Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abundance and assemblage structure of fish larvae in the lower Missouri River and its tributaries

Abstract Most of the backwater habitat in the floodplain of the lower Missouri River has been eliminated, but the lower reaches of tributaries have flow and depth characteristics similar to backwaters. We sampled the assemblages of fish larvae and age-0 juveniles in the lower 8 km of four tributaries and in the Missouri River main channel to determine the extent to which riverine species use these backwaters for early life history stages. We also sought to determine which tributary characteristics were associated with use by riverine species. Densities of 8 of the 10 fish taxa analyzed were greater in tributaries than in the Missouri River in 1987 and 1988. The composition of the larval fish fauna varied: carpsuckers Carpiodes spp. , goldeye Hiodon alosoides, freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, and common carp Cyprinus carpio occurred in large rivers; whereas mostly gizzard shad Dorsosoma cepedianum, nearctic cyprinids (mostly emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides and red shiner Cyprinella lutrensis), an.
Quantification and characterization of microbial populations associated with naturally fermented Greek dry salami

Abstract The microbial flora associated with the natural fermentation and ripening of five batches of Greek dry salami was enumerated and characterized over time. Micrococci-staphylococci increased at a level of 10 7 cfu g -1 during early fermentation. By day 4, lactic acid bacteria outnumbered Micrococcaceae in all batches, since they exceeded — with the exception of batch III — 10 8 cfu g -1 . Yeasts remained below 10 6 cfu g -1 during the whole process, but tended to increase at a late ripening stage. Almost all colonies grown on mannitol salt agar were catalase positive cocci. Nitrate-reducing micrococci were progressively replaced by less acid-sensitive staphylococci. A high proportion (62·5%) of 112 Staphylococcus isolates grew weakly under anaerobic conditions. Typical staphylococci were less capable of reducing nitrate. Yeast populations mainly comprised Debaryomyces strains. Characterization of 348 lactic isolates indicated that the salami microflora was dominated by homofermentative lactobacilli (61·4%) and leuconostoc-like bacteria (24·9%). Most lactobacilli (51·4%) belonged to the formerly-called `atypical' meat streptobacteria. Typical streptobacteria (10·0%), heterofermentative lactobacilli (10·0%) and homofermentative cocci (3·1%) were mainly isolated during the first days of fermentation and failed to compete with the other two groups. The microbial interactions as reflected by the distribution and succession of different general/subgenera in each batch and their possible effect on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of the sausages were discussed.
Aeolid nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) of the family Glaucidae from New Zealand waters

Four species of the genus Cuthona Alder & Hancock are recorded for the first time. Two of these species are Cuthona beta (Baba & Abe, 1964) and C. alpha Baba & Hamatani, 1963: although the local specimens differ in some features, principally ceratal arrangement, length of the radula and colour, the differences are considered too slight to warrant separation. The other two are new, being distinguished by a combination of features: C. scintillans sp. nov. by the large size reached (24 mm), rhinophores, oral veil and number of ceratal rows (13), the rounded foot-angles, green diverticula and yellow surface pigmentation, and number of denticles on the largest radular teeth (9); C. reflexa sp. nov. by the simple colouration, short radula (30 teeth), terminal position of the cusp, a very short or no vagina and the renal opening above the anus. The name Tergipedidae (= Cuthonidae) is given priority and its use reviewed. Three subfamilies are recognized viz. Cuthonellinae, Cuthoninae and Tergipedidinae, each founded on the division of the digestive gland. Thirteen genera are listed, but only seven are firmly established as being distinctive and belonging to the family; one of the remaining six, Guyvalvoria Vayssiere, 1906, is certainly valid, but, because the ceratal arrangement is only superficially known, its place in the family could not be determined.
Weed seed predation rate in cereals as a function of seed density and patch size, under high predation pressure by rodents

