Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Tolerance of Flumioxazin on Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas)1

Experiments were conducted at three locations in Louisiana in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate flumioxazin (36, 72, or 109 g ai/ha) applied pretransplant (PRE) or post-transplant (POST) to sweetpotato. All treatments were applied immediately before or after sweetpotato transplanting to weed-free beds. PRE applications caused 4% or less injury with any rate of flumioxazin at 9 or 18 d after transplanting (DATr) compared with 18 to 20% injury at 9 DATr and 6 to 14% at 18 DATr with 72 or 109 g/ha POST, respectively. Injury from PRE applications of flumioxazin were not different from injury with clomazone (840 g ai/ha) applied POST. Injury at Chase, LA, in 2002 was 8% and less with flumioxazin PRE, but 35 to 83% with flumioxazin POST and appeared to be due to the use of greenhouse-grown cuttings instead of field-grown cuttings, which were used in the other two experiments. There was no interaction between experiments for sweetpotato yield. Plots treated with flumioxazin PRE or 36 g/ha POST yielded greater than sweetpotato treated with clomazone for U.S. No. 1 and 2 grade yield as well as total marketable yield. No differences were observed in yellow nutsedge control with any rate of flumioxazin. At 34 or 50 DATr, flumioxazin controlled yellow nutsedge 73 to 85% with 72 or 109 g/ha applied PRE or POST. Flumioxazin, regardless of application timing or rate, controlled carpetweed and spiny amaranth at least 86%. A similar experiment in Mississippi evaluated tank-mixes of flumioxazin (36, 72, or 109 g/ha) and clomazone (840 g/ha) applied PRE or POST. No sweetpotato injury was observed with flumioxazin PRE. However, injury from flumioxazin POST increased with increased rates (18 to 50% at 18 DATr and 16 to 93% at 25 DATr). Weed control was greater than 80% with all treatments. Nomenclature: Clomazone; flumioxazin; broadleaf signalgrass, Brachiaria platyphylla (Griseb.) Nash #3 BRAPP; carpetweed, Mollugo verticillata L. # MOLVE; entireleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea var. integriuscula Gray # IPOHE; pitted morningglory, Ipomoea lacunosa L. # IPOLA; redroot pigweed Amaranthus retroflexus L. # AMARE; spiny amaranth, Amaranthus spinosus # AMASP; yellow nutsedge, Cyperus rotundus L. # CYPES; sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. ‘Beauregard’. Additional index words: Clomazone, Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus spinosus, Brachiaria platyphylla, Cyperus rotundus, Ipomoea hederacea var. integriuscula, Ipomoea lacunosa, Mollugo verticillata, AMARE, AMASP BRAPP, CYPES, IPOHE, IPOLA, MOLVE. Abbreviations: DATr, days after transplanting; PRE, pretransplant; POST, post-transplant.
Resistance to race TTKSK of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in Emmer wheat

Race TTKSK (Ug99) of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici is a serious threat to wheat production worldwide because of its wide virulence on many cultivars and rapid spread. Emmer wheat [Triticum turgidum L. subsp. dicoccon (Schrank) Thell. ] is known to be a source of resistance to stem rust but has not been evaluated against race TTKSK. In attempts to identify and characterize stem rust resistance genes effective against race TTKSK at the seedling stage, we evaluated 359 accessions of emmer wheat with race TTKSK and other races with broad virulence. A high frequency (31.8%) of accessions were resistant to TTKSK at the seedling stage with low infection types ranging from 2 = to 2 + . Thirty-seven accessions exhibited a resistant to moderately resistant response in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, and St. Paul, MN, nurseries in 2010 and 2011. Studies were conducted to determine the inheritance of TTKSK resistance in fi ve accessions at the seedling stage. Results from evaluating F 2 and F 2:3 generations revealed that resistance was conferred by single genes. One additional gene effective against race TTTTF was identifi ed in the resistant parents. Results from this study indicated that emmer wheat is a source of resistance to race TTKSK and may contribute novel resistance genes. Since emmer wheat shares the same genome as durum [Triticum turgidum subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn. ] wheat and is in cultivated form, resistance genes should be easily transferred to durum wheat by conventional breeding approaches.
Biomass and Fruit Production for the Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica

