Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring simultaneous allocation to mating effort, sperm production, and body growth in male guppies

In several species, males increase their mating and sperm investment in the presence of unfamiliar females, the so-called Coolidge effect. Such an elevated reproductive effort is expected to be associated with a decreased investment in other costly traits, such as somatic growth and maintenance. How precopulatory, postcopulatory, and somatic investments interact one with each other, however, has been rarely evaluated simultaneously. We used the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a polyandrous livebearing fish with alternative male mating tactics, to compare these 3 investments between males whose encounter rate with unfamiliar females was experimentally maintained at either high (high mate encounter rate [HER]) or low rate (low mate encounter rate [LER]) for 4 months. At the end of this period, HER males showed an increased sperm production as compared with their LER counterparts. This increment was accompanied with a reduction in the time spent following the female and by a shift from costly courtship displays to gonopodial thrusting, a less expensive coercive mating tactic. This effect may indicate a trade-off between these 2 components of male reproductive investment or may reflect a change in male optimal reproductive strategy associated with different mate encounter rate. In contrast, body growth was positively correlated with the increase in sperm production, and did not differ between experimental groups. Collectively, these results suggest that males did not vary their overall reproductive investment in response to their encounter rate with unfamiliar females, but differed significantly in the amount of resources available individually.
Insect herbivores and neighbourhood effects in plant communities of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Libya

Neighbouring plants in the locale of an individual plant may help or hinder it in the task of defence against herbivores, depending on their levels of defence (chemical or physical), and their interactions with potential herbivores. Such ‘neighborhood effects’ are part of the complex network of species interactions that structure ecological communities. This thesis sets out to test whether there are neighbourhood effects on insect herbivory among the plants of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar region of Libya. Having chosen to concentrate on the two main species of three study sites, Juniperus phoenicea and Pistacia atlantica, nine plots were mapped in detail and the insect herbivores sampled from focal plants, and then from all plants. Leaves were sampled for chemical analysis of their phenol (tannin) content. The set of insect herbivores collected from plants in the plots were identified to species using the expertise of the staff of the Natural History Museum in London. Some insects recorded are new to Libya, and there are several species not previously recorded as feeding on either of the two plant species studied. Tannin levels were much higher in Pistacia than in Juniperus, and there were effects of elevation as well: plants from middle elevation plots had the highest levels, while those from the lowest elevation at the coast had the lowest levels of tannins. There were clear effects of neighbouring plants on the insects of individual plants, in both Pistacia and Juniperus. These were much more complex effects in Pistacia, but both sets of predictors of insect herbivore density or species richness contained clear signs of neighbourhood effects, where the existence of close neighbours reduced the herbivore load on individual plants. There were no signs of any protective neighbourhood effects of tannin levels. Thus in the plant communities of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, associational avoidance appears to be the major mechanism of neighbourhood effects, rather than associational resistance.
Host-plant defence against Striga spp.: reconsidering the role of tolerance

Parasitic weeds of the genus Striga cause high yield losses in cereal crops across Africa. Host-plant defence against Striga spp. can be an effective control strategy. It ideally consists of resistance, to reduce infection, complemented with tolerance, to mitigate the effects of infection. As resistance against Striga spp. can both minimise yield losses and reduce future infestation levels in infested fields, current breeding efforts are mainly directed towards this trait. Because it is nearly impossible to screen for tolerance on highly resistant genetic lines, tolerance is often neglected. Here, we argue reconsidering the role of tolerance, as recent findings regarding the physiological expression of tolerance offer a promising track for identifying the genetic background of tolerance. Identification of quantitative trait loci for tolerance would facilitate the inclusion of this trait in adapted cultivars with high levels of resistance, where its main role would be to function as a safety net in case the genetically highly variable parasite populations overcome host-plant resistance. Because Striga spp. are mainly prevalent in subsistence farming systems, we consider this an important addition and it is for this reason that we make a plea for a more prominent role of tolerance in present-day integrated management of this weed.
Molecular characterisation of paediatric ALL and new therapeutic strategies

