Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Habitat preference of sea cucumbers: Holothuria atra and Holothuria edulis in the coastal waters of Sri Lanka

Despite their economic importance, the ecology of many sea cucumber species is poorly understood and factors influencing their habitat preferences remain largely unexplained. The distribution and habitat preference of two sea cucumber species; Holothuria atra and Holothuria edulis were studied off the north-west coast of Sri Lanka by underwater visual census in October 2008. The relationships between the density of each species and the habitat variables, such as mean grain size, organic content (% of dry weight), gravel (%), silt–mud (%), and depth, were examined using a generalized additive model. All these variables except silt–mud have significant influence (P < 0.05) on the habitat association of H. atra. The shallow water (<10 m) seagrass habitat with sediments characterized by 2–3.5% organic content, 15–25% of gravel and coarse sand (0.7–1.2 mm) were the most preferred conditions by H. atra. High densities of H. edulis were found in the shallow (<10 m) depths of rocky areas with algae and seagrass. Favoured bottom sediment conditions of H. edulis were mainly similar to the conditions preferred by H. atra, except organic content which did not significantly influence the habitat preference of this species. The preference towards the specific habitat characteristics seems to be associated with their feeding and protection. An understanding of habitat preference would be useful to improve the management of these sea cucumber populations and enable more precise stock assessment.
Breeding biology of the Eastern Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus orientalis

1. This paper describes breeding biology of the Eastern Great Reed Warbler. Field work was carried out from 1962 to 1964 at Gamou coast near Sendai in the north-east Honshu, Japan. Study area consisted mainly of reed marsh with grassy and wooded area. The birds settled in reed marsh and use grassy and wooded area for feeding ground.2. The first date of spring arrival of male in different localities were discussed. At Gamou, spring arrival ranged from mid-April to early June, but most of the males arrived by mid-May. Males arrived at the study area in waves which coincided with warm waves in air temperature.3. Process of establishment of territory was described. Average size of territory decreased inversely with the increase of number of males and changed from about 2500m2. in early May to about 900m2 in early June when all males settled. As the species breeds at high density in the restricted reed marsh, it seems better to consider that the Great Reed Warbler breeds in grouped territories.4. The Great Reed Warbler is partial bigamy. At Gamou, 71.6 per cent of males were monogamous, 15.8 per cent bigamous and 12.6 per cent were unmated males. The earlier arrivals of males, the higher the pairing success. The average size of territory in unmated males was larger than that in mated males. It suggests that quality of territory may be important for pairing success.5. Egg-laying extended between mid-May and mid-July, with a peak in early June. Clutch-size ranged from two to six eggs and the commonest was five eggs. The number of young raised per nest was higher in clutch of 5 than the others. There were seasonal changes in average clutch and in number of yound raised per nest. These seasonal changes coincided with that in egg-laying.6. There were two kinds of reed marshes at the study area; Phragmites marsh and Rottboelia marsh. Pairing success of males and breeding success of pairs in the former were different from those in the latter. In the former, most of the males mated and some were bigamous. On the other hand, about a half of the males in the latter were unmated and the rest were monogamous. Similarly, the number of young raised per nest was considerably higher in the former than in the latter. Therefore, it is concluded that the Phragmites marsh is more favourable habitat than the Rottboelia marsh.
İLKÖĞRETİM MATEMATİK 3.SINIF ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN TANIM, AKSİYOM VE TEOREM KAVRAMLARINI ANLAMA DÜZEYLERİ

Bu calismanin amaci, Ilkogretim Matematik Ogretmenligi Programi ucuncu sinif ogrencilerinin tanim, aksiyom, onerme, ozellik, teorem, ispat ve bunlarla ilgili bazi kavramlari anlama duzeylerini tespit etmektir. Bu amacla bir matematik kavram testi gelistirildi α=0,60 ve Erzincan Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Ilkogretim Matematik Ogretmenligi Programi ucuncu sinif ogrencilerine uygulandi uygulanmistir. Uygulanan test sonucunda, ogrencilerin tanim, aksiyom, teorem ve bunlarla ilgili bazi kavramlarda oldukca eksik olduklari ve bu kavramlara iliskin kavram yanilgilarinin coklugu dikkate degerdir. Ilkogretim ikinci kademe ikinci basamak ta ve orta ogretim seviyesinde gorev yapan ogretmenler, temel matematik kavramlari olan tanim, aksiyom, onerme, ozellik, teorem, ispat ve bunlarla ilgili bazi kavramlari ogretirken, ogrencilerin bu kavramlarla ilgili kavram yanilgilarina sahip olabileceklerinin farkinda olmalidirlar. Bu arastirma Calisma sonunda, ogretmen adaylarina yukarida bahsedilen kavramlarin ogretimiyle ilgili bazi onerilerde bulunulmustur
Chromosome segregation and meiotic defects in carriers of chromosomal abnormalities

