Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE INCORPORATION OF C14 INTO CELLULOSE AND OTHER POLYSACCHARIDES OF SUGAR BEET LEAF DURING SHORT TERM PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN C14O2

The carbohydrates of sugar beet leaf were fractionated by successive extractions in ethanol, water, and three concentrations of potassium hydroxide. Quantitative hydrolysis of the polysaccharides from the water- and alkali-soluble fractions gave galactose, glucose, arabinose, xylose, ribose, and rhamnose in varying proportions. When these fractions from leaves which had photosynthetically assimilated C14O2 for 10 to 120 seconds were analyzed, all fractions, including the alkali-insoluble cellulose, were labelled after only 10 seconds. The proportion of C14 in the alkali-soluble fraction was high relative to that in cellulose after 10 seconds, but similar in both fractions after longer periods. All of the radioactivity in the carbohydrates was in glucose (apart from the fructose of sucrose). When photosynthesis in C14O2 was followed by photosynthetic periods in normal air, the polysaccharide fractions all continued to receive C14-labelled glucose for about 5 minutes. No significant transfer of radioactivit.
Hereditary Protein C Deficiency: The Australian Experience

Hereditary protein C deficiency (HPCD) is a recognized risk factor for thrombotic disease. To examine the underlying genetic defect in more detail, the protein C gene was examined in eight families from Australia. All exons and intron/exon boundaries containing the trans lated sequence of the protein C gene were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced di rectly. All families were identified because of a throm botic event in the proband. Six families had type I defi ciency and two had type II. Seven mutations were found in eight different families (two apparently unrelated fam ilies shared the same mutation). Five of them were point mutations leading to amino acid substitutions, most of which occurred in the serine protease domain of the ma ture protein. One mutation produced a premature stop codon, and another led to a putative splice site mutation. All of these mutations could be detected using restriction enzyme digestion or single-strand conformation polymor phism (SSCP) analysis of PCR-derived DNA. These re sults confirm the genetic heterogeneity of HPCD. Genetic diagnosis is feasible in families in whom the defect in the proband has been identified; it overcomes some of the limitations of protein-based diagnostic methods.
THE EFFECT OF IRON NUTRITION ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND NITROGEN FIXATION IN CULTURES OF TRICHODESMIUM (CYANOPHYCEAE) 1

Cultures of Trichodesmium NIBB 1067 were grown in the synthetic medium AQUIL with a range of iron added from none to 5 × 10−7 M Fe for 15 days. Chlorophyll‐a, cell counts, and total cell volume were two or three times higher in medium with 10−7 M Fe than with no added Fe. Oxygen production rate per chlorophyll‐a was over 60% higher with higher iron. Increased iron stimulated photosynthesis at all irradiances from about 12–250 μE · m−2· s−1. Nitrogen fixation rate, estimated from acetylene reduction, for 10−7 and 10−8 M Fe cultures was approximately twice that of the cultures with no added Fe. The range of rates of O2 production and N2 fixation in cultures at the iron concentrations we used were similar to the rates from natural samples of Trichodesmium from both the Atlantic, and the Pacific oceans. This similarity may allow this clone to be used, with some caution, for future physiological ecology studies. This study demonstrates the importance of iron to photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation and suggests that Trichodesmium plays a central role in the biogeochemical cycles of iron, carbon and nitrogen.
Hepatoprotective effect of picroliv against rifampicin‐induced toxicity

Picroliv, the active constituent of the plant Picrorhiza Kurroa, showed significant hepatoprotective as well as anticholestatic activity against rifampicin‐induced hepatic damage. Rifampicin (50 mg/kg ip × 6 days) resulted in the reduction of bile flow as well as its contents (bile salts and bile acids) in the conscious rat and anesthetized guinea pig. Further, it also caused a decrease in the viability and rate of oxygen consumption in isolated rat hepatocytes. Picroliv treatment significantly reversed the altered parameters of bile and hepatocytes. The hepatoprotective drug silymarin on comparison was found to be less active than picroliv. Drug Dev. Res. 40:299–303, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of four different populations of the Indian major carp, Labeo rohita (Hamilton)

