Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic diversity and origin of timopheevi wheat inferred by chloroplast DNA fingerprinting

Domesticated timopheevi wheat (Triticum timopheevi) is an endemic crop of western Georgia in Transcaucasia. It has a distinct nuclear genome (2n = 28, AAGG) and is genetically isolated from other wheat species. To clarify the genetic diversity and the domestication of this interesting wheat, we analyzed molecular variation at 23 microsatellite loci in the chloroplast genome. Allelic diversity was evaluated using 94 accessions representing domesticated timopheevi wheat (T. timopheevi), wild timopheevi wheat (T. araraticum), and wild emmer wheat (T. dicoccoides). The average diversity index (H) in T. araraticum (0.206) was smaller than that in T. dicoccoides (0.284). No polymorphisms were detected among the six accessions of T. timopheevi, suggested a monophyletic origin of domesticated timopheevi wheat. Phylogenetic analyses of the plastotypes revealed clear differences between the chloroplast DNA of timopheevi wheat and emmer wheat, and thus supported the hypothesis that these two wheat species originated independently. None of the T. araraticum plastotypes collected in Transcaucasia were closely related to the T. timopheevi plastotype. On the other hand, the plastotypes found in northern Syria and southern Turkey showed closer relationships with T. timopheevi. These results suggested that the domestication of timopheevi wheat might have occurred in the region including southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Histochemical distribution of digestive enzymes in intestine of goldline, Sarpa salpa L. 1758

Histochemical localization of non-specific esterase, alkaline and acid phosphatase in the intestine of free-living goldline (Sarpa salpa L. 1758) was investigated. Fish were caught in the vicinity of the town of Zadar(Adriatic Sea Croatia), and samples of three parts of the intestine proper (anterior, middle and posterior) as well as the rectum were used for presentation of non-specific esterases, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase. Non-specific esterase activity was found in the cytoplasm and brush border of enterocytes in all investigated intestinal segments and the rectum. The activity was stronger in the middle and posterior part of intestine but weaker in the anterior segment of the intestine as well as in the rectum. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase was detected in brush border and supranuclear cytoplasm of enterocytes of all investigated intestinal segments. Enzymatic activity gradually decreased in a posterior direction. Acid phosphatase activity was observed as fine granular reaction product in supranuclear region of enterocytes and was almost equal in all investigated intestinal segments as well as in the rectum. The possible role of enzymes in intracellular digestion and transport is discussed.
Modulation of Intracerebral Glycosidase Activities by Intraperitoneal Administration of Glycosidase Inhibitors.

When administered to mice, enzyme inhibitors exert extensive effects that cannot be expected from their direct actions. On the basis of our previous observations [1], we tested how glycosidase inhibitors influence the intracerebral activities of various hydrolytic enzymes including glycosidases. The results showed that, when administered intraperitoneally, mannostatin and nagstatin stimulated, while siastatin and pyridindolol suppressed, intracerebral activities of glycosidases. The effects showed dose dependency. Although the above inhibitors influenced various other enzymatic activities as well, no particular significance could be attached to such effects because of the absence of dose dependency.
Assessment of residents’ destination image and their pro-tourism development behaviour: perspectives on the China–Pakistan economic corridor

Purpose Based on Butlers’ Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model and stakeholder theory, this paper aims to propose an integrative model to examine the perceived impacts of cross-border mega-infrastructure development within the China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). It was hypothesised that these perceptions may be predictors of residents’ perceived destination image (RPDI) and pro-tourism development behaviour (PTDB). Design/methodology/approach Interviewer adopted a self-administered questionnaire method and a descriptive technique to analyse the data. Findings The empirical results of 800 questionnaires in SEM indicates that, perceived CPEC benefits positively effects RPDI and PTDB. Further, the perceived CPEC costs positively influenced RPDI but had a negative relationship with PTDB. Moreover, RPDI partially mediated between perceived CPEC benefits and PTDB but fully mediated between perceived CPEC costs and PTDB. Originality/value In residents’ destination image studies, there is a paucity of the application of Butlers’ TALC model. Therefore, application of Butlers’ TALC model in residents’ destination image study in the context of cross-border mega-infrastructure development project of CPEC is entirely new.
Molecular, physiological and pathological characterization of Corynespora leaf spot fungi from rubber plantations in Sri Lanka

