Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can comparing life histories help conserve carnivores?

The demographic relationship between life‐history variation and environment may form a foundation for developing conservation strategy. We predicted that grouping 52 North American carnivore species based on life‐history modules (reproductive output and reproductive chronology) would highlight differences in adaptations to particular environments. We tested whether differences among life histories related to particular environments classified according to primary productivity and seasonality into a 2 × 2 table. We found that bet‐hedgers (e.g., bears, martens, fishers) have evolved life history adaptations to unpredictable environments, marine carnivores (e.g., seals) have evolved highly competitive abilities, and other terrestrial carnivores show adaptations to high reproduction (e.g., neotropical felids and procyonids) or survival (e.g., foxes and skunks). For example, ‘reproducers’ lived in environments with low seasonality and high primary productivity and were characterized by high reproductive output (long gestation, large neonates and small litters), short chronology of reproductive events (early age at maturity and short life), small home ranges and high population density. Conservation measures to promote carnivore populations should differ relative to the type of life history, emphasizing adult survival for bet‐hedgers and survivors, and juvenile survival for reproducers and competitors.
Monitoring Azinphosmethyl Resistance in Adult Male Platynota idaeusalis (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Apple from Georgia to New York

Sex pheromone traps coated with concentrations of azinphosmethyl-impregnated adhesive were used to test levels of resistance in adult populations of male tufted apple bud moth, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker) from apple orchards in seven Eastern states. Resistance levels >10-fold were found in insects from five of six Adams County, Pa. , orchards, one orchard in New Jersey, and one of two orchards in West Virginia. Moderate levels of resistance (5 to 9-fold) were found in insects from the remaining orchard in Adams County, one orchard in New York, and one of two orchards in North Carolina. Males from three Pennsylvania orchards outside of Adams County, the other orchards in West Virginia and North Carolina, one orchard in Georgia, and two orchards in Delaware had low levels of resistance (<4-fold). These results suggest that the level of resistance found within an orchard may be influenced by the intensity of fruit production within a region. Level of resistance to azinphosmethyl was positively correlated with current seasonal carbamate use, but was not significantly correlated with current use of azinphosmethyl or other organophosphates (negative correlation coefficients). Levels of resistance and fruit injury were both significantly correlated with population densities in orchards as measured by mean daily catches of brood I or brood II male moths. Levels of resistance were not significantly correlated with surrounding habitat types or percentage of fruit injury. These results suggest that many apple growers have responded to the development of azinphosmethyl resistance within their orchards with increased use of carbamates and decreased use of azinphosmethyl. Levels of fruit injury were highest in orchards where populations of P. idaeusalis were moderately resistant to azinphosmethyl, seasonal azinphosmethyl use was high, and only small amounts of carbamate insecticides were used.
Differential Development of Breeding Plumage in Adult and Second-Year Male Ruffs Philomachus pugnax

We studied the development of breeding plumage in 641 Ruff Philomachus pugnax males during spring in 2004–2006 in southern Belarus with special emphasis on the growth rate of ruff and tuft feathers, which are the most colourful and spectacular parts of the male plumage. During northward migration, male Ruffs arriving in the end of March or early April showed a mixture of winter and striped feathers. The first adults with fully developed breeding plumage were recorded in the last 10 days of April and the proportion of individuals with breeding plumage gradually increased through spring. However, individuals with at least traces of winter or striped plumage were caught during the whole study period. Birds did not shed the whole winter plumage at once, which is typical for Ruff males in western Europe. Immature (second year) birds were less advanced in developing breeding plumage than adults. Only 20% of all 55 trapped second-year males were in full breeding plumage. During the main migration period there were no annual differences in the growth rate of breeding plumage feathers. Ruff lengths increased 1.6 mm/day in adults and 1.5 mm/day in second-year males, whereas the tuft grew 1.1 mm/day in adults and 1.0 mm/day in immatures. Although growing rates of ruff and tuft feathers were similar in immatures and adults, immature males started to moult into breeding plumage later than adults, resulting in less developed breeding plumage when they departed to the breeding grounds. As second-year males had lower body mass and slower body mass increase than adults, it was proposed that energetic constraints during migration are the main reason of delayed moult into breeding plumage in immature birds.
Smoked Wood as an Alternative for Wood Protection against Termites

Mindi wood (Melia azedarach) and sugi wood (Cryptomeria japonica) were smoked for 15 days using mangium wood (Acacia mangium), and for comparison purposes, wood preserved with 5 percent borax, polystyrened wood, and untreated control wood were prepared. All of the wood specimens were tested for resistance to (1) subterranean termites (Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren) in the laboratory, (2) dry wood termites (Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light) in the laboratory, and (3) subterranean termites in the field or via in-ground tests. The results showed that (1) mindi wood was more resistant than sugi wood to subterranean termite and dry wood termite attacks; (2) with regard to the Indonesian termite test standard, smoke treatment increased wood resistance to termite attacks, matching the highest resistance class of subterranean termites and dry wood termites; and (3) mindi wood offered equal resistance compared with polystyrened wood and wood preserved with borax, but in terms of the in-ground test, the smoke treatment did not affect wood resistance to termite attack, presumably because of leaching that occurred during the exposure test.
Social aspects of sustainability of groundnut production in semi arid eastern plains of Rajasthan