Summary The level of genetic variation provides the raw material for selective improvement of a stock. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was used to assess the genetic variation in three rivers: the Halda, the Jamuna and the Padma as well as in one hatchery population of the commercially important Indian major carp, Labeo rohita. RAPD markers were amplified from DNA samples of 35 fish from each of the four populations using six decamer random primers. The polymorphic loci proportions were 0.33, 0.28, 0.28 and 0.26 and Nei's gene diversity values were 0.06, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.05 for the Halda, the Jamuna, the Padma and the hatchery populations, respectively. The pairwise population differentiation (FST) values indicated a low level of genetic differentiation between the population pairs. From the unweighted pair group method of arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distances a correlation between genetic affinities and geographical area was found. The populations were segregated into two groups: the Halda in one group and the Jamuna, the Padma and the hatchery in another group. Overall, the RAPD technique can be introduced as a tool in the population genetics of the rohu fish to provide information on their genetic stock structure.
Quantifying Human Health Risks Caused by Toxoplasmosis from Open System Production of Swine

ABSTRACT Open livestock production systems, including free-range and organic livestock systems, seek to improve the welfare of animals by letting them roam in unconfined spaces. This increases their exposure to potentially harmful micro-organisms. For example, swine in open production systems have a much greater risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection. When transmitted through the food chain, T. gondii threatens human health, especially in unborn children of women infected during pregnancy, as well as the lives of patients with compromised immune systems. By contrast, conventional total confinement production systems can now keep this human health risk at or near zero. This article describes a probabilistic risk simulation model that quantified the tradeoff between greater use of open swine production systems and increased cases of toxoplasmosis in humans. The model predicts that every 1804 pigs shifted from conventional total confinement to open production (95% confidence interval 747–9520) would cause the loss of one additional human quality-adjusted life year (QALY), and that increasing the fraction of U.S. swine raised in open/free range operations by 0.1% (approx. 65,000 pigs) would cause a loss of approximately 36 human QALYs per year, including between 1 and 2 extra adult deaths per year.
Combining ability study over environments in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Combining ability study was carried out in a 10 x 10 diallel set of dry beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for seed yield and its component characters. The 45 F1s generated by crossing ten diverse lines and their parents were evaluated in Randomized Block Design (RBD) in two replications at three locations during Kharif , 2008. Analysis of variance revealed that both gca and sca were influenced by environments, which suggested that studies be conducted over environments to get unbiased estimates. The sca x environment interaction was greater than gca x environment interaction for most of the traits. The relative magnitude of gca and sca variation indicated that greater magnitude of sca variances for all the traits, indicating greater importance of non additive gene action for the inheritance of these traits. SKUA-R-607 and SKUA-R-608 showed high combining ability for seed yield and yield attributing traits. The most promising crosses in order of merit for seed yield were Shalimar Rajmash 1 x SKUA-R-607, SKUA-R-608 x SKUA-R-106 and Shalimar Rajmash -1 x SKUA- R-612. These promising crosses may be improved through conventional breeding methods such as biparental mating and diallel selective meeting, thereafter followed by pedigree method of selection, so as the tight linkage, if any, may be broken and transgressive segregants may be isolated. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/sja.v10i2. 18324 SAARC J. Agri. , 10(2): 61-69 (2012)
Noninvasive Estimation of Minimum Population Sizes and Variability of the Major Histocompatibility Complex in the Andean Condor

Abstract. Estimating indices of abundance of threatened species is crucial to preserving biodiversity. Over the last few decades, noninvasive genetic sampling has proven to be a more straightforward and less expensive approach than capture—mark—recapture analyses. In particular, molted feathers have become extremely popular for the monitoring of bird populations. Diagnostic molecular markers such as microsatellites, however, are still not available for many avian species of conservation concern. Highly polymorphic genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), on the other hand, have become reasonably accessible during the last few years. We tested the suitability of MHC profiles as DNA fingerprints to assist the identification of individuals of a scavenger difficult to monitor through traditional approaches, the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). To achieve this aim, we isolated polymorphic and putatively functional genes of MHC class I (exon 3, 6 alleles) and MHC class IIB (exon 2, 11 alleles). Single-strand conformational polymorphism and direct sequencing of MHC genes, combined with molecular sexing and inference of age class from feather color, allowed us to identify 80 different individuals from 110 molted feathers collected at roost sites. Inferred sex and age ratios were concordant with previous studies relying on direct observations. Among adults, the number of males was double that of females; among juveniles, this ratio was inverted. Besides providing valuable data regarding genetic variation at functionally important genes related to resistance to pathogens, we demonstrate additional potential of polymorphic MHC loci beyond their well-known role in evolutionary ecology.
Conservation units and phylogeographic structure of an arboreal marsupial, the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis)

