Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social decision-making in a group living cichlid fish

Many animals fight to win resources, repel competitors or establish dominance in a social group. Mutualassessment of fighting ability, where competitors gather and compare information about their opponent’s as well as their own fighting ability has been the dominant theoretical framework for understanding decision-making during fights. However, self-assessment, where each individual has a cost threshold and fights up until that point, may be more common than previously appreciated. In this study, we attempted to discriminate between these two potential assessment mechanisms in a group-living cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher by probing aggressive motivation during a territorial contest. We measured aggressive motivation, and used this metric to investigate assessment rules during an ongoing contest. We predicted that if these social fish use self-assessment, we would observe a positive correlation between the fighting ability of the probed animal and its aggressive motivation. Alternatively, if mutual-assessment is used then we predicted we would find a negative effect of the opponent’s fighting ability on the aggressive motivation of the probed fish because fish should be less motivated to fight against formidable opponents. Our results did not support either of these predictions. In contrast we found that small individuals were more aggressively motivated regardless of their opponent’s size. We discuss this result in the context of theoretical models of aggression in individuals of small body size. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effect of Some Growth Hormones on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Tet r apleura tetra ptera (Thaub)

Timber and non- timber tree species with medicinal properties often suffer from extensive exploitation. In order not to allow these species to go into extinction there is a need for rapid replacement. The study assessed the effect of plant growth hormones viz: indole acetic acid (IAA), indole butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and gibberellic acid (GA3), on seed germination and seedling growth of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Thaub). Seeds were collected from Akungba Akoko, Western Nigeria (Lat. 7 0 27 ' N and 5 0 44 ' E). Nine hundred and forty-five seeds (945) of T. tetraptera were sown in germination trays containing washed-sterilized river sand in the screen house. Before sowing, seeds were treated with different plant growth hormones (IAA, IBA, NAA and GA3) at different rates (0.005g/ml, 0.01g/ml, 0.015g/ml, 0.02g/ml and 0.03g/ml). Germination count was taken daily and seedlings were later transferred to open nursery at two leaf stage and watered daily. Growth parameters such as height of the plant, collar diameter and number of leaves were taken fortnightly. The effect of different hormone concentrations were highly significant (P≤0.05) on mean height growth of T. tetraptera seedlings, seedlings collar diameter and number of leaves. Different growth hormone concentration had no significant (P≥0.05) effect on leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, root dry weight and total dry weight. However, IAA, IBA and NAA at low concentrations enhanced the growth of T. tetrapteraseedlings. In conclusion, IAA, IBA and NAA could be used for rapid regeneration of T. tetraptera in natural forest and GA3 should be excluded in the pre-treatment procedure of T. tetraptera prior sowing.
Gestao genética de raças caprinas nativas no Estado da Paraíba

O presente trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar o estado de conservacao das racas e grupos de caprinos nativos remanescentes no Estado da Paraiba e propor um plano de gestao para esses grupos. Para tanto foi feito levantamento do numero de rebanhos existentes, numero e estudo demografico completo com base em questionarios estruturados e estimou-se o numero efetivo (Ne), taxa de consaguinidade (DF) e intervalo de geracoes (IEG). Todas as racas estudadas apresentaram Ne abaixo do valor minimo recomendado pela FAO (50), exceto a raca Moxoto (66,11). Isto indica a necessidade implantar um plano de gestao genetica, tomando-se como base aumento do numero efetivo, organizacao dos acasalamentos para controle da consaguinidade e aumento do IEG.
Studies on Combining Ability for Yield and Quality Traits in Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

The experimental material in brinjal (eggplant) comprised 19 parents (15 lines + 4 testers), 60 F1 crosses and two standard checks (BH-1 and BH-2). This was grown in Randomized Block Design, with three replications. Lines vs. testers showed significance for all characters except plant height, plant spread, number of primary branches, dry matter, total sugars and total phenol. Analysis for parents vs. hybrids showed significance for all the characters except average fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, plant spread and number of primary branches. Analysis of Variance for combining ability revealed mean squares due to lines and testers were significant for all the characters except plant height, plant spread, number of primary branches, total sugars, total phenol and content of anthocyanins. The ratio of variance due to specific combining ability and general combining ability (σ2SCA: σ2GCA) was greater than unity, indicating non-additive genetic control for all traits except plant spread and total phenols. Among the females, Punjab Barsati, PBR-91-1, RCMBL-1-1, BSR-11; and among the males, BB-93-C and U-8-61-3 were best general combiners for yield and yield components. Punjab Barsati was the best combiner for days to 50% flowering, days to first fruit harvest, number of fruits per plant and number of primary branches. The cross JBR-3-16 × PB-64 manifested best SCA effects for days to 50% flowering; PBR-91-1JBSR-98-2 for average fruit weight; BSR-11 × PB-64 for fruit length; BSR-11× U-8-61-3 for fruit girth, and the cross HABL-1 × JBSR-98-2 for yield per plant and per hectare.
Plant Species Richness on a Transmission Right-of-Way in Southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. Using Integrated Vegetation Management