The importance of sustainability is increasing due to scarce natural resources and growing scientific innovations inagriculture sector. The present study, especially focuses on initiatives, where different social and technical aspectswere analyzed on the sustainability of groundnut production in Semi Arid Eastern Plains of Rajasthan, where 200 groundnut producing farmers were identified by using simple random and proportionate sampling methods from Jaipur and Dausa districts of Rajasthan. The results of study revealed that majority of the respondents possessed medium level of knowledge (65.5%) and adoption (68.0%) about sustainable groundnut production. The knowledge level about selection of land and field preparation, improved varieties, sowing, seed rate, seed treatment, irrigation,harvesting and storage was high in order, while it was comparatively low in case of fertilizer application and plantprotection measures. Whereas, aspect wise adoption level of seed rate, improved varieties, seed treatment, irrigation, spacing, weed control, harvesting and storage was comparatively high. It was low in case of fertilizer application and plant protection measures about sustainable groundnut production. The correlation analysis revealed that the social aspects, viz. land holding, socio economic status, education, family education, economic motivation, source of information utilized, change proneness and attitude towards sustainable groundnut production having significant positive relationship with knowledge and adoption level of sustainable groundnut production.
Effect of selected insecticides on soil microbial load in rice ecosystem

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to study the effect of carbosulfan 25 EC (NS) and chlorpyrifos 20 EC on the soil microbial load in the rice fields during 2012-2013. Application of carbosulfan 25 EC (NS) at the test doses (150, 200, 250 and 300 g a.i ha -1 ) and chlorpyrifos 20 EC at 250 and 375 g a.i ha -1 in rice did not show any noticeable adverse effects on soil bacterial and fungal count in rice field. Carbosulfan 25 EC (NS) at 300 g a.i ha -1 have moderate toxic effect on the population of actinomycetes in rice field during the early stages, but this effect was nullified at the later stages of the crop. Chlorpyrifos 20 EC at 250 and 375 g a.i ha -1 and carbosulfan 25 EC (NS) at lower doses, 150, 200 and 250 g a.i ha -1 did not show any adverse effects on the soil actinomycetes count in rice field. Carbosulfan at recommended dose 250 g a.i ha -1 is relatively safer than the higher dose 300 g a.i ha -1 in terms of toxicity to the soil bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes count in rice field.
β‐CCT, a selective BZ‐ω1 receptor antagonist, blocks the anti‐anxiety but not the amnesic action of chlordiazepoxide in mice

The aim of this study was to test further the hypothesis that different benzodiazepine (BZ‐ω) receptor subtypes may mediate anxiolytic and amnesic effects of BZ agonists, using the selective BZ‐ω1 receptor antagonist β‐CCT (β‐carboline‐3‐carboxylate t ‐butyl‐ester). Experiments were performed in Swiss mice using the elevated plus‐maze anxiety test and two learning tasks – passive avoidance and the radial arm maze. In the elevated plus‐maze test, β‐CCT (30 mg/kg, i.p.) completely abolished the increase in open‐arm entries induced by the BZ chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg, i.p.). Chlordiazepoxide decreased retention latency in the passive avoidance step‐through procedure, and increased the number of errors in the radial arm maze. These effects were not modified by β‐CCT. Except for a slight, albeit significant, amnesic effect in the passive avoidance test, β‐CCT was devoid of intrinsic activity when administered alone. These results are in agreement with previous studies using selective BZ‐ω1 agonists, and thus provide further evidence that BZ‐ω1 receptors may be involved in the anxiolytic but not in the amnesic effects of BZ agonists.
The influence of the rose and pea comb genes on reproductive performance in the male fowl

Certain types of infertility found in various animal populations may be due to genetic causes. This type of lowered reproduction becomes increasingly important in the male as the use of artificial insemination extends to more species. The extensive use of affected males tends to increase the frequency of these deleterious alleles in a population and thus lower the rate of reproduction of the species. In poultry, poor reproductive performance is a commercially important problem in broiler and turkey production. Any information, either genetic or physiological in nature, which might help correct this problem should be met with prompt attention.
Fauna de Coleoptera no Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil: abundância e riqueza das famílias capturadas através de armadilhas malaise

