Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sixty Years of Improvement in Publicly Developed Elite Soybean Lines

Publicly supported soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] breeders evaluate their elite breeding lines in cooperative tests across the northern soybean production area of the USA and Canada. These cooperative tests have been conducted for 60 yr, and virtually all publicly released cultivars have been evaluated in these tests. However, the progress made has not been reported. The objective of this research was to determine progress in elite line improvement in soybean adapted to northern soybean production areas across this 60-yr period. Two-year performance data for the three highest-yielding entries in these tests were regressed on years that entries appeared in maturity group (MG) tests across a 60-yr period. Rates of yield improvement in kg ha -1 yr -1 were 21.6 (MG 00), 25.8 (MG 0), 30.4 (MG 1), 29.3 (MG II), 30.6 MG (III), and 29.5 (MG IV). In general, check cultivars were consistent in performance across years in which the checks were included in the tests. Plant height increased slightly for elite lines in MG I, but decreased significantly for elite lines in MGs II to IV. Plant lodging decreased significantly for elite lines in every MG test except MG I. Seed protein concentration decreased significantly for elite lines only in MG I (-0.29 g kg -1 yr -1 ) and II (-0.27 g kg -1 yr -1 ). Seed oil increased significantly in MG 00 (0.19 g kg -1 yr -1 ) and decreased significantly in MG III (-0.11 g kg -1 yr -1 ). The data demonstrate that soybean breeders have increased seed yield of cultivars by 1.0% yr -1 , while significantly increasing resistance to plant lodging. Rates of yield improvement during the past 20 yr have been equal to or greater than rates of improvement in earlier years.
Nitrogênio e potássio na produtividade e qualidade da bananeira cultivar Thap Maeo

The experiment was carried out in a Xanthic Ferralsol (dystrophic Yellow Latosol) of Central Amazon with the objective to verify the effect of nitrogen and potassium rates on yield and quality of banana cultivar Thap Maeo (triploid - AAB). The experimental design was factorial randomized blocks (3x4), with the following treatments: three N rates (0, 267 and 534 kg per ha cycle - source: urea) and four K2O rates (200, 800, 1600 and 2400 kg per ha cycle - source: potassium chloride), with three replicates and two cycles of harvest. The results showed that N and K rates did not affect the diameter of fruits, acidity and total soluble solids. After the first cycle, regardless of N rates, the application of K2O rates reduced the resistance of pulp. Banana yield reduced with increased N rates. In the second cycle, K2O rates showed significant interaction with N, and the largest yield was obtained with application of 1600 kg ha-1 of K2O.
ACUTE LUNG INJURY FROM INTRATRACHEAL EXPOSURE TO FUGITIVE RESIDUAL OIL FLY ASH AND ITS CONSTITUENT METALS IN NORMOAND SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

We have recently shown that the spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats with underlying cardiovascular disease exhibited greater pulmonary vascular leakage and oxidative stress than healthy normotensive (Wistar Kyoto, WKY) rats after a 3-day inhalation exposure to residual oil fly ash (ROFA) particles (Kodavanti et al., 2000). Since host responsiveness to a 3-day episodic ROFA inhalation could be different from a single acute exposure, we examined ROFA and its constituent metal (vanadium, V; nickel, Ni) -induced lung injury after a single intratracheal ( IT) exposure. Male SH and WKY rats ( 12–13 wk) were IT instilled with either saline or ROFA (0.0, 0.83 or 3.33 mg/kg). The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for lung injury markers at 24 and 96 h post-IT. Rats were also IT instilled with 0.0 or 1.5 μmol/ kg of either VSO4 or NiSO46H2O in saline ( equivalent to a dose of 2–3 mg ROFA) , and assessed at 6 and 24 h post-IT. Basal levels of BALF protein, macrophages, and neutrophils, but not lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) , were higher in control SH compared to control WKY rats. Lung histology of control SH rats exhibited mild focal alveolitis and perivascular inflammation; these changes were minimal in control WKY rats. ROFA-induced increases in BALF protein, and to a lesser extent in LDH, were greater in SH compared to WKY rats. ROFA IT was associated with the increases in BALF total cells in both strains (SH > WKY). BALF neutrophils increased at 24 h and macrophages at 96 h in a dose-dependent manner (SH > WKY). The increase in BALF neutrophils was largely reversed by 96 h in both rat strains. The V-induced increases in BALF protein and LDH peaked at 6 h post-IT and
Genetic and Gender Influences on Nocturnal Bladder Control - A Study of 2900 3-year-old Twin Pairs

