Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High spatial resolution land use and land cover mapping of the Brazilian Legal Amazon in 2008 using Landsat-5/TM and MODIS data

Understanding spatial patterns of land use and land cover is essential for studies addressing biodiversity, climate change and environmental modeling as well as for the design and monitoring of land use policies. The aim of this study was to create a detailed map of land use land cover of the deforested areas of the Brazilian Legal Amazon up to 2008. Deforestation data from and uses were mapped with Landsat-5/TM images analysed with techniques, such as linear spectral mixture model, threshold slicing and visual interpretation, aided by temporal information extracted from NDVI MODIS time series. The result is a high spatial resolution of land use and land cover map of the entire Brazilian Legal Amazon for the year 2008 and corresponding calculation of area occupied by different land use classes. The results showed that the four classes of Pasture covered 62% of the deforested areas of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, followed by Secondary Vegetation with 21%. The area occupied by Annual Agriculture covered less than 5% of deforested areas; the remaining areas were distributed among six other land use classes. The maps generated from this project - called TerraClass - are available at INPE's web site (http://www.inpe.br/cra/projetos_pesquisas/terraclass2008.php).
Factors of land use/cover change: A case study from Turkey

Land use/cover change impacts ecosystem services and functions such as forest health, biodiversity, and water production. Monitoring and assessing land use/cover changes provides an effective and accurate evaluation of human impact on the forest ecosystems. This study aims to determine spatial and temporal changes in land use/cover at a particular time period in a typical forest ecosystem of Turkey using geographical information systems (GIS). Specifically, the objective of this study is to analyze the main factors driving land use/cover change and the impacts of such changes in local and global perspective. Results showed that the total forested areas decreased from 5089 ha (41% of the study area) to 4426 ha (36% of the study area) during a 21 year period, which figures a net decrease of 663 ha (5%) forest areas and the average annual deforestation rate was 32 ha. Conifer forest (161 ha) completely transitioned to other cover types over 21-year period. Three major factors including distance from villages, distance from roads, and ground elevation were considered in evaluating forest disturbance. The results showed that these factors inﬂuence the reforestation/deforestation rates. Besides, forest disturbance was found to be closely related to distance from villages, distance from roads, and elevation. Key words: Deforestation, geographical information systems (GIS), human activities, land use/cover change, proximity analysis.
Effects of dietary zilpaterol hydrochloride (β2-agonist) supplementation on finishing castrated male goats: metabolic endocrine, blood constituents, plasma volume, respiratory rate and cardiac changes

ABSTRACT The effects of consumption of β2-agonist zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) were evaluated on hormonal blood metabolites (insulin, cortisol and thyroids), haemoglobin, haematocrit, plasma volume, heart rate and respiratory changes in male goats in the finishing phase. For this, 16 Mahabadi castrated male goats were used in a completely random design to evaluate the effects of treatments. Goats which were fed a finishing basal diet for 60 days prior to start the experiment were subsequently supplemented during 30 days with ZH at a dosage of 0.0 or with 20 mg ZH/kg LW. Haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit levels were recorded at 10-day intervals of experiment. Plasma volume was calculated using the haematocrit value. Heart and respiratory rates were recorded at 10-day intervals of experiment. Rates were recorded at 1-h intervals between 06:00 and 18:00 h. Hormonal profiles were measured at days 1 and 30. Plasma volume, heart and respiratory rates increased (P < .001) in the ZH group. Zilpaterol supplementation increased (P < .04) plasma insulin, and thyroids hormones, but decreased (P < .01) haemoglobin, haematocrit value and cortisol hormones. It can be concluded that zilpaterol supplementation of 0.20 mg ZH/kg LW significantly influences blood metabolic hormones concentrations, plasma volume, and cardiovascular and respiration rates.
Assessment of vegetables and the environment

7 Claude Ahouangninou , Thibaud Martin , Françoise Assogba-Komlan 8 , Serge Simon , Luc Djogbénou , Ibrahim Siddick , Cédric Pennetier , 9 Vincent Corbel 5 and Benjamin Fayomi 1 10 11 (* Corresponding author : Claude Ahouangninou, 02 BP 433 Cotonou, Bénin, Tel : 00229 97575366, 12 cahoun83@yahoo.fr) 13 1 Institut des Sciences Biomédicales Appliquées, Université d’Abomey-Calavi 14 2 Cirad UR-Hortsys 15 3 Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Bénin 16 4 Laboratoire d’Entomologie Médicale, Institut Régional de Santé Publique, UAC, Bénin 17 5 Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-Unité Mivegec, Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou 18 19 20 21 . 22 ABSTRACT 23 24
Kinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus 1766) – Scorpion Mud Turtle

