Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electric field maps and boundary element simulations of electrolocation in weakly electric fish

Weakly electric fish use electroreception - the generation and detection of electric currents - to explore the world around them. Neurophysiological studies of these fish have greatly increased our understanding of central electrosensory processing, and have significant implications for sensory processing in the cerebellum and cerebellar-like neural structures. This thesis addresses a particular deficiency in our understanding of electrosensory systems: the input pattern of currents stimulating the fish's electroreceptors has not yet been well defined. My goals were to quantitatively reconstruct the electric organ discharge (EOD) and electrosensory images detected by weakly electric fish. These were accomplished by mapping the EODs of six gymnotiform species, simulating the EODs in two (Eigenmannia and Apteronotus), and predicting the electrosensory input during exploratory behaviors. The EOD maps display a wide diversity of species-specific patterns, implying significant differences in field generation, sensory input patterns, possible behavioral strategies, and processing algorithms. Each fish must interpret electrosensory images which are highly dependent upon its own particular EOD pattern. To study electrolocation noninvasively during natural behaviors, I developed a 3-d electric fish simulator based on the boundary element method. The simulator solves Poisson's equation for the electric potential in and around the fish, modeled as an electrostatic boundary value problem. Models of two species were built and optimized to match the measured maps. By varying only a few parameters, I explored how the electric organ structure and activation generate a particular EOD pattern: Eigenmannia has a synchronous electric organ and dipolar EOD, while Apteronotus is better described as a propagating multipole. The simulator was used to reconstruct the EOD during a previously published tailprobing behavior of Eigenmannia, and from my own videotapes of Apteronotus exploring objects under infrared light. Simulations of selected exploratory behaviors revealed the EOD fields, modulations from body orientation and objects, and the resulting electrosensory patterns. The results (1) imply the fish control their body positions to regulate particular features of the electrosensory image, (2) predict features of the electrosensory input reaching the brain, and (3) suggest algorithms needed to extract useful signals from the electrosensory stream.
RATIO OF COPEPODS (CRUSTACEA: COPEPODA) IN FAUNA OF PERCOLATION WATER IN SIX KARST CAVES IN SLOVENIA DELEÆ CEPONOÆCEV (CRUSTACEA: COPEPODA) V FAVNI PRENIKLIH VODA V ©ESTIH KRA©KIH JAMAH V SLOVENIJI

UDC: 595.34:551.44(497.4) Tanja Pipan & Anton Brancelj: Ratio of copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) in fauna of percolation water in six karst caves in Slovenia Hypogean fauna from percolation water and from puddles, filled with percolation water from six cave systems in Slovenia, was studied in the period 2000/2001. Special attention was given to the ratio of copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) to the other taxa in the samples. Four categories of small water-bodies were distinguished: direct water jets from the ceiling, permanent small depressions on stalagmites filled with water, puddles on clay and puddles on calcareous sinter. Faunal data are supplemented with other information, including geographical position of the caves, physical and chemical parameters of water quality, cave roof thickness, geological structure of the limestone strata, hydrology and vegetation above the caves.
Characterization of Rat Odorant Binding Protein Variants and its Post- Translational Modifications (PTMs): LC-MS/MS analyses of Protein Eluted from 2D-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Identification of odorant-binding protein (OBP) variants in mammalian system is of great importance to an understanding of their role in the binding of pheromones and other volatiles during chemical communication. Our previous proteomics studies have revealed the presence of OBP as well as confirming that, in the preputial gland of Indian commensal rat, the bound form of the protein associates with various farnesols. In addition to this, a recent mass spectrometry based proteomics analysis has shown that rat recombinant OBP undergoes post-translational modification (PTM) and there are a number of different variants in terms of phosphorylation. This suggests that the phosphorylation of OBP may affect its binding properties and the binding properties may change in the presence of phosphorylation. Thus, in the present investigation we have investigated these OBP variants. The variants were separated by 2DE-PAGE and protein identification was done using mass spectrometry. The results indicated that OBP has ten variants. Further, we employed anti serine phosphorylation immunoblotting in association with 2DE- PAGE to confirm that three spots were phosphorylation at a serine. In addition to immunoblotting, we also employed structural analysis, by multiple sequence alignment, secondary structural analysis, and a three dimensional analysis of the OBP’s using known lipocalin members. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating PTM variants of an OBP from the preputial gland of the Indian commensal rat.
Pampas Grass Responses to Ancymidol, Paclobutrazol, and Uniconazole Substrate Drenches

