Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nicotine, curcumin, and cornea: an experimental histopathological study

Background Active smoking is an accepted risk factor for several disorders, including age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and anterior segment surface disorders. Aim of the work The present study was planned to analyze the effect of nicotine on cornea and the possible protective effect of curcumin as an antioxidant. Materials and methods Twenty-five rats were randomly divided into three groups as follows: (a) the control group, (b) the nicotine-injected group, and (c) the nicotine-treated and curcumin-treated group. Histopathological examination of all groups were carried out where the corneas were prepared for light microscope examination. Results Results showed that nicotine is toxic for the cornea, and the curcumin exerts its protective effect on it. Conclusion Pilot clinical trials on curcumin are recommended to achieve its beneficial antioxidant effects, avoiding the toxicity of nicotine and other harmful environmental substances.
Dietary yeast-based nucleotides as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics in promoting growth performance and nutrient utilization in weaned pigs

Abstract: Effect of dietary nucleotide supplementation without or with in-feed antibiotics on piglet performance and energy and nutrient digestibility was determined. Supplementing antibiotics without or with nucleotides (1000 ppm) increased weight gain (P < 0.05), whereas increasing nucleotide levels in antibiotic-supplemented diets linearly decreased (P < 0.05) energy and nutrient digestibility.
Maxillary tooth size variability and influence of hypodontia in the Suncus murinus

Abstract Dry cranila specimens from 184 Suncus murinus from the wild Nagasaki (normal dentition) population and laboratory strains of KAT (normal dentition), NAG (missing I3) and TESS (missing P3) were examined to quantify the relationship between size variation and the influence of tooth absence in maxillary dentition. We first measured and analyzed maxillary tooth size variability in normal S. murinus based on the coefficient of variation (CV). Molariform teeth showed lower CVs, whereas unicuspid teeth showed relatively high CVs in shrews with normal dentitions. In this species, molariform teeth have complex cusps and clear ridges, whereas unicuspid teeth have no occlusal surface. In particular, I3 and P3 had relatively high CVs, and these teeth were commonly absent. We also examined the relationship between tooth size and number in this species. Individuals missing I3, namely, NAG strain, had lower P3 CVs than the normal group. However, those missing P3 had higher I3 CVs than other teeth and the normal group. These results suggest that tooth disappearance does not always lead to stability of other teeth. The variability in tooth size appears to be influenced not only by functional and developmental factors but also by phylogenetic backgrounds and factors regulating tooth formation.
Yield and fruit quality of pepper plants under sulphate and chloride salinity

Summary Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants were grown hydroponically inside a greenhouse, to investigate the effect of salinity (produced by Cl– or SO42– ions) on yield and fruit quality. The electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 dS m–1 were achieved by adding concentrated NaCl or Na2SO4 solutions to the basic nutrient solution, maintained at 2 dS m–1. High conductivity treatments strongly decreased fruit yield and fruit size. High blossom-end rot (BER) incidence with increasing EC resulted in fewer marketable fruits. In general, saline treatments decreased the quality of pepper fruits. Although salinity reduced yield and fruit quality, sulphate treatments were less deleterious than chloride treatments, particularly for moderate EC levels.
When Bergmann's rule fails: evidences of environmental selection pressures shaping phenotypic diversification in a widespread seabird

&NA; Organisms tend to exhibit phenotypes that can be shaped by climate, commonly demonstrating clinal variations along latitudinal gradients. In vertebrates, air temperature plays a major role in shaping body size in both ectothermic and endothermic animals. However, additional small‐scale environmental factors can also act as selection pressures in the marine ecosystem (e.g. primary productivity), evidencing multi‐scale processes acting on marine organisms. In this study, we tested Bergmann's rule in a widely distributed seabird, the brown booby Sula leucogaster, in addition to evaluating the relationship of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll α with phenotypes. We used traits from a morphometric dataset (culmen, wing chord, and tarsus length) and body mass of 276 brown boobies distributed on six breeding sites along a latitudinal gradient in the South Atlantic Ocean (0–27°S). We found significant differentiation among colonies, but phenotypic similarities were observed between colonies located at the extremes of the latitudinal gradient. As the colony nearest to the Equator, Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelago, had the largest and heaviest individuals, the model containing only air temperature explained < 5% of the allometric variation, providing no substantial support for Bergmann's rule. However, when we added the interaction of chlorophyll α and sea surface temperature the deviance explained rose to over 80%. Primary productivity and sea surface temperature do not follow a latitudinal gradient in the ocean and, therefore, the role of small‐scale oceanographic processes in shaping body size and the importance of considering additional environmental variables when testing Bergmann's rule in marine organisms are evident.
2 Quantitative and Theoretical Microbial Population Biology