Productivity of irrigated prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller) was studied over 3 years in central Chile using two planting densities. A low-density planting (0.25 plants/m 2 ), traditionally favored for fruit production, had maximal fruit productivity in the 2nd year (6 Mg dry weight/ha per year). A high-density planting (24 plants/m 2 ), which assured almost full interception of incident solar radiation, led to an extremely high shoot dry- weight productivity (50 Mg·ha -1 ·year -1 ) in the 2nd year and maximal fruit productivity (6 Mg·ha -1 ·year -1 ) in the 3rd year. Cladode dry weight tended to increase with cladode surface area. However, fruit production did not occur until the dry weight per cladode exceeded the minimum dry weight for a particular cladode surface area by at least 33 g. The year-to-year variation in fruit production apparently reflected variations in such excess dry weight and, hence, in the storage reserves of individual cladodes. The genus Opuntia contains ≈180 of the 1600 species in the Cactaceae and consists mostly of platyopuntias , meaning that the stems occur as flattened segments termed "cladodes" (Ben- son, 1982; Britton and Rose, 1963; Gibson and Nobel, 1986). Certain platyopuntias are commercially important, such as the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica), which is cultivated in more than 20 countries (Hernandez Xolocotzi, 1970; Nobel, 1988; Russell and Felker, 1987). This prickly pear cactus is cultivated primarily for its fruit, but also, its young cladodes are used as a vegetable and mature ones are used as cattle forage and fodder. About 70,000 ha have been devoted to platyopuntia cultivation in Tunisia, 100,000 ha in Italy, and 300,000 ha in Brazil, in addition to large areas in Algeria, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and South Africa (Domingues, 1963; Monjauze and Le Houerou, 1965). Because. platyopuntias exhibit Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and are drought-tolerant, they can be successfully cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions, which rep- resent about one-third of the earth's land area (Fischer and Turner, 1978; Leith and Whittaker, 1975). Although the above-ground vegetative dry-weight productiv- ity of O. ficus-indica and other platyopuntias is generally below 10 Mg·ha -1 ·year -1
Effect of varieties and spacing on growth and flowering of gladiolus in Andamans

A study was conducted to identify the most promising variety of gladiolus for Andamans and to standardize the spacing. Variety Darshan produced the maximum number of spikes m−2 (24.33) when the plants were spaced 25 cm × 30 cm and had the longest vase life. Pusa Suhagin recorded the maximum length of spike (73.01 cm), bigger florets (7.47 cm) but produced only 19 spikes m−2. The number of corms and cormels produced per plant was also maximum in Pusa Suhagin. Hence, Darshan and Pusa Suhagin may be recommended as suitable varieties for commercial cultivation in Andamans. The optimum spacing has been standardized as 25 cm × 30 cm for gladiolus cultivation in Bay Islands.
The Reproduction and Maintenance of Polydora Ciliata (Johnst.) at Whitstable

The germ cells of Polydora ciliata arise from cells lying just inside the ventral epithelium and later migrate into the gonads. They are released into the coelom when they are 30 μ in diameter and are transported posteriorly to the region of maturation. The eggs and sperm are shed through the modified nephridia of the region of maturation. The eggs are laid into a string of capsules apparently secreted by the nephridia and attached to the wall of the tube. The larvae take about a week to hatch and are released into the plankton at the three chaetiger stage. They spend some 6 weeks in the plankton before metamorphosis, and have grown to 17 or 18 segments. Monthly samples of the worms living in the London clay at Whitstable in 1956 showed that the population was bimodal with respect to size and the two groups of adults gave rise to two larval settlements in late March and May. The two groups of juvenile worms that developed from these larvae retained their identities through the summer and the following winter. There is no apparent morphological character by which the adults of each type may be recognized, the time of spawning and the lower fecundity of the early breeding worms being the only distinguishing features. It is suggested that these groups are the consequence of an overlap of two populations of P. ciliata from different centres of distribution, each being adapted in its breeding requirements to a different part of the temperature range.
Lidar remote sensing of structural properties of subtropical rainforest and eucalypt forest in complex terrain in north-eastern Australia