Plant growth retardant (PGR) substrate drenches (in mg a.i per pot.) of ancymidol at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4; paclobutrazol at 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16; and uniconazole at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 (28,350 mg = 1.0 oz) were applied to pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana). Control of height growth during greenhouse forcing and the residual effects on plant growth in the landscape were evaluated. During greenhouse forcing, plant height exhibited a quadratic dose response to paclobutrazol and uniconazole, while ancymidol treated plants exhibited a linear response to increasing dose. All rates of uniconazole resulted in plant heights which were 56% to 75% shorter than the nontreated control, whereas paclobutrazol and ancymidol treatments resulted in 6% to 64% and 5% to 29% shorter plants, respectively. Severe height retardation was evident with {XgtequalX}2 mg uniconazole. When the plants were transplanted and grown in the landscape (24 weeks after the PGR application), all plants treated with ancymidol, paclobutrazol, and {XltequalX}0.5 mg uniconazole exhibited heights similar to the nontreated control, suggesting no residual effects of the PGR for these treatments. Only plants treated with uniconazole at {XgtequalX}1 mg remained shorter than the nontreated control in the landscape. These results demonstrate that plant growth regulators can be effectively and economically applied in the greenhouse production of pampas grass.
Tracing an Invasion: Phylogeography of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the United States Based on Mitochondrial DNA

Abstract The adventive cactus moth Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a widely used biological control agent for Opuntia Mill. cacti, was detected in Florida in 1989. Since then, it has spread along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of southeastern United States, threatening native Opuntia populations. We examined the phylogeography of 20 C. cactorum populations from Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the southeastern United States based on 769 bp of cytochrome oxidase subunit 1. Five distinct haplotypes were discovered, three of which occur in the United States. Cactoblastis cactorum in the United States falls into two distinct lineages: a western haplotype along the Gulf Coast and an eastern lineage with two haplotypes along the Atlantic Coast, with one of the eastern haplotypes identified as occurring at a single locality on the Gulf Coast. The two lineages have nontrivial genetic divergence (0.5%), and both are more closely related to populations outside the United States than they are to each other. This leads us to conclude that C. cactorum has been introduced to the United States at least twice. The isolated eastern haplotype on the Gulf Coast may indicate that C. cactorum has been introduced a third time, either from the Atlantic Coast or from outside the United States. Evidence from analysis of haplotypes and other information indicates that dispersal by commercial import action and human transport may be more important than flight ranges of ovipositing females for determining long range expansion of the species. Interestingly, the east-west pattern mirrors other coastal species distributions that have been interpreted as being due to Pleistocene vicariance.
Vermicompost as a biocontrol agent in suppression of two soil-borne plant pathogens in the field

Two serious soil-borne plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporum and Ralstonia solanacearum are causing considerable damage to vegetable crops in India. Th ese pathogens are difficult to manage by chemical methods. Current interest is to promote their biolo gical management. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of seed treatment with 10% aque ous extracts of vermicompost prepared from differen t organic substrates (agricultural waste, leaves of Azadiracta indica (neem), Parthenium hysterophorous (Parthenium), Lantana camara (Lantana) and application of vermicompost neem to soil. The test crop was tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) for F. oxysporum and eggplant (Solanum melongena ) for R. solanacearum . The results showed that the best treatment for supp ression of fusarial wilt in tomato and bacterial wi lt in eggplant was seed treatment (1 hour) with 10% aqueous extract of vermicompost neem coupled with the application of vermicompost neem to the soil both d uring sowing as well as on transplantation. This tr eatment reduced the incidence of both fusarial and bacteria l wilt by 100%. The application of vermicompost alo ne was not enough to protect the plants against the diseas e but coupling it with aqueous seed treatment is im portant to achieve complete disease suppression and increase t he yields.
Rapeseed adaptation in northern New South Wales. III.* Yield, yield components and grain quality of Brassica campestris and Brassica napus in relation to planting date

The response of grain yield, yield components and grain quality of B. campestris and B. napus cultivars to planting date for two seasons at three locations from the north-western slopes to the northern tablelands of New South Wales are reported. The planting date that gave the highest yield varied between species and locations. The two species differed in the way yield components compensated for each other. For example, in B. campestris, yield variation was related to plant population and individual seed weight; in B. napus, both the number of pods per plant and the number of seeds per pod influenced yield. The oil content was highest in early plantings, decreased in later plantings, and was inversely related to protein content. The oil content was also inversely related to mean daily temperature during the grain-filling period. The northern tablelands was a more favourable region for rapeseed production than the northwestern slopes in terms of both grain yield and oil content. Implications of changes in the primary components of yield which are responsible for yield variations with planting date are discussed in relation to breeding objectives for rapeseed cultivar improvement. ____________________ *Part 11, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 29: 711 (1978).
EVIDENCE FOR THE INHERITANCE OF A BLUE VARIANT OF THE AUSTRALIAN FRESH-WATER CRAYFISH CHERAX DESTRUCTOR (DECAPODA: PARASTACIDAE) AS AN AUTOSOMAL RECESSIVE

