Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BEGONIA LORANTHOIDES HOOK. F. (SECT. TETRAPHILA A.DC.)

SUMMARY Analysis of B. loranthoides Hook. f. and B. rhopalocarpa Warb. , African species formerly admitted to sect. Squamibegonia Warb. , leads to the conclusion that these taxa must be placed in Begonia sect. Tetraphila A. DC. Both taxa are treated here as subspecies of B. loranthoides: B. loranthoides Hook. f. subsp. loranthoides and B. loranthoides Hook. f. subsp. rhopalocarpa (Warb.) J. J. de Wilde respectively. They are circumscribed and their synonymy, distribution, ecology and karyology is given. Begonia sect. Tetraphila A. DC. is circumscribed provisionally.
Effect of triton X‐100 on ultrastructure, reactivation, and motility characteristics of ram spermatozoa

For optimal extraction and reactivation of ram sperm, glutamate, dithiothreitol, magnesium, and cyclic AMP were required in a medium of pH 7.9. On extraction with 0.01 % Triton X-100, ram sperm were only partially demembranated, and extensive areas of plasma membrane remained intact especially in the midpiece region. Treatment with 0.1% Triton X-100 removed all plasma membranes and extracted the mitochondrial membrane and matrix. In the absence of ATP, 16.6% ± 0.4 of the partially demembranated sperm were motile, but sperm extracted with 0.1% Triton X-100 were completely immotile. On adding ATP partially demembranated sperm reactivated better (81.6% ± 2.8) than sperm completely demembranated in 0.1 % Triton X-100 (39.5% ± 4.6). The release of intracellular LDH rose linearly with increasing concentrations of the detergent from 0.01 to 0.05%, at which it plateaued. There was a significant increase in beat frequency and forward velocity of partially demembranated sperm when treated with ATP. Partially demembranated sperm had intact mitochondria that presumably were still able to produce ATP, although the spermatozoan movement was stimulated by exogenous ATP.
Improved Methods for Conjugating Selected Mycotoxins to Carrier Proteins and Dextran for Immunoassays

Simplified protein-coupling chemistries were utilized for the mycotoxins, T-2 toxin (T-2), ochratoxin A (OA), citrinin (CTN), and aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ). Iodoacetate (IAc) and 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) were found to be excellent activators of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of these mycotoxins. Iodoacetate reacted with the C-3 hydroxyl groups of T-2 toxin to form methylcarboxylated T-2 (T-2-metCOOH) containing a two-carbon spacer and a stable ether-based bond. 1,1'-Carbonyldiimidazole directly activated the carboxyl groups of OA, T-2-metCOOH, the C-3 hydroxyl group of T-2, succinic anhydride modified T-2, the C-8 hydroxyl group of citrinin, and carboxymethoxylamine hemihydrochloride modified AFB 1 . The resulting acylimidazole and imidazole carbamate intermediates reacted readily with the primary amine groups in proteins and ethylenediamine modified dextran to form stable amide or carbamate linkages. These coupling chemistries minimized the formation of undesired immunodeterminants in the conjugates. Toxin-protein coupling ratios could be readily controlled by varying the amount of toxin relative to that of protein in the CDI coupling reaction. These results demonstrate that IAc and CDI are excellent and versatile chemical couplers of hydroxyl- and carboxyl-containing mycotoxins and complement other chemistries in mycotoxin ELISA development.
Impacts of climate change on maize and winter wheat yields in China from 1961 to 2010 based on provincial data

