Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutamate and aspartate immunoreactivity in hypothalamic presynaptic axons

Within the hypothalamus, a large number of neuroactive substances are found, many first detected in this part of the brain. Excitatory amino acids, recognized as important transmitters in other parts of the brain, have received little attention here. To study glutamate immunoreactivity at the ultrastructural level in the hypothalamus, postembedding colloidal gold or silver-intensified gold was used. Antisera raised against glutamate conjugated with glutaraldehyde to keyhole limpet hemocyanin were specific for glutamate, tested with a battery of tests including immunodot blot, ELISA assays. Western blot, and Sepharose epoxy-conjugated amino acids. Antisera did not cross- react with other amino acids and related compounds, with proteins containing glutamate, or with polyglutamate. A population of presynaptic boutons in the suprachiasmatic, arcuate, ventromedial, supraoptic, and parvocellular and magnocellular paraventricular nuclei showed strong immunoreactivity for glutamate. Highly labeled presynaptic axons generally made asymmetrical Gray type 1 synaptic contacts with dendrites or cell bodies and had up to eight times more immunogold particles per unit area than postsynaptic dendrites. Axon terminals exhibiting strong glutamate immunoreactivity had large numbers of round, clear vesicles adjacent to the synaptic specialization together with a few larger, dense-core vesicles. The largest number of gold particles over axons were located in regions containing the small clear vesicles. Axons in general had about three times more gold particles over them than did the postsynaptic dendrites. Staining of single boutons in adjacent serial ultrathin sections with glutamate or GABA antisera showed that non-GABAergic terminals had a higher level of glutamate staining than did axons immunoreactive for GABA. In control experiments, immunostaining with glutamate antiserum could be blocked by solid-phase absorption of the antiserum with glutamate conjugated with glutaraldehyde to proteins. Aspartate was also detected with immunocytochemistry in some presynaptic boutons in the medial hypothalamus. To compare the response of neurons to aspartate and glutamate, calcium-imaging dyes were used in combination with digital video microscopy. Whereas almost all neurons showed a rise in intracellular Ca2+ in response to glutamate, many but not all of the same cells also showed a Ca2+ rise of smaller magnitude in response to aspartate. These ultrastructural immunocytochemical data, taken in conjunction with biochemical and electrophysiological experiments, suggest that glutamate, and to a lesser extent aspartate, may play an important neurotransmitter role in a wide variety of hypothalamic circuits.
Genetic evidence for different scales of connectivity in a marine mollusc

Recent studies of connectivity in marine populations have suggested that larval retention and local recruitment are more common than previously considered. Here we used genetic data to investigate the scale of connectivity and patterns of recruitment in the abalone Haliotis coc- coradiata, a broadcast spawner with a short larval stage. Although we detected weak but significant genetic differentiation (FST) between populations over a scale of approximately 1000 km, the pattern did not fit an isolation-by-distance (IBD) model, suggesting relatively long dispersal distances. How- ever, individual-based multilocus spatial autocorrelation identified fine-scale genetic structure within a range of 20 km, suggesting short distance dispersal and local recruitment. Simple computer simulations in which all dispersal was restricted to within this scale (mean 10 km) suggested that a significant IBD result would most likely be generated under such a dispersal scenario. The lack of a significant IBD suggests infrequent long-distance dispersal is also likely and this is further supported by oceanographic particle dispersal modelling, which shows that larvae could be transported over large distances by ocean currents. Our results suggest that recruitment occurs primarily over a small spatial scale in a species that also has the ability to disperse over considerably greater distances.
Influence of the gut microbiota and probiotics on selenium metabolism in the rat: In vitro and in vivo studies

