Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A combination of salinity and pH affects the recruitment of Gladioferens pectinatus (Brady) (Copepoda; Calanoida)

Carbon dioxide levels in many estuaries fluctuate and, in several cases, reach extremes much higher than those predicted for oceans by the end of the century. Moreover, estuaries are characterized by natural fluctuations in salinity, and reduced pH, from increased pCO2, exposes estuarine organisms to multiple stresses. Although the effects of low pH on the reproduction of several marine copepod species have been assessed, studies examining effects of pH in estuarine copepod species are extremely scarce. Here, we aim at understanding the reproductive response of Gladioferens pectinatus to the stress posed by both salinity and pH. G. pectinatus was exposed to salinities 2 and 10, at four different pH levels each. Our results show no impairment in the brood size, embryonic development time and hatching success under low pH levels at either salinities. However, at salinity 2, the percentage of nauplii growing into adults significantly decreased at low pH, whereas at salinity 10, no major effect was observed. We argue that the combination of osmoregulation and acidity induced stress response can affect the development of nauplii and copepodites, as well as adult recruitment, likely due to energy reallocation and molting impairment. We also argue that resilience and phenotypic plasticity highly influence the ability of different copepod species and populations to reproduce and grow under stressful combinations of environmental parameters. This study points out the importance of understanding the effects of multiple stresses or parameters on the adaptability of organisms to water acidification.
Parasitismo de Amblyomma rotundatum (Koch) (Acari: Ixodidae) em Bufo marinus (Linnaeus) (Anura: Bufonidae), em Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Carrapatos ingurgitados da especie Amblyomma rotundatum foram encontrados em condicoes naturais infestando sapo cururu (Bufo marinus) no municipio de Mossoro, Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Os carrapatos foram identificados atraves das caracteristicas morfologicas. Este e o primeiro registro dessa especie parasitando sapos no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte.
THE GROWTH OF MYCORRHIZAL AND NON-MYCORRHIZAL FORSYTHIA X INTERMEDIA ZAB. PLANTS UNDER DIFFERENT CLIMATE AND IN VARIOUS GROWING MEDIUM

Water matter and aridity has started getting a big threat for the plants even excluding in the problematic areas by resulting of global warming and significant air temperature increase in summer at the present time. As a result the plant development slows down, the nutrition relations are affected negatively, plants remain weak, they cannot give the desired effect and in some cases death occurs. In planting studies that will be made in such problematic areas, mycorrhizal plants are used in order to minimize the problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference between the growths of plants with and without mycorrhiza in vegetation studies that will be made in arid regions. For this purpose, mycorrhiza effects are experienced on Forsythia x intermedia plants which are preferred at landscape architecture designs because of its common existence in dense-massive vegetative designs and their functional and esthetic properties. Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Forsythia x intermedia saplings were planted in S, SS, SSO medium at three test areas with different annual rainfall values. By taking measurements once in every three months; the root length, number of shoots and distance between nodes were determined. Key Terms: Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza, Forsythia x intermedia, drought stress, plant growing
Rapid detection of virus based on immunocapture combined with reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification

An immunocapture reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (IC-RT-LAMP) was developed for detection of potato virus Y (PVY) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). In this procedure, 2 sets of primers were designed to match CMV and PVY specific sequences. The PCR tubes used for this assay were coated with monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) specific for PVY and CMV, respectively. The concentrations of MgSO4 and dNTP of these two detection systems were adjusted and optimized. The assays could be performed in less than 250 minutes, and the results could be identified through trained naked eyes. The use of Mabs combined with RT-LAMP conferred high sensitivity and specificity for virus detection not only in plant tissues, but also in aphids. The detection results between IC-RT-LAMP and RT-PCR were highly consistent. The results showed that IC-RT-LAMP allowed a rapid detection of CMV and PVY in aphids without RNA isolation steps and a thermal cycler. No differences in sensitivity and specificity were detected between IC-RT-LAMP and RT-PCR methods.
Anti-proliferative, in vitro antioxidant, and cellular antioxidant activities of the leaf extracts from Polygonum minus Huds: Effects of solvent polarity