Objective: The present study of over 2900 twin pairs born in England and Wales in 1994 examines the influences of genetics and gender on nocturnal bladder control at 3 years of age. Materials and Method: Parent report data was analysed in terms of means and components of variance, using a sex-limitation model to explore genetic and environmental variation within and between the sexes. Results: Both genetics and gender are seen to influence acquisition: bladder control at 3 years is moderately heritable (24%), and girls show on average slightly increased acquisition compared with boys, even within opposite-sex pairs. The sexlimitation modelling showed an interaction between genetic influence and gender whereby nocturnal bladder control was significantly more heritable in boys (33%) than girls (10%). Conclusions: Both genetics and gender are important and interacting factors in the aetiology of nocturnal bladder control.
Recherches récentes sur les Charophycées: morphogenèse et reproduction sexuée

ResumeUn bilan des connaissances actuelles concernant la morphologie, la morphogenese des gametanges et la reproduction sexuee des Characees est dresse. Les recentes hypotheses ayant trait a la taxinomie des Charophycees sont brievement evoquees.
Sperm motility of the marine teleosts Boops boops, Diplodus sargus, Mullus barbatus and Trachurus mediterraneus

The spermatozoa of Boops boops, Diplodus sargus, Mullus barbatus, and Trachurus mediterraneus were motile in sea water, and in electrolyte solutions (NaCl) and non-electrolyte solutions (glucose) with an osmolality of 600–1000 mosmol kg−1. Their mean motility rate 10 s after initiation was about 80%, while about 10% of the motile spermatozoa moved non-linearly, 45% linearly, and 45% circularly. The average path swimming velocity was significantly higher in M. barbatus (about 90 μm s−1) than in the other species (70 μm s−1). The number of motile spermatozoa decreased to 0% within 50 s after initiation of motility in T. mediterraneus, within 90 s in M. barbatus . In B. boops and D. sargus about 90% of the spermatozoa stopped movement during the first 90 s of the motility period, while the rest remained motile for 2–3 h. Motility of B. boops and D. sargus spermatozoa was reversibly suppressed in the seminal plasma, and in electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions of 100–200 mosmol kg−1. The trigger for motility activation was hyperosmolality (700–1000 mosmol kg−1). Motility of M. barbatus and T. mediterraneus sperm was only partly suppressed in the seminal plasma since freshly collected semen contained about 25–50% locally motile spermatozoa. When sperm was activated immediately after collection with electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions of 700–1000 mosmol kg−1 spermatozoa moved progressively. The motility of those spermatozoa which had not yet been motile after collection was completely and reversibly suppressed in M. barbatus at osmolalities of 1200 mosmol kg−1, and at osmolalities of 100–200 mosmol kg−1 in T. mediterraneus . Therefore two triggers were necessary for initiation of motility. The nature of the first trigger was uncertain, the second trigger was a switch to hypoosmolality in M. barbatus and to hyperosmolality in T. mediterraneus . The sperm organisation of B. boops, D. sargus, M. barbatus and T. mediterraneus revealed species-specific parameters which could not be related with the sperm motility behaviour.
Implications phylogénétiques de I'ultrastructure de la spermatogenèse, du spermatozoïde et de I'ovogenèse du TurbellariéUrastoma cyprinae (“Prolecithophora”, Urastomidae)