The plant pathogenic fungus Corynespora cassiicola causes a severe leaf spot disease on more than 70 host plant species including Hevea brasiliensis. Genetic variability in 32 isolates of C. cassiicola collected from diverse hosts and locations in Sri Lanka and Australia was assessed using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA and random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) analysis of total fungal DNA. Amplified ITS fragments from all 32 C. cassiicola isolates exhibited an identical size, and restriction analysis with seven different restriction endonucleases revealed identity in all of the detected DNA fragments. This finding of high genetic relatedness was further supported by the cloning and DNA sequencing of the ITS2 region from one Sri Lankan and one Australian isolate. However, RAPD-PCR profiles generated by 15 oligonucleotide decamer primers revealed significant polymorphism between groups of organisms. Genetic relationships among the isolates were determined by cluster analysis of the RAPD-PCR data and seven different RAPD groups were identified. Isolates showed strong correlations between the assigned RAPD group and the location and host plant genotype from which the isolate was collected. Correlations were also observed between the RAPD group, growth of the isolate and pathogenicity on different plant hosts.
Skeletal age assessment by measuring planar projections of carpals and distal epiphyses of ulna and radius bones in a sample of South African subadults

ABSTRACT The ratio of the projection of the carpal bones (Bo), and the total area of the carpal bones to the distal ulna and radius epiphyses (Ca), or (Bo/Ca), is a quantitative method for assessing skeletal age in immature subjects. The Cameriere method, based on this ratio, was applied in two samples of 563 South African Black and White subadults (243 boys and 320 girls), aged between 7 and 16 years. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), the Technical Error of Measurement (TEM) (absolute and relative values) and the Coefficient of Reliability (R) for both intra- and inter-examiner agreement were determined and compared. The accuracy was tested by assessing the Standard Error of Estimate (SEE). The results of SEE indicated a method error of 1.19 years and 1.09 years in boys and girls, respectively, and ranged from 0.84 years in 12 year old girls to 3.09 years in 16 year old boys. A one-way analysis of variance showed no statistically significant difference in SA-CA between Blacks and Whites. This method is useful for this population but the results of SEE must be taken into account in forensic contexts and whenever this technique is applied.
Ability of Standard Toxicity Tests to Predict the Effects of the Insecticide Diflubenzuron on Laboratory Stream Communities

We assessed the ability of a standard set of freshwater single-species toxicity tests to predict accurately effects of the insecticide diflubenzuron (1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)urea) on complex laboratory stream communities. The single-species tests complied with requirements prescribed for establishing freshwater quality criteria and included nine freshwater animal acute tests, five freshwater animal chronic tests, and one freshwater algal test. The stream communities were stocked from a natural source, equilibrated for 3 mo and then treated with diflubenzuron for 5 mo. Effects on these stream communities were assessed at the functional group level using biomass and diversity for the analysis. The single-species tests adequately predicted the concentrations of diflubenzuron which affected these stream communities; the most-sensitive test species, insects and crustaceans, were up to an order of magnitude more sensitive than the observed community effects. The single-species tests were less .
Wolf predation on livestock in an area of northern Italy and prediction of damage risk