The Coleoptera fauna of Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Parana, was sampled during 52 weeks using malaise traps (from September 1999 to August 2000). Five different sites were selected according to floristic conditions: one site in initial stage of vegetacional succession; one in intermediate stage; one in advanced stage (recognized as a mature forest); one with an Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze plantation, invaded by native forest vegetation; and a fifth site in the edge area. The Coleoptera communities from the five sites were analyzed based on abundance and family richness. The total of specimens collected was 10,822 belonging to 64 families. The most abundant sites were those in initial and intermediate stages of plant succession; the abundance in the edge area was the lowest. The family richness is not related with the level of preservation of the sites. The beetle community structures of the five sites were not significantly different when involving all the families captured; but the more correlated pair-wise site structures reflected the vegetational stages of the sites. A temporal comparison of the beetle community structures was made, based on data gathered in one of the selected site which were sampled 13 years ago (1986/1987). The fauna collected in this year was more related with that of the initial stage of succession, in 1999/2000, than the one collected in the same area, in 1999/2000, nowadays considered as an intermediate stage of succession. This fact probably represents a parallel succession of fauna and flora. The dominant families, about 60% of total abundance, include Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae and Staphylinidae. Eventually, one or two of them, were substituted by Scarabaeidae, Ptilodactylidae, Cleridae, Coccinellidae, Lampyridae, Scolytidae, Cucujidae, Nitidulidae, Cantharidae, Scirtidae and Phengodidae. As observed in Vila Velha and other localities, there are a taxonomic family constancy among the most abundant Coleoptera families when using malaise traps. However, there were significant differences among the beetle community structures of the five areas in Vila Velha when only the seven most abundant families were included in the analysis.
Antimicrobial activity of lavender oil treated with nicotinamide

Lavendula officinalis plants were grown in perlite substrate culture, tr eated with three nicotinamide concentrations (0, 75 and 100 mg/L), also foliar sp ray with two different irrigation scheduling (10, 1 5 times/day) were used. Essential oil (extracted from two cuts) composition was identified using gas chromatography (GC). Essential oil samples were tes ted for their antimicrobial activity against five Gram positive bacteria, five Gram negative bacteria , six fungi, and four yeasts. The antimicrobial potency was determined by measuring the inhibition zone (mm) using whole plat diffusion technique. GC data showed the superiority of 1,8 cineol which varied from one cut to another according to the rat e of irrigation and application of nicotinamide. Lina lool was the second major constituent in all treatments; it showed vacillation due to nicotinami de application and the rate of irrigation from one cut to another. Antimicrobial inhibitory effect of most of the resultant lavender essential oils increased with increasing their volume from 2 to 5 μl. Most strain s of fungi and Gram positive and negative bacteria showed high sensitivity and were inhibited to a gre at extent. Different strains of yeast showed high resistance and survived essential oils test. Data c learly indicated the marked inhibitory effect of lavender crude oil samples against several human an d plant pathogens and non pathogenic micro organisms.
Allergens

Isolation of relevant allergens and their characterization are of most importance in developing a reagent for reliable and early diagnosis of latex allergy. Rubber elongation factor (REF) is the first allergen identified in Hevea latex in its primary sequence basis and has been suggested as the major latex allergen (Hev b 1). However, some most previous studies showed that REF was important allergen in SB patients but was only able to bind with IgE Abs in approx. 20% of latex-allergic health care workers (HCWs), as tested in immunoblotting and ELISA. In order to declare this discrepancy, we purified and characterized the REF from NRL in a considerable amount by a combination of detergent solubilization, high performance liquid chromatography and electrospray mass spectrometry. The purified REF was then used as target allergen in EAST and in vivo skin prick testing (SFT). Serum samples from 121 SB patients and 103 latex-allergic HCWs were tested and results revealed that of 62 (51%) SB patients with positive IgE to latex in CAP system, 50 (81%) also had REF-specific IgE Abs. We also found REF-specific IgE in two additional sera from SB patients with no detectable IgE Abs to latex. In the group of HCWs, REF was found to be able to bind with IgE Abs in sera of 52 (50%) patients. By SPT, the REF protein (10 pglml) elicited positive skin responses in 10 of 12 latex-allergic SB patients and nine of whom also had positive IgE Abs to REF. In 16 sera (SB) randomly tested, the purified REF protein completely inhibited the JgE-binding to commercial latex allergen in 9 serum samples, and in other 7 serum samples the IgE reactivity to latex was inhibited from 73% to 95% by REF, indicating that in many latex-allergic SB patients REF may be the unique sensitizer. Our results suggest that virtually the REF is not only a major allergen in latex for SB patients, but it is also an important latex allergen for HCWs.
The impact of a sit-and-wait predator: separating consumption and prey emigration