Spermiogenesis in Urastoma cyprinae (Graff. 1882) involvcs a progressive lengthening of the spermatid. Free flagella are only transitory. The mature spermatozoon is fusibrm. 45μm in length and 2.5 μm in width. It contains two incorporated axonermes of the flatworm 9+“1” pattern, two elongated mitochondria. an elongated nucleus and a row or cortical longitudinal microtubules. Observations on oogenesis concerncd only the immuturc ovary. lmmature oocytes contain few dense granules and accssory cells were not ohserved. Phylogenetic implications of a biflagellate spermatozoon in a Prolecithophora are important. The presence of two 9 +“1” axonemes confirms that Urastoma (and the Prolecithophora) belongs to the taxon Trepaxonemata Ehlers. Previous electron microscope studies on spermitozoa of Prolecithophora (four genera) only dealt with aflagellate spermatozoa. On this basis, Ehlers (1985) proposed two autapomorphics for the taxon Prolecithophora: aflagellate spermatozoon and spermatozoal mitochondrial derivatives with abundant membranes. The present observations on Urastoma contradict these two autapomorphics. The taxon Prolecithophora cannot be defined by autapomorphies of the spermatozoon.
Die Synthese verschiedener Carbonsäuren durch den Multienzymkomplex der Fettsäuresynthese aus Hefe und die Erklärung ihrer Bildung

1 The purified multienzyme complex, fatty acid synthetase of yeast, produces palmityl-CoA and stearyl-CoA in equal amounts under standard conditions, with adequate NADPH, and a 1:2 ratio of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA. Based on the known enzymatic properties of fatty acid synthetase a model which rationalizes the chain termination at the level of C16 and C18-acid is proposed. 2 The model is based on two assumptions that are supported by experimental evidence: (a) the probability of any covalently enzyme-bound saturated acyl residue forming a product by transfer to CoA is determined by the relative velocities of the condensing and transferring reactions. (b) The growing alkan chain interacts with the enzyme protein only after a chain length of 13 carbon atoms has been attained; this interaction changes the relative velocities in favour of product formation by an energy increment of -0.9 kcal for each additional methylene group beyond the 13th. 3 To calculate the probability of product release at a particular chain length, an equation was derived from the model describing quantitatively the observed product distribution. 4 The formula suggests conditions under which either short acyl-CoA derivatives or exclusively stearyl-CoA can be produced. Synthesis under these conditions was examined experimentally and results indicated that the formula can be applied to a wide range of experimental conditions. 5 Because the condensation reaction in fatty acid synthesis is the rate limiting step under normal conditions, saturated acyl residues have the longest life-time as intermediates and consequently the highest probability of leaving the enzyme complex as an endproduct. The reduction reactions can be made rate limiting when the NADPH level drops. Under such circumstances β-ketoacyl-CoA's and α,β-unsaturated acyl-CoA's appear as endproducts. With NADH as electron donor the first reduction is slowed to such an extent that predominantly β-ketoacyl-CoA's derivatives are synthesized. 6 The possibility that the enzyme complex catalyses synthesis of short chain fatty acids and and β-ketoacids in vivo is discussed.
Phylogenetic analyses of the genera Pipra, Lepidothrix and Dixiphia (Pipridae, Passeriformes) using partial cytochrome b and 16S mtDNA genes

The piprids (manakins) are small‐bodied Neotropical birds characterized by sexual dimorphism of the plumage and elaborate courtship rituals. The phylogenetic relationships of some of piprid genera, in particular Pipra, are not well defined. Recently, Pipra was divided into three distinct groups, and the recognition of two new genera — Lepidothrix and Dixiphia— was suggested, based on the characteristic of the syringial morphology. In the present study, we analyse the phylogenetic relationships among these genera on the basis of data from the mitochondrial genes rRNA 16S and cytochrome b. Bayesian Inference (BI), Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods of analyses produced phylogenetic trees with very similar topologies with regard to the groupings formed by the species representing the three genera. These results indicate that the genera Pipra, Lepidothrix and Dixiphia do not constitute a single monophyletic clade, and support the current hypothesis of polyphyletism for the former representatives of the genus Pipra. However, the topologies presented do not coincide exactly with the phylogeny suggested by the morphological data with regard to the relationship between these three groups and the remaining piprid genera analysed here, emphasizing the need for further studies of this group of birds. The agreement between the molecular data presented here and the biogeographical information available for some of the species analysed appears to confirm the potential of using segments of the mitochondrial genome for the study of phylogeographical patterns in this group of organisms.
Disaggregatory effects of prostaglandin E 1 , amrinone and milrinone on platelet aggregation in human whole blood