Summary Weed seed predation is an ecosystem service, influencing weed population dynamics. The impact of weed seed predation on weed population dynamics depends on how predators respond to seed patches at the field scale. Seed predation will be most effective if the proportion of seeds predated increases with increasing size and seed density of patches. Density-dependent rodent seed predation was measured by varying seed density and patch size in four irrigated conventionally managed cereal fields in north eastern Spain. Artificial weed seed patches were created by applying a range of Lolium multiflorum seed densities from 0 to 7500 seeds m−2 in 225 m2 patches (2008) or in patches that varied in size from 1 to 9 m2 (2009). Seed predation was estimated using seed cards and seed frames. The granivorous rodents Mus spretus and Apodemus sylvaticus caused high seed predation rates (92%) in three fields, whereas in a fourth field, it was lower (47%). Rodents responded in an inversely density-dependent manner, but this had little biological meaning as even in patches seeded with the highest density, the input to the soil seedbank was reduced by 88%. For the period of time this experiment lasted, hardly any new seeds would have entered the seedbank.
The resistance of cereals to yellow rust and its exploitation by plant breeding

Yellow rust is a fungus disease of considerable importance in cereal production in Britain and in other temperate cereal-growing areas. Breeding for resistance in wheat started in 1905, but in 1971 the three potentially most productive wheat varieties in Britain were susceptible to the disease. Wheat varieties are being bred using both ‘major gene' and ‘field-resistance' mechanisms. Evidence at present suggests that these methods used singly will be inadequate to introduce stable forms of resistance into the crops; a combination of both types offers more promise but presents practical difficulties. Resistance is predominantly transmitted as a dominant character. A new approach to wheat and barley breeding - the use of F1-hybrid varieties - offers a more flexible method of exploiting the inter-varietal and inter-specific sources of resistance.
Maintenance Respiration and Carbon Balance of Plants at Low Levels of Sodium Chloride Salinity

The daily course of carbon influx and efflux was measured in young plants of Phaseolus vulgaris, Xanthium strumarium, Zea mays, and Atriplex halimus, exposed to low levels of salinity (NaCl) and varying daytime light intensities. Maintenance respiration (RM) was calculated. In Phaseolus, Xanthium, and Atriplex, RM rose with increasing salinity, approximately up to those levels of salinity above which apparent signs of toxicity appear. At higher levels of salinity RM declined. There was no response of RM to salinity in Zea. At the levels of salinity tested, salinity did not affect the ratio of growth respiration to photosynthesis. At —5 x 105 Pa of NaCl salinity, the increase in RM in Xanthium was calculated to account for 24% of the growth reduction caused by salt. The remainder could be ascribed to reduced photosynthesis. The increase of RM is considered to be indicative of an adaptive mechanism, not present in the very salt-sensitive Zea.
The Effect of Chrysonilia crassa Additive on Duodenal & Caecal Morphology, Bacterial & Fungal Number, and Productivity of Ayam Kampung

Fungi is a microorganism that can live in gastrointestinal tract of chicken. One type of fungi is multicellular or filamentous fungi. C.crassa is a species of filamentous fungi that has been isolated in the earlier study and it showed the best probiotic potency in vitro. The obyective of this research was to study the effect of addition of dried culture of C.crassa in feed on intestinal & caecal morphology, bacterial & fungal number, and productivity of indigenous chicken (ayam kampung). Research used completely randomized design with four treatments. The treatments were the level of dried culture in basal diet (0%, 0.25 %, 0.50 % and 0.75 %). Each treatment was replicated 5 times and each replicate consists of 10 chickens. The parameters observed were : villi morphology, number of bacteria and fungi in the duodenum and cecum of chickens aged 1, 21 and 35 days and productivity i.e. feed intake, final body weight and feed conversion. The results showed that 0.50% dried culture of C.crassa could increase the duodenal villi width, decreased the number of bacterial and fungal colonies in duodenum and caecum, but it did not increase productivity. The conclusion : C.crassa could stimulate the duodenal villi development and decreased the number of the bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract, yet it has no positive impact on the chicken productivity.
Ipomea carnea-based silver nanoparticle synthesis for antibacterial activity against selected human pathogens