While intuition tells us that, like all living things, bacteria and archaea live in populations, in practice it has remained difficult to define and identify their properties. Populations in animal and plant biology are broadly defined as coexisting members of a species. However, for bacteria and archaea, as for most eukaryotic microbes, it has been nearly impossible to agree upon what a species is. Observations of frequent horizontal gene transfer across wide phylogenetic distances challenge the definition of species as interbreeding units, a concept derived largely from vertebrate biology. Nor is it easy to know what coexistence entails because microbial habitats are difficult to sample at relevant scales, and dispersal and other important population parameters are poorly constrained. These difficulties notwithstanding, it is of great theoretical and practical importance to search for populationlike units among microbes. Evolution is commonly defined as changes in the genetic makeup of populations, and in ecology, basic estimates of community diversity, dynamics, and assembly rely on counts of populations or species coexisting in a particular habitat. Hence, the quest for bacterial and archaeal populations is one for defining and identifying fundamental players in ecology and evolution. Populations, regardless of the underlying species definition, represent groups of organisms that are highly clustered on both
Effectiveness and efficiency of Gamma rays and Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS) in mungbean

Studies on effectiveness and efficiency of gamma rays, EMS and their combination treatments were performed in two cultivars, HUM-12 and IPM-99-125 of mungbean. The treatments included three doses of gamma rays, namely, 200 Gy, 400 Gy and 600 Gy; three concentrations of EMS i.e., 0.02 M, 0.04 M and 0.06 M and three combination treatments viz., 200 Gy+0.02 M, 400 Gy+0.02 M and 600 Gy+0.02 M. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency were calculated based on the biological damage in terms of pollen sterility and lethality in M1 and spectrum of chlorophyll mutants (Chlorina, Albina, Xantha, Viridis and Maculata) in M2 generation. The results indicated that the mutagenic effectiveness usually decreases with the increase in dose/concentration of mutagens. Among the mutagens, EMS was most effective followed by combination of treatments in both the cultivars, however, gamma rays showed less effectiveness. Similarly, efficiency also decreases with increasing dose/concentration of mutagen with slight variation depending upon its method of estimation and cultivars used. The cultivar, HUM-12 scored high values of effectiveness and efficiency as compared to IPM 99–125 and thus may be exploited for observing high frequency of mutants.
Pronurturance at birth and risk of postpartum haemorrhage: biology, theory and new evidence

Background: The importance of optimising maternal/baby psychophysiology has been integrated into contemporary midwifery theories but not in the detail required to really understand the underpinning biological basis. Method: The functioning of the autonomic nervous system, as it relates to the uterus is reviewed. The physiology of myometrial cell contraction and relaxation is outlined. The main focus is on the factors that affect the availability and uptake of oxytocin and adrenaline/noradrenaline in the myometrial cells. These are the two key neurohormones, active in the 3 and 4 stages of labour, that affect uterine contraction and retraction and therefore determine whether the woman will have an atonic PPH or not. Discussion: The discussion explains and predicts the physiological functioning of the uterus during the 3 and 4 stages of labour when skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding occurs and when it does not. Conclusion: This biologically based theory hypothesises that to achieve and maintain eutony and eulochia, midwives and birthing women should ensure early, prolonged and undisturbed skin-to-skin contact for mother and baby at birth including easy access for spontaneous breastfeeding.
Combining Ability in Grain Sorghum

