Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abundance, diversity and geographic distribution of cassava mosaic disease pandemic‐associated Bemisia tabaci in Tanzania

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), one of the most economically important agricultural pests worldwide, is the vector of cassava mosaic geminiviruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD). In East and Central Africa, a severe CMD pandemic that spread from Uganda in the late 1980s still continues to devastate cassava crops. To assess the association of distinct B. tabaci genetic groups with the CMD pandemic, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences were analysed from whiteflies collected during surveys conducted from 2010 to 2013 in Tanzania. Four genetic groups – Sub‐Saharan Africa 1 (SSA1), Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and East Africa 1, and a group of unknown whitefly species were identified. SSA1 comprised four subgroups: SSA1‐SG1, SSA1‐SG2, SSA1‐SG1/2 and SSA1‐SG3. SSA1‐SG1 was confined to the pandemic‐affected north‐western parts of Tanzania whilst SSA1‐SG2 and SSA1‐SG3 were found in the central and eastern parts not yet affected by the pandemic. The CMD pandemic front was estimated to lie in Geita Region, north‐western Tanzania, and to be spreading south‐east at a rate of ca 26 km/year. The pandemic‐associated B. tabaci SSA1‐SG1 predominated up to 180 km ahead of the CMD front indicating that changes in whitefly population characteristics precede changes in disease characteristics.
Control of Seedling Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) with Herbicides

Abstract Two field experiments were conducted at the Agronomy Research Station near Stillwater, OK in 2004 and 2005 to identify and evaluate herbicides applied preplant incorporated, preemergence, early postemergence, or late postemergence for the control of seedling sericea lespedeza. Trifluralin, applied preplant incorporated, controlled seedlings 77 (15 wk after emergence [WAE]) and 63% (16 WAE) in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Flumioxazin, imazapic, fluometuron, diuron, sulfentrazone, atrazine, metribuzin, and metolachlor applied preemergence all provided greater than 86% seedling control at 15 and 16 WAE in both years. Diclosulam, applied preemergent, controlled seedlings 47% at 15 WAE in 2004 and 91% control at 16 WAE in 2005. In 2004, triclopyr, metsulfuron-methyl, glyphosate, picloram, dicamba, and 2,4-D amine plus picloram (tank-mix) applied early postemergence controlled 90 to 100% of the sericea lespedeza seedlings at 15 WAE. However, in 2005, only triclopyr, metsulfuron-methyl, glyphosate, and 2,4-D amine plus picloram (tank-mix) showed greater than 80% control at 16 WAE. Triclopyr, applied late postemergence, controlled seedlings 100% at 15 and 16 WAE, in both years. In 2004, dicamba plus 2,4-D (premix) and glyphosate were the only other herbicides which provided greater than 75% control at 15 WAE. These data suggest that there were preemergence-applied herbicides that were effective for the control of seedling sericea lespedeza. These data also suggest that triclopyr was the most effective postemergence-applied herbicide for the control of seedling sericea lespedeza. The data also showed that the overall level of control of seedling sericea lespedeza decreased as the season progressed and the plant matured. Nomenclature: 2,4-D amine; atrazine; dicamba; diclosulam; diuron; flumioxazin; fluometuron; glyphosate; imazapic; metolachlor; metribuzin; metsulfuron-methyl; picloram; sulfentrazone; triclopyr; trifluralin; Sericea lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont) G. Don LESCU.
Control of Amyloid-β-Peptide Generation by Subcellular Trafficking of the β-Amyloid Precursor Protein and β-Secretase

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are major components of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated senile plaques and generated by sequential cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) by β-secretase and γ-secretase. While β-secretase activity is exerted by the aspartic protease BACE1, γ-secretase consists of a protein complex of at least four essential proteins with the presenilins as the catalytically active components. The understanding of the subcellular trafficking of βAPP and proteases involved in its proteolytic processing has increased rapidly in the last years. βAPP as well as the secretases are membrane proteins, and recent work demonstrated that alterations in the lipid composition of cellular membranes could affect the proteolytic processing of βAPP and Aβ generation. We identified glycosphingolipids as membrane components that modulate the subcellular transport of βAPP and the generation of Aβ. By cell biological and biochemical methods we also characterized the role of BACE1 and its homologue BACE2 in the proteolytic processing of βAPP. Here, I summarize and discuss these findings in the context of other studies focused on the function of BACE1 and BACE2 and the role of subcellular trafficking in the proteolytic processing of βAPP.
Effects of temperature, feeding position and crop growth stage on the population dynamics of the rose grain aphid, Metopolophium dirhodum (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