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . xiv CO-AUTHORSHIP STATEMENT . xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Spermatogenesis . 1 1.1.1 Regulation of spermatogenesis . 3 1.2 Male Infertility . 4 1.2.1 Sperm parameters . 4 1.2.2 Testicular histology . 5 1.2. 3 Genetic causes of infertility . 6 1.2. 3.1 Y chromosome microdeletions . 6 1.2. 3.2 Cystic Fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations7 1.2. 3.3 Meiotic disorders. 7 1.2. 3.4 Other genetic causes of infertility . 8 1.3 Meiosis . 8 1.3.1 Synapsis . 9 1.3.2 Recombination . 11 1.3.3 Distribution of crossovers.15 1.3.4 Sex differences in meiosis . 15 1.3. 5 Meiotic silencing of the sex chromosomes . 16 1.3. 6 Checkpoints in meiosis . 17 1.3. 7 Non disjunction and aneuploidy . 18 1.4 Chromosome Abnormalities. 20 1.4. 1 Structural chromosomal abnormalities . 21 1.4. 1.1 Translocations . 21 1.4. 1.2 Inversions . 29 1.4. 1.3 Complex chromosomal rearrangements . 33 1.4. 2 Numerical chromosomal abnormalities . 34 1.4. 2.1 Aneuploidy . 34 1.4. 2.2 Supernumerary marker chromosomes . 36 1.4. 3.2 Interchromosomal effect . 38 1.4. 3.3 Sex, body association and infertility . 39
Effectiveness of Various Phenolic Compounds in Degradation of Chlorophyll by In Vitro Peroxidase-Hydrogen Peroxide System

The effectiveness of ethanol extracts from different leafy vegetables and commercial phenolic compounds in degrading chlorophyll (Chl) in a model system using commercial horseradish peroxidase was determined in vitro.The amount of Chl degradation ranged widely among the leafy vegetables with parsley and mitsuba ethanol extracts having 70 and 60 fold greater activity than that of the garland chrysanthemum extract respectively, which were the extremes among the eight leafy vegetables.Among sixteen commercial phenolic compounds studied, Chl degradation occurred only with apigenin (flavone), apigetrin (apigenin-7-glucoside), naringenin (flavanone), p-coumaric acid (monophenol) and resorcinol (m-diphenol). These results indicate that Chl degradation in the peroxidase-hydrogen peroxide system is dependent on the type of phenol, specifically those which have a hydroxy group at the p-position.The only degraded Chl product noted in the HPLC chromatogram, when using p-coumaric acid, was 10-hydroxychlorophyll a (Chl a-1). The amount of Chl a-1 accumulated was minimal, compared to the amount Chl degraded, and implies that most of the Chl was degraded to a colorless product without the accumulation of Chl a-1 as an intermediate.
Relationships between the Ratios of GNPS/FLA and SGW/FLA with Yield in Wheat

In order to provide scientific basis for breeding high yield new wheat varieties, the relationships between grain number per spike/flag leaf area (GNPS/FLA) , spike grain weight/flag leaf area (SGW/FLA) and yield in wheat were studied in 20 different varieties for two years. The results showed that there were highly significant genetic differences among different varieties for GNPS/FLA and SGW/FLA. The two characters can be improved through artificial selection. The phenotypic correlations and genetic correlations were significant or highly significant between GNPS/FLA and SGW/FLA with yield, respectively. GNPS/FLA and SGW/FLA had no obvious effects on yield components, and can be harmonized with yield components at a high level and regarded as important criteria of selecting in high yield breeding.
Intraspecific Variation in Seed Morphology of Arenaria uniflora (Caryophyllaceae)