Mortality due to illegal killing is still today one of the main threats to wolf conservation, and an effective management of the conflict between wolf presence and husbandry is a key element for species conservation. The research was aimed at identifying the farm characteristics and the environmental factors that influence predation, and at formulating predictive models of predation risk. We collected and analysed the data on official predation events that occurred during the period 2005–2012 in an area of the northern Apennines, and on the characteristics of livestock farms recorded at the veterinary services. Furthermore, we mapped the grazing areas used by livestock farms and measured 23 variables of the pastures. Our results showed that the majority of predation events were upon cattle, and that grazing management significantly influences the number of predation events. In particular, the pastures that suffered predation were those in which births occur directly on the pasture, those that had at least one period of free grazing during the year, and cattle farms that were lacking in any preventive methods. The number of killed animals per event was higher for sheep than for cattle and goats and increased progressively during the study period. Predation risk increases if the farms practice free grazing at least for a period during the year, if they are not protected by any preventive method and if the degree of surveillance is regular or constant. The risk of predation also increases with the increasing complexity of pasture shape, the decrease in the percentage of coniferous forest and if the pasture is exposed to the north. The model of predation risk showed that 56.6% of the pastures in the study area are potentially exposed to wolf predation, and it allowed us to identify the grazing areas where it is worthwhile intervening with preventive methods.
Biological effects of azadirachtin on Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fed on cotton and artificial diet

Third-instar nymphs of the Australian assassin bug, Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker) were released into cotton and soybean plots at a number of release densities to test their biological control potential. The number of Helicoverpa spp. larvae in cotton was reduced with the release of three or more P. plagipennis nymphs per m crop row. In the soybeans, populations of green mirids, Creontiades dilutus (Stal), and looper caterpillars, Chrysodeixis spp. , were significantly reduced when P. plagipennis were released at 2 nymphs per m crop row. The potential yield of cotton (but not soybean) was increased in the plots to which P. plagipennis were added. The data suggest that P. plagipennis has the capacity to be an effective biological control agent of soybean and cotton insect pests when released inundatively.
Establishment of big bluestem and Illinois bundleflower mixtures with imazapic and imazethapyr

Weeds interfere with establishment of native grasses and legumes. A study was conducted to determine the influence of imazapic 1 [(±)-2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5-methyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid] and imazethapyr [2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]5-ethyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid] on weed control and establishment of Pawnee' big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman var. gerardii Vitman) and Illinois bundleflower [Desmanthus illinoensis (Michx.) MacMill. ] planted in three binary mixtures of 220:110, 165:165, and 110:220 pure live seed (PLS) m -2 . Mixtures were seeded at cropland sites near Clay Center, Mead, and Lincoln, NE. Imazapic and imazethapyr were applied at 70 g a.i. ha -1 before planted species emerged. Imazapic or imazethapyr did not reduce dry matter yields of annual grass weeds, where herbicides were applied in April 1996 at Mead and Clay Center. Bath grass and broadleaf weeds were controlled at Lincoln, where herbicides were applied in early June 1996. The herbicides usually improved big bluestem yields and total forage yields in 1996 and 1997 at all sites. Illinois bundleflower yields at Lincoln, where imazapic and imazethapyr were applied, were greater than 3.0 Mg ha -1 in 1996 and 1997. In 1997, Illinois bundleflower did not survive at Mead and yielded less than 0.5 Mg ha -1 at Clay Center, regardless of weed control treatment or seed mixture. Imazapic and imazethapyr can improve the establishment of big bluestem and Illinois bundleflower mixtures.
Resistance of salt marsh substrates to near‐instantaneous hydrodynamic forcing

Salt marshes deliver vital ecosystem services by providing habitats, storing pollutants and atmospheric carbon, and reducing flood and erosion risk in the coastal hinterland. Net losses in salt marsh areas, both modelled globally and measured regionally, are therefore of concern. Amongst other controls, the persistence of salt marshes in any one location depends on the ability of their substrates to resist hydrodynamic forcing at the marsh front, along creek margins and on the vegetated surface. Where relative sea level is rising, marsh elevation must keep pace with sea‐level rise and landward expansion may be required to compensate for areal loss at exposed margins. This paper reviews current understanding of marsh substrate resistance to the near‐instantaneous (seconds to hours) forcing induced by hydrodynamic processes. It outlines how variability in substrate properties may affect marsh substrate stability, explores current understanding of the interactions between substrate properties and erosion processes, and how the cumulative impact of these interactions may affect marsh stability over annual to decadal timescales.
Determinants of hospital efficiency: A literature review