The population dynamics of Metopolophium dirhodum were studied on winter wheat seedlings at constant (10-degrees-C, 15-degrees-C, 20-degrees-C, 25-degrees-C and 30-degrees-C) and fluctuating (12(night)-22(day)-degrees-C) temperatures, and during booting to early inflorescence, and anthesis to early milky ripe stage, at 19-degrees-C. The pre-reproductive development time was decreased by increasing the temperature from 10-degrees-C to 25-degrees-C. It was significantly shorter when the aphids were feeding during booting to early inflorescence than during anthesis to early milky ripe stage but was similar when the aphids were feeding on the flag, second or third leaves. The total number of nymphs produced/apterous adult was not significantly affected by temperature from 10-degrees-C to 25-degrees-C but adult reproductive lifespan was reduced by increasing temperature from 10-degrees-C and 12-22-degrees-C to 15-degrees-C, 20-degrees-C and 25-degrees-C. The daily intrinsic rate of increase changed from 0.11 to 0.25, and the cohort generation time decreased from 31 to 12 days, with increase of temperature from 10-degrees-C to 25-degrees-C. Reproductive rate was similar when the aphids were feeding on the flag, second or third leaves during booting to early inflorescence at 19-degrees-C. The reproductive rate was higher when the aphids fed from mid-inflorescence to mid-milky ripe stage than from mid-milky to early ripe stage. These results were compared with those from other studies. Predictions from a simulation model using development and reproductive rates from this study and literature were compared and the former rates resulted in a more accurate prediction of field observations in 1979, an outbreak year.
Improving the Polyphenol Content of Tea

Tea, prepared from the leaves of Camellia species, has one of the highest contents of flavonoids among common food and beverage products. Tea consumption has moved beyond its pleasant flavor and cultural significance since a number of health promoting properties have been ascribed to this widespread beverage (e.g., anticancer, antiobesity and hypotensive effects). The major bioactive compounds in tea are catechins (flavan-3-ols), a group of flavonoids that include, among others, (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These compounds are also the precursors of theaflavins and thearubigins, oxidation products responsible for the taste and colour of certain tea types such as black tea. The composition of the tea leaf, and thus tea quality, is influenced by many pre-harvest factors such as the genetic make-up of the plant, region of production, horticultural and harvesting practices, and environmental conditions. Once harvested, processing, brewing, and storage conditions influence the phenolic composition and quality of tea infusions as well. In the present review we aim at outlining our current knowledge about means to increase the catechin content of teas, a cornerstone for improving the health-promoting properties of this beverage.
The Analysis of Fractures in Skeletal Populations With an Example From the Libben Site, Ottowa County, Ohio

A quantitative approach to the analysis of long-bone fractures in skeletal populations is presented. These kinds of data are shown to be valuable in interpreting various behavioral aspects of the population. An example of application is provided for the Libben population. Data from this group show that the overall fracture rate was high (there is a 45% chance of a long-bone fracture in any single individual) but lower than the rates observed in nonhuman primates by almost an order of magnitude when data are adjusted for years of risk. The data for Libben also suggest that traumatic child abuse was not practiced, that most fractures occur as a consequence of accident, that fracture risk was highest in the 10–25 and 45 + age categories, that care of patients was enlightened and skillful in this group, and that chance of fracture is largely determined by accumulated years of risk in the population (r = 0.97).
Candidate Substitutes for Methyl Eugenol as Attractants for the Area-wide Monitoring and Control of the Oriental Fruitfly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The recent finding that methyl eugenol, a widely used lure for the oriental fruitfly, is a liver carcinogen for the mouse suggested developing substitute lures for monitoring and controlling of this insect that are not susceptible to in vivo metabolism to active carcinogens. Study of the molecular requirements for maximum attraction of the oriental fruitfly and for minimal likelihood of metabolism to active carcinogens suggested several methyl eugenol isosteres that might be useful replacements. Three compounds were selected on the basis of laboratory and preliminary field evaluation as promising replacements: 3,4-dimethoxypropylbenzene, 3,4-dimethoxyethoxybenzene, and 3,4-dimethoxymethoxymethylbenzene.
Anatomical response of resistant alfalfa infected with Verticillium albo-atrum

Two resistant clones of alfalfa (1079 and WL-5) were stubble inoculated with Verticillium albo-atrum and grown for two 6-wk growth cycles before being used in the histological study. During the third 6-wk growth period following inoculation, regrowth stems were sampled for histological study at weekly intervals for 6 wk. The pathogen was confined to the crown of the plants by vascular occlusions for 2 wk, after which it was present in the stems of clone WL-5. Clone 1079 confined the pathogen to the crown for an additional 2 wk. Histologically the clones responded similarly to V. albo-atrum until week 5 []
Genetic diversity of Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica populations in Kenya