SUMMARY The impacts of climate change on maize and winter wheat yields in China from 1961 to 2010 were studied in the current paper, based on provincial data. The results indicated that rising average temperatures resulted in decreased maize yield in most of the study regions, and reduced maize production at a national scale by c. 3·4% relative to the average from 1961 to 2010. Moreover, the warming resulted in a decrease of winter wheat yield in the Huang-Huai-Hai and southwest regions and led to an overall loss in production of c. 5·8% at a national scale. The decrease of diurnal temperature range (DTR) affected maize yield adversely in the west and central regions, but a beneficial DTR effect was observed in the other provinces. The changes in DTR resulted in increased maize production at a national scale by c. 0·6%. However, the generally decreasing trends for DTR resulted in an increasing winter wheat yield in the northwest and south regions but a decreasing yield in the other provinces, and the production of winter wheat at a national scale was reduced by c. 2·9% because of changes in DTR. Changes in precipitation increased maize and winter wheat yields in some provinces but reduced crop yield in others. There was no significant effect of precipitation on maize production at a national scale, but the contribution of precipitation change reached c. 1·6% for winter wheat production.
Morphological and anatomical evidence suggest that 'Hylocomiaceae' taxa belong to at least two clades

Abstract Members of the moss family Hylocomiaceae have been hypothesized to belong to more than one major clade. While molecular studies performed so far are inconclusive regarding Hylocomiaceae relationships, morphological data are used here to test this hypothesis, based on species representing all genera of the Hylocomiaceae as well as some genera that possibly belong to this family. The results of the analysis suggest that Hylocomiaceae members belong to two major clades, one including mainly northern temperate species and one mainly tropical to subtropical taxa, with most of the latter species found in S.E. Asia. With the morphological context provided here, the next step in the investigation of this family should include both studies of more taxa outside the family, to correctly infer the phylogenetic relationships in a larger framework, and the addition of data from several molecular markers belonging to more than one genome.
Milk replacers for preruminant lambs: limiting amino acids in two soybean protein isolates determined with a change-over design

Preruminant male crossbred lambs, aged about 2 weeks at the start of the experiment, were used. Low protein milk replacers (0.10 of total energy as protein) containing isolated soybean protein (ISP-A or ISP-B) as the sole source of protein were supplemented with mixtures of amino acids. Experiment 1a. Six lambs were each given six isonitrogenous diets in a 6 x 6 change-over design with 4-day dietary periods. The diets contained ISP-B and were supplemented with (1) methionine alone, or methionine plus (2) lysine, (3) isoleucine, (4) threonine, (5) valine or (6) tryptophan. Experiment 1b. Groups of six lambs were given diets containing either ISP-A or ISP-B. Each lamb within a group was given six diets in a 6 x 6 change-over design with 4-day dietary periods. One diet was supplemented with six amino acids (Met, Lys, Isol, Thr, Val and Try) whilst the other five diets had one amino acid (not Met) omitted. Nitrogen balances were determined in experiments 1a and 1b on the last 2 days of each dietary period. Experiment 2. Two groups of four lambs were used in a conventional 12-day nitrogen balance experiment. One group was given the milk replacer containing ISP-B supplemented with the six amino acids used in experiment lb, and the other group the same basal diet supplemented only with Met, Lys and Thr. The addition of single amino acids in addition to methionine did not improve nitrogen balances. Lambs given diets supplemented with Met plus Thr, Val or Try had significantly lower nitrogen balances than those given a supplement of Met alone (experiment 1a). Lambs given diets in which Lys or Thr were omitted from the mixture of six amino acids had Lower nitrogen baIances than any other lambs (experiment 1b). It was concluded that Lys and Thr were equally second limiting in ISP-A and ISP-B at the 0.10 protein energy concentration. The retention of apparently digested nitrogen by lambs given ISP-B supplemented with Met, Lys and Thr (0.669) was significantly higher than that of lambs given ISP-B supplemented with six amino acids (0.590; experiment 2). The mean digestibility coefficient of nitrogen in ISP-B (0.842 ± 0.009) was significantly higher than that in ISP-A (0.764 ± 0.014) and the diets containing ISP-B were more readily accepted by the lambs.
Physical forces influence the trophic structure of reef fish communities on a remote atoll