Intraspecific variation in seed morphology was analyzed by SEM for nine popula- tions of Arenaria uniflora, a winter annual endemic to rock outcrops in the southeastern United States. Seed lengths ranged from 0.47-0.58 mm and showed almost no overlap between populations. Seed coats varied from corrugate surfaces with sinuate cell margins in plants from the center of the range in Georgia to smooth surfaces with entire cell margins for plants from the peripheries of the distribution in Alabama and the Carolinas. Rough, thick seed coats were characteristic of dry sites, and smooth, thin seed coats, of wet sites. Germination of smooth seeds occurred most rapidly, while more corrugate seeds required progressively longer to reach similar germination percentages. The wide range of variation detected in A. uniflora is probably due to the high potential for local differentiation of populations isolated on rock outcrops. The high levels of intraspecific variation reported here suggest that caution should be used whenever SEM-level features are employed to characterize species or other taxa.
The Restoration of Aquatic Vegetation in Lakes of Poyang Lake Nature Reserve after Catastrophic Flooding in 1998

The internationally important wetland,Poyang Lake Nature Reserve has several small lakes relatively independent from Poyang Lake.The aquatic plants in these lakes were destroyed by a catastrophic flooding occurred in 1998.The restoration of the aquatic vegetation following the high water stress was analysed by comparing the results of vegetation investigation in 1999 and 2001,as well as the historical data.The species number and the biomass in 1999 were lower than those before the flooding.However,species had restored by 2001,and the biomass of Vallisneria spp.and Hydrialla verticillata had exceeded that before the stress,but the biomass of the rest plants were still low.It was suggested the different restoration of plants were mainly related with their different vegetation propagation methods.The vegetation restoration in lakes of Poyang Lake Nature Reserve was different from that in temperate and other subtropical lakes in that no pioneer stage when Chara dominated occurred.The reason was that the frequent severe fluctuation of water levels in Poyang Lake affected the settlement of Chara.In the paper,we think that the decline of biomass of aquatic plants and the species number was just a short-term effect;and it will spend several years to restore the lake vegetation.
LIFE HISTORY AND PARASITES OF ASPHONDYLIA BORRICHIAE (DIPTERA: CECIDOMYIIDAE), A GALL MAKER ON BORRICHIA FRUTESCENS

We studied the life history, seasonal and spatial abundance, and parasites of Asphondylia borrichiae Rossi and Strong (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a newly described gall maker on sea oxeye daisy, Borrichia frutescens (L.) DC. Galls are located on the apical meristem of the host plant, are usually solitary, often prevent flowering, and can kill the host stem. Individual galls may contain from one to eight fly larvae, most commonly one to three. Gall size is greatest in spring. Galls can be found year round, and there are several generations, of which the largest occurs in the summer. Gall densities differ consistently between sites, but the seasonal variation of galls within sites is very similar. Fly larvae in galls are attacked by four species of Hymenoptera, Rileya cecidomyiae and Tenuipetiolus teredon (Eurytomidae), Torymus umbilicatus (Torymidae), and Galeopsomyia haemon (Eulophidae), of which G. haemon causes the most mortality. At least two of the parasites are facultatively hyperparasitic. Parasitism levels are low in the spring but rise quickly to reach 100% in the early summer and late fall.
Interrelationships of Applied Nitrogen, Applied Zinc, Plant Population, and Frequency of Irrigation on Yield and Quality of Sugarbeets

Sugarbeets have shown considerable potential as a crop for eastern New Mexico and the adjoining Texas Panhandle. The area has a dwindling groundwater supply, however, and the reputation of sugarbeets as a heavy water user raised a question regarding their long-term suitability. The possibility of moderating water application for sugarbeets by exploring the interrelationships with nutrient supply and plant population needed to be assessed.
Crayfish Plague ( Aphanomyces astaci) can be Vertically Transferred During Artificial Incubation of Crayfish Eggs: Preliminary Results

