentucky bluegrass has come to dominate one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America—the prairie—through a historical, ecological, and climatological lens. We urge others to start addressing the invasion of Kentucky bluegrass with both new research and management strategies.
Toxopathological Studies on the Effect of Formalin and Copper Sulphate in Tilapia as A Commonly Used Disinfectant in Aquaculture

The effect of specific/therapeutic dose of disinfectants (formalin and copper sulphate) was studied on 180 apparently healthy Nile tilapia through hematological, biochemical, histopathological and electron microscopic examinations. Tilapia exposed to formalin (25mg/l, gp 2), clinically, no mortality was detected throughout the period of the treatment. During the first three days post treatment, the exposed Tilapia nilotica showed accelerated opercular beats while grossly, a copious mucus secretion covering the skin and gills with congested liver, kidneys and spleen were seen. Histopathologically, one days post-treatment, congestion was evident in all examined organs. Five and ten days post-treatment, degeneration, leukocytic infiltration and focal depletion in the lymphoid tissue were noticed. Tilapia exposed to copper sulfate (2mg/l, gp 3), clinically, the mortality rate was 5% throughout the period of treatment and the exposed Tilapia nilotica showed unbalanced fast movement and gasping during the first three days post treatment. Grossly, the exposed tilapia showed numerous hemorrhagic areas on the body along the period. Histopathologically, one and five days post-treatment, the gills showed telangiectasis and focal hyperplasia in the secondary gill lamellae and the other organs were congested and suffered muscular hyaline degeneration, vacuolar degeneration in the hepatocytes, tubular nephrosis and proliferation of splenic MMC.Ten days post-treatment, the gills exhibited hyperplasia in the secondary lamellae, the muscles and liver showed degeneration and proliferation of melanomacrophages while the kidney showed vacuolation in the renal epithelium with focal depletion of hematopoietic tissue. The ultrastuructural changes in the hepatocytes and renal epithelium of tilapia exposed to formalin and copper sulphate were mentioned and fully discussed. It could be concluded that, although therapeutic dose of disinfections is efficient against many fish infection, their use should be done under strict regulation to avoid its pathological side effect