ABSTRACT The present study reports the antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of Polygonum minus leaf extracts obtained through sequential extraction using four solvents of varying polarities (i.e. hexane (HX), ethyl acetate (EA), methanol, and water). The antioxidant potential was evaluated by measuring the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical-scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging, superoxide anion and nitric oxide scavenging, ferrous ion-chelating (FIC), and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays. The highest antioxidant potential was generally shown by the methanol extract (PM-MeOH). PM-MeOH exhibited the highest values for TPC (174.00 ± 0.18 mg GAE/g), TFC (53.19 ± 0.71 mg GAE/g), FRAP (1728.33 ± 0.96 µmol Fe2+/g), ABTS (226.25 ± 4.25 µmol TE/g), DPPH (1276.81 ± 7.08 µmol TE/g), and nitric oxide scavenging assays (IC50, 675 ± 32.33 µg/mL). In the CAA assay, PM-MeOH dose-dependently inhibited the peroxyl radical-induced oxidation of 2ʹ,7ʹ-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH2) to 2ʹ,7ʹ-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) in HCT116 cells, with an EC50 value of 263.92 ± 21.60 µg/mL. Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses of PM-MeOH suggested the presence of tannins and flavonoids including apigetrin, hyperoside, isoquercetin, astragalin, miquelianin, quercetin, and quercitrin. P. minus hexane (PM-HX) and ethyl acetate (PM-EA) extracts showed selective cytotoxicity towards HCT116 with IC50 values of 40.00 ± 0.83 µg/mL and 43.18 ± 0.67 µg/mL, respectively. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of P. minus as a source of bioactive phytochemicals that may be useful in cancer therapeutics and nutraceutical industry.
Studies on the Influence of Growth Regulators and Chemicals on the Quality Parameters of Grape cv. 2A Clone

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is an important and delicious subtropical fruit crop having its origin in Asia Minor. In India it is cultivated in an area of about 1.18 lakh ha with an annual production of 25.85 lakh tonnes. Grape cultivation in India acquires great significance due to its high productivity (21.8 mt/ha) compared to many other grape producing countries (Anon., 2014). Maharashtra occupies the largest area among the different Indian states and Karnataka stands second in grape production with a productivity of (14.8 mt/ha). It produces 3.02 lakh tonnes annually from an area of 0.20 lakh ha (Anon., 2014). Among many cultivars grown in India, Thompson Seedless is the leading variety and recently 2A Clone is gaining popularity in Karnataka and also in other parts of India on account of its superior table and raisin quality. Plant growth retardants generally have great effects on expanding of elongation cells, where inhibition of GA synthesis rapidly causes reduction in shoot elongation and thereby International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 5 (2017) pp. 2585-2592 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
The in vitro and in vivo formation and potency of 6β-naltrexol, the major human metabolite of naltrexone.

i Acknowledgements . iv List of abbreviations used in this thesis . v 1. Naltrexone and 6β-Naltrexol: A Review of the Literature.1 1.1. Summary . 1 1.2. Opioid Pharmacology . 1 1.2. 1. History . 1 1.2. 2. Opioid Structure.3 1.2. 3. Opioid Receptors.4 1.2. 4. Receptor Tolerance and Dependence.12 1.3. Naltrexone and 6β-Naltrexol . 14 1.3. 1. Naltrexone History . 14 1.3. 2. Chemistry of Naltrexone and its Metabolites . 14 1.4. Determination of Naltrexone and its Metabolites in Biological Fluids . 16 1.4. 1. Thin layer chromatography (TLC). 17 1.4. 2. Gas chromatography (GC). 17 1.4. 3. Mass spectrometry (LC-MS[/MS], GC-MS[/MS]). 18 1.4. 4. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) . 20 1.4. 5. Summary.21 1.5. Metabolism of Naltrexone.22 1.6. Pharmacokinetics of Naltrexone.26 1.7. Pre-Clinical Pharmacology of Naltrexone and its Metabolites . 31 1.8. Clinical Pharmacology of Naltrexone.36 1.8. 1. Toxicity of Naltrexone . 36 1.8. 2. Naltrexone Pharmacotherapies . 37 1.8. 3. Opioid Detoxification.39 1.8. 4. Low Dose and Ultralow Dose Naltrexone Therapy.40 1.9. Summary . 42 1.10. Aims of the Current Project . 42 2. Synthesis of 6β-naltrexol from naltrexone.44 2.
Nota sobre o consumo de frutos de Billbergia zebrina (Bromeliaceae) por Sturnira lilium (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) no sul do Brasil

