Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses of a standard Australian and a Mexican wheat to temperature and water stress

Single plants of Gabo, an Australian spring wheat, and Pitic 62, a Mexican semi-dwarf one, were grown at 20°C in a growth cabinet until anthesis. They were then transferred to glasshouses at 18/13, 21/16 and 24/19°C day/night temperatures and supplied with 20, 60 and 100% of their ad lib. water requirements. In terms of water use, dry matter production and grain yield, patterns of response to temperature and water stress were very similar for the two varieties. Highest yields were obtained at 21/16°C. Efficiencies of water use increased as water supply decreased; they were lower at 18/13°C than at higher temperatures. The amounts of dry matter produced after the treatments were imposed were taken as biological indexes of the nine environments. Over the entire range of those values, the grain yields of Pitic 62 were consistently higher than those of Gabo. Significant features of Pitic 62 that contributed to its higher yields were that: (1) by anthesis it had produced larger ears from a given weight of supporting shoot tissues; (2) after anthesis it mobilized a higher percentage and amount of stem and leaf material that apparently contributed to grain production. Two broad categories of shoots were distinguished. The first four shoots of both varieties were very tolerant of water stress, producing 50% of their potential grain yield on 20% of ad lib. water supplies. These shoots experienced water stress only after anthesis. Younger shoots experienced the stress treatments from an earlier stage of development; they were very sensitive to water stress and their grain yields were related linearly to water supply. Harvest index values varied with the category of shoot selected and with size of shoot or plant. Implications of relationships between grain weight and shoot weight for crop selection are discussed.
Phenols as a biochemical basis of resistance in wheat against Karnal bunt

The effects of the highly aggressive isolate KB-2 of the Karnal bunt pathogen (Neovossia indica) on phenol metabolism, peroxidase (POX) and its isoenzymes were studied in wheat. Two resistant genotypes, HD 29 of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and DWL 5023 of durum wheat (T. durum), and one susceptible bread wheat, WL 711, were used. In the bread wheats, total phenols reached a maximum 2 days after inoculation (d.a.i.). In the resistant durum line, total phenols did not change significantly for 6 d.a.i., but declined significantly at 10 d.a.i. Three phenolic compounds, caffeic acid, l-tyrosine and hydroquinone, were detected using thin-layer chromatography. The first two were detected at all times at and after inoculation, but hydroquinone was detected only in the resistant wheats at 6 d.a.i. The activity of POX was highest at 2 d.a.i. in the two resistant wheats, but increased more slowly to a peak at 6 d.a.i. in the susceptible wheat. The number of isoenzymes of POX detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) changed after inoculation with KB-2. The maximum number of isoenzymes occurred at 2 d.a.i. in the two resistant wheats and at 6 d.a.i. in the susceptible wheat. Although the isoenzymes detected in seedlings were not identical to those detected in seeds, the PAGE banding patterns of seeds and seedlings were the same for the two resistant wheats. The potential use of the additional band at a relative mobility of 0·42 in seeds and 0·28 in seedlings as markers for Karnal bunt resistance is discussed.
Histological evidence of lunar‐synchronized ovarian development and spawning in the spiny rabbitfish Siganus spinus (Linnaeus) around the Ryukyus

: This study clarifies the annual reproductive cycle and the lunar-synchronized spawning of the spiny rabbitfish (Siganus spinus) that inhabit the Okinawan waters. Annual and weekly changes in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and the histological features of the ovaries were checked. Gonadosomatic index was high during the months of May to July, and yolk-laden oocytes were observed in the ovaries from March to July. Some of the ovaries collected during June and July contained oocytes at maturation stage or ovulatory follicles. These results suggest that the spiny rabbitfish undergo active vitellogenesis and spawning from May to July. During the reproductive season (May to July), collection of fish according to the lunar phase revealed that a high GSI occurred around the time of the new moon. Cyclic oocyte development with peaks around the time of the same moon phase was also observed, suggesting that, in Okinawan waters, this species is a lunar-synchronized spawner and spawns three times.
A Tropical, Gregariously Semelparous Bamboo Shows No Seed Dormancy

Seed dormancy may be disadvantageous for gregariously semelparous plants because it disrupts the high levels of reproductive synchrony necessary for success. Alternately, it may provide a bet‐hedging option for an otherwise ‘all eggs in the one basket’ reproductive strategy. Rapid germination of seeds upon hydration has been demonstrated for a range of tropical, semelparous bamboos, but the fate of seeds that failed to germinate promptly has been inadequately investigated. We demonstrate prompt germination of seeds upon hydration and the absence of a dormant seedbank in a long‐lived, gregariously semelparous bamboo, Bambusa arnhemica, from monsoonal northern Australia. However, we refute the suggestion that seed dormancy is necessarily maladaptive in a gregariously semelparous plant. Rather, caryopsis dormancy may not be possible in a seasonally moist tropical climate. Given an inability to adjust or bet‐hedge their germination, bamboo germinants must cope with the vagaries of the monsoonal climate, a factor that may contribute to the general restriction of bamboos to regions with higher rainfall.
Changes in the weight and nutrient composition of litter fall in three forest ecosystem types on coastal British Columbia