Subspecific status has often been used as a surrogate for conservation unit, but does not always reflect intraspecific lineages with different evolutionary histories. One contentious case of subspecific classification occurs in the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), a marsupial species showing considerable decline in population size and requiring conservation management. Our aim was to assess the current subspecific status of populations and define units of conservation using a combination of phylogeographical analyses of mitochondrial DNA and morphological analyses. Analyses of the mitochondrial ND4 gene provided evidence for significant phylogeographic structure within P. australis. Isolated populations in north Queensland (NQ) and Victoria/South Australia were genetically distinct from populations in New South Wales and southern Queensland. Morphological analyses provided little evidence for discrimination of populations, although NQ specimens were generally smaller in size than southern forms. Our analyses do not support the classification of subspecies P. a. reginae for the original type specimen from southern Queensland. Taking into account other behavioural and ecological data, and the disjunct distribution of NQ populations from southern populations, we propose that the NQ population represents a distinct Evolutionarily Significant Unit, a lineage showing highly restricted gene flow from the rest of the species.
Breeding and population biology of Armadillo officinalis (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in Benghazi, Libya

Abstract The breeding of Armadillo officinalis in Libya, coincides with the spring rains, a rise in relative humidity, atmospheric temperature, and day length; and lasts from April to September with a cessation during the hot summer months of June and July. Sexes were distinguished in individuals from 4 mm in length, on the basis of secondary sexual characters. The total number of eggs produced and the total number of young that left the brood pouches are correlated with the body lengths of the gravid females. The average incubation period was 32 days and brood mortality 4·2%. Females carried two to three broods in a year. The newly hatched young had a body length of 1·7 mm and growth was rapid during the early developmental stages. Descriptive accounts were furnished for the period October 1988 to October 1989, on the percentage distribution of size classes based on body length measurements of immature, male, female and ovigerous females, together with details of the standing crop and production of embryos. Sex ratio in the first year age group showed a preponderance of males over females, while in the 1-2-year-old group, females outnumbered males. These findings are discussed in the light of information available on various other species of woodlice.
Polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity of five apple cultivars grown under organic and conventional agricultural practices

Summary The polyphenols and total antioxidant activities of five apple cultivars, grown by organic and conventional agricultural methods in neighbouring farms, were determined and compared. Total polyphenols in the whole fruit and in the peel were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the total antioxidant activity was determined by three established methods, diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP). Polyphenolic content for the whole fruit was in the range of 80–196 and for the peel 165–400 (mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight) for both types of agricultural practices. Antioxidant activities of fruit extracts were also relatively similar and well correlated to their polyphenolic content. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the most important polyphenolics (chlorogenic acid, catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1 and B2, cyaniding 3-galactoside, phloridzin, quercetin 3-galactoside and quercetin 3-arabinoside) also showed that concentrations do not differentiate significantly between the organic and conventional apples. Statistical significance of differences in antioxidant activities among the same cultivars was relatively small (flesh + peel or peel only) for both types of apples. These results indicate that organic apples do not present higher antioxidant or nutritional value compared with conventionally grown ones, as far as polyphenolic content and total antioxidant activities are concerned.
THE BEECH BARK DISEASE: A NECTRIA DISEASE OF FAGUS, FOLLOWING CRYPTOCOCCUS FAGI (BAER.)

This paper is concerned with a disease of beech (Fagus) caused by the sequent activity of a scale insect and a parasitic ascomycetous fungus. Although the writer's studies have dealt almost exclusively with the American beech (F. grandifolia Ehrh.), the insect has been observed on F. grandifolia var. caroliniana Fern, and Rehd. , as well as on the European beech (F. sylvatica L.) and a number of its varieties. The name "beech bark disease" is proposed.The European history of this disease, gleaned largely from the literature on the insect, is reviewed, beginning with the first reports of injury at the middle of the last century in England and Germany, tracing its reported activity to the present, and the conclusion is reached that the disease is not now regarded as so serious an affliction of beech as formerly and that it is widespread and enphytotic in central and western Europe. In America the disease has been active for approximately 15 years; it first attracted attention in the vicinity of Halifax, Nova.
The effect of five composts of different origin on the survival and reproduction of Globodera rostochiensis

Five composts of different origin (C1: fresh olive pomace, straw, chicken manure and urea; C2: fresh olive pomace, cow manure, lettuce residues, straw and sawdust; C3: sewage sludge and municipal green residues; C4: grass, leaves, tree branches and soil; C5: by-product from penicillin production (mycelium), straw and sawdust, were tested for the control of the cyst nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, on potato in pot experiments. Composts were mixed with the nematode-infested soil at the rates of 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0% w/w. A significant reduction in the number of eggs and juveniles was observed at all concentrations of the tested composts; compost from olive pomace mixed with urea resulted in the greatest decrease.
Assay of Biochemical Compositions of Two Indian Fresh Water Eel with Special Emphasis on Accumulation of Toxic Heavy Metals