Note on the consumption of fruits of Billbergia zebrina (Bromeliaceae) by Sturnira lilium (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in southern Brazil. Sturnira lilium was colected from December 2006 to May 2009, in remainder of “restinga” vegetation in Santa Catarina state. In three opportunities we observed the presence of seeds of Billbergia zebrina in feces of S. lilium. The fruits of Bromeliaceae are rare as part of the diet of bats in the Neotropical area. This is the first record of B. zebrine in the diet of S. lilium.
A Comparative Study of Antioxidant and Physicochemical Properties of Blackberry and Kiwifruit

Five erect and thornless cultivars of Rubus hybrid blackberries (‘Loch Ness’, ‘Navaho’, ‘Arapaho’, ‘Apache’, and ‘Triple Crown’) were analyzed for their antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging activity expressed as vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC), total phenolic (TPH), flavonoid (TF) and anthocyanin (ACY) were determined. ABTS and DPPH methods were highly correlated (R=0.897). Cultivar differences were observed with respect to antioxidant capacity, TPH and ACY (P < 0.05). The antioxidant capacity determined by the ABTS and DPPH methods ranged from 559.5 to 698.5 and 347.0 to 464.2 mg VCE/100g FW ,respectively, TPH from 221.2 to 342.1 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100g FW, TF from 53.6 to 71.4 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/100g FW and ACY from 38.3 to 72.3 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalents (CGE)/100g FW. In general, ‘Loch Ness’ had the highest TPH (342.1 mg GAE/100g FW), TF (71.4 mg CE/100g FW), ACY (74.1 mg CGE/100g FW), antioxidant capacity (698.5 mg VCE/100g FW) and radical scavenging activity (464.2 mg VCE/100g FW) respectively. The results of this study indicates that phenolic compounds contribute significantly to the overall antioxidant capacities of Alabama grown blackberries. Such information will assist Alabama fruit growers and consumers in regards to the health
Evaluation and Determination of Lactase Activity on Various Lactic Acid Bacteria isolated from Kefir by using HPLC

Kefir is a probiotic food. Probiotics have shown to be beneficial to health, and are currently of great interest to the food industry. Hence, this study was carried out to evaluate the lactase activity of kefir-isolated lactic acid bacteria. Three strains, Lactobacillu kefiri DH5 isolated from the kefir grains and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis and Bifidobacteria longum 720, commercial probiotic LAB, were fermented in 10% reconstituted nonfat dry milk suspensions and incubated at 37°C for 48 h, and then analyzed for various saccarides by HPLC. The results showed that changes in the concentrations of lactose and galactose were significantly decreased and increased, respectively (p<0.05), but all 3 probiotic strains tested in this study showed no increase in glucose concentration during 48 h of incubation. Both DH5 and BL720 showed high lactase activities (p<0.05), whereas BLC exhibited the lowest activity. Additionally, all three lactic acid bacteria showed high tagatose, but did not show high xylose and sedoheptulose. Finally, DH5, a kefir-isolated LAB, may have similar characteristics and properties to typical Bifidobacterium spp. and showed higher lactase activity than commercial Bifidobacterium spp.
Shifts in the relative importance of competition and mutualism for communities and ecosystems