Changes in weight and nutrient concentrations (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) of foliage and twig litter fall were measured over an 18-month period at three positions along a topographic sequence of ecosystem types. Conifer foliage confined in litter bags was found to lose weight at the same rate on all three sites: about 35% after 12 and 40% after 18 months. Confined broadleaf foliage decomposed at about the same rates on all sites, but unconfined samples decomposed significantly faster on the lower, hygric sites, probably as a result of greater fragmentation losses. Twig weight loss of conifers was extremely variable, ranging from 10 to 28% after 12 months. The total mass of K, Mg, and Ca decreased over the study period in all foliage litter, while N increased and P was variable. K tended to be more mobile on the hygric sites. Ca was found to be the most rapidly lost element in almost all cases. It was concluded that the observed similarity in weight loss of conifer foliage on all sites is partially due to a confinem.
Genes Made Molecular

This paper investigates what molecular biology has done for our understanding of the gene. I base a new account of the gene concept of classical genetics on the classical dogma that gene differences cause phenotypic differences. Although contemporary biologists often think of genes in terms of this concept, molecular biology provides a second way to understand genes. I clarify this second way by articulating a molecular gene concept. This concept unifies our understanding of the molecular basis of a wide variety of phenomena, including the phenomena that classical genetics explains in terms of gene differences causing phenotypic differences.
Extinction Point and Critical Oxygen Concentration in Various Fruits and Vegetables

The effects of O2 level on respiration rates in twelve kinds of fruits and vegetables were investigated. Critical O2 concentration (COC), the O2 level at which CO2 output is minimum, and extinction point (EP), the lowest O2 level at which the respiratory quotient (RQ) remains at 1.0, were estimated for each fruit and vegetable. Fruits such as apples, peaches, Japanese persimmons, and satsuma mandarins exhibited a clear classical CO2. response with progressively lower O2 level. However, CO2 output in cucumber, eggplant, cauliflower, lettuce, and cabbage increased slightly even under 1 or 0% O2 level, whereas broccoli and carrot showed no Pasteur effect, the minimum CO2 output being at 0% O2. The EP of peaches, cucumber, eggplant, cauliflower, and sweet potato coincided with the COC, but the EP of Japanese persimmon, satsuma mandarins, lettuce, and carrot was relatively higher than the COC. Our results suggest that EP is more reliable than COC in evaluating the O2 level at which the aerobic-anaerobic transition phase occurs in fruits and vegetables.
Morphological features, development and reproduction of Melittobia acasta on Bombus terrestris

Morphological features, development and reproduction behavior of the parasite Melittobia acasta (Walker) were studied when reared on the pupae of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris L. in the laboratory under 23°C, 50% relative humidity and 12 h light : 12 h dark conditions. The parasites laid transparent white and elongated eggs. Newly hatched larval size and shape were very similar to eggs but they were identified by their body segments. Larvae increased their body size through moulting and transformed into a vermiform shape. Male pupae were shiny brown with dots. The female pupae were distinguished by their black shiny color, shorter size and the presence of compound eyes. Adult male pupae were dark brown and dwarf‐winged, whereas female pupae were macropterous and brachypterous. Reproduction took place by fertilization and also parthenogenetically. Mean fecundity within 5 days by mated (47.9 ± 30.5 female−1) and virgin (7.4 ± 6.8 female−1) females were statistically different. Mated females laid fertilized eggs that produced adult males or females, whereas virgin females laid unfertilized eggs that produced males. Development durations of the virgin female originated eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were statistically identical with those of mated females. The parasites were female‐biased and foundress number did not affect offspring sex ratio. This study shows that both mated and virgin females of M. acasta can produce many offspring on B. terrestris pupae within a short period, indicating that they are dangerous parasites of the bumblebee in a mass rearing system.
Dopaminergic Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Neural Progenitors: Biological Relevance and Application

Pluripotency is a prerequisite for the subsequent coordinated differentiation of embryonic stem cells into all tissues of the body. This book describes recent advances in our understanding of pluripotency and the hormonal regulation of embryonic stem cell differentiation into tissue types derived from the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm.
Compatibility of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. with pesticides.

