Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to rate and ratio of potassium fertilizer application

A field study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of potassium fertilizer, when applied in different ratios, as a basal or top dressing on vegetative growth, immature pod and seed yield of French bean as well as seed quality for planting purpose determined by germination before and after controlled deterioration. The ratios of fertilizer application at a given rate of 100:0,50: or 0:100, were added at planting (basal) or at flowering (R1 stage - top dressing). Establishment of French bean was not affected by potassium. In contrast, vegetative growth and most yield components increased significantly with up to 100 kg K20 per ha. Application of a given rate only at planting (100:0) enhanced vegetative growth compared with a split rate. Application at flowering alone (0: 100) reduced all measured parameters, confirming the requirement of potassium at planting. Yields of immature pods harvested for vegetable purposes were not significantly increased by the two applications in the ratio of 50:50 (basal: top dressing). Seed quality determined by germination before and after controlled deterioration was also affected and split applications of 100 kg K20 in the ratio of 50:50 increased germinability.
Structure and development of spines over the skin surface of the river puffer Takifugu obscurus (Tetraodontidae, Teleostei) during larval growth

Summary The histological structure and development of spines on the skin surface of Takifugu obscurus were studied during larval development conducted artificially with an average 30‰ salinity and 18.0–20.3°C water temperature. The epidermis comprises an outermost layer, middle layer, and the stratum germinativum, and contains three types of gland cells: small spherical or flask-shaped mucous cells, larger sacciform mucous cells, and large granular cells. The dermis and subcutis follow. The spines first appear over the ventral region at 10 days after hatching and consist of two parts: a central long tapering portion which projects into the epidermis and eventually outside of the body, and a short supporting basal portion that is embedded within the stratum compactum layer of the dermis. The central, long tapering portion has two very short processes on top until 25 days after hatching, but these two separate spines fuse into one 30 days after hatching. In contrast, the short supporting spines rooted at the base consist of three to six small spines (usually four to five spines) and are present even in the adult stage. Therefore, calcareous spines consisting of one central long spine and three to six smaller supporting spines form tetra- and septaradiate spines (mainly penta- and hexaradiate). The spines first appear over the ventral region.
Cannabinoids, Reproduction, and Sexual Behavior

Abstract Cannabis is a widely used recreational drug that elicits a large proportion of its effects through activation of an endogenous mechanism, the endocannabinoid system. The aim of this review is to examine the current state of the literature regarding the effects of cannabis and the potential role of the endocannabinoid system on sexual behavior and reproductive physiology. Largely consistent results reveal that in both men and women, cannabis use is adverse for reproductive processes, whereas its effects on sexual behavior and arousability are both dose-dependent and sex-specific. Accumulating evidence indicates an increasingly important role for the endocannabinoid system in regulating reproductive processes. Receptors responsive to cannabinoid agents are distributed throughout the entire body, including the hypothalamus, testes, and ovaries. Recent evidence now demonstrates the presence of cannabinoid receptors in sperm and within the uterus, attesting to the potential role of the endocannabinoid system at every level of the reproductive process from maintenance of sexual activity to embryonic implantation. The endocannabinoid system may possess the very realistic possibility of being a relevant system for the development of drugs that may help to treat erectile dysfunction, sexual arousal and desire disorders, and fertility in both men and women.
Seed treatment formulation of Trichoderma and Gliocladium for biological control of Macrophomina phaseolina in sesamum

The viability of Trichoderma and Gliocladium in talc based powder formulation and treated sesame seeds was estimated. The number of c.f. u. of Trichoderma spp. and G. virens in fresh product ranged from 224-297X106/g in different species. The population of antagonists was reduced by 19, 21, 21 and 29.9% in T. viride, T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum and G. virens, respectively, after 75 d of storage. After 120 d c. 50% of the population was retained. In treated seeds there was a negligible reduction in the population of antagonists after 45 d and then a slight decrease. After 120 d 55-68% of the initial population was maintained.
An Examination of the Effects of Customer Expectation, Perceived Quality, and Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty: A Case Study on KFC Restaurant

This research has proposed a conceptual framework to investigate the effects of customer expectation, perceived quality, and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. This study has been conducted on 210 customers, with a structured questionnaire, who have received those services from a different restaurant in Dhaka city of Bangladesh. For collecting data, convenient sampling technique has been used. For analyzing data multivariate analysis techniques like factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has been used. Descriptive statistics have been used for explaining the demographic characteristics of the customers. This study reveals that customer expectation is a significantly negative relationship with customer loyalty in a direct way but, this factor (customer expectation) is a significantly positive relationship with customer loyalty via customer satisfaction. This study also reveals that perceived quality is not a significant relationship with customer satisfaction but, this factors (Perceived Quality) is a significantly positive relationship with customer loyalty in a direct way.nbsp A clear understanding of the actual relationships among the studied factors might encourage the KFC restaurant to figure out an appropriate course of action to win customers expectation by providing better services in order to create a loyal customer base.
Ressources génétiques et phytogéographie des huitres creuses crassostrea gigas et crassostrea angulata : variabilité, différenciation et adaptation des populations naturelles et introduites