The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNps) has a wide range of applications, and here we develop a rapid synthesis using the leaf extract of Ipomea carnea. We demonstrated that 100 mL of a 1 mM silver nitrate solution was reduced to AgNps by 500 µL of I. carnea extract in 5 min and that one or more of the chemical constituents present in the extract acted as the reducing agent. Surface plasmon resonance peaks were observed from 410 to 440 nm for AgNps synthesised using the plant extract, and the peaks showed a characteristic blue shift with variation of pH from 2 to 8. Particle size analysis revealed the size of the AgNps to be from 30 to 130 nm, which was also confirmed by dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, the antibacterial effects of the AgNps were evaluated against selected human pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Finally, the AgNps were impregnated with a cellulose acetate membrane to form an antimycobacterial membrane. Antimycobacterial activity against a non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis showed that the AgNp-embedded membrane system has a zone of inhibition of 14 mm.
EFFECT OF SALINITY ON SEEDLING EMERGENCE OF PROTEA COMPACTA, P. CYNAROIDES, AND P. MAGNIFICA (PROTEACEAE)

Protea compacta, P. cynaroides, and P. magnifica, South African protea species cultivated for cut flowers, were tested in order to determine their salinity tolerance at seedling emergence. The seeds were sown in a mixture of peat-moss and volcanic ash (1:1 v/v). Five water salinity levels (0.5, 1.7, 2.7, 4.8 and 8.2 dS m−1 for P. cynaroides, and 0.2, 1.3, 2.4, 4.7 and 8.5 dS m−1 for P. compacta and P. magnifica) were imposed by irrigating with water that contained sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) (normal ratio 2:1). In the Tenerife coastal area, water from wells has a similar or higher sodium (Na)/ calcium (Ca) ratio. Seedling emergence percentages and rates (speed of emergence) were measured. In general, the increased salinity caused a decrease in the percentage of seedling emergence and retarded the emergence process. With regard to seedling emergence rates, the species that showed a greater salinity tolerance was P. cynaroides which had a salinity tolerance index (ST-Index) of 7.93, followed by P. compacta and P. magnifica with ST-Indices of 5.93 and 5.08, respectively. With regard to the seedling emergence percentages, the species that showed a greater salinity tolerance was P. cynaroides which had a ST-Index of 8.01, followed by P. compacta and P. magnifica, with ST-Indices of 7.91 and 6.39, respectively. The calculation of the ST-Indices using the electrical conductivity of the saturated soil extract (ECe) allowed us to observe that, at seedling emergence, P. compacta, P. cynaroides, and P. magnifica are moderately sensitive to salinity.
The Role of Plant Growth Hormones in Determining the Resistance of Tomato Plants To the Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne Incognita

The role of an auxin (1-naphthalene-acetic-acid, NAA) and a cytokinin (6-furfuryl-amino-purine, kinetin) in the response of the susceptible (Bonny Best, BB) and resistant (Nematex, Ntex) cultivars of tomato, to infection with Meloidogyne incognita was examined. NAA and kinetin in combination, but not separately, increased the susceptibility of the susceptible cultivar, as measured by the number of galls and degree of nematode development. When treated with a combination of NAA and kinetin the resistant cultivar produced galls but only a few larvae developed to maturity which shows that the resistance is not completely broken. It is suggested that plant growth hormones are not the only factors which determine the host response of tomato to M. incognita.
Sex and Season Affect Individual‐Level Diet Variation in the Neotropical Marsupial Gracilinanus microtarsus (Didelphidae)

Individual‐level diet variation was investigated in Gracilinanus microtarsus, an insectivorous marsupial whose diet is affected by sex and season in the highly seasonal Brazilian Cerrado. To measure individual‐level diet variation, the diets of individual males and females were compared to that of their population in the warm‐wet and cool‐dry seasons using the proportional similarity index (PSi). This index varies from 1 (complete overlap between the individual i 's and population's diets) toward 0 (decreasing overlap). Mean PSi values were computed as a measure of the degree of interindividual diet variation (the larger the mean PSi value, the smaller the variation among individuals’ diets). Interindividual diet variation among females was similar between seasons, whereas among males it decreased from the warm‐wet to the cool‐dry season. Diet variation among males is probably reduced in the cool‐dry season because of constraints on food consumption generated by interactions between endogenous (physiological needs associated with high rates of body mass growth) and exogenous (food limitation) factors.
The Form of the Penis in the British Rhinolophid Bats, compared with that in some of the Vespertilionid Bats; and (2) The Female Sexual Cycle in the British Horse‐shoe Bats, Rhinolophus ferrum‐equinum insulanus Barrett‐Hamilton and R. hipposideros minutus Montagu.