Reviews of the impact of invertebrate predators in enclosure/exclosure experiments suggest that much of the apparent depletion of prey is due to prey emigration induced by the predators. However, these generalisations derive mainly from studies of invertebrate predators that are predominantly active searchers (usually stoneflies) and of prey with strong avoidance responses (mainly mayflies). We examined the impact of a large sit-and-wait predator, the nymph of the dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii, which has recently invaded Broadstone Stream as a new top predator. Field enclosure/exclosure experiments were conducted to assess the impact of the invader on the benthos. Depletion of prey varied seasonally and among taxa, and was highest when prey density and encounter rates were high. Mobile prey, although least likely to show a statistically significant response because of high exchange rates, were those most strongly depleted. Experimental channels were used to separate the relative contribution of consumption and emigration to total impact for the two most depleted prey species. Depletion of prey was due solely to consumption and predators did not induce emigration. We therefore urge caution in making generalisations about the impacts of invertebrate predators, since sit-and-wait and searching predators potentially have very different impacts.
Irrigation with saline-sodic water: effects on two clay soils

The results of a 4-year experiment aimed at evaluating the effect of irrigation with saline-sodic water on the soil are reported. The research was carried out at the Campus of the Agricultural Faculty of Bari University (Italy) on 2 clay soils (Bologna – T 1 and Locorotondo – T 2 ). The soils were cropped to borlotto bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), capsicum ( Capsicum annuum L.), sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.), wheat ( Triticum durum Desf) grown in succession; the crops were irrigated with 9 saline-sodic types of water and subjected to two different leaching fractions (10% and 20% of the watering volume). The 9 solutions were obtained dissolving in de-ionised water weighted amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), deriving from the combination of 3 saline concentrations and 3 sodicity levels. The crops were irrigated whenever the water lost by evapotranspiration from the soil contained in the pots was equal to 30% of the soil maximum available water. The results showed that, though the soils were leached during the watering period, they showed a high salt accumulation. Consequently, the saturated soil extract electrical conductivity increased from initial values of 0.65 and 0.68 dS m -1 to 11.24 and 13.61 dS m -1 at the end of the experiment, for the soils T 1 and T 2 , respectively. The saline concentration increase in irrigation water caused in both soils a progressive increase in exchangeable sodium, and a decrease in exchangeable calcium and non-significant variations in exchangeable potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg).
Crohn’s Disease in Japan: Diagnostic Criteria and Epidemiology

New diagnostic criteria for Crohn’s disease and a review of Japanese epidemiologic studies are presented. New diagnostic criteria for Crohn’s disease were established by the Research Committee of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, set up by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare. For a definite diagnosis one of the following three conditions is required: 1) longitudinal ulcer or luminal deformity induced by longitudinal ulcer or cobblestone pattern, 2) intestinal small aphthous ulcerations arranged in a longitudinal fashion for at least three months plus noncaseating granulomas, and 3) multiple small aphthous ulcerations in both the upper and lower digestive tract not necessarily with longitudinal arrangement, for at least three months, plus noncaseating granulomas. Moreover, ulcerative colitis, ischemic enterocolitis, and acute infectious enterocolitis should be excluded. Data from the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, in addition to data collected from two study groups, these being the two largest studies in Japan, are reviewed with regard to epidemiology. The number of patients with Crohn’s disease has increased remarkably. The prevalence and the annual incidence of patients with Crohn’s disease in Japan were estimated to be approximately 2.9 and 0.6 per 105 population in 1986, respectively, and 13.5 and 1.2 per 105 population in 1998. Characteristic features of Crohn’s disease in Japan are that the male-female ratio exceeds 2, and that there is no second peak of incidence in the age group of 55 to 65 years. Clinically, Crohn’s disease with only multiple small aphthous ulcerations, which is the earliest stage of the disease that is diagnosable, was found in 5 percent of patients. Yao T, Matsui T, Hiwatashi N. Crohn’s disease in Japan: diagnostic criteria and epidemiology. Dis Colon Rectum 2000;43(Suppl):S85-S93.
Rectal Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Arising in Endometriosis: Report of a Case

PURPOSE Endometriosis of the rectovaginal septum can harbor different types of secondary tumors that may involve the rectal wall and protrude into its lumen, thus making diagnosis difficult. Extrauterine low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma may rarely arise in endometriosis. The purpose of this article was to present the third case of this association. METHOD This was a clinicopathologic study. RESULTS A 42-year-old female presented with abdominal pain and fever. Laparotomy revealed a large pelvic mass involving the rectovaginal septum and the colonic wall and which protruded into the lumen forming endoluminal polypoid masses. Concomitant peritoneal nodules and a metastatic paracolic lymph node were also found. Histopathologically, primary endometriotic foci were found in close relationship with an endometrial stromal sarcoma which invaded the rectal wall. The female genital tract had no endometriotic lesions. The patient was treated by surgery and subsequent chemotherapy and was alive and well 20 months later. CONCLUSIONS Endometriosis and its possible malignant changes should be taken into account in the differential endoscopic diagnosis of rectal masses in females.