Prostaglandin E 1 (PGE 1 ), amrinone and milrinone not only inhibit platelet aggregation, but also potentially induce disaggregation. We examined the disaggregatory effects of PGE 1 , amrinone and milrinone on platelet aggregation, and measured the platelet cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels using a standard radioimmunoassay. Platelet aggregation was induced by 10 w M adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or 0.625 w g/ml collagen that induces a secondary aggregation, and measured by whole blood aggregometry. PGE 1 (0.7-10.0 w M), amrinone (106.8-801.3 w M), or milrinone (9.5-190.0 w M) was added when aggregation reached 5 m z of impedance, and the percentage of disaggregation was measured 5 min after initiating disaggregation. Disaggregatory effects were also examined using a light transmission aggregometer and gel-filtered platelets. In platelet aggregation induced by ADP, the drug concentrations required to cause 50% disaggregation (EC 50 ) were PGE 1 ; 3.1 - 1.2 w M, amrinone; 313.1 - 128.8 w M, milrinone; 57.1 - 20.8 w M. In platelet aggregation induced by collagen, the maximum disaggregation percentages were 15.6 - 5.0% for 10 w M PGE 1 , 7.8 - 2.4% for 801.3 w M amrinone, and 5.9 - 2.3% for 190.0 w M milrinone. The EC 50 concentrations of platelet cAMP that caused 50% disaggregation in ADP-induced platelet aggregation were 67 - 13 pmoles/10 8 platelets for PGE 1 , 54 - 12 pmoles/10 8 platelets for amrinone, and 52 - 12 pmoles/10 8 platelets for milrinone. In gel-filtered platelets, the percentages of disaggregation in ADP- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation were 33.1 - 5.2% or 11.2 - 3.1% for PGE 1 (10 w M), 22.3 - 4.1% or 15.2 - 3.2% for amrinone (801.3 w M), and 23.5 - 4.3% or 14.6 - 3.5% for milrinone (190.0 w M).
Species, climate and fertilizer effects on grass fibre and protein in tropical environments

SUMMARY A 3-year experiment (2005–07) was conducted on Reunion Island (France) to evaluate the effect of species, climate and fertilization levels on fibre and protein fractions of tropical (C4; Chloris gayana and Pennisetum clandestinum) and temperate (C3; Dactylis glomerata and Lotium multiflorum) grasses. A near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) prediction referential was developed to estimate neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), crude protein (CP), NDF insoluble protein (NDF-IP) and ADF insoluble protein (ADF-IP). The NIRS equations were then used to screen many regrowth grass samples collected at heading stage continuously for 3 years to evaluate their changes during the seasons. Results showed that grass species differed significantly in fibre and protein fractions. NDF, ADF and ADF-IP were the lowest in D. glomerata/L. multiflorum and the highest in C. gayana. The wet season was associated with higher NDF, ADF and NDF-IP in D. glomerata/L. multiflorum and lower NDF-IP in P. clandestinum. Fertilization increased the CP in C. gayana and the NDF-IP in P. clandestinum, but decreased the ADF-IP of both C. gayana and D. glomerata/L. multiflorum. Growth rate strongly changed NDF, ADF, NDF-IP and ADF-IP although no change in CP appeared. In general, NDF, ADF and NDF-IP increased with the growth rate. In contrast, the ADF-IP content decreased from slow to fast growth rate in C. gayana and D. glomerata/L. multiflorum. Growth rate changes were thus considered as a general indicator for fibre and protein fraction variations of these grasses.
Authors' Response