EDIRIWEERA S, PATHIRANA S, DANAHER T 8c NICHOLS D. 2014. LiDAR remote sensing of structural properties of subtropical rainforest and eucalypt forest in complex terrain in north-eastern Australia. LiDAR remote sensing can be considered a key instrument for studies related to quantifying the vegetation structure. We utilised LiDAR metrics to estimate plot-scale structural parameters of subtropical rainforest and eucalypt-dominated open forest in topographically dissected landscape in north-eastern Australia. This study is considered an extreme application of LiDAR technology for structurally complex subtropical forests in complex terrain. A total of 31 LiDAR metrics of vegetation functional parameters were examined. Multiple linear regression models were able to explain 62% of the variability associated with basal area, 66% for mean diameter at breast height, 61% for dominant height and 60% for foliage projective cover in subtropical rainforest. In contrast, mean height (adjusted r2 = 0.90) and dominant height (adjusted r2 = 0.81) were predicted with highest accuracy in the eucalypt-dominated open canopy forest. Nevertheless, the magnitude of error for predicting structural parameters of vegetation was much higher in subtropical rainforest than those documented in the literature. Our findings reinforce that obtaining accurate LiDAR estimates of vegetation structure is a function of the complexity of horizontal and vertical structural diversity of vegetation.
Signalling receptivity: Comparison of the emission of volatile compounds by figs of Ficus hispida before, during and after the phase of receptivity to pollinators

Figs and pollinating fig wasps are involved in highly specific mutualisms. Because associations between figs and their pollinating wasps are horizontally transmitted, partner encounter is a crucial step, and is mediated by the emission by receptive figs of the volatile compounds that are detected by the pollinator. However, pollinator attraction is probably not the only function of the volatile compounds produced by figs. Other likely functions include signalling to wasps that a fig has already been pollinated, and deterring or defending against visitors with negative effects on developing figs or the pollinators they contain. The functions of volatile compounds will also change over the course of fig development, and the composition of the odour bouquet is thus also likely to vary. However, this variation and its likely functional importance have rarely been studied. To address these questions, we investigated changes in the composition of the bouquet of volatile compounds, and in the rate of emission of odour components, before, during and after the phase of receptivity to pollinators in Ficus hispida, in Yunnan (China). This first study of the dynamics of variation in signal composition throughout the cycle of fig development, provides support for the hypothesis of chemical mimicry in dioecious figs.
Characterization of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) seed proteins

Amaranth seed has a high nutritional value due to the balanced amino acid composition of its proteins. These were isolated by sequential extractions. The percentage concentrations of albumins, globulins, prolamins, and glutelins were 51.0, 15.9, 2.0, and 31.1, respectively, of total protein extracted, the insoluble fraction being quantitatively negligible. Albumins are the richest in sulfur amino acids (4.4%), globulins in lysine (7.0%), and prolamins in leucine (10%) and threonine (7.2%). Glutelins poorest in lysine (4.2%)
Solar UV-light penetration and photodegradation of humic substances in peaty lake water