Selenium plays a major role in the immune system and in decreasing the risk of cancer. Plasma selenium levels are low in patients with certain gastrointestinal disorders suggesting a role for the gut microbiota in selenium metabolism and disposition. Probiotic treatment can modulate the gut microbiota but the effect of such treatment on the metabolism of selenium supplements is unknown. The present study investigated the metabolism of L-selenomethionine (L-SeMet) and selenite, commonly used as selenium supplements, by probiotic bacteria in vitro and by rat gut contents ex vivo. The effect of probiotic treatment on the disposition of selenium after oral dosing with L-SeMet and selenite in rats was also investigated. After anaerobic incubation of L-SeMet (0.51 mM) with 10% w/w suspensions of the contents of jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon from male Wistar rats at 37°C for 3 h, L-SeMet metabolism (30%) was greatest in caecum contents followed by colon, ileum and jejunum. Dimethyldiselenide (DMDSe) was produced to the extent of 8.7% of the L-SeMet added and 28.9% of the L-SeMet lost. A similar result was obtained after incubation of selenite (0.58 mM) with metabolism being complete in caecum contents and almost complete in colon. Dimethylselenide (DMSe) (5.7% of the selenite added) was produced accompanied by a red precipitate of elemental selenium. When L-SeMet (0.51 mM) was incubated anaerobically with individual antibioticresistant probiotic strains (Streptococcus salivarius K12, Lactobacillus rhamnosus 67B, Lactobacillus acidophilus L10 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFTI B94) (1 5x10 cfu/mL) and with a mixture of the four probiotic strains (ca. 3x10 cfu/mL) at 37°C for 24 h, 10 18% was metabolised with 36-80% of L-SeMet being converted to DMDSe and DMSe. In similar incubations with selenite (0.58 mM), metabolism was more extensive (26 100%) particularly by the lactobacilli
Contextual Combinatorial Volatile Multi-armed Bandit with Adaptive Discretization

We consider contextual combinatorial volatile multi-armed bandit (CCV-MAB), in which at each round, the learner observes a set of available base arms and their contexts, and then, selects a super arm that contains K base arms in order to maximize its cumulative reward. Under the semi-bandit feedback setting and assuming that the contexts lie in a space X endowed with the Euclidean norm and that the expected base arm outcomes (expected rewards) are Lipschitz continuous in the contexts (expected base arm outcomes), we propose an al-gorithm called Adaptive Contextual Combinatorial Upper Conﬁdence Bound (ACC-UCB). This algorithm, which adaptively discretizes X to form estimates of base arm outcomes and uses an ↵ -approximation oracle as a subroutine to select a super arm in each round, achieves ˜ O ( T ( ¯ D +1) / ( ¯ D +2)+ ✏ ) regret for any ✏ > 0 , where ¯ D represents the approximate optimality dimen-sion related to X . This dimension captures both the benignness of the base arm arrivals and the structure of the expected reward. In addition, we provide a recipe for obtaining more optimistic regret bounds by taking into account the volatility of the base arms and show that ACC-UCB achieves signiﬁcant performance gains compared to the state-of-the-art for worker selection in mobile crowdsourcing.
Apoptosis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes of the juvenile bovine mammary gland during induced influx

The dynamics of apoptosis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) during induced influx of PMN into the cavity system of the juvenile bovine mammary gland in order to investigate the role of apoptosis of PMN in the resolution of mastitis was studied. The instillation of a synthetic analogue of muramyl dipeptide into teat sinus of the sixteen mammary glands was followed by a mas- sive influx of PMN culminating after 24 h and resolving after 96 h. Every 24 h following the influx, apoptotic PMN were microscopically detected, based on morphological characteristics. Twenty four hours after the stimulation, apoptotic PMN were already observed, and peak counts of apoptotic PMN were reached 48 h after the stimulation. The lowest differential count of apoptotic PMN, cor- responding to the pre-stimulation value, was found 96 h after the stimulation. The presence of macrophages (MAC) containing phagocytized apoptotic PMN was observed by histochemical stain- ing for myeloperoxidase (MPO) and electron microscopy. The percentage of MPO-positive macrophages increased during the resolution phase to reach peak values 48 h after the stimulation. Apoptosis of PMN and phagocytosis by macrophages may represent a removal mechanism that is important in the resolution of the induced influx of PMN in the cavity system of juvenile bovine mammary gland.
Fox-baiting in agricultural landscapes in south-eastern Australia: a case-study appraisal and suggestions for improvement

