Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A revision of the species Desmodesmus perforatus and D. tropicus (Scenedesmaceae, Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)

S.L. Jeon and E. Hegewald. 2006. A revision of the species Desmodesmus perforatus and D. tropicus (Scenedesmaceae, Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta). Phycologia 45: 567–584. DOI: 10.2216/05-63.1 We have made a synopsis of the morphology, ultrastructure, taxonomy, distribution and genetics of two widely distributed but little known species because this is important for the general understanding of species delineation in green algae. The taxa Desmodesmus perforatus and D. tropicus have in common central gaps between coenobial cells, but otherwise according to the type descriptions and type illustrations, they are morphologically well defined and easy to distinguish. However, in screening the literature, the situation becomes confusing and a clear delineation seems to be impossible. To solve the question of whether the two species are in fact different, or extremes of a single morphologically variable taxon, we isolated strains from different localities worldwide as well as strains of the related taxon D. maximus. The strains were studied under both optical and electron microscopes (EM) and the ITS-2r DNA of available strains was compared. With the results of the studied strains, and a comparison with natural populations, we could delimit the taxa D. perforatus var. perforatus, D. perforatus var. iberaënsis and D. tropicus and revise the literature data. Under the optical microscope, populations are clearly distinguishable, although single specimens may not be. According to ITS-2 rDNA all strains of D. perforatus (except Hegewald 1998–18) and D. tropicus differ by 10 bases and D. perforatus var. perforatus and D. perforatus var. iberaënsis by 2 bases. Regarding the compensatory base changes (CBC), there are zero exchanges between D. perforatus and D. tropicus (except strain Hegewald 1998–18) but D. tropicus and D. perforatus var. iberaënsis have one CBC. A tepwise xchange of bases was shown for CBCs. Other accepted taxa are D. perforatus f. bicaudatus (Compère) E. Hegewald, D. tropicus var. longiclathratus (Tell) S.L. Jeon & E. Hegewald and D. perforatus var. mirabilis (Massjuk) E. Hegewald. A sister group to D. perforatus and D. tropicus is D. maximus. This taxon is similar in EM cell wall structure to D. perforatus and D. tropicus, but has no holes between the cells.
Response of a promiscuous soybean cultivar to rhizobial inoculation and phosphorus in Nigeria's Southern Guinea savanna alfisol.

An experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Technology (F. U. T.) Farm, Minna during the 2008 cropping season to investigate the number of nodules, dry shoot biomass, grain yield and, grain N and haulm N contents. An early maturing (75 days) promiscuous soybean cultivar (TGX 1485) was used. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with six N sources (Uninoculated, inoculated with four rhizobial types {R25B, IRj 2180A, IRc 461 and IRc 291} and 60 kg N ha-1 as urea) and three P – levels (0 kg P2O5 ha -1, 25 kg P2O5 ha -1 and 50 kg P2O5 ha -1) as treatments. These treatments were replicated four times. The four rhizobial inoculants were found to increase the parameters investigated over those of the control. Except for the nodule number that was significantly (P≤0.05) depressed by N fertilization among treatments, the IRj 2180A rhizobial strain produced yields that were comparable with those of the plots supplied with 60 kg N ha -1 . On the other hand, as P- rates increased the parameters investigated also increased. Key words: Rhizobial inoculation, phosphorus and promiscuous soybean cultivar.
Genesis of Complex Polyiodide Networks: Insights on the Blue Box/I−/I2 Ternary System

The Stoddart’s blue box (BB) (cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene))/iodide binary system was recently demonstrated to give rise to porous three-dimensional networks which can hardly be classified as common XOF-type materials (X = M, C, S, i.e., metal, covalent, or supramolecular organic frameworks), leading to the definition of permutable organized frameworks (POFs). The ternary BB/iodide/iodine system was reported to generate pentaiodide-based structures constituted by the most complex interlocked polyiodides so far isolated (up to an infinite supramolecular pseudopolyrotaxane with a poly[3]catenane axle). The missing link, i.e., the XRD structure of the BB/triiodide complex, is herein reported: structural similarities and novel Raman evidence, opening perspectives in the genesis of solid-state BB-based complex polyiodide networks from solution.
Processes Controlling Understorey Evapotranspiration