The in situ photodegradation of aquatic humic substances by underwater UV light (300–400 nm) in peaty lake water was studied. The photodegradation of aquatic humic substances (HS) occurred at depths where UV light with wavelengths <320 nm can penetrate. The daily photodegradation rate of aquatic HS under a cloudless summer sky in the northern Netherlands appeared to be of the same order of magnitude as that of the mean daily pelagic photosynthetic fixation of dissolved inorganic C in typically oligotrophic humic lakes. However, the measured UV degradation of aquatic HS on a yearly basis is small compared to the approximate annual primary production of temperate lake phytoplankton (8%) and submerged macrophytes (3%) under fertile conditions. The measured UV-light-driven HS degradation implies a higher turnover of organic C in humic lakes than believed so far.
pro-macrophage-stimulating protein in mice

We injected '251-pro-macrophage-stimu- lating protein (pro-MSP) intravenously into normal mice to determine its clearance from the circulation and to test for conversion of pro-MSP to the biologi- cally active heterodimer in the absence of inflamma- tion or tissue injury, Pro-MSP was cleared from the circulation with a half-life of approximately 100 miii. This rapid clearance was not peculiar to 1251-pro- MSP, since clearance rates of unlabeled pro-MSP and of 1251-bovine serum albumin were comparable. The liver was the major locus of radioactivity 10-20 miii after the intravenous injection of '251-pro-MSP. By 90 miii, over 60% of total recovered radioactivity was in the small intestine. Reflecting gastrointestinal transit, counts decreased in the small intestine and appeared in the colon by 180 miii. Essentially all counts in urine and feces obtained at later times were soluble in trichioracetic acid. These findings re- flected rapid hepatic proteolysis of pro-MSP to frag- ments undetectable by antibody to pro-MSP; within 20 mm after intravenous administration, inununo- precipitable counts were only 22% of the total liver extract radioactivity. Comparison of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and ra- dioautography data for iinmunoprecipitated plasma and liver extract revealed no evidence for hepatic conversion of pro-MSP to MSP. Thus, the hepatic catabolic pathway of pro-MSP is degradative and does not yield mature MSP. The results support our view that MSP is not released into the circulation but is generated at specific extravascular loci by pro- MSP convertases. J. Leukoc. Biol. 60: 453-458; 1996.
Effect of dietary crude palm oil on quality and oxidative stability of chicken eggs

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of dietary crude palm oil (CPO) on quality characteristics and oxidative stability of chicken eggs. A total of ninety six ISA Brown hens was assigned randomly into four dietary treatments containing 0 (control), 1.5, 3 and 5% CPO with four replications pre-treatment. Experimental diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-calorie. Eggs were collected daily analysed for its quality characteristics and lipid peroxidation. Yolk colour and oxidative stability were markedly improved (p<0.05) with corresponding increased CPO in the diets. On the basis of this study it may be concluded that dietary CPO reduced lipid peroxidation in egg yolk without affecting egg quality characteristics.
Towards consumer-friendly cisgenic strawberries which are less susceptible to Botrytis cinerea

This thesis describes the development of genetically modified (GM) strawberries which are less susceptible to fruit rot caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. To achieve Botrytis resistance, a polygalacuronase inhibiting protein (PGIP) gene has been isolation from strawberry and was characterised. It was shown that the natural expression of this gene is probably insufficient to restrict colonisation of the fruit by Botrytis . Next to this, the activity of different promoter sequences has been tested in strawberry. A fruit-specific promoter from the strawberry Expansin gene was selected as a suitable candidate to provide enhanced expression of the strawberry PGIP gene in strawberry fruits. Furthermore, the development of a transformation method is described which enables the elimination of selection genes. Selection genes are essential for the production of transgenic plants, but have no function after the GM plants have been produced. After introduction of the combined Expansin promoter and PGIP gene in GM strawberries and subsequent removal of the selection gene, the ultimate GM strawberry plant will contain no gene sequences from foreign species. For this reason, these plants are called cisgenic rather than transgenic. The improved acceptance of such cisgenic strawberries by consumers and producers of strawberries is discussed.
A daily stock index predictor using feature selection based on a genetic wrapper