Summary In south-eastern Australia, the introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a majorpredator of native wildlife and livestock. Fox control in agricultural landscapes is heavily reli-ant on the laying of poisoned baits by private landholders, yet there have been few assess-ments of the application or success of landholder-baiting practices. We evaluated acommunity-based fox-baiting campaign, typical of programs employed throughout the agricul-tural regions of south-eastern Australia to control foxes. We recorded the spatial coverage of1080 baits deployed by landholders, assessed baiting procedures, monitored the survival ofsix radio-collared foxes during and after baiting, and compared the spatial coverage and likelyeffectiveness of the baiting program with two alternative (theoretical) baiting strategies. Rela-tive to other baiting programs, coordination among neighbours was reasonably high, with37.5% of baited properties (n= 40) adjoining ‡3 neighbouring properties that also containedbaits. Nevertheless, the maximum distance from the centre of a baited property to the nearestedge of an unbaited property was <750 m (mean = 380 m ± 147 m SD). On average, 33%(±17% SD) of each fox’s home range overlapped with baited properties, but only two foxesdied during the baiting program. The remaining four foxes were still alive 10 weeks after bait-ing ceased. Modelling of simulated fox home ranges showed that 13.5% contained no baitstations based on the community baiting program, whereas alternative roadside- and grid-baiting strategies (theoretically) delivered baits to all simulated home ranges. Some landhold-ers employed practices that could reduce the effectiveness of baiting programs such as notremoving decayed baits before deploying new ones or placing bait stations too closetogether. Our research illustrates the difﬁculties of managing a coordinated baiting programon private land that effectively controls foxes. Alternative baiting strategies such as roadsidebaiting need to be considered to improve fox control in agricultural landscapes.Key words: communityinvolvement,conservationmanagement,exoticspecies,monitoringandevaluation,pestanimals.
Antidiarrheal Activity of the Fruits of Vitex doniana. in Laboratory Animals

Abstract The effect of different doses of the aqueous extract of Vitex doniana. Sweet (Verbenaceae) on acetylcholine and histamine-induced contractions on isolated guinea pig ileum was evaluated. The effect of the extract on intestinal peristalsis and castor oil–induced diarrhea in mice was also studied. The results showed that the extract possess a concentration-dependent inhibition of both acetylcholine and histamine-induced contractions. The extract (at doses of 150–650 mg/kg) also inhibited gastric peristalsis in mice fed charcoal meal and significantly protected mice against castor oil–induced diarrhea. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of anthraquinones, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, and tannins. The findings in this study indicate that the aqueous extract of V. doniana. fruits may contain some pharmacologically active components that perhaps will be useful as antidiarrheal agents. The findings have also validated the use of this plant in traditional cure of diarrhea.
Níveis de inclusão e tempo de exposição da cana-de-açúcar ao óxido de cálcio sobre parâmetros digestivos e o desempenho de novilhas Nelore

It was evaluated in this work the effects of levels of inclusion and exposure times of sugarcane to calcium oxide on the performance of Nellore heifers, digestibility of dietary components and synthesis of ruminal microbial protein and it was compared titanium dioxide to chromium oxide to estimate the individual intake of concentrate. It was used 30 Nellore females at approximately 24 months of age and average body weight of 285 ± 31 kg and age of 24 months housed in six pens (50 m2 approximately), each one of them with five animals (feeding group). The diets were allocated in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, containing three levels of calcium oxide (0; 0.5 and 1.0% of sugarcane fresh matter) and two levels of exposure time (0 and 3 days). There were no effects of calcium oxide exposure time on the intake of microbial nitrogen, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) and daily weight gain, but, it affected the intake of ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and CP contamination (NDFcp), and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC). The levels of whitewash decreased linearly the intake of OM, NDFap, NFC, and ADG. However, it was not observed effects of the markers (titanium dioxide and chromic oxide) nor interactions among exposure time and level of whitewash on intakes of DM, CP, EE, NDFap, NFC and TDN. Significant interactions between exposure time and level of inclusion of whitewash were observed for total aparent digestibility of DM, OM, and NDF and for content of TDN. Titanium oxide and chromic oxide are equally effective for estimating individual intakes of concentrate by bovine fed in group. Supply of sugar cane stored for three days without whitewash does not change performance of growing heifers.
Occupancy and habitat correlates of javelinas in the southern San Andres Mountains, New Mexico