Plant species interact with at least one, likely many, microbial mutualist throughout their life cycles. These microbial mutualists can have strong effects on plant communities and ecosystem processes. Fungal endophytes within the genus Epichloë associate with ~20%–30% of grass species and have been shown to have strong effects on plant communities. Here I described the effect of Epichloë amarillans associated with the dominant grass species, Ammophila breviligulata, on nutrient cycling, below-ground microbial community, and compare the strength of its effects on plant communities to plant-plant competition. In chapters one and two, I examine the effects of Epichloë on litter decomposition and below-ground microbial communities in the Great Lake dunes within the context of altered precipitation and soil moisture. In chapter 1, using litterbags, I found that the endophyte presence in litter increased initial rates of decomposition, though the effect disappeared after one growing season. Later litter decomposition was slowed by endophyte presence in A. breviligulata conditioning the soil microenvironment. In
Individual, fruit, and annual variation in correlated mating in a Genipa americana population

Abstract In this paper, we use six microsatellite loci to examine a spatially isolated population of Genipa americana in relation to mating system variation at the level of individual and among and within fruits, over two reproductive events. For our analysis, we sampled hierarchically among and within fruits open-pollinated seeds collected from 13 seed trees during the reproductive event in 2010 and 12 seed trees in 2011. The rate of mating among relatives (1-ts) was significantly greater than zero and different between the investigated reproductive events, indicating that some seeds are inbred. The estimate of fixation index (Fo) was significantly higher than zero for seeds from both reproductive events (2010: Fo = 0.258; 2011: Fo = 0.294), confirming that seeds present inbreeding, probably originated from mating among full-sibs. The multilocus paternity correlation within fruits (rp(w)) and among fruits (rp(a)) varied among seed trees and reproductive events. The rp(w) was significantly higher than rp(a) in both reproductive events, suggesting that it is more likely to find full-sibs within fruits (2010: 36.4%; 2011: 72.4%), than among fruits (2010: 18.9%; 2011: 12.8%). Due to the presence of inbreeding, mating among relatives and correlated mating, the within families coancestry coefficient (Θ) was higher and the variance effective size (Ne) lower than expected in open-pollinated families from panmictic populations (Θ = 0.125, Ne = 4). In practical terms for conservation programs, our results show the need to collect seeds from at least 60 seed trees to retain progeny arrays with a total effective size of 150.
The Effect of Intercropping and Nitroxin Biofertilizer on Yield Components and Relative Yield Total of Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.) and Dragon’s Head ( Lallemantia iberica Fisch. & C.A. Mey)

A field study was conducted in order to evaluate the effects of intercropping and biofertilizers on yield and yield components of purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.) and dragon’s head ( Lallemantia iberica Fisch. and C.A. Mey). The experiment was factorial on the basis of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor was an additive intercropping system including monocultured purslane, monocultured dragon’s head, intercropping of 100% purslane + 25% dragon’s head, intercropping of 100% purslane + 50% dragon’s head, intercropping of 100% purslane + 75% dragon’s head; the second factor was nutrient treatments including application of 50% inorganic N fertilizer (urea) + nitroxin, inorganic N fertilizer (urea), nitroxin and no fertilizer. Results showed that as the density of dragon’s head increased, the number of branches in purslane decreased. In purslane, the number of capsules was significantly affected by intercropping and application of biofertilizers. In both crops, the effects of treatments on yield were significant. Results clearly showed that Relative Yield Total (RYT) was always higher in intercropping than monocultured systems. The highest RYT was observed in intercropping of 100% purslane + 50% dragon’s head with the application of 50% inorganic N fertilizer (urea) + nitroxin. Therefore, combination usage of biofertilizers and inorganic N fertilizers can improve yields in purslane/dragon’s head intercropping.
Rotifers (Rotifera: Eurotatoria) from floodplain lakes of the Dibru Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve, upper Assam, northeast India: ecosystem diversity and biogeography