This study investigated lipid and protein composition of two river eel available in India, Mastacembelus armatus and Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis, to ascertain their nutritional value. The carnivorous nature of eel makes it susceptible for bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxic metal in their body; therefore, the measurement of two toxic heavy metals, mercury and arsenic, in the muscle tissues of these two eel species was also determined. The results showed that though the lipid content of both the species was quite low in comparison to European or Japanese eel, the protein content was appreciably high, and the value was quite similar in both species (∼24%). The fatty acid profile and amino acid profile of the two species were also determined to quantify the amount of essential fatty acid as well as essential amino acid in their muscle tissue. The amount of total mercury, organic mercury, and arsenic was found to be non-remarkable which indicates the beneficial and safe consumption of these species.
Lemanea manipurensis sp. nov. (Batrachospermales), a freshwater red algal species from North-East India

Copyright © 2015 The Korean Society of Phycology 1 http://e-algae.kr pISSN: 1226-2617 eISSN: 2093-0860 Lemanea manipurensis sp. nov. (Batrachospermales), a freshwater red algal species from North-East India E. K. Ganesan, J. A. West*, G. C. Zuccarello, S. Loiseaux de Goër and J. Rout Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná, 6101, Venezuela School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand 11 Rue des Moguerou, 29680 Roscoff, France Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
The diet of coral-reef Mitridae (Gastropoda) from Guam; with a review of other species of the family

The diets of 16 species of the gastropod family Mitridae from coral-reef habitats around the Pacific island of Guam were investigated by gut content analysis. All species examined were specialist feeders upon sipunculans, with considerable dietary overlap between coexisting species. A review of the diets of mitrids from other places, shows that a sipunculan diet is now known for a total of 26 species. The family is the most trophically specialized of the more speciose gastropod families.
Freeze‐preservation of rice cells: A physiological study of freeze‐thawed cells

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) cells returning to in vitro culture after preservation at superlow temperature in liquid nitrogen are characterized by a number of physiological alterations. These include: reduction in respiration and glucose uptake, loss of intracellular potassium, decrease in the cellular level of key metabolites (ATP, glucose-6-phosphate and pyruvate) and fragility of protoplasts following the action of cell wall-degrading enzymes. Nevertheless, cell growth resumes after a short lag phase (2–4 days) with an actual 70–100% cell survival, thus indicating that the observed damage is not lethal and can be repaired in a short time.
Effects of sex and age on den site use by Scandinavian brown bears

Abstract We asked whether den site characteristics of Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos) were related to bear sex or age by analyzing the nearest distances to human structures within 10 km, the forest composition within 50 m, and topography within 5 m of 391 winter dens used by 114 individuals during 1986–2003 in south-central Sweden. Subadult males and subadult females used more pine (Pinus sylvestris) than spruce (Picea abies) denning habitats than did adult males. Adult males selected nest dens over rock dens more strongly than did subadult males, and they selected nest dens over anthill, soil, and rock dens more strongly than did subadult females, pregnant females, or females with cubs. Topography differed among den types but showed a poor relationship with different age–sex classes of bears. Abandoned dens were located closer to plowed roads than dens used successfully all winter. Adult males denned farther from permanently occupied houses and plowed roads than did other categories of bears, perhaps because they were least tolerant of human disturbance. In general, den sites of adult males differed the most from other age–sex classes of bears.
Establishment and growth of seedlings of Eucalyptus obliqua: Interactive effects of litter, water, and pathogens

We studied how leaf litter, water and fungal pathogens affect the establishment, survivorship, and growth of Eucalyptus obliqua using glasshouse and field experiments. In a glasshouse experiment, the presence of leaf litter of E. obliqua increased the establishment of seedlings when the seeds were placed beneath the litter, but dense litter layers reduced seedling emergence when seeds were placed on top. Results from a complementary experiment suggest that the effect of litter may be mediated by the high humidity microenvironment it creates, which may enhance imbibition of unburied seeds. In another glasshouse experiment, litter in combination with excessive water applications reduced seedling emergence and increased seedling mortality, but the addition of fungicide reverted these effects. Litter with lower water application or fungicide added increased seedling emergence. In all cases higher biomass in seedlings growing in litter treatments was associated with earlier emergence. In two recently burnt sites, the density of seedlings of E. obliqua was positively correlated to the presence of litter. Experimental addition of litter in the field reduced soil temperature during the summer, and together with watering, increased soil water content, and the water potential of established seedlings. However, neither treatment had any positive effect on their growth or survivorship. On the contrary, litter addition reduced the height and number of leaves, probably as a result of increased herbivory. We conclude that in Mediterranean-type systems litter may produce various effects on seedling establishment depending on their developmental stage, and the season.