Abstract Javelinas (Pecari tajacu) are expanding their range northward in the southwestern United States, but little is known of habitat relationships in northern populations. We used occupancy modeling and maximum entropy modeling of data collected from a camera-trapping grid to investigate javelina occupancy and identify habitat correlates associated with presence in the southern San Andres Mountains of south-central New Mexico. Corrected for incomplete detection, occupancy increased from 0.036 (SE = 0.035) in 2007 to 0.327 (SE = 0.082) by 2011. Presence of javelinas was most strongly associated with areas in close proximity to permanent water sources; with overstory or high shrub canopies of riparian, oak–mountain mahogany, or pinyon–juniper; and with low (< 6%) slopes. Areas with P > 0.75 for javelina presence comprised only 6.7% of the San Andres landscape. Circadian patterns of behavior indicated that javelinas were primarily diurnal during colder months and nocturnal during warmer months. Expansion of javelina occupancy may be related to a slight trend in increasing minimum winter temperatures, because severe winters were hypothesized to limit the northern distribution of javelinas. Additionally, javelinas appear dependent upon a tree or shrub overstory, ideally associated with riparian corridors, to mitigate heat stress associated with occupancy of Chihuahuan Desert habitats.
Preliminary survey of the pinewood nematode in Turkey

A survey was conducted in the northern conifer forests of Turkey in 2003 and 2004 for the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus . Wood samples were collected from declining pine trees, located in the following target areas: Duzce, Ankara, Bolu, and Artvin. Nematodes were extracted from over 310 samples and were observed and identified. B. xylophilus was not detected in any samples. Bursaphelenchus species were only found in 6% of the samples. From the B. xylophilus group, only the species B. mucronatus was reported. Species identification was performed from morphological characters, particularly male spicules, and by molecular analysis with ITS-RFLP.
The mouthparts and their function in the female mosquito, Anopheles maculipennis

1. Vogel's (1920) assertion that the labral canal is closed ventrally by apposition of the edges of the labral groove is fully confirmed. The hypopharynx plays no part in the ventral closure of the food canal except at its base. The somewhat popular term “labrum-epipharynx” is dispensed with in favour of “labrum”. 2. The mandibular teeth vary in number round about 40. The mandibular suspension is fully described. 3. Evidence from musculature is put forward for the existence of a small maxillary palpifer not present in other Diptera. 4. Snodgrass (1935) criticizes Crampton's (1925) homologizing of the labella with labial palps because “the lobes of the fly labium have usually each only one muscle inserted directly upon it”, whereas palpi usually have antagonistic muscles. Vogel for Culex and this paper for Anopheles maculipennis show that the labial lobes of these insects have antagonistic muscles like typical palpi.
Avian response to fire in pine–oak forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park following decades of fire suppression

ABSTRACT Fire suppression in southern Appalachian pine–oak forests during the past century dramatically altered the bird community. Fire return intervals decreased, resulting in local extirpation or population declines of many bird species adapted to post-fire plant communities. Within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, declines have been strongest for birds inhabiting xeric pine–oak forests that depend on frequent fire. The buildup of fuels after decades of fire suppression led to changes in the 1996 Great Smoky Mountains Fire Management Plan. Although fire return intervals remain well below historic levels, management changes have helped increase the amount of fire within the park over the past 20 years, providing an opportunity to study patterns of fire severity, time since burn, and bird occurrence. We combined avian point counts in burned and unburned areas with remote sensing indices of fire severity to infer temporal changes in bird occurrence for up to 28 years following fire. Using hierarchical linear models that account for the possibility of a species presence at a site when no individuals are detected, we developed occurrence models for 24 species: 13 occurred more frequently in burned areas, 2 occurred less frequently, and 9 showed no significant difference between burned and unburned areas. Within burned areas, the top models for each species included fire severity, time since burn, or both, suggesting that fire influenced patterns of species occurrence for all 24 species. Our findings suggest that no single fire management strategy will suit all species. To capture peak occupancy for the entire bird community within xeric pine–oak forests, at least 3 fire regimes may be necessary; one applying frequent low severity fire, another using infrequent low severity fire, and a third using infrequently applied high severity fire.
Bacterial diversity of domestic and imported mineral bottled water in Syria