We thank the editor for the opportunity to respond to Drs. Grahame and Hidy’s comments. The results of this study were published as part of the Proceedings of the 10th International Inhalation Symposium sponsored by the Fraunhofer Institute Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin in 2006, and are part of a series of investigations in various stages of publication. The Multiple City Ambient PM Study (MAPS) project is a collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PM (Particulate Matter) Centers and the U.S. EPA, analogous to the previously reported EPA Center-sponsored Source Apportionment Workshop (Thurston et al., 2005). While this paper was the first to be published, numerous others are in preparation, and the source apportionment manuscript by Duvall and colleagues has now been accepted for publication in this same journal (Duvall et al., 2007. The overall goal of the project is to collect at designated locations in the United States sizefractionated particles that might differ in source contributions, and to provide a common set of extracted particles for investigators to use in bioassays already established in their laboratories. A central group collected and extracted the particles to ensure consistency, and provided the samples and chemical analyses to all participating investigators. No restrictions on study design for assays were made, and investigators were free to link chemical composition and health effects using methods of their choosing. Given the simple and straightforward design (three particle sizes collected over a month in five U.S. cities), we are perplexed by Drs. Grahame and Hidy’s lengthy and often misconstrued comments. Regarding the latter, the article clearly states particle collection dates and cutoff sizes; the particles were extracted with water (not dilute acid) for use in the bioassays; and PM recovery values were given for mass concentrations and not elemental recovery. Drs. Grahame and Hidy state that we used a “nonstandard method for collecting particles,” but there is in fact no standard methodology of collecting particles for bioassay. This technique (developed by aerosol physicists) is currently in wide use internationally to provide adequate quantities of ambient PM for broad toxicity testing. The thrust of the effort is to make progress on the point made by Grahame and Hidy, namely, understanding which PM components, size attributes, and sources are responsible for the observed health outcomes. Our ongoing studies have greatly expanded chemical characterization of size-segregated ambient PM, including collocated Teflon and quartz filters for more complete analysis of trace elements and organic and elemental carbon. As stated by Grahame and Hidy, these kinds of studies require close collaboration among toxicologists, atmospheric chemists, and biostatisticians to provide quality data regarding the pollutant sources and attributing effects appropriately. We anticipate that this preliminary study will help refine the science for both the approaches in sampling methodologies and subsequent toxicity assessment of PM.
Metaphase karyotypes of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root and A. (N.) nuneztovari Gabaldón (Diptera; Culicidae)

Metaphase karyotypes of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi and Anopheles (N.) nuneztovari from Manaus and Highway BR-174 (Manaus-Boa Vista), State of Amazonas, and Macapa, State of Amapa, Brazil, showed 2n = 6. They consisted of a pair of metacentric (chromosome II) and a pair of submetacentric (chromosome III) autosomes as well as sex chromosomes X and Y. In the sex chromosomes, the X was acrocentric in A. darlingi and submetacentric in A. nuneztovari. The Y chromosome was pointed in both species. The chromosomes of A. nuneztovari were larger than those of A. darlingi except for the Y chromosome. A. nuneztovari showed size polymorphism in the X chromosome. Somatic pairing and a strong constriction around the centromeric region in chromosomes II and III were exhibited in both species. The secondary constriction was only detected in chromosome II of A. darlingi from the Manaus population and chromosome III from the Macapa population.
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN GENOME SIZE OF GRAOMYS GRISEOFLAVUS (RODENTIA: MURIDAE)

Abstract Studies on Thomomys and Peromyscus, among others, have confirmed that karyotypic variation in mammals is often reflected in genome size variation. We used flow cytometry to estimate genome sizes from 91 individuals of the karyotypically variable Graomys griseoflavus complex from Argentina. Our samples represented 16 populations and included 2 ostensibly reproductively isolated forms. The mean genome size (2C value) for all populations, 5.72 pg ± 0.34 SD of DNA, was low for mammals, and the range was greater than observed in previous studies on Geomys, Thomomys, and bats. Two groups of populations were identified that differed in mean genome size. A high–genome-size group consisted of 2 populations in San Juan Province with a mean genome size of 7.38 ± 0.53 pg. These populations occupied the most arid part of the Monte Desert. A small–genome-size group included the remaining 14 populations that mostly occupied a broadly distributed, continuous habitat and possessed lower genome sizes with a mean of 5.62 ± 0.56 pg. Population means in this group ranged from 2C = 4.97 to 6.51. Previous studies have shown the existence of 2 reproductively isolated and karyotypically differentiated species within the G. griseoflavus complex. The high–genome-size group seems to correspond to the species with 2n = 42 (G. centralis) and the low–genome-size group to the species with 2n = 36–38 (G. griseoflavus). Flow cytometry is a potentially useful method to rapidly assess differentiation among populations of the G. griseoflavus complex.