Artificial incubation has been widely used for production of presumably disease free crayfish juveniles for stockings in Finland. We investigated the possibility of vertical transfer of crayfish plague ( Aphanomyces astaci) from infected broodstock females to eggs and juveniles via artificially incubated eggs. Samples were collected from berried signal crayfish ( Pacifastacus leniusculus, Dana) with clear symptoms of crayfish plague infection. Eggs stripped from these females were incubated separately in an artificial incubator (Hemputin) in addition to newly hatched and one summer-old juveniles. The artificially incubated material was tested for crayfish plague using a new chitinase-PCR method. The results confirmed that the berried females and eggs were infected and crayfish plague infection was evident from juveniles. The results of this study indicated that crayfish plague could be transferred vertically from infected broodstock females to juveniles via the artificial incubation method. The production of diseased stocking material, and its subsequent release into the wild, has serious implications for crayfish stocks due to the potential spread of plague. These preliminary results point to a need for further study of vertical transfer of diseases during artificial incubation of crayfish. ( Keywords.— Aphanomyces astaci; artificial incubation; Pacifastacus leniusculus; transfer). 1
Response of mineral malnutrition elements in African ginger pseudo-stems to nematode infection

ABSTRACT Interference of nematode infection with mineral malnutrition (MMN) elements in biofortificated cultigens could devalue the health potential of such crops for humans. A pot trial was conducted to determine the response of selected MMN elements in African ginger (Siphonochilus aethiopicus) pseudo-stems to the southern root-knot (Meloidogyne incognita) nematode. Fifty-six days after inoculation, the sensitivity of the pseudo-stems to nematode infection was confirmed, with 23–45% reduced potassium in pseudo-stem tissues, but had no effect on other MMN elements. In conclusion, population densities of M. incognita race 2 should be managed to enhance the potential uses of S. aethiopicus as a biofortification crop.
The population biology of Chamaelirium luteum, a dioecious member of the lily family : life history studies.

An investigation of the demographic characteristics and consequences of sexual di- morphism was undertaken with the long-lived dioecious forest floor herb, Chamaelirium luteum (L.) Gray. Following seven consecutive years of censusing, individuals within populations were assigned to one of three sex classes: males, females, and individuals of unknown sex (i.e., plants not observed to flower during the study). Individuals of unknown sex showed different characteristics than both males and females, and it is believed that these plants represent ajuvenile class. The three sex classes differed in overall size: females were the largest, followed by males and then by putative juveniles. The putative juvenile class had the highest mortality rate, followed by females and then by males. Females produced larger inflorescences and flowered less often over a span of years than males. Age-specific and size-specific life history traits were also investigated. The populations were found to be structured according to age: seedlings 1-3 yr old had a much higher mortality rate than estab- lished adult plants. Furthermore, there was an interaction between sex and age in that males were found to have a younger age at first reproduction than females. The populations were also found to be structured according to plant size; changes in size from year to year, inflorescence size and flowering schedules in males and females, and mortality rates among juveniles were all correlated with plant size. The observed sexual dimorphism in life history traits between males and females indicates that there are differential "costs" associated with reproduction for the two sexes. The direct effects of flowering on plant size transitions were found to differ for the two sexes; flowering in a particular year resulted in a reduction in size in the following year for both sexes, but the reduction was greater for females. The potential impact of specialization of sex function on life history evolution within a plant species appears quite dramatic based on the findings of this study.
Sensitivity analysis of an early egg production predictive model in broiler breeders based on dietary nutrient intake

SUMMARY Neural networks (NNs), especially the group method of data handling-type NN (GMDH-type NN), are new tools in modelling growth and production in poultry systems. In the present study, the GMDH-type NN was used to model early egg production (EEP, eggs/bird) in Ross 308 broiler breeders (BBs) from 24 to 29 weeks of age based on their dietary energy and nutrient intake. The selected input variables were intake levels of metabolizable energy (ME; MJ/bird/day), crude protein (CP; g/bird/day), methionine (Met; g/bird/day), and lysine (Lys; g/bird/day). A sensitivity analysis (SA) technique was utilized to evaluate the relative importance of input variables on model output. The GMDH-type NN revealed a high ability in the modelling of EEP based on the input variables investigated. The SA results indicated that the models developed showed most sensitivity to dietary intake of Met, followed by dietary intake of Lys, ME and CP, respectively. The maximum sensitivity of each input variable was considered as the optimum value for maximizing EEP in BB. The suggested optimum values for dietary nutrient intake were as follows: 1·9–2·1 MJ/bird/day for ME, 23 g/bird/day for CP, 0·65–0·8 g/bird/day for Met and 1·4–1·5 g/bird/day for Lys.
Are Plants and Animals Alike? A Note on Evolutionary Plant Population Ecology