The concentration of insecticides, i.e. 0.2 carbzaryl, 0.05 chlorpyriphos, 0.005 cypermethrin, 0.003 deltamethrin, 0.02 dimethoate, 0.02 endosulfan, 0.01 fenvalerate, 0.05 kelthane, 0.03 malathion, 0.03 methyl parathion, 0.04 monocrotophos, 0.05 quinalphos and 0.05% phosphamidon was taken and ½ and 1½ of this dosage as lower and higher dosage, respectively for each insecticide and neem based insecticides at 0.25 and 0.50% were also taken for evaluation to test their compatibility with Beauveria bassiana. The insecticides strongly inhibited the growth in descending order were chlorphyriphos, endosulfan, malathion, methyl parathion, monocrotophos and fenvelerate (72.7 – 94.6% reduction in growth dia.) while dimethoate affected growth (32.3% reduction).
Desenvolvimento juvenil de Hepatus pudibundus (Herbst) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Calappidae), em laboratório

The Hepatus pudibundus (Herbst, 1785) juvenile development was studied in laboratory, under the morphological and systematical stand points. The eight early juvenile stages were obtained from larvae hatched from eggs of two ovigerous females, collected at the northern coast of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The experiments were carried out in a climatically controlled room at 25 ± 1°C, and steady saltness of 34. The youngs were maintened individually and food consisted of Artemia sp. nauplii and fragments of fish muscle.The first juvenile stage were particulary drawn and described. For the remaining juvenile stages the most representative frameworks were picked out, which allowed the characterization of the first eight stages. According to juvenile morphology studies, it was noted that secondary sexual characters differentation begins from the third stage.
Integration of longevity into the Walloon genetic evaluation system

The objective of this paper was to present the results of the study that permitted to integrate longevity into global economic index and also to improve the type economic indexes used in Walloon Region of Belgium. In a first phase, genetic relationships between type traits (linear and synthetic) and direct longevity trait in a Holstein sire population were estimated. In a second phase correlations between direct longevity and current economic indexes were estimated and longevity was integrated into global economic index, which reflects expected lifetime economic profitability.
Age-dependent Excystment of the Protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii

Axenic cyst cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff strain) maintained in salt medium undergo excystment when transferred into enriched growth medium containing yeast extract and proteose peptone. Both the synchrony and extent of excystment induced in this manner are critically dependent upon the length of time cysts are aged in salt medium prior to the initiation of excystment. Cysts sustained in salt medium for 50 h or less characteristically show only about 10 % excystment even after 70 h in the enriched growth medium. With progressively longer periods of ageing the synchrony and degree of excystment improve such that for cysts of age ≥800 h, more than 85 % of the organisms germinate within a period of 12 h. Thus more complete and relatively synchronous excystment can be achieved by this simple experimental manipulation.
Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Enterococcus Species Isolated from Patients Attending Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

Increasing resistance to antibiotics among the Enterococcus spp. , to a point where some clinical isolates are resistant to all standard therapies reduces the choices of antibiotics available to treat infections caused by them. These organisms can cause serious invasive infections including endocarditis, bacteraemia, intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections. Enterococcus faecalis causes 80-90 percent of human enterococcal infections while Enterococcus faecium accounts for majority of the remainder. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence, antimicrobial resistance patterns and resistance genes in Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis isolates from patients attending the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Nairobi, Kenya. All consecutive clinically significant enterococcal isolates from patients, collected between March 2008 and February 2009 were used. Species level Identification was done using API 20 STREP kits. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using Disk diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Interpretation of the susceptibility results was done using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Resistance gene analysis using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was done for tetracycline (tet M (696bp)), floroquinolones (gyr a (241bp) and chloramphenicol (catpip501 gene (540bp)) resistant isolates. Enterococcus faecalis was found in a greater proportion, where 128/150 (85%) isolates, followed by Enterococcus faecium 7/150 (5%), while 15/150 (10%) were not Enterococcus spp. and no further tests were done on them. Both species were highly resistant to aminoglycosides and tetracyclines while they were most susceptible to glycopeptides. The gyrA gene was present in 75.9% of the Enterococcus faecalis isolates and in 100% of the Enterococcus faecium isolates. The tet M gene was present in 61.8%and 60% of the Enterococcus faecalis isolates and Enterococcus faecium isolates respectively. The cat pIP501 gene was present in 63% of the Enterococcus faecalis isolates and 100% of Enterococcus faecium isolates. There being no resistance to penicillin and vancomycin drugs, the PCR process to identify the genes coding for penicillin resistance (Pbp5) and vancomycin (vanA and vanB) resistance was omitted. With the high levels of Enterococcus spp. resistance to aminoglycosides and tetracyclines and emerging resistance to fluoroquinolones, routine susceptibility testing will be required before treatment is instituted using commonly available drugs in the hospital. The isolates that did not code for tet M resistance-gene in tetracycline resistant isolates should be tested for the other classes of tetracycline- resistance genes. More studies should be done to determine the resistant genes in the other category of antibiotics.
Massa seca e composição bromatológica de quatro espécies de braquiárias semeadas na linha ou a lanço, em consórcio com milho no sistema plantio direto na palha