The Green Lane Research and Demonstration Area, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S., has been studied each year since 1987, making this 21-year-old project extremely valuable as a source of information on the effects of mechanical and herbicidal maintenance on flora and fauna along an electric transmission right-of-way (ROW). In this article, our objective was to document plant species richness among treatment units and in relation to wire and border zones on the ROW. We noted the presence of plant species from late May through mid-August in 2005 and 2006 and observed 114 vascular plant species in the ten treatment units; 35 (31%) of these species were exotic. Twenty-seven (24%) species were widespread on the ROW and seven of these (26%) were exotic. The total number of species per unit ranged from 46 (40%) species in handcut units to 57 (50%) in stem–foliage spray units. Of the total number of species, 103 (90%) and 81 (71%) occurred in wire and border zones, respectively. The number of exotic species was higher in wire zones (33 [29%]) than in border zones (22 [19%]).
Hygienic behaviour in honey bees

This thesis focuses on hygienic behaviour in honey bees. In beekeeping, brood diseases incur heavy economical and biological costs and are no longer effectively treated with chemicals. Previous research has shown how hygienic behaviour, a trait expressed by c. 10% of unselected colonies, can be effective in reducing the impact and presence of such diseases. Hygienic behaviour is experimentally measured using the freeze-killed brood (FKB) bioassay and can be increased by selective breeding, generating lines of hygienic colonies. Chapter 4 demonstrates that the relative rarity of hygienic behaviour in unselected colonies is not because it incurs a cost via the removal of healthy brood. Chapter 5 - 6 focus on the impact of external factors on hygienic behaviour. Specifically, we demonstrate that the presence of brood, amount of food, and strength of the colony affect hygienic levels (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 shows that hygienic behaviour does not correlate with agressiviness or agitated behaviour. When breeding honey bees, it is possible to exploit instrumental insemination to have complete control over the genetic composition of the resulting progeny. This technique is however laborious and requires particular equipment and training. In Chapter 7 we show that it is possible to obtain acceptable levels of hygienic behaviour without artificial insemination. Chapter 8 illustrates how we obtained the first breeing line of hygienic honey bees through a selective breeding program that saw its first milestone in autumn 2013 when we detected high levels of hygienic behaviour. The results obtained represent the foundation for future research projects. Chapter 9 presents a valid, minimal methodology to keep virgin queens. We tested a variety of methods and factors to determine the best, mos cost-effective way to maintain queens for the week prior their introduction into a queenless hive. The results obtained provide some insights on both basic and applied aspects of honey bee breeding for hygienic behaviour and represent the foundation of what will be an ongoing selection programme towards a disease-resistant honey bee.
Loss, status and trends for coastal marine habitats of Europe

Over the centuries, land reclamation, coastal development, overfishing and pollution have nearly eliminated European wetlands, seagrass meadows, shellfish beds, biogenic reefs and other productive and diverse coastal habitats. It is estimated that every day between 1960 and 1995, a kilometre of European coastline was developed. Most countries have estimated losses of coastal wetlands and seagrasses exceeding 50% of the original area with peaks above 80% for many regions. Conspicuous declines, sometimes to virtual local disappearance of kelps and other complex macroalgae, have been observed in several countries. A few dominant threats have led to these losses over time. The greatest impacts to wetlands have consistently been land claim and coastal development. The greatest impacts to seagrasses and macroalgae are presently associated with degraded water quality while in the past there have been more effects from destructive fishing and diseases. Coastal development remains an important threat to seagrasses. For biogenic habitats, such as oyster reefs and maerls, some of the greatest impacts have been from destructive fishing and overexploitation with additional impacts of disease, particularly to native oysters. Coastal development and defence have had the greatest known impacts on soft-sediment habitats with a high likelihood that trawling has affected vast areas. The concept of 'shifting baselines', which has been applied mostly to the inadequate historical perspective of fishery losses, is extremely relevant for habitat loss more generally. Most habitat loss estimates refer to a relatively short time span primarily within the last century. However, in some regions, most estuarine and near-shore coastal habitats were already severely degraded or driven to virtual extinction well before 1900. Native oyster reefs were ecologically extinct by the 1950s along most European coastlines and in many bays well before that. These shellfish reefs are among the most endangered coastal habitats, but they receive some of the least protection. Nowadays less than 15% of the European coastline is considered in 'good' condition. Those fragments of native habitats that remain are under continued threat, and their management is not generally informed by adequate knowledge of their distribution and status. There are many policies and directives aimed at reducing and reversing these losses but their overall positive benefits have been low. Further neglecting this long history of habitat loss and transformation may ultimately compromise the successful management and future sustainability of those few fragments of native and semi-native coastal habitats that remain in Europe.
Effects of begomovirus infection of tomato plants on leaf trichome density and foraging performance and fitness of Eretmocerus hayati (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).