063.1 Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group A.G. J. Rhodin, P.C. H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson, and R.A. Mittermeier, Eds. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5. 063.scorpioides. v1.2011 © 2011 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 31 December 2011
Two new Ediacaran small fronds from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland

Abstract. Small, stemmed frond fossils are common in Ediacaran-aged strata (ca. 565 Ma) at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, and many of them have previously been informally referred to as ‘dusters,’ but due to their small size and consequent relatively poor preservation, they have not yet been described taxonomically. Two new genera are herein defined on the basis of their unique constructions: the mop-like rangeomorph Plumeropriscum hofmanni new genus new species, and a flabellate, lobate frond Broccoliforma alta new genus new species. Plumeropriscum hofmanni n. gen., n. sp. has a three-dimensional petalodium structure with numerous primary branches attached at the base of the petalodium rather than at a central axis. Broccoliforma alta n. gen., n. sp. lacks visible branching, and instead has a lobate morphology with a petalodium that is at least superficially similar to the ivesheadiomorph Blackbrookia. Several other previously described taxa had also been included under the umbrella of ‘dusters. ’ Collectively, these taxa show that the low epibenthic tier that small fronds occupied was more diverse than previously realized, with multiple taxa converging on the stemmed, small-frond body plan.
Effects of Fast Elongation on Switching Arcs Characteristics in Fast Air Switches

This paper is devoted to investigating the effects of high-speed elongation of arcs inside ultra-fast switches (ucontact≈ 5–80 m/s), through a 2-D time-dependent model, in Cartesian coordinates. Two air arcs in series, one between a stationary anode and a moving cathode and the other between a stationary cathode and a moving anode in the arc chamber, are considered. A variable speed experimental setup through a Thomson drive actuator is designed to support this study. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) equations system is solved for fluid velocity, pressure, temperature, and electric potential, as well as the magnetic vector potential. Electron emission mechanisms on the contact surface and induced current density due to magnetic field changes are also considered to describe the arc root formation, arc bending, lengthening, and calculating the arc current density, as well as the contact temperatures, in a better way. Data processing techniques are utilized to derive instantaneous core shape and profiles of the arc to investigate thermo-electrical characteristics during the elongation progress. The results are compared with another experimentally verified magnetohydrodynamics model of a fixed-length, free-burning arc in the air. The simulation and experimental results confirm each other.
Challenging ICES age estimation protocols: lessons learned from the eastern Baltic cod stock

stock DTU Orbit (10/11/2019) Challenging ICES age estimation protocols: lessons learned from the eastern Baltic cod stock Over the recent decades, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has set guidelines for best practise quality control of age estimation procedures. The applicability of these guidelines is assessed by reviewing the ageing issues of eastern Baltic cod (EBC) as a case study. Since the implementation of an age-based assessment of EBC in the beginning of the 1970s, the assessment has been hampered by the quality of the age composition data, in recent years to a degree that age-based assessment is no longer used. The reason for the age reading problems is the low visual contrast between growth zones in the otoliths which seems to be the result of complex interactions of the hydrography in the Baltic Sea with the cod’s biology and behaviour. Over the last 40 years, various expert groups have struggled to document and improve the agreement of age estimation between national otolith readers, standardize methods and age estimations through repeated exchanges and reference collections as well as an internationally agreed manual. Despite these initiatives the precision of the age estimations based on traditional ageing did not improve, with significant bias persisting between and within readers. Additionally, a wide range of alternative methods for deriving the age information necessary for stock assessment and for validation of the true age have been tested. However, these methods did not produce unbiased age estimates over the entire size and age range of the EBC stock. An age-validation is urgently needed. Deviations from the ICES guidelines identified are as follows: (i) the lack of rigorous quality control, particularly the auditing of national trends in age precision over the years using a reference collection and (ii) the implementation of an age error matrix in the stock assessment
Finite Element Modeling of stress-strain curve and the stress and strain distributions of the Ti – 10V – 4.5Fe – 3Al Alloy

The stress-strain curve of 0. 24α of Ti–10V–4.5Fe– 3Al alloy was measured and then it was simulated by using finite element method (FEM) based on the individual stress-strain curves of the single-phase α and β, then the measured result compared with the simulated curve. The results showed that the simulated result closely fits with the measured one, which proves that this FEM built in this work is acceptable. The stress is increased greatly with the decrease in the volume fraction of α. The results showed that the stress gradient exists in both the phases and the distributions of stress are inhomogeneous. The stress inside the phase is generally higher than that near the interface. Meanwhile, the stress in the α phase is lower than the stress in the β phase, whereas the strain in the α phase is higher than that in the β phase.
Comparative Sensitivity of Two Moroccan Wheat Varieties to Water Stress: The Relationship between Fatty Acids and Proline Accumulation