Evolutionary plant population ecology has inherited a major part of its theory from its zoological counterpart. This, in turn, has much inspiration from vertebrate studies (Strong 1983) making the two disciplines even more distantly related. The most appropriate dividing line is not between plants and animals but between modular and unitary organisms, as stressed and discussed by J. L. Harper (pers. comm.) and Harper and Bell (1979). For simplistic reasons, however, the delimitation is drawn here between plants and animals. In this note, I want to emphasize two aspects which might be of importance to evolutionary plant population ecology: first, problems in defining an individual, and, second, the commonness of saltational evolution. An individual will, further on in this note, be defined as what is between a sexually produced zygote and the next sexually produced zygote following Harper and Bell (1979). This also fulfils the criterion laid down by Hull (1980) "individuals are spatio-temporally localized entities that have reasonable beginnings and endings in time. Some individuals undergo considerable, though limited, change and still others change indefinitely until they eventually cease to exist".
Natural regeneration in patch clear-cutting in Picea abies stands in Southern Finland

Abstract The success of natural regeneration on patch clear-cuts in Norway spruce stands in Southern Finland was examined in terms of stocking and tree height. The experiment was established in mature spruce stands in the submesic Myrtillus (MT) site type. In each of the eight study sites, three plots were treated with clear-cutting and planting, clear-cutting with partial tree retention and planting, and patch clear-cutting without site preparation, respectively. In three of the study sites, one plot with patch clear-cutting and site preparation was established. Each plot was 1 ha, out of which three patches of 40×40 m were clear-cut in the patch treatments. 10–11 years after cutting, the patches had on average 1316 crop trees ha–1, of which 91% were spruces. Some 27% of the stands were up to the target stocking level (≥1600 ha−1), and 36% were at least satisfactory (≥1300 ha−1). Site preparation did not yield greater stocking levels on patches, but that result is ambiguous due to a difference in initial stocking. The average spruce tree height in the patches (0.76 m) was much smaller than in the case of clear-cutting and planting (2.42 m). In conclusion, the patches had been restocked tolerably well with spruce and birch for practical purposes during the 10- to 11-year period, but the regeneration process had been very slow compared to clear-cutting and planting.
Nesting ecology of Attwater's prairie-chicken

Attwater's prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) populations have declined since 1970 and there is little information on their life history. Seventy-one radio-marked female Attwater's prairie-chickens (n = 54 nests) and 9 incidentally found nests provided information on nesting ecology between 1977 and 1981. The majority (74 %) of initial nests were started between 12 and 26 March and renesting continued into mid-May. Nest success of initial nests ranged from 19 to 64 % annually. Renesting success varied from 0 to 51 % and did not occur in 2 of 5 years. Obstruction of vision (OV) values were greater (P = 0.04) at successful (x = 2.46) than at unsuccessful (x = 2.16) nests
The problem of pattern and scale in ecology

It is argued that the problem of pattern and scale is the central problem in ecology, unifying population biology and ecosystems science, and marrying basic and applied ecology. Applied challenges, such as the prediction of the ecological causes and consequences of global climate change, require the interfacing of phenomena that occur on very different scales of space, time, and ecological organization. Furthermore, there is no single natural scale at which ecological phenomena should be studied; systems generally show characteristic variability on a range of spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. The observer imposes a perceptual bias, a filter through which the system is viewed. This has fundamental evolutionary significance, since every organism is an "observer" of the environment, and life history adaptations such as dispersal and dormancy alter the perceptual scales of the species, and the observed variability. It likewise has fundamental significance for our own study of ecological systems, since the patterns that are unique to any range of scales will have unique causes and biological consequences. The key to prediction and understanding lies in the elucidation of mechanisms underlying observed patterns. Typically, these mechanisms operate at different scales than those on which the patterns are observed; in some cases, the patterns must be understood as emerging from the collective behaviors of large ensembles of smaller scale units. In other cases, the pattern is imposed by larger scale constraints. Examination of such phenomena requires the study of how pattern and variability change with the scale of description, and the development of laws for simplification, aggregation, and scaling. Examples are given from the marine and terrestrial literatures.