In this experiment, we applied a genetic feature selection to global macroeconomics indicators, and used support vector regression to create a model for predicting the daily increase/decrease rate of Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI). Experiments were conducted by dividing the time series of 2007 to 2018 into various yearly time intervals. Overall, the mean absolute error was approximately 15% lower when the genetic algorithm-applied feature selection method was used. The feature selection improved the predictive performance by assembling discriminatory subsets of macroeconomic indicators that effectively represent the stock market trends in a given time interval.
Antioxidant potential of the Syzygium aromaticum (Gaertn.) Linn. (Cloves) in rats fed with high fat diet

Objective: To combat oxidative stress due to hyperlipidemia, administration of moderate quantity of cloves in diet has been suggested. The objective of the present study was to assess the antioxidant efficacy of cloves inrats fed with high fat diet (HFD). Methods: In hyperlipidemic rats, oxidative damage was studied by assessing parameters such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), diene conjugate (CD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in liver and kidneys, and also aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), urea, triglycerides, and phospholipids in serum/liver/kidneys. The effect of co-administration of cloves on the above parameters was further investigated. Results: Lipid peroxidation as evidenced by an increment In the values of TBARS, CD, urea, lipid profiles, AST and ALT and also a distinct diminution of levels of GSH in hyperlipidemic rats was found to be nullified by co-administration of cloves as these parameters registered a tendency to retrieve towards near normalcy. Antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, GAT, GPX and GST too showed enhanced activities on co-administration of cloves. Conclusions: These results substantiate the use of moderate quantity of cloves in diet as an antioxidant in offering protection against hyperllpidemia.
Composición y distribución del género Croton (Euphorbiaceae) en Colombia, con cuatro especies nuevas

A preliminary synopsis of the Colombian species of Craton (Euphorbiaceae) is presented, including a checklist of 19 sections and 83 species, along with their altitudinal and geographical distributions, and a key to the sections. The sections Cyclostigma (28 spp), Luntia (10 spp), Cascarilla (8 spp) and Velamea (8 spp) are the most speciose in Colombia. The genus is broadly distributed in Colombia; the Andean region (50 spp) and the Caribbean region (23 spp) are the richest. Most species of Craton occur below 2000 m altitud e in disturbed foresto Four new species in sections Argyrocroton Cyclostigma and Luntia are proposed. Craton kaiteuri Jabl. , and Craton monachinoensis Jabl. are included in the synonymy of Croton cunea tus Klotzsch.
Isolation and identification of native lower fungi for polyunsaturated fatty acid ( PUFA ) production in Thailand , and the effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on growth and production

This research focuses on isolation and identification of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) producing fungi from natural sources of Thailand, followed by experimental designs for carbon and nitrogen utilizations of the potential strains. The results show that 8 and 16 isolates of lower fungi from freshwater and wet-fallen leaves, respectively, could produce PUFAs. Among these isolates, the NR06 that was isolated from wet-fallen leaves at Tad Ta Phu waterfall, Nakhon Ratchasrima province. They showed the highest level productions of both biomass (15.49±0.24 gl -1 ) and total fatty acids (16.44±0.30%). The major essential fatty acid composition was found to be arachidonic acid (ARA; C20:4n6) (32.24±0.35%). The minors were linoleic acid (C18:2n6) (8.26±0.59%) and γ-linoleic acid (GLA; C18:3n6) (5.48±0.08%). Besides the morphological characterization, taxonomic identification by the 636 bp-ITS region sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed. It was demonstrated that the fungal isolate NR06 was classified in the closest species of Mortierella elongata with 99% similarity (GenBank accession no. KF181625). Statistically based experimental designs (Design Expert 7.1 software) were applied to the optimization of biomass and fatty acid production in the NR06 culture. Using the glucose as a carbon source, there was a significant effect on both biomass and ARA production (p-values < 0.0001), whereas using yeast extract as a nitrogen source affected only ARA production (p-value = 0.02). It was suggested that the NR06 isolate could be further optimized for an improvement as a potential ARA producing strain.