Summary The parasitic angiosperms, Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica, severely constrain cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa by causing huge losses in grain yield. Understanding the diversity of Striga populations is important because it allows identification of races or biotypes thus improving chances of breeding success. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to study genetic diversity among 17 populations of S. asiatica and 24 populations of S. hermonthica from Kenya. A total of 349 DNA fragments ranging from 51 to 500 bp were obtained from four EcoRI and MseI primer combinations. Genetic distances for S. asiatica populations ranged from 0.009 to 0.116 with a mean of 0.032. S. hermonthica populations had a genetic distance that ranged from 0.007 to 0.025 with a mean of 0.015. Only two clusters were found in S. asiatica populations whereas no apparent structure was evident in S. hermonthica populations. There was no evidence of isolation by distance for the two species. Although the low genetic diversity suggests Striga is relatively uniform across the populations studied, it is possible that pathogenicity and virulence genes may be located in genomic regions that were not sampled. The data, however, does not provide evidence to support diversification of both Striga species in the region where the study was conducted.
Transferrin : the role of conformational changes in iron removal by chelators

Serum transferrin and the other proteins of the transferrin family bind two high-spin Fe 3+ ions with very high affinity. Strong iron sequestering agents, such as some of the siderophores, are able to remove iron from transferrin, although rates of removal vary dramatically. The thermodynamic and kinetic competition of competing ligands for transferrin iron are strongly connected to issues of iron in medicine. This study explores the release of iron to three prototypical types of ligands: catecholates, hydroxypyridonates, and pyrophosphate. A mechanistic model, consistent with the existing data on transferrin iron removal by chelators, is discussed in light of the detailed structwal information that is now available from several crystal structures of the apo- and metalloproteins
Functionality of Milk Powders and Milk‐Based Powders for End Use Applications—A Review

Abstract: Newer variants of milk powders and milk-based powders are being produced are looking for prospective end users. Powders possess physical and functional properties that are of significance in its usage notably powder structure, particle size distribution, powder density, bulk density, particle density, occluded air, interstitial air, flowability, rehydration (wettability, sinkability, dispersibility, solubility), hygroscopicity, heat stability, emulsifying ability, water activity, stickiness, caking, and others. Some of the functional properties of significance to milk powders and milk-based powders are discussed in this review. Applications with regard to specific milk powders for reconstituted cheese making, coffee creamers, and those suited for milk chocolate and for the baking industry are described.
The Kinematical Principles Governing Horizontal Transport Induced by Vertical Migration in Tidal Flows

Vertical migration interacts with oscillatory tidal flows to produce horizontal transport. When the vertical migration period is an exact multiple of the tidal period then net uni-directional horizontal transport can occur. This happens most effectively in ‘selective tidal-stream transport’ for which vertical migration into the flow is specifically synchronized with the dominant (usually M2) tidal constituent. When migration and tide are not synchronized there is no net transport and, instead, a horizontal displacement oscillation of the organism takes place at the beat period between the vertical migration and tidal periods. The most common form of vertical migration is synchronized, not with the tide, but with the day-night cycle. Diel migration in M2-period tidal currents induces no net transport, but can produce excursions of several tens of kilometres over just a few days. Diel vertical migration can, however, interact with the sun-generated part of the semi-diurnal tide to produce net horizontal transport, the direction of which is controlled by the phase of the S2 tidal currents. The spatial distribution of phase implies that regions of horizontal convergence and divergence will result from diel migration. Diel migration in diurnal-period tides causes the preferred direction of transport to reverse at six-monthly intervals.
Disturbance and Stand Development of a Colorado Subalpine Forest

Stand development patterns were examined in an Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii [Parry] Engelm.), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa [Hook.] Nutt), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta [Dougl.] var. latifolia Engelm.) forest in Rocky Mountain National Park in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains. Two old-growth stands and one c. 260-year-old post-fire stand were sampled for tree sizes, ages, tree growth patterns, and replacement patterns in windthrow gaps. Growth patterns were analysed both by visual assessment of the frequency of growth releases on increment cores and by dendrochronological techniques. In the 260-year-old post-fire stand, initial colonization was by spruce and lodgepole pine but subalpine fir has become increasingly abundant over the past c. 100 years of stand development. Canopy dominance is gradually shifting from lodgepole pine towards spruce and fir. In the oldgrowth stands, tree growth pattems indicate that they too were initiated by a stand-devastating fire. However, they have entered a phase of development in which fine-scale windthrows dominate their dynamics. In the old-growth stands, fir is the more common gap occupant but its greater rate of treefall and the greater longevity of spruce imply that the two species will continue to codominate these stands. Substantially different species' responses to fire result in a relatively predictable pattern of post-fire stand development whereas canopy disturbance by wind does not differentially favour spruce or fir.
Physical mapping of 5S, 45S, Arabidopsis-type telomere sequence repeats and AT-rich regions in Achillea millefolium showing intra-chromosomal variation by FISH and DAPI