Summary. 1. Although the penis of the Chiroptera is generally described as pendulous, it is directed cranially in Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum insulanus and R. hipposideros minutus. 2. In five species of British Vespertilionid bats the penis varies from the cranially directed type to the completely pendulous type. 3. The glans penis in the Rhinolophidse is large and complicated in architecture, but in the Vespertilionidse it is very small and comparatively simple. 4. The form and structure of the glans penis and prepuce in R. ferrum-equinum insulanus and R. hipposideros minutus are briefly described and compared with those of five species of British Vespertilionid bats. 5. The biological correlations and taxonomic importance of the differences in the form and structure of the glans penis in the Rhinolophidae and the Vespertilionidae are indicated.
External lesions and flesh parasites in commercial fishes of Nigerian inshore waters

Commercial fish species from the east Nigerian coast were examined for external lesions and flesh parasitic infections that may affect their consumability. Altogether, 2 886 specimens from 43 species representing 34 genera were sampled. The occurrence of lymphocystis disease in the pleuronectiform Cynoglossus senegalensis is here reported for the first time from an African marine teleost. Other external lesions of fishes encountered were fin rot, granulomas, pseudotumours and ulcers with total prevalences not exceeding 1%; The following commercial fish species were infected by muscle parasites at the given prevalences: Cynoglossus browni (metacercariae, 18%, Capillaria spinosa eggs, 27%; Echinocephalus sinensis L3 larvae, 9%; Philometra beninensis, 27%); C. senegalensis (Kudoa sp., 10%; metacercariae, 87%); Pseudotolithus brachygnathus (Hysterothylacium sp. larvae, 2%); P. senegalensis (Poecilancistrum cf caryophyllum plerocercoid, 1%; Philometra beninensis , 1% P. typus (Kudoa sp., 3%); Synaptura cadenati (Echinocephalus sinensis , 12%); Stromateus fiatola (trypanorhynch plerocer-coid, 44%); Epinephelus aeneus (didymozoid trematode, 44%; Hysterothylacium sp. larvae, 6%). Capillaria and Echinocephalus, representing helminths with zoonotic potential, present low risks to publie health due to their low prevalences and the local methods of preparing fish for consumption. Apart from C. spinosa eggs in soles and trypanorhynch plerocercoids in S.fiatola, none of the other flesh parasites are likely to affect the market value of their hosts at the recorded levels of occurrence. Carcharhinid sharks influence the occurrence in the locality of most fesh-parasitic helminths for which they serve as definitive hosts. The absence of the third stage larvae of zoonotic Anisakidae common in marine fishes from many other parts of the world is related to the unavailability of suitable hosts. Compared to the results from most temperate locations where similar studies have been carried out, the present study shows remarkably low prevalences and diversity for external lesions and flesh parasites in West African marine fishes.
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMAN MONOCYTES AND RED CELLS

Red cells coated with IgG globulin were bound firmly to human mononuclear cells and formed rosettes. Rosette formation occurred when red cells were coated with IgG attached either immunologically (anti-D, anti-penicillin, or Donath-Landsteiner antibodies) or nonimmunologically with chromic chloride; no attachment was observed with cells coated with albumin. Rosette formation was blocked by pretreatment of white cells with sulfhydryl-binding reagents. Metabolic inhibitors did not prevent red cell adherence. White cells of other primates demonstrated a high degree of species specificity. Ultrastructural studies showed that the predominant leukocytes involved in rosette formation were monocytes, but some cells with characteristics of lymphocytes also formed rosettes. Considerable interdigitation of cell surfaces occurred at attachment sites and bound red cells appeared deformed. Thus, these studies confirm the presence of specific surface receptors for IgG on human monocytes and suggest that such receptors may provide a mechanism by which large numbers of red cells are eventually destroyed.
Culture of larval spiny lobsters: a review of work done in northern Japan