Despite high cure rates achieved in the last two decades, treatment resistance and therapy-associated toxicity is still observed in a significant proportion of children with ALL, warranting alternative therapeutic approaches. Results obtained in our laboratory suggest that transcriptional upregulation of prosurvival pathways plays a key role in paediatric B-precursor ALL chemoresistance, thus providing a strong rationale for the inhibition of prosurvival gene transcription. In this study, I investigated the role and feasibility of the epigenetics-regulating BET family of proteins as therapeutic targets. I showed that BRD4 is ubiquitously expressed in paediatric ALL tumours and that treatment with the BET protein inhibitor JQ1 led to potent in vitro sensitisation of ALL tumour cells regardless of cellular phenotype, as well as in vivo sensitisation using xenograft models of ALL. I observed strong in vitro synergy in ALL cell lines and primary tumours treated with a combination of JQ1 and dexamethasone. Using microarray technology I confirmed BET protein inhibition involves transcriptional downregulation of prosurvival pathways and identified potential biomarkers predictive of JQ1 sensitivity. I characterised the cellular effects of BET protein inhibition in pre-B ALL and showed this was associated with inhibition of cell cycle progression, downregulation of c-Myc protein, direct inhibition of DNA replication and induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis that was independent of p53 activity. Thus, pharmacological inhibition of BET proteins provides an alternative strategy by which to downregulate prosurvival signaling and target B-precursor ALL. Finally, I explored PIM kinases that co-operate with BET proteins during the regulation of transcription as alternative therapeutic targets in B-precursor ALL. I was able to show this therapeutic approach holds promise, and warrants further study.
Bioenergetic Assessment of Temporal Food Supply and Consumption Demand by Salmonids in the Strawberry Reservoir Food Web

Abstract This study quantified temporal, spatial, and ontogenetic trophic interactions in Strawberry Reservoir to determine whether salmonid sport fish production was limited by food supply or predation. We combined field data on growth, diet composition, distribution, abundance, survival, and thermal experience with species-specific bioenergetics models for salmonids in Strawberry Reservoir to quantify monthly consumption of all prey fish, Daphnia, and macroinvertebrates. Fish prey represented a minor fraction of the annual diet of large cutthroat Oncorhynchus clarki and rainbow trout O. mykiss, but acute episodic piscivory associated with stocking of juvenile cutthroat trout in autumn could account for the low (1%) initial survival of these hatchery cohorts in recent years. Daphnia and other macroinvertebrates were important to all species and size-classes of salmonids. Model simulations suggested that salmonid consumption represented 5–30% of the Daphnia biomass during the June–October growing season i.
Trait association and path coefficient analysis for yield and yield attributing traits in sesame (Sesamum indicum L).

An experiment was conducted with eighty branched and non branching sesame genotypes to study the association between the yield and yield attributing traits. Observations were recorded on eight traits viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, 100 seed weight, grain yield per plant and oil content. In general the genotypic correlation coefficients were slightly higher than the phenotypic correlation coefficients, indicating the masking effect of the environment in the total expression of the genotypes. Plant height and number of capsules per plant showed significant and positive correlations with single plant yield at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. The trait plant height and number of capsules per plant showed positive correlation with all the other traits except 100 seed weight where as number of branches per plant showed negative correlation to oil content. The character number of capsules per plant showed high positive direct effects on grain yield per plant. The indirect effect of number of capsules per plant on grain yield through plant height, number of branches per plant, oil content and days to maturity was high.
Performance of Orius insidiosus after storage, exposure to dispersal material, handling and shipment processes

Storage, handling and shipment procedures are important factors influencing the quality of biological control agents. This study aimed to evaluate biological parameters and performance of Orius insidiosus (Say) after different storage periods at low temperatures, after exposure to different dispersal materials in containers, and after handling the predator during the shipment and delivery processes. Storage periods were 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 days at temperatures of 5, 8, 10 and 12 ± 1 °C, RH 70 ± 10% and under continuous scotophase. A mix of 75% adults and 25% 5th instar nymphs of O. insidiosus was kept in plastic containers (200 mL) for a 72 h period, supplied with eggs of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) as food, farmer’s friend inflorescence (Bidens pilosa L.) as oviposition substrate and source of moisture, and one of the following dispersal materials: vermiculite + rice hulls (1:1), vermiculite, folded paper towels, sawdust, and coffee husk. Also, similar mixes of nymphs and adults were exposed to a 72 h shipment and delivery process. We found that O. insidiosus can be stored up to 10 days at 8 °C without loss of quality. Interestingly, storage of mated female predators results in a much higher fecundity post-storage than storage of virgin females. Vermiculite + rice hulls was by far the best dispersal material, and shipment of the predators by post during 72 h in Styrofoam boxes with plastic containers with vermiculite + rice hulls and A. kuehniella eggs did not negatively affect their survival and predation capacity. Our results can be used in planning mass-rearing and shipment, and to improve the quality of the predator O. insidiosus by using the right storage temperature, storage period and dispersal material.
Detecting parasitised eggs with polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence of Trichogramma australicum Girault (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

The nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma australicum Girault, cotton bollworm Helicoverpaarmigera (Hübner) and Helicoverpapunctigera (Wallengren) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to yield 408, 588 and 644 b.p. fragments, respectively. DNA sequence information was used to design unique primers for specific amplification of T. australicum DNA from individual parasitised eggs. Helicoverpa australicum‐specific PCR products were first visible 12 h after eggs were parasitised. This PCR assay can be used to monitor wasp populations under field conditions.
Honesty and carotenoids in a pigmented female fish

DEDICATION To my mom, Christine E. Brown, and my dad, James W. Brown. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to my committee members, especially my advisor, Ethan D. Clotfelter, for challenging me, straightening me out when I erred, and supporting my work. Thank you for all the times you had to tell me something you knew I wouldn't like, because you helped me improve. Thank you to Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion (SINAC) for permission to perform the field portion of this study. Also, thank you to Manrique Montes and the staff at Lomas Barbudal for logistical assistance. name a few. I might have been able to do this without you, but it would have been awful. Thank you to all the current and past members of the Clotfelter laboratory, especially the undergraduate students. The carotenoid tradeoff hypothesis states that diet-derived carotenoids are traded-off among competing physiological demands, but this statement is rarely tested in ornamented females. The following dissertation tests the carotenoid tradeoff hypothesis in reverse sexually dimorphic convict cichlids (Amantitlania siquia) using carotenoid-supplemented diet treatments and a field-based study of carotenoid intake. Spectral, microscopic, and chemical analysis determined how females allocated the pigments to tissues and how those decisions affected their ventral patch coloration. The results presented in the current study show that carotenoids enhance offspring growth and survival, lower oxidative stress, and reduce the time to clear a parasite. The two final chapters suggest that carotenoid limitation and absorption may not explain carotenoid allocation dynamics in A. siquia. The final chapter proposes an alternative to the carotenoid tradeoff hypothesis as a mechanism to explain the relationship among color, parasites, and oxidative stress.
Genetic and Environmental Changes Possible in Milk Composition

Abstract The possibility of changing milk constituent percentages in lactation records through environment is small. Fat percentage can be reduced by feeding high-concentrate low-roughage rations, low-fiber feeds, pellets, etc. Changes in milk composition are possible through breeding, as heritabilities for yields are around . 25, percentages . 50 to . 60, and ratios . 60, but gains in protein and solids-not-fat (SNF) percentages would be less than fat gains because of their smaller variation. Genetic correlations among yields are highly positive, . 9; between percentages, . 3 to . 9%; and between yields and percentages generally negative, – . 2 to – . 4. Selection for protein or SNF percentage alone would be effective but would result in a correlated loss in milk (75 to 100 kg per generation) with small gains in protein or SNF yields. Selection for milk would generally result in a correlated increase in protein yield, which is about 90% as effective as direct selection for protein yield but would decrease protein percent slightly. However, selection for protein yield gives about 70% as great an increase in milk yield as selection for milk alone and increases protein percent about 20% as much as selection for protein only. Selection indices have been constructed so as to maintain the percentages while improving milk yield. In practice, Holstein dairymen in this country and in Holland have increased fat percent and milk yield.
Improvement of quality control methods for augmentative releases of the fruit fly parasitoids, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Psyttalia fletcheri (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Criteria were established to improve quality control methods for augmentative releases of the opiine parasitoids, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) and Psyttalia fletcheri (Silvestri). These included correlating puparial weight with adult emergence and sex ratio at the Honolulu rearing facility, and determining the effect of air shipments and field releases on parasitoid emergence and subsequent mortality. There was a positive relationship between the weight of 7–10‐day‐old host puparia and percentage of emergence for both D. longicaudata and P. fletcheri. Standardization of shipping methods included placement of ice blocks in the top levels of the ice chests, prompt shipment and pick‐up of samples, and cooling of puparia before shipment to minimize metabolic heat generated in the samples, and to delay emergence of samples. Before standardization, emergence losses of up to 58% were observed for D. longicaudata and 18% for P. fletcheri. When shipping methods were standardized, emergence was no longer .
Short-term fluctuations of microbial and chemical variables during different seasons in coastal Baltic waters