Abstract The inheritance of a blue body color phenotype found in Cherax destructor (the yabby) was investigated in a series of experimental crosses including both F2 and backcrosses. The blue phenotype, which can be easily distinguished from the normal color phenotype in newly released juvenile yabbies, was found to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Color phenotype was independent of age for juveniles maintained over a 12-week period, and no association was found between color and sex. The potential for the use of this blue trait as a genetic marker in growth comparisons of yabby strains is discussed.
Nesting biology of the Yellow-faced Parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops), a species without nest-site fidelity: an indication of high cavity availability?

Abstract Parrots are considered a globally threatened group but, despite that, little is known about the ecology, reproduction and behaviour of many species in the wild, especially those of dry tropical habitats. I studied the breeding biology of the Yellow-faced Parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops) between 2007 and 2009. Yellow-faced Parrots are endemic to the Cerrado (neotropical savanna) biome of central South America. Their reproductive biology is poorly known and here I provide basic information on reproduction, including breeding success, nest-site characteristics, and whether the availability of cavities is a limiting factor. Average clutch-size was two eggs, and hatching success was high (92%). All nests were in cavities in termite mounds, with used cavities deeper and with wider entrances than cavities that were not used. Entrances to nests were orientated towards the north-east. Although the number of cavities in the environment appears to be high, specific nesting requirements and competition with other cavity-nesting birds and insects may reduce the number of cavities that can be used. Nevertheless, nests were never observed to be reused and site-fidelity appeared to be low. Specific nesting requirements and low site-fidelity may create problems for near-threatened species with declining populations, such as the Yellow-faced Parrot. Additional studies and the immediate implementation of conservation actions are essential to avoid future declines of populations of Yellow-faced Parrots.
Structure of the gill during reproduction in the unionids Anodonta grandis, ligumia subrostrata, and carunculina parva texasensis

This study characterizes the morphological modifications of the gill that establish the functional isolation of the central water channels into brood chambers during reproduction. The anodontids use the entire lateral demibranch for reproduction. The water channels are permanently subdivided by additional septa, resulting in more channels, but they are about one-third the size of those in the medial gill. Immediately before egg deposition, each water channel is subdivided by the formation of two small secondary water channels that receive water from the water canals, and a large brood chamber with no direct exposure to the circulating pond water. The secondary water channels disappear 1 or 2 weeks after release of the larvae. The septal tissue at the suprabranchial chamber becomes enlarged after egg deposition and seals the dorsal opening of the brood chamber from the exhalant water. The lampsilids do not form secondary water channels and the eggs are deposited in the central water channel of the posterio.
Functional morphology of the pecten oculi in the nocturnal spotted eagle owl (Bubo bubo africanus), and the diurnal black kite (Milvus migrans) and domestic fowl (Gallus gallus var. domesticus): a comparative study

The pecten oculi is a highly vascularized and pigmented organ that overlies the optic disc and projects into the vitreous body in the avian eye. First reported over 300 years ago, its function(s) remains a puzzle to ornithologists, ophthalmologists and anatomists. Morphometric study of this unique organ was undertaken in birds exhibiting apparently different visual acuities, namely two species of diurnal birds (the ground-dwelling domestic fowl Gallus gallus var. domesticus and a highly active predator bird, the black kite (Milvus migrans) and a nocturnal bird (the spotted-eagle owl Bubo bubo africanus). The volume of the owl's eye was 4.8 and 2.2 times larger than that of the fowl and the kite, respectively. However, the pecten of the fowl consisted of more pleats (16–18) compared to the kite (12–13) and the owl (5–6). The volume of the pecten of the kite was 1.4 and 2.7 times larger than that of the fowl and the owl, respectively (P < 0.05). Similarly, the surface area of the pecten of the kite was 2.6 and 4 times larger than that of the fowl and owl, respectively (P < 0.05). The volume density of blood vessels (lumen and wall) in the pecten of the kite, fowl and owl comprised 67.7%, 66.9% and 62.6%, respectively, the pigmented tissue constituting the rest. Both the volume density and the volume of the blood in the pecten were higher in the diurnal birds (kite, fowl) than the owl (P < 0.05). The surface area of the capillary luminal surface was 1.7 and 5.3 times higher in the kite than in the fowl and the owl, respectively (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the functional morphology of the pecten correlates with the life-style of the bird and with functional need, and lends further support to the nutritive role of the pecten.
The importance of a good neighborhood: dispersal decisions in juvenile common lizards are based on social environment