Membrane lipids, peroxidation, β-carotene content, proline accumulation, and photosynthetic activity were analyzed in two Moroccan wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties, Nasma (adapted to irrigated zone) and Tigre (adapted to semi-arid zone). Plants were grown in plastic pots under laboratory irrigation and water stress conditions. One set of plants was subjected to regular water irrigation and another to water stress conditions created by water deprivation. After 30 days of water shortage (corresponding to 8% of field capacity), the leaves' fatty acid contents, especially that of Octadecatrienoic acid (18:3 Δ(superscript 9,12,15)), i.e. the major unsaturated fatty acid, significantly decreased. The decrease was more pronounced in Nasma varieties than in Tigre. The amount of galactolipids, phospholipids, and β-carotene decreased in droughted plants of both local wheat varieties while the content of neutral lipids increased. Lipid peroxidation, assessed as the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), was found to be augmented under stress. (The rate of increase was 41% and 19% in Nasma and Tigre respectively). The amount of proline accumulated in leaf segments of both varieties subjected in vitro to osmotic stress was suppressed by addition of octadecanoic or octadecadienoic acids. The inhibition of photosynthetic capacity under osmotic stress was reduced when fatty acids were added in medium. A positive relationship was observed between proline accumulation and membrane stability. The mechanisms of these physiological responses to water stress are discussed.
Relative tolerance to aluminium and manganese toxicities of Phalaris, cocksfoot, and tall fescue genotypes developed for low rainfall environments

ABSTRACT New breeding lines of Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea = syn. Lolium arundinaceum) are currently under evaluation for the selection of new cultivars for low rainfall environments. The aim was to test the relative tolerance of six elite genotypes of Phalaris, cocksfoot and tall fescue to aluminium and manganese toxicities in solution culture. Two solution culture experiments were conducted at aluminium concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 200 and 300 µM, or manganese (Mn) concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM in a basal nutrient solution at pH 4.5. Elite genotypes of cocksfoot, AVH48 Selection and Moroccan Fine, exist with improved tolerance to aluminium and Mn toxicities. Elite genotypes of Phalaris, particularly Northern Retainer, were superior to Sirolan at moderate to high aluminium concentrations in solution. There was little difference in the tolerance to aluminium and manganese toxicities between the elite genotypes and existing cultivars of tall fescue.
Taxonomic investigations on Psoralea palaestina (Fabaceae), a critical species of Mediterranean flora

Psoralea palaestina is a critical and unappreciated species described from Palestinian territories, and currently treated as synonym of P. bituminosa , nowadays known as Bituminaria bituminosa . Nomenclatural investigations allowed to ascertain that it was validly described for the first time by Bassi (1768) and not by Gouan (1773), as previously thought. Extensive taxonomic investigations revealed that this very peculiar legume is morphologically well differentiated from the other allied known species. Therefore, it has to be properly treated at specific level and transferred to the genus Bituminaria , thus proposing a new combination: Bituminaria palaestina . Based on literature, herbarium and field data, this species occurs in some localities of the Middle East (e.g. Israel, Jordan and Lebanon) where it mainly grows in damp habitats (i.e. swamps, rivers, etc.), differing from other known species of Bituminaria for its ecological requirements . Diagnostic features, micro-morphology of pod and seed testa, pollen grains, ecology, conservation status, and chorology of this species are examined. Its chromosome number is reported. Furthermore, its relationships with the currently recognized species belonging to Bituminaria are considered, and an analytical key including all the species of this genus is provided.
Isolation, Identification, and Antibiotics Resistance of Aeromonas spp. from Lakes of Udaipur (Rajasthan), India