Background: Inefficiency is a pervasive problem in health systems. The World Health Organization estimates that on average, 20%-40% of the global total health expenditure is wasted. The proportion of total health expenditure attributed to hospitals is high, which implies that improving the efficiency of hospitals will lead to more efficient health systems. This study aims to synthetize the major determinants of hospital inefficiency and to develop a framework to identify causes of inefficiency and develop multi-factor interventions to address inefficiencies. Methods: The study is based on survey of the literature on the determinants of hospital efficiency. The studies include those that employ ratio methods of efficiency analysis, data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier models and econometric models such as the Tobit regression to assess determinants of technical efficiency. Data was extracted in a table format categorized as those that are within the hospital, outside the hospital but within the health system and those that are outside the hospital and health system in the broader macroeconomic system and analyzed. Results: Hospital efficiency is influenced by factors that may be internal to the hospital or external and thus could be wholly or partially out of the control of the hospital. Hospital-level characteristics that influence efficiency include ownership, size, specialization/scope economies, teaching status, membership of multihospital system and other factors such as case-mix and ratio of outpatients to inpatients. However, the effects of these variables are not definitive and consistent; all depends on the context. Factors out of the direct control of the hospital include geographic location, competition and reimbursement systems. The findings further elucidate that no single factor is effective in addressing hospital inefficiencies in isolation from others. Conclusion: There is no one single magic formula or intervention that can be adopted by different hospitals to improve hospital efficiencies. Multiple factors influence the efficiency of hospitals. To address hospital inefficiency multi-intervention packages focusing on the hospital and its environment should be developed.
Differences in growth and behaviour influence asymmetric predation among early-instar dragonfly larvae

Libellulid dragonflies lay large egg clutches. When eggs of two or more species are deposited at the same time and patch, one can expect a high density of early-instar larvae. Thus, interspecific interactions should be evident. We studied the interaction of two species, Sympetrum fonscolombiiand Orthetrum cancellatum, which typically co- occur in French rice fields. We experimentally simulated the laying of egg clutches of both species at the same time and site. Survival of O. cancellatum was reduced compared with that of controls without S. fonscolombii and also with that of S. fonscolombii in the two-species treatment. At the end of the experiment, mean head width of S. fonscolombii was greater than that of O. cancellatum, which may be one reason for the differential survival. In a second experiment we observed the behaviour of pairs of early-instar larvae of both species in different size combinations. Small larvae of S. fonscolombii reduced locomotory activity in the presence of larger O. cancellatum. In contrast, small O. cancellatum did not do so in the presence of larger S. fonscolombii. This behavioural difference may also cause asymmetric interspecific predation. Resume : Les libellules de la famille des Libellulidae pondent de grosses masses d'oeufs. Quand les oeufs de deux especes ou plus sont pondus en meme temps au meme endroit, il en resulte une forte densite de larves des premiers stades, et les relations interspecifiques sont inevitables. Nous avons etudie les interactions entre Sympetrum fonscolom- bii et Orthetrum cancellatum, deux especes qui cohabitent de facon habituelle dans les rizieres de France. Nous avons simule la ponte simultanee des oeufs des deux especes au meme endroit. Dans les experiences sur les deux especes, la survie a ete reduite chez O. cancellatum comparativement a celle des temoins en l'absence de S. fonscolombii et a celle de S. fonscolombii dans l'experience sur les deux especes. A la fin de l'experience, la capsule cephalique de S. fonscolombii etait plus profonde en moyenne que celle d'O. cancellatum, ce qui peut expliquer en partie les differences dans la survie. Dans une seconde experience, nous avons observe le comportement de paires de petites larves des deux especes choisies d'apres differentes combinaisons de tailles. Les petites larves de S. fonscolombii ont reduit leur acti- vite locomotrice en presence de larves plus grosses d'O. cancellatum. En revanche, les petites larves d'O. cancellatum n'ont pas reagi de cette facon en presence de larves de S. fonscolombii de plus grande taille. Cette difference de com- portement peut aussi entrainer une predation interspecifique asymetrique.
Population size of neonate and juvenile dusky sharks Carcharhinus obscurus in the Port of Ngqura, South Africa