The understorey often accounts for a significant proportion of forest evapotranspiration. In this paper we discuss the role of the understorey radiation regime, and the aerodynamic and stomatal conductance characteristics of the understorey in understorey evapotranspiration. Values of the McNaughton-Jarvis parameter 12 for the understorey in two mid-rotation Douglas-fir stands indicate considerable coupling between the understorey and the atmosphere above the overstorey. However, the stronger coupling between the oveistorey and the atmosphere accounts for the observation that the fraction of stand evapotranspiration originating at the understorey increases as the water vapour pressure deficit increases and the soil dries. We also discuss the approaches to describing the process of evaporation from the forest floor and the results of understorey removal experiments. These show small decreases in stand evapotranspiration and root-zone soil water content, but significant increases in the transpiration and growth of the trees.
Mananoligossacarídeo em dietas para larvas de tilápia

This experiment was conducted to evaluate increasing levels of mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) in the diet of Nile tilapia larvae (Supreme®) at the sex reversal stage for 30 days. Nile tilapia larvae (n = 1500, p = 0.01 ± 0.001 g), were randomly distributed in 30 tanks of 100 liters each, for 30 days. The fish were distributed in a randomized design with six treatments and five replicates. The control diet (no MOS) was elaborated to contain approximately 35% of crude protein and 3,100 kcal DE/kg. Mannanoligosaccharides were included in the other diets, replacing corn, at levels of 0, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60 or 0.75%. Linear increase in the intestine length, intestinal villous height and villi density was observed with the dietary MOS increase. No differences in body composition, weight gain, final weight, final length, condition factor, survival rate or number of goblet cells of the gut of the larvae were observed. A quadratic effect on feed conversion ratio was observed with the MOS inclusion and the best value was estimated with 0.34%. Dietary MOS inclusion at 0.34% improves feed conversion and increases intestine length, villi height and density of intestinal villi in diets for Nile tilapia larvae.
Mathematics Teachers Reflection on the Role of Productive Pedagogies in Improving their Classroom Instruction

This paper sought to investigate the mathematics teachers’ reflection on the role of Productive Pedagogies’ framework in festering effective classroom instruction. Two research objectives were used to discuss the reflection of the four mathematic teachers. A qualitative case study was adopted as the design of the study. Classroom observations, Research Journal and Reflective Interviews were organised to collect data for the study, while the narratives approach to data analysis was used to analyse the data collected. From the study, the mathematics teachers were able to gradually adjust to the new framework through effective reflective meetings with their colleagues and with the support of the researcher. They (mathematics teachers) reflected that, the framework helps them developed confidence, positive attitude and interest to their teaching practice. It helped fostered effective collaboration and created an atmosphere of trust between the mathematics teachers and their students. The study also suggested that the pedagogy influence the mathematics teachers to provide and received feedback from their colleagues and from their students. They were also of the view that there was a gradual shift from the traditional teacher centred instruction they are more conversant with to a more student-centred pedagogy. The implication of the study suggests the need to adopt the Productive Pedagogies framework into the Nigerian mathematics classroom to improve mathematics teacher’s classroom instruction.
Ecology of Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. and Senecio vulgaris L. in relation to germination behaviour.