A line × tester analysis of combining ability revealed that both g.c. a. and s.c. a. variances are significant for grain, fodder and quality characters. Larger variances due to s.c. a. observed for grain yield, lysine and sugar contents, indicated predominance of non-additive gene action. The two Ethiopian lines are good for quality traits. Additive component was predominant for fodder, grain yield and protein per cent- The best specific combinations for grain yield and quality characters are `36A× 370′, `2219A×IS- 11167′ and `2219A×W- 5′.
Enzymic Basis of Sharp Tissue Hardening in Post-Harvest White Trifoliate (D. dumetorum var.) Yam Tubers

Tissue hardenings in post-harvest vegetables are mediated by enzymes’ activities. In this study, activity profiles of peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), polyphenol oxidase (EC 1.10.3.1) and catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) in harvested and stored white trifoliate (D. dumetorum) yam tubers at room temperature (28±2˚C) and 72-85%RH and at refrigeration (5±1˚C) and 85-100%RH were studied and related to the development of hardness of the yam tissues. The results showed that tissue hardening in white trifoliate yam tubers stored at room temperature (28±2˚C) and 72-85%RH was increased with the storage period. Secondly, the high enzyme profiles in the white trifoliate yam tubers stored at room temperature (28±2˚C) and 72-85%RH were highly in phase with the sharp changes in tissue hardness. Also, a decrease in enzyme activities in white trifoliate yam tubers at refrigeration (5±1˚C) and 85-100%RH was comparable to no changes in tissue hardness, implying that very low enzyme profiles corresponds to no increase in tissue hardness.
FOOD PREFERENCES OF RABBITS ORYCTOLAGUS CUNICULUS L. AT HOLKHAM SAND DUNES, NORFOLK

main disadvantage of the method is that there may be differential digestion of species. The method was used in this study to compare the proportions of plant species in the faeces of rabbits with the proportions of the food-plants available to the rabbits. In this way, the food preferences of rabbits on the dunes of Holkham National Nature Reserve were estimated. Comment is made on the seasonal variations in the diet of rabbits.
Volatile profile of wine Teran PTP

Teran PTP is a protected wine with a recognized traditional denomination produced from a grapevine variety ‘Refosk’ in winegrowing district Kras in Slovenia (European Union, 2009; Pravilnik, 2008). The aromatic profile of 82 Teran PTP wines produced in years 2011, 2012 and 2013 was monitored. Intotal the content of 16 volatile compounds was determined. The volatile compounds from wine were extracted following the liquid-liquid extraction and determined with a GC-MS method. The odour activity values and relative odour contributions were calculated for each volatile compound identified. Among sensorial important volatiles the highest odour activity values were determined for ethyl octanoate, ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate and ethyl butyrate. Other research papers also showed, that all red wines investigated except one contained ethyl octanoate, ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate and ethyl butyrate above sensory thresholds.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE HARBOR SEAL, PHOCA VITULINA LINNAEUS, IN CANADIAN ARCTIC WATERS