Plant viruses can induce changes in plant morphology and physiology,which may affect the performance of the insect vectors and parasitoids. However ,the impact of plant viruses has been rarely considered in the research of this type of plant-vector-parasitoid interactions. In this study,we tested and analyzed the effects of the begomovirus,tomato yellow leaf curl virus ( TYLCV),on the leaf trichome density of tomato and the foraging performance and fitness of the whitefly parasitoid ,Eretmocerus hayati Zolnerowich and Rose. Our results showed that viral infection of tomato led to a significant increase of leaf trichome density,which in virus-infected plants was 1. 8 times as high as that in uninfected plants. The host handling time and patch residence time of the parasitoid on virus-infected plants were 2- and 1. 5-fold as high as that on uninfected plants ,respectively. However,the parasitism rates,emergence rates and developmental durations of the parasitoid on infected and uninfected plants were similar. This is the first report of begomovirus-induced increase of plant leaf trichomes and its effects on a parasitoid ,and it provides new data for understanding the interactions between plants,begomoviruses,whiteflies and parasitoids.
Could our fisheries be more productive? Indirect negative effects of bottom trawl fisheries on fish condition

Summary 1. The nets used in bottom trawl fisheries cause mortality of benthic invertebrates and this can decrease the long-term availability of prey to exploited fish species by reducing the abundance of benthic invertebrates. This may have consequences for the sustainability of fisheries. 2. We assessed the impact of bottom trawling on the food availability of fish by comparing the condition of fish (as weight-at-length) in an area that had a steep commercial bottom-trawling gradient in the Irish Sea but otherwise homogeneous environmental conditions. 3. We found that the condition of the important commercial flatfish plaice Pleuronectes platessa was negatively related to trawling frequency, and this could be explained by a reduced production of the infaunal invertebrates they feed on. Density-dependent changes in competition over food could not explain this difference. No effect of trawling on the condition of the flatfish dab Limanda limanda was detected. Whiting Merlangius merlangus feeds primarily on fish, and therefore, no effect of bottom trawling on its condition was expected or detected. 4. This study therefore indicates that bottom trawl fisheries may have a negative effect on the condition of some of their target species, but not others, by reducing the abundance of their benthic prey. 5. Synthesis and application. Bottom trawls may indirectly affect the population size and growth rate of the target fish species and result in lower fishing yields. Such reductions in the yield and sustainability of fisheries are highly undesirable. The effects of bottom trawls may be mitigated by the modification of fishing gears or by minimizing the area of the seabed fished by bottom trawls.
Effect of Horticultural Therapy Using Pressed Flower Based Upon Logotherapy on the Improvement of the Purpose in Life and Ego Identity of Middle-aged Women

Both the practice of horticultural therapy using pressed flowers based upon logotherapy and the practice of conventional horticultural therapy using pressed flowers were compared to investigate the effectiveness on the improvement of the purpose in life, ego-identity, and self-esteem of middle-aged women. The participants of this study was low-income, middle-aged women whose ages ranged from 40 to 59 resident in 00 city. The control group, treatment group Ⅰ, and treatment group Ⅱ consisted of 15, 12, and 13 people, respectively. Study was performed from May 23rt 2006 to August 10th 2006. In treatment group Ⅰ conventional horticultural therapy using pressed flowers was applied while horticultural therapy using pressed flowers based upon logotherapy was applied in treatment group Ⅱ once a week and 12 times programs in total. A purpose in life (PIL) test, ego-identity scale, and self-esteem scale were used as tools of this study and pre- and post assessments were made. When changes after horticultural therapy were compared with pre-therapy status in each test group, no differences in PIL, ego identity and self-esteem were made in the control group. In both treatment group Ⅰ and Ⅱ, significant differences were made in overall PIL and ego identity, self-esteem. However, as the changes of sub-categories of PIL and ego identity were compared between treatment group Ⅰ and Ⅱ, treatment group Ⅱ showed more significant improvement in goal achievement and self sufficiency among PIL items, than those of treatment group Ⅰ. Among ego identity, the improvement of goal orientation was more effective in group Ⅰ whereas that of self-acceptance was more effective in group Ⅱ. Through comparing the differences between pre and post horticultural therapy in each three group, there were significant differences in life goal, future aspiration, and self-sufficiency belonged to the sub-categories of PIL and overall PIL. Notable improvement was made in the life goal in treatment groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ as compared to the control group. Additionally, treatment group Ⅱ showed higher improvement in overall PIL as well as future aspiration and self-sufficiency than those in treatment group Ⅰ. In accordance with the differences in ego identity between pre and post horticultural therapy, overall ego-identity as well as self-acceptance and awareness of self-exstence in both treatment groups were improved as compared to that of control group. In the case of self-esteem, there was no significant differneces between treatment group Ⅰ and Ⅱ but both groups showed improvement in average as compared to control group. These results suggest that both the conventional horticultural therapy using pressed flowers and the one based upon logotherapy have effects on the improvement of PIL, ego identity, and self-esteem and that the latter is profoundly effective in the improvement of PIL.
Efectos ambientales que influyen en la dificultad de partos y el peso al nacimiento en la raza Asturiana de los Valles