The objective of this research was to evaluate the dry mass yield and chemical composition of four Brachiaria species in different options for sowing, exclusively or in intercrop with corn crop, under a no-tillage system. The experiment was carried out during the growing seasons of 2006 at FEPE (FE/Unesp, Ilha Solteira Campus) located in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The soil of the experimental area was classified as distroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol). The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a factorial scheme (4 x 4), with five replications. The treatments consisted of four Brachiaria species ( Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria ruziziensis and Mulato II grass) grown in rows and spread on total area, exclusively or intercropped simultaneously with corn crop sowing. The study evaluated the dry mass yield and total digestible nutrients, crude protein, ash, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin content of forage. The spread on total area intercrop of forages with corn crop proved to be viable by presenting similar dry mass yield to exclusive sowing arrangements, conversely to what happened with intercrop in row of corn crop, which decreased such yield. Brachiaria ruziziensis showed superior chemical composition and the intercrops increased energy and crude protein contents, and decreased cell wall components.
Interactive effects of acclimation temperature and short‐term stress exposure on resistance traits in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

The ability to buffer detrimental effects of environmental stress on fitness is of great ecological importance because, in nature, pronounced environmental variation may regularly induce stress. Furthermore, several stressors may interact in a synergistic manner. In the present study, plastic responses in cold, heat and starvation resistance are investigated in the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana Butler, 1879, using a full factorial design with two acclimation temperatures (20 and 27 °C) and four short‐term stress treatments (control, cold, heat, starvation). Warm‐acclimated butterflies are more heat‐ but less cold‐tolerant as expected. Short‐term cold and starvation exposure reduce cold and heat resistance, and short‐term heat exposure decreases cold but increases heat resistance. Starvation resistance is not affected by any of the short‐term treatments. Thus, the effects of short‐term stress exposure are either neutral or negative, except for a positive effect of heat exposure on heat resistance, indicating the negative effects of pre‐exposure to stress. Interestingly, significant interactions between acclimation temperature and short‐term stress exposure for heat and cold resistance are found, demonstrating that larger temperature differences incur more damage. Therefore, animals may not generally be able to benefit from pre‐exposure to stress (through ‘hardening’), depending on their previously experienced conditions. The complex interactions between environmental variation, stress and resistance are highlighted, warranting further investigations.
Influence of Physicochemical Characteristics on the Effective Moisture Diffusivity in Tobacco

The effect of the physicochemical characteristics on the moisture diffusion of tobacco was studied. In this research, the physical structure (specific surface area and pore volume) and major chemical components (total nitrogen, protein, pectin, starch, water-soluble sugar, and total sugar) of tobacco were determined. The effective diffusion coefficient of tobacco ranged from 0.5 × 10−14 to 6.5 × 10−14 m2s−1 depending on environment humidity (RH = 33, 43, 75, 83%) at 30°C. This coefficient was significantly affected by the pectin, total sugar, and water-soluble sugar content and specific pore volume of tobacco during desorption.
The endogenous urinary and metabolic fecal nitrogen excretions of newborn dairy calves.

Daily observations were made on the fecal and urinary nitrogen excretions of four calves fed nitrogen-free diets during the second and fifth weeks after birth. The endogenous urinary nitrogen excretion was equivalent to 65.3 mg. per kg. of body weight (W) per day or 186 mg. per kg. W0.72. The metabolic fecal nitrogen excretion averaged 44.0 mg. per kg. of body weight per day or 0.334 per cent of the dry matter intake.
The role of membrane lipids in drought resistance of plants

SummaryIn greenhouse as well as field-grown plants of Vigna unguiculata and Gossypium hirsutum submitted to drought, leaf membrane lipids show a series of modifications: 1 - A decrease in polar lipid content under severe water stress in sensitive and resistant varieties, due essentially to a decrease in monogalactosyl-diacylglycerol (MGDG) content.2 - A decrease in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acid in sensitive varieties, due to a degradation of linolenic acid (18:3). These modifications result from a slowing down of lipid biosynthesis and from an acceleration of degradative enzymatic processes.Comparison between lipid and fatty acid compositions of drought-susceptible and drought-tolerant varieties from various plant species, suggest that the linolenic acid content of the leaf membranes is related to a lack of ability of cells to withstand low water potentials. Clearly, plants having a low linolenic acid content from MGDG are more resistant than the others. This may be related to the susceptibility.