In the ecology of annual weeds, it is the characteristics of the seeds which are most important in determining the distribution of the plants in both space and time. The weed plant itself lives for less than 9 months but its seeds can remain alive in the soil for many years. Furthermore, because weeds live in temporary habitats, they are always exposed to the risk of total elimination from a locality and therefore the vast reservoir of seeds in the soil is necessary to ensure survival. In the soil, germination and subsequent emergence of weed seedlings is an irregular process. Usually, at intervals throughout the year, large numbers of seeds germinate within a few days of each other and then each burst of activity is followed by a quiescent period during which only a few seeds germinate. This has been observed in natural seed populations (Chancellor 1965) and in artificially introduced populations derived from bulk seed collections (Roberts 1964). Small flushes of germination of Senecio and Capsella were observed by both these authors throughout the year but the biggest flushes occurred in May and in August and September. Salisbury (1964) confirmed this pattern of germination in Capsella using an artificially introduced population derived from a single plant. Such a pattern of seed germination would appear to be of great advantage to the species because even if an entire crop of plants is destroyed, more seedlings will soon emerge to replace those which were lost. The causes of these intermittent flushes of germination are often obscure. In some cases it has been shown that a population of seeds, even from a single plant, contains distinct groups with different physiological responses which may (or may not) be correlated with morphological differences. This phenomenon has been exposed largely by Harper and his colleagues and is referred to as seed polymorphism (Williams & Harper 1965; Cavers & Harper 1966). To be useful, the term should be restricted to those cases where it can be shown that there is a discontinuous distribution of some germination mechanism amongst the seeds, or that, when subjected to constant conditions, the distribution of the onset of germination in time contains more than one distinct mode. Even in homozygous, cultivated cereals there is great variation in the distribution of dormancy periods in a single population of seeds, even from the same plant. For example, if a population of rice seeds is stored under constant conditions after harvest and samples subjected to germination tests at regular intervals, it has been shown that the distribution of dormancy periods amongst the individual seeds is normal and that the standard deviation is relatively large (Roberts 1961, 1965): from these published data it may be calculated that the coefficient of variation
Sweden's import substitution possibilities for roundwood

Abstract The substitution possibilities between imports and domestically produced goods and commodities are usually measured by Armington elasticities. These elasticities are essential parameters that have large affect on the result of trade models. The purpose of this study is to estimate disaggregated Armington elasticities for different segments of roundwood for Sweden. The data-set spans 1967–2007. The time-series are tested for non-stationary properties. The estimation fails to produce statistically significant elasticities for pulpwood but for sawlogs the estimated elasticity is 3.2. This is a relatively high estimate and indicates that imported and domestic sawlogs are easily substituted. In addition, event cases on the effect of various surrounding events (the fall of the Soviet Union and Sweden's membership in the EU) on the estimated Armington elasticities are tested. The results for these event cases indicate that the substitutability between imported and domestic pulpwood increased both with the fall of the Soviet Union and Sweden's membership in the EU. However, no such pattern could be observed for sawlogs.
Prevalence and Impacts of Motorized Vessels on Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Vessel-based anthropogenic impacts on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, were investigated by quantifying visible physical injuries to dorsal fins from photo-identification data collected from 1996 to 2006. Forty-three dolphins, 6.0% of the distinctly marked population, had injuries related to vessel impact. Impact was determined from previously published vessel-related wound definitions and the elimination of other possible wound sources. Spatial distribution was determined by dividing the IRL into six segments based on hydrodynamics and geographic features. Dolphins were assigned to a segment(s) and corresponding county according to ranging patterns. Segment 4, consisting of St. Lucie and Martin Counties, had the highest prevalence (9.9/100 distinct dolphins) of boatinjured dolphins and had the highest number of registered boaters per km of habitat. These preliminary data suggest that vessel impacts on dolphins occur disproportionally in the IRL and should be considered a high-priority management issue for local governments. Behavioral data collected during photo-identification surveys support the possibility of a low tolerance and sensitization to vessel interactions. Recommendations to reduce direct and indirect impacts from vessels on dolphins are discussed.
Divergent responses of biomass and enzyme activities suggest differential nutrient limitation in stream periphyton