Se han utilizado 5928 registros de la base de datos del Control de Rendimiento Carnico Oficial de la Raza Asturiana de los Valles para conocer la influencia de los principales efectos ambientales sobre la dificultad de partos y el peso al nacimiento. Las frecuencias de dificultad de partos en las categorias recomendadas por la BIF (1986) fueron de 50,4 p.100 para la clase 1, 39,6 p.100 para la clase 2, 7,0 p.100 para la clase 3, 1,8 p.100 para la clase 4 y 1,2 para la clase 5. El peso al nacimiento del ternero es la fuente de variacion mas importante para la dificultad de partos. Los partos distocicos (suma de las clases 3 y 4 de la codificacion BIF) se acumularon en novillas a partir de los 41-42 kg de peso al nacimiento del ternero, y en vacas multiparas a partir de los 48-49 kg. Los terneros machos presentaron un 6,5 p.100 mas de partos distocicos que las hembras, y los culones un 16 p.100 mas que los normales. Los partos distocicos en los machos culones presentaron una frecuencia del 25 p.100. Las vacas culonas presentaron una frecuencia de partos distocicos 4 p.100 superior a las vacas normales en el sentido encontrado en la bibliografia. Sin embargo, se encontro una interaccion significativa entre el tipo de la vaca y el tipo de ternero. Cuando se tuvo en cuenta el tipo del ternero las vacas normales presentaron las mayores frecuencias de partos distocicos, especialmente cuando parian un ternero culon, en que superaban en un 6,5 p.100 a las vacas culonas que parian terneros culones.
Hematopoietic progenitor populations for cell therapy of autoimmune diseases : characterization and comparison of their mechanism of action in Type I Diabetes and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

It is well known today that various infectious events or other stimuli of the immune system can trigger hematopoiesis. The hematopoeitic stem and/or progenitor cells express on their cell surface Toll-like receptors which can recognize molecular motifs of infectious agents. The stimulation of TLRs on hematopoietic stem cells favors their differentiation into myeloid lineages, reinforcing the capacity of our body to fight against the pathogens. Herein, we have investigated whether the stimulation of TLRs can induce, instead, the emergence within the bone marrow of selective progenitor cells with immunoregulatory properties. We show that incubation of bone marrow cells with the TLR-9 ligand CpG-B can induce a pro-B cell population (named CpG-proBs) whose adoptive transfer at low numbers of 60,000 cells provided long-lasting protection in two models of autoimmune diseases, Type I Diabetes (TID) and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) at the onset of clinical signs. The migration, differentiation and molecular mechanism of action of this protective population is described and compared between these two models. In both models, the CpG-proBs migrate to the target tissue of autoimmune responses and differentiate into more mature regulatory B cells. In TID, IFN-γ produced by both T and CpG-proB cells is essential for the upregulation of FasL at the surface of CpG-proBs, inducing the apoptosis of the effector T cells. In addition, IFN-γ reduced the T-cell production of IL-21, a major pathogenic cytokine in TID. The progeny of the adoptively transferred CpG-proBs, including transitional precursors B cells, marginal zone and follicular B cells, display high expression of FasL, promote apoptosis of effector T cells and prolong the control of autoimmune effector T cells in vivo. In EAE, IFN-γ was responsible for the restriction of T cells to the lymph nodes, inhibiting their homing to the CNS. IFN-γ indirectly induced the internalization of CCR7, a receptor required for the migration across the blood-brain barrier. In the spinal cord (target tissue in EAE), CpG-proBs differentiated into B220+CD5+CD1dhiCD11b+ cells secreting the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Finally, hematopoietic progenitor populations mobilized to the periphery by a cocktail of G-CSF and Flt3l, at the stage of MPP2, have already been shown to protect against TID by expanding the Foxp3+ Tregs. We evaluated them in the EAE model, showing that the ability of these mobilized progenitor cells to trigger the expansion of Foxp3+ Treg within the CNS and the periphery was necessary for providing protection to EAE mice since Treg depletion abrogated the protection once established. In conclusion, we provide evidence for the emergence of new populations of hematopoietic progenitor cells which can display immunoregulatory properties and might be used for cell therapy of autoimmune diseases.