We describe spatial patterns in fish abundance across the lagoonal patch reef system at Glover's Reef Atoll in Belize, and assess the relative influence of physical, biological, and abiotic structural variables on these patterns. Physical factors—specifically, distance from reef channels, current flow, and temperature—play a significant role in structuring overall patterns in fish abundance across the lagoon. The types of variables that best explained trends in abundance of specific groups of fishes were related to feeding habits of these groups. For example, fishes dependent on primary and secondary sources of productivity (herbivores and planktivores) were most highly influenced by physical factors. Abundances of benthophagous fishes were best predicted by benthic habitat variables such as coral cover, while abundance of piscivorous fish groups was best predicted by abiotic structural habitat variables such as reef area. While data on physical oceanographic properties are not normally considered in relation to abundance patterns of reef fishes, we find that such factors are good predictors of abundance for these species. Where physical data are not available, simple distance metrics may serve as reasonable proxies for physical oceanographic processes.
Plant tissue culture using Brassico seedlings

A tissue culture practical is described which uses vegetable Brassica seedlings germinated in-vitro and cut up into root, hypocotyl, and cotyledon expiants. These are then cultured on media containing different levels of phytohormones which induce shoot, root, and callus production in as little as four to six weeks. The practical is simpie and easy to use and does not require the use of a lamina flow cabinet. Further developments from the basic schedule are suggested.
Saline Drip Irrigation and Polyethylene Mulch on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Bell Peppers

Saline water has been successfully applied to crops via drip irrigation. However, application of saline water through this irrigation system in combination with polyethylene mulch has not been evaluated yet. Two experiments were carried out under greenhouse conditions to evaluate effects of saline irrigation (ranging from 0.2 up to 9.0 dS·m−1 and from 0.5 to 4.5 dS·m−1, respectively) and polyethylene mulch on the yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Soil temperature was higher under an infrared-transmitting polyethylene mulch than under a black mulch or bare soil. Mulched plants required less water at all salinity levels than plants grown in bare soil. Salinity levels above the control (0.2 and 0.5 dS·m−1) significantly reduced total and marketable yield and WUE. Mulched plants had greater WUE and significantly higher marketable yields than those grown in bare soil. Fruit size and pericarp thickness were significantly reduced with increasing salinity; total soluble solids (TSS) increased. Soil salinity was reduced with the use of plastic mulches relative to bare soil.
Group foraging by wintering rooks: combined effects of safety and energy requirements

We report the results of feeding experiments with free-ranging gregarious corvids, rooks (Corvus frugilegus), at varying ambient temperatures and risk of interruption. Feeding behaviour depended on the photoperiod and the interaction between ambient temperature and safety of the feeder. Birds did not trade off safety for increasing food intake; instead their behaviour became more risk-averse during short photoperiods or low ambient temperatures, when energy requirements were presumably the highest. We propose that rooks are not severely limited by food supply and, when environmental conditions deteriorate, can quickly increase body reserves. The added fat load, however, handicaps their ability to escape from a danger, thus increasing risk aversion. Only the rooks which initiated foraging were sensitive to safety of the feeder and similar reactions were not observed among birds which joined later. We suggest that rooks, while foraging gregariously, rely on the ‘safety in numbers’ effect, which enhances feeding success. Some other observations also supported this hypothesis. Thus, food intake by small groups of foragers was higher on ‘safe’ than on ‘risky’ feeders, but this pattern was reversed with increasing group size. This suggests that individuals in a large group can reduce scanning for predators and focus their attention on collecting food. An increased feeding rate allows the time exposed to danger to be shortened. Foraging behaviour of birds showed greater synchronisation at risky places than at safe ones. This might be a reaction to the increased costs of feeding, which is predicted by theoretical models of group foraging by selfish individuals.
Chemical and physical soil attributes in integrated crop-livestock system under no-tillage