Within a population, dispersers are likely to differ in their motivation and adaptations to disperse; yet individual heterogeneity in dispersal decisions is still poorly documented. In the common lizard, females can be classified into 3 types of ventral color (yellow, orange, and mixed) that signal alternative strategies in reproduction and behavior. The reproductive success of these alternative strategies depends on the frequency of each color type in their local environment. Therefore, we predicted that adaptive emigration and settlement decisions should differ between color types and respond to the social composition of the environment. To test this prediction, we analyzed juvenile local dispersal decisions in response to an experimental manipulation of the local color type frequencies. Offspring from orange or mixed females showed decreased dispersal rate in populations where the frequency of yellow females was increased, and those who dispersed chose to settle in environments with lower female density but higher frequency of yellow females. Our results demonstrate that the composition of the social environment is used as a direct cue for dispersal decisions that provides information on resource competition and environment quality. The frequency of female color types is thus a key parameter of the social environment that influences habitat choice decisions. However, the pattern of spatial autocorrelation of adult females was not consistent with these color-related dispersal patterns, which suggest that other processes also participate in shaping the distribution of individuals at the population scale.
Recent advances in the characterization of peptidyl transferase center: zero-distance labeling of proteins at or near the catalytic site of human 80S or Escherichia coli 70S ribosomes by means of periodate-oxidized tRNA

Periodate-oxidized tRNA (tRNAox), the 2’,3’-dialdehyde derivative of tRNA, was used as a zero-length active site-directed affinity labeling reagent, to covalently label proteins at the peptidyl transferase center (PTC), the catalytic site of the large ribosomal subunit. When human 80S or Escherichia coli 70S ribosomes were reacted separately with tRNAox positioned at the P-site, in the presence of an appropriate 12 mer mRNA, a set of two tRNAox-labeled ribosomal proteins was observed. These proteins referred to in this work as rPox1 and rPox2 exhibited comparable physico-chemical properties including apparent molecular weights. In the case of human 80S ribosome, the protein present in the major labeled tRNA-rPox1 covalent complex was identified as the 60S ribosomal protein L36a-like (RPL36AL) by mass spectrometry. The molecular weight of the minor labeled tRNA-rPox2 covalent complex was estimated from the data of the 1-D SDS-PAGE, and a deduced molecular weight of 34,000 + 2,000 Da for the ribosomal protein referred to as rPox2 designated protein RPL5 as the candidate minor labeled protein of human 80S ribosome. Search for candidate ribosomal proteins for the tRNAoxlabeled proteins rPox1 and rPox2 of 70S ribosome from E. coli designated RPL2 (M.W. 29,860 Da), the largest eubacterial rP as the tRNAox-labeled protein corresponding to the minor labeled human RPL5, and RPL15 (M.W. 14,980 Da) or RPL16 (M.W. 15,281 Da) as corresponding to the major labeled human RPL36AL
Dispersal ability links to cross‐scale species diversity patterns across the Eurasian Arctic tundra

Aim The role of dispersal in structuring biodiversity across spatial scales is controversial. If dispersal controls regional and local community assembly, it should also affect the degree of spatial species turnover as well as the extent to which regional communities are represented in local communities. Here we provide the first integrated assessment of relationships between dispersal ability and local-toregional spatial aspects of species diversity across a large geographical area. Location Northern Eurasia. Methods Using a cross-scale analysis covering local (0.64 m 2 ) to continental (the Eurasian Arctic biome) scales, we compared slope parameters of the dissimilarityto-distance relationship in species composition and the local-to-regional relationship in species richness among three plant-like groups that differ in dispersal ability: lichens with the highest dispersal ability; mosses and moss allies with intermediate dispersal ability; and seed plants with the lowest dispersal ability. Results Diversity patterns generally differed between the three groups according to their dispersal ability,even after controlling for niche-based processes.Increasing dispersal ability is linked to decreasing spatial species turnover and an increasing ratio of local to regional species richness. All comparisons supported our expectations, except for the slope of the local-to-regional relationship in species richness for mosses and moss allies which was not significantly steeper than that of seed plants. Main conclusions The negative link between dispersal ability and spatial species turnover and the corresponding positive link between dispersal ability and the ratio of local-to-regional species richness support the idea that dispersal affects community structure and diversity patterns across spatial scales.