The method developed over the past decade in northern Japan to culture phyllosoma larvae of five species of principally cool-temperate spiny lobsters combines the features of upwelling water, co- cultured microalgae, and use of mussel gonad as food. The feeding behaviour of the phyllosomas shows that they are primarily predators with the pereiopods and secondarily plankton feeders with the maxillipeds and maxillae. Recent work has shown that contamination of culture water by microorganisms such as the fouling protozoans Vorticellaspp. can greatly reduce phyllosoma survival. The significance of co-cultures of microalgae in maintaining water quality is not yet fully understood. Newly hatched lavae of sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus) is an excellent food for late-stage phyllosomas of Jasus verreauxi. About 5% of J. verreauxi phyllosomas metamorphosed into pueruli. Mortality during the puerulus stage was reduced by increasing the capacity of the culture tanks from 30 L to 100 L. A single Palinurus elephas phyllosoma raised in co-culture with diatoms and fed mussel gonad and A. japonicus larvae metamorphosed into a puerulus in 65 days after seven moults.
Epidemiology of a Neotropical rust (Puccinia psidii): periodical analysis of the temporal progress in a perennial host (Syzygium jambos)

The epidemiology of the Neotropical rust caused by Puccinia psidii in the Indian Myrtaceae Syzygium jambos (rose apple) was investigated in central Brazil. Disease severities recorded during a 12-month period were fitted by a Fourier curve with three cyclic components or harmonics. The first, second and third harmonics accounted for 49·6, 25·9, and 1·5% of total disease measured, respectively. A highly significant linear correlation was observed between the first harmonic and the accumulated number of days having at least 6 h wetness, or a minimum of 90% relative humidity, combined with temperatures that ranged from 18 to 20°C. No significant correlation was observed between the second and third harmonics and the weather variables evaluated. Rose apple trees showed a flush of growth with new susceptible host tissue during the evaluation period, with two major outbreaks of rust of variable intensity. Host growth was fitted by a Fourier curve with two significant harmonics. The first and second harmonics accounted for 37·5 and 22·1% of total host growth measured, respectively. A highly significant negative linear correlation was observed between the first harmonic and daily maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, and duration of the light period. Inoculum availability was not a limiting factor for disease progress since urediniospores were present during most of the period studied. A major peak in numbers of rust spores followed the main peak of disease severity. Thus, rust epidemics on rose apple in central Brazil were shown to depend on the duration of leaf wetness in the dark, and also on night-time temperatures during that same wetness period. This study is the first example of a periodical analysis of an epidemic in a perennial crop.
Effect of habitat conditions on reproduction of the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Strait of Sicily

The aims of this study were to describe the reproductive cycle of the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) off the south coast of Sicily and determine whether intra- and inter-annual reproductive trait variations, if any, are adaptive responses which maximize reproductive success under environmental fluctuations. Biological data were collected from purse seine and mid-water pelagic trawl commercial catches landed in Sciacca (Sicily) over 6 yr (1997–2002) at fortnightly intervals, analysing a total of 84 581 individuals. No inter-annual changes in length at first reproduction were observed, with a mean pooled value of 11.26 cm for both sexes being found. Spawning intensity, indicated by gonadosomatic index, condition factor and length–weight relationships, seem to be governed by food availability prior to spawning. Anchovy reproductive investment was limited by the area's low primary production. There was a synchrony between reproductive cycle and temperature. Water warming marks the onset of a period of high water stability in the area, and its later cooling marks the onset of a period with low water stability. The relationship between reproductive cycle and temperature is therefore probably a reproductive strategy having evolved to ensure that spawning takes place during the period of the year when water column stability is higher, favouring food concentration and egg and larval retention in the spawning areas.