Identifying nearshore waters that serve as important habitats for neonate and juvenile sharks is crucial for effective fisheries management. This study examined the abundance of neonate and juvenile dusky sharks Carcharhinus obscurus within the Port of Ngqura, on the south-east coast of South Africa, between September 2006 and August 2007 using a combination of shore-angling catches and mark-recapture data. During this period, the port was non-operational and still undergoing construction. A total of 480 dusky sharks, ranging in size from 50 to 123 cm (precaudal length), was captured. Catch per unit effort was greatest between October and February, peaking in November at 0.51 sharks angler–1 h–1. Of the 219 C. obscurus tagged and released during the study period, 37 (16.9%) were recaptured. Sharks were at liberty from 0 to 409 days with the majority (89.2%) recaptured within the port. Using a Jolly-Seber open population model, the abundance of sharks within the port was estimated at 552 (95% CI: 422–765). Annual apparent survival probability was 0.38 (95% CI: 0.30–0.46), with an average annual recapture probability of 0.28 (95% CI: 0.19–0.39). This study demonstrates that the Port of Ngqura is an important summer habitat and core activity zone for both neonate and juvenile dusky sharks.
How objective are protected area management effectiveness assessments? A case study from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

The assessment of protected area management effectiveness was developed out of a genuine desire to improve the way protected areas are managed and reported on, in relation to a formalised set of conservation objectives. For monitoring and reporting purposes, a number of participatory methods of rapidly assessing management effectiveness were developed. Most rapid assessment methods rely on scoring a range of protected area-related activities against an objective set of criteria documented in a formal questionnaire. This study evaluated the results of two applications of the same management effectiveness assessment tool applied to the same protected area, namely the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa. The manner in which the assessments were undertaken differed considerably and, not unexpectedly, so did the results, with the national assessment scoring significantly higher than the provincial assessment. Therefore, a further aim was to evaluate the operating conditions applied to each assessment, with a view to determining which assessment was more closely aligned with best practice and hence which score was more credible. The application of the tool differed mainly with respect to the level of spatial detail entered into for the evaluation, the depth and breadth of the management hierarchy that was consulted, the time in which the assessment was undertaken and the degree of peer review applied. Disparate scores such as those obtained in the assessments documented here are likely to bring the discipline of management effectiveness assessment into disrepute unless an acceptable and standardised set of operating procedures is developed and adopted. Recommendations for such a set of ‘indispensable constants’ were made in this article to ensure that management effectiveness assessments remain robust and reputable, thereby ensuring an honest picture of what is happening on the ground. Conservation implications: We proposed that standard operating procedures should be in place when protected area management effectiveness assessments are undertaken, in order for the results to be credible. This involves ensuring that the right people participate and that each participant is allowed sufficient time to peer review each other.
Fecundity, longevity and establishment of Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius) and Otiorhynchus ovatus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from the Pacific North‐west of the United States of America on selected host plants

1 The fecundity, longevity and establishment of Otiorhynchus sulcatus and Otiorhynchus ovatus from the Pacific North‐west U.S.A. was studied on five selected host plants: Picea abies‘Nidiformis’, Picea glauca‘Conica’, Taxus baccata, Rhododendron catawbiense‘Boursault’ and Fragaria×ananassa‘Totem’.