Short-term fluctuations of microbial, planktological and chemical variables were studied in a nearshore area of the Kel Bight during 4 different seasons. The following mean values in January, March, June and September were found: total bacterial numbers. 0.59, 0.46, 1.44 and 2.11 X 106 cells ml-l; maxlmum uptake velocity of glucose: 0.004, 0.037. 0.102 and 0.127 pg C l-'h-'; turnover rate of glucose: 17.9. 142,496 and 265 % d-' Seasonal amplitude of variations in dissolved organic carbon was small. Maximum uptake velocity per bacterial cell increased by more than an order of magnitude between January and March and decreased slightly during the following seasons. Strong short-term variations of microbial parameters were detected, which dld not show distinct die1 rhythms. If these exist they are masked by changing hydrographical conditions.
EVALUATION OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC SEED EXTRACT Cicer arietinum AGAINST CCL4 INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY ALBINO RATS

The present study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of Cicer arietinum seeds against CCl4 induced albino rats. The ethanolic extract of Cicer arietinum was administered orally to the animals with hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 (0.5ml/kg i.p. with Arachis oil). Silymarin (100 mg/kg) was used in the present study as standard drug for one group. The two doses of Ethanolic seed extract of Cicer arietinum (250kg/kg and 500mg/kg p.o) were used in this evaluation. The plant extract was effective in protecting the liver against the injury induced by CCl4 in rats. This was evident from significant reduction in serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamic oxalo acetic transaminase (SGOT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin. It was concluded from the result that the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of Cicer arietinum seeds against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Key words: Cicer arietinum, CCl4, hepatoprotetive, hepatotoxicity, Silymarin.
Assessment of stocking effectiveness for Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) in rivers and impoundments of south-eastern Australia

Stock enhancement is a management tool used for fishery recovery worldwide, yet the success of many stocking programs remains unquantified. Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) are important Australian recreational target species that have experienced widespread decline. Stocking of these species has been undertaken for decades, with limited assessment of effectiveness. A batch marking and recapture approach was applied to assess stocked Murray cod and golden perch survival, contributions to wild fisheries, and condition in rivers and impoundments. Stocked fish were marked with calcein. Marked fish were detected during surveys undertaken 3 years and 10 months from initial marking, and it is probable that marks will persist beyond this time. The proportion of calcein marked fish in the population sub-sample whose age was equal to, or less than, the number of years since release, varied by 7–94% for Murray cod, and 9–98% for golden perch. Higher proportions of marked fish were found in impoundments than rivers. Marked Murray cod had significantly steeper length–weight relationships (i.e. higher weight at a given length) to unmarked fish. Our results show that application of methods for discriminating stocked and wild fish provides critical information for the development of adaptive, location-specific stocking strategies.
The orbital light curve of PSR 1957+20

We make a detailed study of the optical light curve of PSR 1957 + 20. We show that the deep, smooth, and symmetrical modulation can be successfully modeled by a higl irradiated secondary. Two types of models are consistent with the data: (! a secodary close to filling its Rochhe lobe with 10%-20% of the incident flux converted to optical emission, and (2) a secondary considerably underfilling its Roche lobe, with a high degree of beaming of the neutron star flux. owever, the second model canbe rejected on the basis of current estimates of the extinction toward 1957 + 20. The proximity of the photosphere of the secondary to its Roche lobe facilitates mass loss by irradiation. Our ignorance of the (nonirradiated) luminosity of the secondary allows us to place only weak constraints on the inclination -50-80 deg. There is no evidence in the light curve for optical emission from any source in PSR 1957 + 20 other than the secondary itself.
Which community indicators can measure the impact of fishing? A review and proposals

Population and community descriptors that might be used as indicators of the impact of fishing are reviewed. The criteria used for the evaluation of these indicators are meaning, expected effect of fishing, exclusiveness to fishing effects, and measurability. Population indicators such as total mortality rate, exploitation rate, or average length are the most operational indicators because their meaning is clear and the expected effect of fishing on them is well understood so that reference points can be set. On the other hand, indicators based on the composition of species assemblages such as diversity indices and ordination of species abundances are difficult to interpret, and the effect of fishing on them is not easily predicted. Robust indicators describing the community functions of interest (production and transfer of biomass to large fish), such as size spectra descriptors or the proportion of piscivorous fish in the community, are more promising but are not yet well developed. New candidate indica.
Seasonal changes in population of the Amphipod Gammarus aequicauda (Martynov, 1931)

Monthly collections were made for one year (March 2001 to February 2002) in Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian sea, Italy), in order to establish the seasonal fluctuations of a population of Gammarus aequicauda (Crustacea, Amphipoda). Variations in the population structure, sex ratio and fecundity were studied. The population comprised all stages of the life cycle all year round, thus showing continuous reproduction. Size differences between males and females occurred throughout the year with males being larger than females. The recruitment of juveniles into the population occurred particularly in autumn-winter. Females consistently predominated in numbers over males during winter months. Female cephalic length was positively correlated with eggs number.