Abstract. We used in situ nutrient-enrichment experiments at sites in 4 Texas streams spanning a steep nutrient gradient to test the hypothesis that periphyton photoautotrophs and heterotrophs are differentially limited by N and P, respectively. We contrasted the responses of total periphyton biomass (ash-free dry mass [AFDM]), photoautotrophic biomass (chlorophyll a [CHLA]), % CHLA of AFDM [% CHLA]), alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), and nitrogenase activity (NA) to ambient N and P concentrations among sites and among nutrient-diffusing substrata (NDS) (control, N, P, and N+P) within sites. Periphyton biomass (AFDM and CHLA) increased steadily with increasing ambient N and P among sites. Both APA and NA were relatively high on the control treatments at the lowest nutrient site and decreased with increasing ambient N and P until falling to negligible levels at the highest nutrient site. Within sites, P enrichment decreased APA but did not increase % CHLA or CHLA/cm2. P enrichment did increase AFDM/cm2 at one of the low nutrient sites. N enrichment reduced NA and increased % CHLA and CHLA/cm2 without increasing AFDM/cm2. N+P enrichment resulted in the highest % CHLA and CHLA/cm2 at the 3 lowest nutrient sites but did not increase AFDM/cm2. Combined, these findings suggest that photoautotrophs in periphyton communities may be more limited than heterotrophs by N or become more competitive for P under elevated N. The high levels of APA and NA on the controls coupled with minimal difference in AFDM among nutrient treatments at most sites despite increases in % CHLA on N and N+P treatments provide experimental evidence that differential nutrient limitation probably occurs in periphyton communities. Our results support the view that the single-limiting-nutrient paradigm may lead to overly simplistic interpretations of periphyton responses to nutrient enrichment.
Mass Transfer Performance Study for CO2 Absorption into Non-Precipitated Potassium Carbonate Promoted with Glycine Using Packed Absorption Column

The removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) at offshore operation requires an absorption system with an environmentally friendly solvent that can operate at elevated pressure. Potassium carbonate promoted with glycine, PCGLY, is a green solvent that has potential for offshore applications. For high solvent concentrations at elevated pressure, the by-product of CO2 absorption consists of precipitates that increase operational difficulty. Therefore, this study was done to assess the CO2 absorption performance of non-precipitated PCGLY with concentration 15wt%PC+3wt%GLY, which is known to have comparable solubility performance with MDEA. A packed absorption column was used to identify the CO2 removal efficiency, mass transfer coefficient in liquid film, k l a e , and overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient, K G a v . A simplified rate-based model was used to determine k l a e and K G a v based on the experimental data with a maximum MAE value, 0.057. The results showed that liquid flow rates and liquid temperature gives significant effects on the k l a e and K G a v profile, whereas gas flow rate and operating pressure had little effect. The CO2 removal efficiency of PCGLY was found to be 77%, which was only 2% lower than 1.2 kmol/m3 MDEA. K G a v of PCGLY is comparable with MDEA. The absorption process using PCGLY shows potential in the CO2 sweetening process at offshore.
The distribution of tocopherols during the life-cycle of some plants

A study has been made of the tocopherol contents of the maize, wheat, barley and pea plants. The four plants have been germinated from seed in the laboratory and grown to maturity under field conditions. Using two-dimensional paper chromatography, detailed tocopherol patterns have been established at different stages of the life-history of each plant. The young growing plants all synthesise predominantly α-tocopherol, whereas non-α-tocopherols are mainly specific products of the seeds. Theoretical implications and synthetic mechanisms are discussed and lead to the conclusion that the tocopherols are interconvertible in plants.
Radiographic features of laminitic claws of dairy cows around Nairobi.