Although integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) under no-tillage (NT) is an attractive practice for intensify agricultural production, little regional information is available on the effects of animal grazing and trampling, particularly dairy heifers, on the soil chemical and physical attributes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of animal grazing on the chemical and physical attributes of the soil after 21 months of ICLS under NT in a succession of annual winter pastures (2008), soybeans (2008/2009), annual winter pastures (2009), and maize (2009/10). The experiment was performed in the municipality of Castro (PR) in a dystrophic Humic Rhodic Hapludox with a clay texture. The treatments included a combination of two pasture (annual ryegrass monoculture and multicropping - annual ryegrass, black oat, white clover and red clover) with animal grazing during the fall-winter period with two animal weight categories (light and heavy), in a completely randomized block experimental design with 12 replications. After the maize harvest (21 months after beginning), soil samples were collected at 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers to measure soil chemical and physical attributes. The different combinations of pasture and animal weight did not alter the total organic carbon and nitrogen in the soil, but they influence the attributes of soil acidity and exchangeable cations. The monoculture pasture of ryegrass showed greater soil acidification process compared to the multicropping pasture. When using heavier animals, the multicropping pasture showed lesser increase in soil bulk density and greater macroporosity.
Consequences of Experimental Changes in the Rearing Conditions of Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tit Parus major Nestlings

Abstract. Physiological functions of growing nestlings are thought to be traded-off in relation to rearing conditions, with the resulting physiological state of fledglings having important long-lasting consequences for their fitness. By manipulating brood size up and down, and, separately, by supplying additional food (mealworms — larvae of Tenebrio molitor) we tested if alterations of the rearing conditions would influence nestling performance in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major. Brood size manipulation affected body mass, heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (H:L) and fledging probability in both species and the level of triglycerides in nestling Great Tits. Extra food supply influenced only fledging probability, with no other effect on indicators of nestling performance. An effect on nestling body mass and a lack of effect on cell-mediated immune response in the brood-size experiment suggest that nestlings in enlarged broods sacrificed growth to maintain immunity. In general, effects of both types of experiments were probably to some extent masked by specific character of the study site — an urban parkland with high human-induced disturbance.
Anatomical and Histochemical Studies of Starch Distribution during Abscission in Filaments and Petals of Wase Satsuma Mandarin

During the flowering stage of Wase satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marc. var. praecox Tanaka, the abscission layer formed at the junction of the base of the ovary and the filament or petal. The abscission layer was first evident one to three days after flowering. This layer was composed of 15 to 20 rows of cells in the constricted zone at the attachment points of filaments or petals and was first identified by its high affinity for iodine-potassium iodide. Cell separation occurred with rupturing of the cell walls.The abscission of floral organs was preceded by the deposition of starch grains in each of the cells which formed the abscission zone. After this starch accumulation was complete, no additional starch was deposited in the cells during abscission. Cellular separation occurred within the starch layer itself, and the starch was present in cells on both sides of the separation layer following completion of abscission. Subsequently, starch gradually disappeared from the parenchyma cells adjacent to the abscission layer.
Interaction of phytate with protein and minerals in a soybean–maize meal blend depends on pH and calcium addition

In order to investigate possible interactions of phytate with protein and minerals in simplified animal diets, studies were conducted on the solubility of endogenous phytate, protein and essential minerals in a soybean-maize meal blend within a physiological relevant pH range. The blend was mixed with water for 10 min and then allowed to incubate at 40 degrees C (30 min) after adjustment of the pH. Finally, soluble phytate, protein, zinc, manganese and iron were determined. Phytate and mineral solubility was highly influenced by pH whereas protein solubility was less affected. Addition of 5 g Ca2+ kg(-1) drastically reduced the solubility of phytate, zinc, manganese and iron at pH above 4.4, indicating that the formation of insoluble phytate-mineral complexes is increased in the presence of calcium. The action of pepsin increased the solubility of protein and phytate at pH below 4, indicating that insoluble phytate-protein complexes are present at low pH. Calcium had the same solubilising effect as pepsin at pH 2-4 but to a lesser degree.
Efeito do Reiki na hipertensão arterial