The harbor seal, though normally an animal of open water, ranges as far as 79? N on Ellesmere Island. It remains in the Canadian arctic the year round by residing in swiftly flowing water, both tidal and fresh, and at the edge of the fast ice. It actively ascends rivers, often far from the sea, and will live in lakes the year round where open water is available. This ability suggests that the supposedly land-locked race P. v. mellonae from Upper and Lower Seal Lakes, Ungava, may not have been isolated for any great time and casts doubt on the assertion that subspeciation has occurred from long isolation (5500 years + 2500) during post-glacial uplift. The harbor seal, Phoca vitulina, is a highly successful pinniped, ranging widely in the northern hemisphere from Japan, northern Baja California, the northeastern United States, and France in the south to the Bering Sea, north- ern Baffin Bay, and the Barents Sea in the north. Although it is essentially an animal of open water, it does inhabit the arctic, residing in restricted localities where tide-rips, swift currents, zones of upwelling, and river outflows allow small areas to remain ice-free throughout the winter. The species appears not to keep open breathing holes in the fast ice, and gives birth to its young on land. It has a strong liking for fresh water and is often found in estuaries, rivers, and lakes, sometimes far from the sea. This habit has culminated in the establishment of an apparently land-locked population in Upper and Lower Seal Lakes, Ungava, believed by Doutt (1942) to be a subspecifically distinct race, P. v. mellonae. Immature seals often wander far from their birthplace, which probably explains the name "ranger" used in Newfoundland for the young seals. The origin of the name "doter" or "dotard" for older seals is not known. The harbor seal is known to the Eskimos throughout arctic Canada and Greenland as kasigiak. It is much prized by them for its beautiful pelt, used in the making of decorative boots and clothing, and accordingly the Eskimos usually know its local status in detail.
Molecular and Behavioural Evidence Suggesting a Re-Examination of the Taxonomy of Aproaerema simplexella (Walker), Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) and Stomopteryx subsecivella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Since 2000, the groundnut leaf miner has increasingly become a pest of groundnut and soya bean on the African continent. The origin of the pest in Africa is uncertain. Early reports in South Africa assumed it was an invasion of Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) from the Asian continent, but subsequent mitochondrial DNA COI gene (mtDNA COI) fingerprinting matched it to Aproaerema simplexella (Walker, 1864) from Australia. Prior to this, reports in the 1950s recorded it in Africa under the name Stomopteryx subsecivella (Zeller, 1852). Furthermore, it was found that A. simplexella responded to the species-specific lure developed from the sex pheromone of A. modicella. As a result of these apparent anomalies, we examined the genetic relatedness of the above species fromAfrica, India andAustralia.mtDNACOI analysis was performedon 44 specimens collected from SouthAfrica, four from Mozambique, and three each from single locations in India and Australia. In the BOLD gene bank, 70 % of the specimens analysed matched with A. simplexella sequences from Australia (99–100 %), including all three specimens from both India and Australia, and two from Mozambique. In the remaining specimens, the match was 98–99 %. Two specimens, later to be identified as parasitoids, did not match with any sequences in the BOLD gene bank. In the NCBI gene bank, 81 % of the sequences matched 99–100 %, and a further 15 % matched 92–98 % with A. simplexella sequences. Based on these mtDNA COI analyses, and the similarities of the behavioural responses originally noted between the species, we thus suggest the re-examination of the taxonomy and synonymisation of the three populations of the two species.
The food preferences of five commercially important fishes of Gosthani estuary

The food and feeding habits of five species of commercially important fishes of the Gostham estuary (two mullets, one each of milk fish, sand whitings and silver biddies I have been studied. They exhibited food preferences according to their habitats. However, at times they were found to encroach upon other habitats and feed on a variety of food materials. This kind of feeding habit might have arisen because of the shallowness of the estuary, the depth of which is less than a foot at many places.
Prevalência e intensidade de infecção por helmintos em bovinos da bacia leiteira de São Carlos, São Paulo

Para estudo preliminar de helmintos de bovinos da bacia leiteira de Sao Carlos, SP, que abrange os municipios de Sao Carlos, Ribeirao Bonito e Dourado, foram necropsiados 74 animais mesticos Holandes-Zebu, na faixa etaria de 8 a 20 meses. Do material coletado do tubo digestivo, pulmoes e pâncreas, foram observadas as especies de helmintos com as seguintes prevalencias e intensidades medias de infeccao: Haemonchus contortus, 100% e 988,06; Haemonchus similis 43,24% e 50,01; Trichostrongylus axei, 24,32% e 16,00; Cooperia punctata 100% e 3649,45 ;Cooperia pectinata 44,59% e 436,70; Bunostomum phlebotomum, 9,45% e 3,17; Oesophagostomum radiatum, 86,48% e 138,35 ; Trichuris discolor, 21,62% e 7,44; Agriostomum wryburgi, 2,70% e 0,22; Dictyocaulus viviparus 13,51% e 51,62; Eurytrema coelomatlum, 14,86% e 27,67.
Identification and Expression Analysis of Alternative Splicing of TLR4 in Duck