Aim: Aeromonas spp. are commonly found in freshwater ecosystems. Aeromonas is Gram-negative, facultative anaerobes which causes aeromonasis in humans and are also pathogenic for aquatic and terrestrial animals. In this study, an attempt has been made to isolate Aeromonas spp. from lakes of Udaipur, namely, Fateh Sagar and Pichhola and to test their antibiotic resistance. Materials and Methods: The isolates were recovered on nutrient agar medium and screened for their growth on Aeromonas selective agar medium. Selected isolates were subjected to biochemical characterization. For molecular characterization, genomic DNA of all the isolates was amplified using universal primers 27 F and 1492 R, and amplified products were subjected for sequencing to confirm their identification. The isolates were tested for antibiotic resistance against 15 commonly used antibiotics, i.e., gentamycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, erythromycin, ampicillin, penicillin, polymyxin B, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, rifampicin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, cefixime, and trimethoprim by disc diffusion method. Results and Discussion: Out of 116 isolates, a total of 14 strains able to grow on Aeromonas selective agar medium were selected. They were identified and grouped into 2 species as Aeromonas veronii and Aeromonas hydrophila according to their biochemical and molecular characteristics. All the strains, which were identified as A. veronii, were found resistant to 8 antibiotics, namely, AMP, penicillin, VA, kanamycin, polymyxin B, rifampicin, erythromycin, and streptomycin. All the strains, which were identified as A. hydrophila, were found resistant to 10 antibiotics, namely, ampicillin, penicillin, vancomycin, kanamycin, polymyxin B, rifampicin, erythromycin, streptomycin amikacin, and trimethoprim out of 15 antibiotics used in the study. Conclusion: The results indicated that the water of both the lakes was contaminated with multi-antibiotic-resistant enteric pathogenic bacteria. This study thus provides valuable information for making policy decisions aimed at reducing microbial contamination of lake water and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
Inflorescence Initiation in Lolium Temulentum L. XIII. the Role of Gibberellins

Both stem growth and flowering in plants exposed to 1 long day showed an increasing response to gibberellins with increase in the concentration of the injected solution, up to 12 X 10-4M. With plants in short days both responses were asymptotic or showed an optimum at 4 X 1O-4M, depending on the light intensity.
Chronic anthropogenic disturbance as a secondary driver of ant community structure: interactions with soil type in Brazilian Caatinga

SUMMARY Habitat loss is widely recognized as the major cause of global biodiversity decline, but remaining habitat is increasingly threatened by chronic human disturbances. Using a multi-model averaging approach we examined the association between five chronic disturbance surrogates and the richness and taxonomic and functional composition of ants in Brazilian Caatinga. Using pitfall traps in 47 plots near Parnamirim city (Pernambuco) across two soil types (sand and clay), we recorded 53 species from 27 genera. Ant species richness on sand was slightly higher than on clay, and was negatively related to most surrogates of anthropogenic disturbance. Soil type and human population size were the main predictors of ant species richness. Soil type was the most important predictor of functional group abundance. Taxonomic and functional composition were influenced by soil type and disturbance, but this relationship varied between clay and sandy soils. Ant functional composition showed a weak relationship with disturbance on sandy soils, but on clay soils it showed predictable winner–loser replacement. We attribute the greater effect of disturbance on clay soils to higher intensity of land use, and our study highlights the importance of considering context dependence when evaluating biodiversity responses to disturbance.
The diet of yellow-vented bulbul (pycnonotus goiavier) in oil palm agroecosystems

The Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) is one of the most sighted birds in oil palm plantation. A study on their dietary habits was conducted at the Durafarm Oil Palm Plantation from February 2011 to May 2013 to determine the reason behind their abundance. In this study, 45 individuals of P. goiavier were dissected for stomach content analysis. Ivlev's electivity index (E) was used to measure the degree of food selection by P. goiavier. The results showed that this bird species mainly selected the Order Coleoptera (mostly pollinating weevil) (E= +0.97) and Homoptera (E= +0.87) as their main food sources in the oil palm plantation. This bird also selected Order Diptera (E= -0.30), Hemiptera (E= -0.43) and Hymenoptera (E= -0.92) as a prey based on their abundance. However, this species mainly avoided feeding on insects from Order Odonata, Orthoptera, Dictyoptera and Lepidoptera (E=-1.0 each) in oil palm plantation. There is a weak negative correlation found for the distribution of P. goiavier with the abundance of insects in oil palm plantation. Further investigation is needed on this bird species towards predating the oil palm pollinating weevil, since it could possibly affect the population density of the pollinating weevil and subsequently the oil palm fruit set.
Biological effects of various chemically characterized essential oils: investigation of the mode of action against Candida albicans and HeLa cells

Natural products derived from medicinal plants play increasingly important roles as alternative antifungal and anticancer agents. The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of tea tree, thyme, peppermint and clove essential oils against two model organisms, namely, the fungal pathogen Candida albicans and cancer HeLa cells. The chemical compositions of the tea tree and peppermint oils predominantly comprised terpene alcohols, and the major constituents of the thyme and clove oils were phenolic compounds. Our results indicated the ability of all tested essential oils to disrupt the permeability barrier of cell membrane structures, which was the most likely the cause of their lethal action against Candida albicans, as well as damage of mitochondria and DNA in the HeLa cells. None of the evaluated essential oils inhibited the synthesis of fungal cell wall. Although the essential oils were characterized by different chemical compositions, they affected the same cellular targets, indicating that these cytotoxic and genotoxic effects can be considered to occur by the same universal mechanism. We assumed that this multidirectional activity of the various essential oils was due to their complex nature rather than the presence of any one particular compound.