A total of 370 bottles of noncarbonated natural mineral water (domestic and imported) with different bottling dates, were collected directly from the markets in Syria one word one year 2006. All natural waters collected were cultured on R2A medium and incubated at 22 C o for 5–7 days. Viable cultivable bacteria were counted. Bacterial diversity was approached with tentative identification of the strains isolated using biochemical and enzymatic criteria (with the aid of API 20 NE identification system for nonfermenters). The highest bacterial densities were observed among imported waters and oldest bottles of both sources (i.e. domestic and imported waters). Obviously, increases in bacterial numbers showed to be positively related to age of bottle since 53.33% of the samples of >180 d of bottling showed as high as 10 4 cfu ml -1 . Of the193 strains isolated, 154 (79.79%) were classified to the genus/species level. These were predominated by gram negative bacilli represented by Pseudomonas and pseudomonas-like bacteria with an overall percentage of 57.82 % of Gram-negatives and 44.04% of all isolates. Differences were observed in the pattern of species distribution between the two sources of the studied water. The high number reported of heterotrophic bacteria raises the question as to whether these waters are hygienically produced and conditions where they stored and consequently the real or valid expiry date. The predominance of Pseudomonas and pseudomonas-like bacteria may has potential health risks and should be considered properly.
Measuring Animal Movements in a Natural Ecosystem: A Mark-Recapture Investigation Using Stream-Dwelling Snails

enabling them to obtain essential resources, avoid predators, and reproduce (Krebs, 2001). By following movements of individuals within an animal population, we improve our understanding of factors essential to the survival of that species, including food and habitat requirements (Zollner & Lima, 2005). From a conservation perspective, this knowledge is needed to predict effects of habitat destruction or restoration on this species and organisms it interacts with through predator-prey or symbiotic relationships (Wiegand et al., 2005).
Biology of the nightfish, Bostockia porosa Castelnau, in a south-western Australian River

The biology of the nightfish, Bostockia porosa, is described on the basis of data obtained from monthly samples collected from the southern branch of the Collie River in south-western Australia during 1984, 1985 and 1988. It is estimated that most of the 2463 fish caught during those years belonged to either the 0+ (81.8%) or 1 + (12.5%) age classes. Representatives of the 2+ and 3+ age classes contributed 4.2 and 1.0% respectively, and one fish as old as 6+ was found. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth curves (La∞ K and to) were, respectively, 92, 0.818 and -0.151 for males and 104, 0.669 and -0.176 for females. The lengths attained at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of life were, respectively, 56 mm (- 1.8 g), 76 mm (-4.5 g) and 85 mm (-6.3 g) for males and 56 mm (-1.8 g), 79 mm (-5.1 g) and 91 mm (-7.8 g) for females. Sexual maturity was attained by most males (61.4%) at the end of the 1st year of life but not by females until the end of the 2nd year of life. The great majority of fish migrated into tributary creeks when these started to flow in the winter. Spawning occurred in the creeks during late August and early September, when freshwater discharge was still high and temperatures and daylight length had just begun to increase. Fecundity ranged from 230 to 1138, with a mean (±1 s.e.) of 608 ± 49.1. Bostockia porosa is carnivorous, feeding on a wide range of benthic organisms, particularly ostracods and dipteran larvae. In contrast to Galaxias occidentalis, another abundant endemic species in the Collie River, B. porosa is more active during the night than during the day, spawns 1 month later, and feeds mainly on benthic fauna rather than terrestrial and planktonic fauna.