The objective of the study was to determine the common radiographic features in laminitic claws from dairy cows using abattoir samples. A total of 192 claws were collected from Wangige slaughter slab and 126 claws from Kiserian abattoir. The claws were examined for gross lesions. Dorso-palmar/dorso-plantar and lateral radiographic exposures of each claw were taken and evaluated for radiographic changes. Subclinical and chronic laminitis was respectively present in 35% and 21% of the claws examined and 44% of the claws showed extreme deformities. Concurrent appearance of lesions was in 27% of the claws. Radiographic changes were observed in the pedal bones but not in the adjacent joints. Dilated vascular channels (61%) and prominently visible non-dilated vascular channels (24%) in the pedal bones were observed in subclinical and chronic laminitis. The most frequently observed radiographic changes in pedal bones were: irregular (serrated) margins (14%), exostoses (8%), and narrowing (6%), complete absence (3%) or partial absence (1%) of its apex. Other changes on the pedal bones were: rotation (4%), “dropping (sinking)” (3%), fissure fractures (2%), periostitis (1%) and osteolysis (1%). Most of these radiographic changes were seen in claws that had chronic laminitis with extreme deformities. It is concluded that radiographic changes in laminitis occur during the chronic phase and are most severe when concurrent extreme deformities of the claws are present. Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 31 (2) 2007: pp. 72-78
Analysis of the Italian population of Ceratocystis fimbriata f.sp. platani using RAPD and minisatellite markers

To test the genetic variability of the Italian population of Ceratocystis fimbriata f.sp. platani, a large sample of different isolates was analysed by the RAPD and direct amplification of minisatellite-region DNA (DAMD) PCR techniques and compared with a number of Ceratocystis fimbriata isolates from various hosts growing in different parts of the world. The results indicated a high level of homogeneity in the Italian population of the fungus, whereas a certain variability was recognized in isolates from other hosts. The Italian population appears to be clonal, with the same genotype throughout the country. The pathogen was certainly introduced from abroad, so it is conceivable that it does not have the genetic variability in Italy that it had in its area of origin.
Gel-Loading Tip Vitrification of In Vitro-Matured Bovine Oocytes and Subsequent Embryo Production by IVF and Nuclear Transfer

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to cryopreserve bovine oocytes for subsequent blastocyst production by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). A vitrification procedure using gel-loading tips as containers was applied to cryopreserve in vitro-matured and denuded oocytes. In Experiment 1, oocytes were vitrified-warmed in vitrification solution (VS) containing 25, 28, 31, or 40% ethylene glycol (EG) and 1.0 M sucrose. The proportions of survived oocytes that appeared to be morphologically normal after warming, and cleaved oocytes after IVF were lower with 25% EG-based VS when compared with 28–40% EG-based VS. Blastocyst yields 8 days after IVF of oocytes vitrified-warmed in 28 and 31% EG-based VS (12 and 17%, respectively) were not significantly different from those of the fresh control group (32%). Day-7 blastocysts derived from vitrified oocytes were composed of a smaller number of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm cells than the fresh Day-7 blastocysts. In Experiment 2, oocytes vitrified-warmed in 31% EG-based VS were subjected to enucleation and SCNT. The proportions of oocytes fused and cleaved in the vitrified group were comparable to those in the fresh control group. Blastocyst yields 6 and 7 days after SCNT of vitrified oocytes were lower than those of control oocytes, but 8 days after the SCNT, the difference became statistically comparable (45 versus 58% in control group). ICM and trophectoderm cell numbers in Day-7 blastocysts derived from vitrified oocytes were smaller than those of control blastocysts due to a slower developmental rate. In conclusion, bovine oocytes cryopreserved by vitrification in gel-loading tip were capable of developing into blastocysts after conventional IVF and SCNT, with slightly smaller cell numbers and a slower developmental rate.
The role of Douglas-fir stem sapwood and heartwood in the mechanical and physiological support of crowns and development of stem form

The mechanical and physiological support of a tree's crown is the principal function of its bole. A simple model for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) of different crown classes explains much of the observed differences in stem form development. Sapwood cross-sectional area at any height on the bole of the tree was found to be related linearly to the amount of foliage above that point; however, in large trees the sapwood area needed to supply transpiring foliage with water is insufficient to provide mechanical support. The combination of sapwood and heartwood was found to provide the stem form that would be expected to ensure uniform resistance to bending by the wind.