Achillea millefolium L. collected in Altai, Russia showed 2n=54 as a hexaploid chromosme number. The interphase and metaphase chromosomes had FISH signals and DAPI bands: FISH yellow-colored signals of the 5S and 45S rDNA and the Arabidopsis-type telomeres were obtained after the hybridization of the biotin labbelled probes of the 5S, pTa71 and the Arabidopsis-type telomere sequence repeats. The 5S rDNA signals consisted of 11 yellow-color signals at the secondary constriction of the sat-chromosomes, two large interstitial signals on the long arm of two chromosomes, and very small four signals on the long arm of four chromosomes. The interphase nucleus showed 11 deep and two faint yellow color signals of 5S rDNA sites. Eleven yellow color signals of the 45S rDNA sites were detected on the short arm of 11 chromosomes. The Arabidopsis-type telomere signals were located on the terminal region on the both arms of chromosomes, while some were located far from the chromosome arm on the external part of the satellites in the sat-chromosomes, three terminal signals in some chromosomal arms one signal instead of two in the other chromosomes. DAPI-positive bands were found on interphase nucleus and 42 chromosomes, of which ten were terminal on both arms, four had two bands on a single arm, two had two bands on centromeric and terminal regions and 26 had single bands on a single arm. The 11 signals of the 5S and 45S rDNA sites and the the Arabidopsis-type telomere signals and DAPI bands performed variation in size and intensity
Adventitious Shoot Organogenesis and Plant Regeneration from Leaf and Cotyledon Explants of Citrullus colocynthis

Plant regeneration protocol for Citrullus colocynthis L. was achieved from leaf and cotyledon explants. Explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D, in combination with BAP,TDZ, Kn and Zeatin. Leaf explants are the best source for the induction of high percentage of caulogenesis and regeneration (45%) on MS + 2.0 mg.L−1 Kn + 1.0 mg.L−1 TDZ. In cotyledon derived callus cultures 2,4-D + Zeatin combination played an important role in induction of multiple shoots (15–18) with 50% of regeneration response. Each cotyledon explants produce an average number of shoots (9.75 ± 0.2) with average shoot length 3.66 ± 0.1.
Determinants of Pattern in a New England Salt Marsh Plant Community

In New England salt marshes, Spartina alterniflora dominates the low–marsh habitat, which is covered daily by tides. The high–marsh habitat, which is not flooded daily, is dominated on its seaward border by Spartina patens, and on its terrestrial border by Juncus gerardi. Each of these vegetation zones has a characteristic suite of physical factors associated with differences in tidal inundation. In particular, substrate redox increases and salinity decreases with decreasing marsh elevation. Although correlations between physical factors and the occurrence of specific marsh plants have been suggested to be causal, a 5–mo transplant experiment suggested that the distribution of perennials across the marsh does not correspond to their potential performance across the marsh in the absence of surrounding vegetation. While the high–marsh perennials appear to be restricted to the high–marsh habitat by harsh physical conditions in the low–marsh habitat, the low–marsh dominant, S. alterniflora, is capable of vigorous growth across the entire marsh and appears to be excluded from the high–marsh habitat by the high–marsh perennials. Throughout the high marsh, two other plant species, Distichlis spicata and Salicornia europaea, are found associated with areas that have been disturbed recently. Physical disturbance, in the form of mats of dead plant material (wrack) rafted by tides onto the marsh, is most severe in the spring and early summer, and decreases with increasing marsh elevation. Differential plant mortality results from short–term disturbance events. D. spicata and S. alterniflora are more tolerant of wrack burial than are the other marsh plants, and short–term disturbance increases the relative abundance of these species in the community. Longer lasting disturbance events kill all the underlying vegetation, leaving discrete bare patches throughout the high marsh. D. spicata rapidly colonizes these patches with vegetative runners, while S. alterniflora and Sa. europaea recruit to these patches by seed. The relative abundance of these plants in recently created bare patches exceeds greatly their relative abundance in the surrounding vegetation. Over time, however, these early colonizers are overgrown and displaced in high–marsh patches by S. patens and J. gerardi, which grow slowly, as dense turfs of roots, rhizomes, and tillers. Physical disturbance and interspecific competition appear to be major determinants of the spatial pattern of marsh plant communities. These processes will need to be considered in relation to edaphic factors in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of salt marsh plant zonation.
The Structure of Bat Communities

Multivariate morphometric analysis of faunas may provide a useful estimate of ecologic structure. Tropical bat faunas resemble one another in faunal statistics despite trenchant taxonomic differences, suggesting common evolutionary pressures in three tropical regions. Each fauna consists of many similar closely packed, overlapping, relatively invariable species and a few distinctive, distant, isolated, variable kinds. Temperate and tropical faunas differ in the greater rarity, or even absence, of highly distinctive taxa in the former but are not meaningfully different in packing or degree of overlap.