This study aims to assess ecosystem diversity of Rotifera of the floodplain lakes (beels) of the Brahmaputra river basin with reference to faunal diversity of the taxon in wetlands of conservation areas of India. We observed 141 rotifer species, belonging to 31 genera and 17 families, from three beels of the Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve (DSBR) of Assam, northeast India (NEI) with high total richness (117±2 species) in individual beels. One, two and three species are new to the Oriental region, India and Assam state, respectively and 21 species are globally interesting. The diverse Lecanidae > Lepadellidae > Trichocercidae; the paucity and scarceness of Brachionidae and Brachionus spp. in particular; and rare nature of Keratella , Filinia , Asplanchna , Polyarthra , and Conochilus are salient. The monthly richness and community similarities affirmed heterogeneity in species composition in individual beels while this study exhibited overall rotifer homogeneity amongst beels. The richness followed monthly oscillations in the three beels and lacked significant variations amongst beels. The peak richness of 76 species during summer (May, 2014) from No. 11 beel is one of the richest rotifer assemblages known in single date collection from an aquatic ecosystem of South Asia. Our results explained little influence of individual abiotic factors while canonical correspondence analysis endorsed high cumulative influence of 17 abiotic factors on richness in all beels.
PCR-based detection of single sequence variants from a natural collection of the non-model tree species European Aspen Populus tremula (L.)

Abstract In the present study we present and discuss the identification of species-specific SNPs to rule out any experimental influence of species-specific primer design (Populus tremula vs. the closely related model-species Populus trichocarpa) on the detectability of SNPs. Applying a species-optimized method, partial sequences of 14 genes involved in xylem cell development, xylogenesis, pectin formation, and drought stress reaction were analyzed at the genomic level. About 3 Mb of sequence information were generated by Sanger sequencing technology and 258 sequence variants were identified. 15 out of these represent insertions /deletions located exclusively in non-coding regions and the remaining 243 are SNPs found in coding and non-coding regions of candidate genes. The introduction of a species-specific SNP detection pipeline will help to detect nucleotide variants in P. tremula and to conduct association mapping in natural P. tremula populations.
Assessing fish and zooplankton species composition patterns in lentic waterbodies

For ecologists to better analyze and interpret relationships between species and their abiotic and biotic environments, it is useful to study biogeographical patterns of species composition. I examined lentic fish and zooplankton species occurrence patterns and the importance of several predictor variables in relation to these patterns. Fish communities in two Ontario regions exhibited significant nested species composition patterns. Lake size was a significant predictor. One measure of lake isolation explained some residual variation in both regions. Top predator presence was a significant predictor in one region. Through a meta-analysis, I found that crustacean zooplankton communities from across the Americas demonstrated significant negative species co-occurrence patterns. Presence-absence matrix fill and number of sites were the strongest predictors of the departure from random species co-occurrences. Comparisons of species composition patterns and drivers for different taxonomic groups could provide further insight into the level and types of non-random structure in freshwater ecosystems.
A taxonomic evaluation of Alburnus sellal Heckel, 1843 and Alburnus adanensis Battalgazi, 1944 based on morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Alburnus sellal inhabits Ceyhan, Euphrates, Orontes and Tigris river basins whereas Alburnus adanensis is geographically restricted to Ceyhan and Seyhan river basins. Due to the very similar morphometric and meristic characteristics, discrimination of these two species is difficult. The most important diagnostic character is the scale numbers in lateral line (73-80 in A. sellal vs 60-66 in A. adanensis) and pronounced lack of the dark grey band on side of the body. In order to clarify the taxonomic status of the A. sellal and A. adanensis, a total of 27 morphological characters and the nucleotide sequence variation of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) genes were analyzed on the specimens which were from Seyhan, Ceyhan, lower Euphrates and Orontes river basins. The results show high similarity between A. sellal and A. adanensis based on the morphometric and the morphological characters using Principal Component Analyses (PCA). In addition genetic distance of the specimens belonging to two species between 0.000 to 0.011 using COI and cyt b genes sequences. Therefore, our results based on morphology, molecules and nomenclatural priority pointed out that A. adanensis should be evaluated as a synonym of A. sellal.