This experiment was conducted to clone and identify the spliced variants of the TLR4 gene,and analyze the regulation of their gene expression in duck.Based on the sequence of TLR4 gene in GenBank(accession number:JN048668),the primers were designed,and the TLR4 gene was obtained by the RT-PCR.The temporal and spatial expression pattern was detected by qRT-PCR to analysis the levels of transcript variants in different tissues by constructing the polyI:C infection duck model.One new transcript variants(TLR4-b) of duck TLR4 gene was found,and sequences analysis showed that it was an alternative exon between the first and the second exon.The tissue expression analysis showed that the expression of TLR4 was mainly wild type(TLR4-a). And the expression of TLR4-a mRNA always increased firstly,then decreased in lung and spleen after the stimulation of ployI:C,but the expression of TLR4-b had little change.The new splicing isoforms(TLR4-b) of TLR4 gene was cloned and identified sucessfully in duck.The expression of TLR4-a was higher than that of TLR4-b under normal conditions,but the expression level of TLR4-a gene firstly increased,then decreased after ployI:C stimulation.The results preliminary reveal the structure of TLR4 gene transcript variant in duck,and its function mainly depends on TLR4-a gene.
Predictability of stream insect distributions is dependent on niche position, but not on biological traits or taxonomic relatedness of species

Species distributions can be analysed under two perspectives: the niche-based approach, which focuses on species–environment relationships; and the dispersal-based approach, which focuses on metapopulation dynamics. The degree to which each of these two components affect species distributions may depend on habitat fragmentation, species traits and phylogenetic constraints. We analysed the distributions of 36 stream insect species across 60 stream sites in three drainage basins at high latitudes in Finland. We used binomial generalised linear models (GLMs) in which the predictor variables were environmental factors (E models), within-basin spatial variables as defined by Moran's eigenvector maps (M models), among-basin variability (B models), or a combination of the three (E + M + B models) sets of variables. Based on a comparative analysis, model performance was evaluated across all the species using Gaussian GLMs whereby the deviance accounted for by binomial GLMs was fitted on selected explanatory variables: niche position, niche breadth, site occupancy, biological traits and taxonomic relatedness. For each type of model, a reduced Gaussian GLM was eventually obtained after variable selection (Bayesian information criterion). We found that niche position was the only variable selected in all reduced models, implying that marginal species were better predicted than non-marginal species. The influence of niche position was strongest in models based on environmental variables (E models) or a combination of all types of variables (E + M + B models), and weakest in spatial autocorrelation models (M models). This suggests that species–environment relationships prevail over dispersal processes in determining stream insect distributions at a regional scale. Our findings have clear implications for biodiversity conservation strategies, and they also emphasise the benefits of considering both the niche-based and dispersal-based approaches in species distribution modelling studies.
A new species of Cyclotosaurus (Stereospondyli, Capitosauria) from the Late Triassic of Bielefeld, NW Germany, and the intrarelationships of the genus

Abstract. A nearly complete dermal skull roof of a capitosaur stereospondyl with closed otic fenestrae from the middle Carnian Stuttgart Formation (Late Triassic) of Bielefeld-Sieker (NW Germany) is described. The specimen is assigned to the genus Cyclotosaurus based on the limited contribution of the frontal to the orbital margin via narrow lateral processes. A new species, Cyclotosaurus buechneri sp. nov., is erected based upon the following unique combination of characters: (1) the interorbital distance is short so that the orbitae are medially placed (shared with C. robustus); (2) the region lateral to the orbitae is only slightly broader than the orbitae (shared with C. posthumus, C. ebrachensis, C. intermedius, and C. mordax); (3) the postorbital region is slender (shared with C. ebrachensis); (4) the preorbital projection of the jugal is shorter than half the length of the snout (shared with C. mordax, C. ebrachensis, C. intermedius, C. posthumus, and C. hemprichi). A phylogenetic analysis of seven Cyclotosaurus species, including C. buechneri, and eight further capitosaur taxa with the Rhinesuchidae as an outgroup finds a monophyletic Cyclotosaurus. In accordance with its stratigraphic occurrence, C. buechneri nests at its base but is more derived than C. robustus. Among the more derived Cyclotosaurus species, C. ebrachensis and C. intermedius, as well as C. posthumus and C. hemprichi, form sister groups, respectively. However, the phylogenetic position of C. mordax with respect to both groups remains unresolved. In the phylogenetic analysis presented here, Cyclotosaurus is the sister group of the Heylerosaurinae (Eocyclotosaurus + Quasicyclotosaurus). Cyclotosaurus buechneri represents the only unequivocal evidence of Cyclotosaurus (and of a cyclotosaur in general) in northern Germany.