Objective: Determining the immediate effect of Reiki on abnormal blood pressure. Methods: An experimental, double-blind study, in which were included 66 hypertensive patients, randomized to the three following study groups: control, placebo and experimental. The intervention lasted 20 minutes, the control group remained at rest, the placebo group received an imitation of the studied technique (mock Reiki) and the experimental group received the Reiki technique. Blood pressure was measured before and after the intervention by the same person with the same instrument. Results: There was a decrease in blood pressure in the three groups and the reduction was greater in the experimental group, followed by the placebo and the control group. The ANOVA model for repeated measures showed a statistically significant difference among the groups (p <0.0001). Conclusion: Reiki had a positive effect on reducing abnormal blood pressure, suggesting to be a complementary technique for the control of hypertension.
Effect of recycled laboratory backset on fermentation of wheat mashes

Distillers' solubles, soluble components and the liquid obtained after distillation of fermented mash and removal of distillers'grins, are often recycled as «backset» to reduce effluent treatment costs and water usage. In the study, recycling of laboratory distillers' solubles was carried out over five successive fermentations. When 50% backset was used in a 30-gal mash (30 U.S. gal/56-lb bushel, a term used by corn distillers) using wheat as the substrate, yeast growth and ethanol production remained unaffected over five successive fermentations. The final cell yields approximated 9×10 7 yeasts/mL
Does pattern of soil resource heterogeneity determine plant community structure? An experimental investigation

1 Spatial and temporal pattern of nutrient delivery to individual plants and plant populations can affect growth and allocation of biomass to roots and shoots. We predicted that it would also affect attributes of plant community structure, including species composition, diversity, and partitioning of biomass between above‐ and below‐ground parts. We tested these predictions experimentally by providing the same quantity of nutrients in five different patterns to sown plant communities grown under field conditions for 2 years. We used orthogonal contrasts to compare the effects on community structure of homogeneous vs. heterogeneous nutrient supply, supply of nutrients in patches at two different densities, and provision of nutrients in spatially predictable vs. unpredictable patches. We harvested above‐ and below‐ground plant biomass, and measured species richness, diversity, and species population sizes. 2 Pattern of nutrient delivery significantly affected community biomass and below‐ground : above‐ground biomass partitioning. Treatments with the lowest density of nutrient‐rich patches supported 44% more total biomass than homogeneous treatments, largely as a result of greater (71% more) below‐ground biomass, which resulted in a 39% increase in community below‐ground : above‐ground biomass ratio. 3 Above‐ground community composition was also affected by treatment. There were several instances in which biomass, percentage cover or population sizes of different species, were affected by treatment. There were few significant differences between communities in treatments with predictable and unpredictable nutrient patches. Treatment did not affect species richness or diversity, despite high power to detect small differences. 4 We conclude that the spatial and temporal pattern of nutrient supply strongly affects some important facets of plant community structure, but has less influence on others. Further understanding of community responses to the pattern of nutrient supply will require experiments testing the responses of individual species to heterogeneity with and without competitors present.
Factors influencing recruitment patterns of Golden Perch (Macquaria ambigua oriens) within a hydrologically variable and regulated Australian tropical river system

Abstract – The links between river flows, water temperature, river regulation and recruitment variability of Golden Perch, Macquaria ambigua oriens, were investigated from the Fitzroy Basin, Queensland. The dominant age classes determined by interpreting growth marks observed in otoliths were variable among rivers. Positive correlations between the age frequency and monthly river flow volumes were greatest in summer (December–March) conversely, autumn, winter and spring river flows correlated poorly for most rivers. Water temperature exhibits strong seasonality across the basin with mean monthly temperatures >23 °C generally occurring between October and April. These data indicate the combination of water temperature and increased river flows are important factors for recruitment. The degree of river regulation is also suspected of contributing to increased variability in dominant age classes within rivers. This assessment highlights the importance of timing of river flows in mitigating the negative effects of river regulation on golden perch populations.