L'huitre creuse japonaise Crassostrea gigas et portugaise C. Angulata ont ete respectivement decrites par Thunberg (1793) et Lamarck (1819). Mais les similitudes morphologiques et l'homogeneite des frequences allozymiques entre populations ont conduit de nombreux auteurs a proposer l'existence d'une seule et meme espece. L'analyse recente d'un gene mitochondrial a permis de determiner l'origine asiatique de C. Angulata, soulignant l'interet de l'etude de la differenciation genetique et phenotypique entre les deux taxons. La notion biologique d'espece a tout d'abord ete examinee. Des croisements de 1 ere et 2 e me generation ont montre la viabilite et fertilite des hybrides. L'analyse de la competition spermatique par marqueurs microsatellites ne montre pas d'isolement reproductif, meme partiel, et le sequencage du fragment ITS 1 confirme la forte proximite genetique des deux taxons. Les patrons de differenciation genetique observes par marqueurs microsatellites et mitochondriaux apparaissent similaires. L'origine asiatique de C. Angulata est donc confirmee. Le fort niveau de polymorphisme des marqueurs microsatellites explique partiellement les plus faibles valeurs observees de differenciation. Une difference de distribution des alleles microsatellites entre taxons a permis le developpement d'un nouveau marqueur nucleaire, mettant en evidence des phenomenes d'hybridation naturelle dans la zone du sud de l' Europe, ou l'activite ostreicole met aujourd'hui les deux taxons en contact. L'etude de caracteres phenotypiques a ete realisee en milieu naturel et controle sur des descendances d'ecloserie. Les resultats montrent une meilleure croissance de C. Gigas et une periode de reproduction plus longue chez C. Angulata. Des mesures physiologiques montrent un plus fort taux de respiration du naissain C. Gigas, ainsi qu'un temps de filtration superieur chez les adultes. La difference de croissance pourrait donc etre expliquee par le temps de filtration et l'effort de reproduction.
Effect of injection of love-dart mucus on physical vigour in land snails: can remating suppression be explained by physical damage?

We investigated a conspicuous mating behaviour of simultaneously hermaphroditic land snails, the so-called shooting of love-darts, whereby a snail pushes its love-dart(s) into its mating partner. It has been shown that a specific mucus coating the love-dart is transferred into the partner’s blood and it suppresses subsequent matings in the darted individual in Euhadra quaesita. However, how the dart mucus suppresses subsequent matings is still unclear. In the present study, we tested a hypothesis for the underlying mechanisms: sperm donors reduce physical vigour in mating partners through injection of the dart mucus. In observational experiments, we found that neither locomotion behaviour nor food consumption differed between snails artificially injected with the mucus and snails injected with a control solution. These findings show that the dart mucus can suppress subsequent matings in the partners without affecting physical condition.
Functional analysis of the KDM5B demethylase : in vitro and in vivo studies

The KDM5 family consists of four proteins, namely KDM5A, KDM5B, KDM5C and KDM5D. The KDM5 family of demethylase proteins counteract the tri-methylation of H3K4 and can function as transcriptional repressors. They can form a number of different multi-protein complexes that contain other chromatin-modifying factors and co-factors that aid in the recruitment of the protein complex to the genome, whilst also possessing the ability to bind to DNA directly through the ARID domain. Furthermore the KDM5 family has also been implicated in mediating nuclear receptor signalling. The KDM5 family are highly homologous and where co-expressed may act redundantly. A picture is emerging where the KDM5 family may dictate the shift in balance between cellular proliferation and differentiation and are therefore important during development. Although the KDM5 demethylase activity has attracted the greatest attention, it is apparent that this family is an important multi-faceted group of proteins. To study the function of KDM5B two knockout murine lines were generated. The Kdm5b null murine line resulted in early embryonic lethality, whereas a second murine line expressing a KDM5B protein lacking the ARID domain (! ARID) was viable and fertile but displayed a mammary gland phenotype, where terminal end bud development and side branching were delayed at puberty. Since intact oestrogen receptor (ER alpha) signaling is a prerequisite for nulliparous mammary gland development we examined the expression of the progesterone receptor in the adult nulliparous KDM5B ! ARID murine mammary gland and found levels to be reduced as compared to the wild-type. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipition of tagged human KDM5B and ER alpha proteins demonstrated an in vivo interaction. These studies suggest that KDM5B is required during embryonic development and may be involved in the ER alpha signaling pathway during nulliparous mammary gland development. Our analysis of the C57BL/6J-Kdm5b ! ARID pregnant mammary gland showed a delay in mammary gland morphogenesis and the female could nurse her pups at parturition. Investigation into the molecular mechanisms that may relate to this showed that KDM5B expression is required to positively regulate the PRLR/JAK2/STAT5 signalling pathway associated with mammary gland development during gestation.
Physical modeling and study of the behavior of deep foundations of offshore wind turbines in sand

The axial and lateral capacity of piles jacked in Fontainebleau sand NE34 are studied using centrifuge modelling at 100×g. The effect of the installation method, sand density and saturation, pile diameter and pile tip geometry (open or closed-ended) and pile roughness on the axial capacity of piles are firstly studied. A significant increase in the tension capacity is observed in cyclically-jacked piles unlike piles monotonically jacked at 100×g. The saturation of dense sand accelerates plug formation during pile installation. The increase in pile roughness and sand density increases significantly the shaft resistance of the piles tested here. For all the cases, pile capacities are compared with the current design codes for offshore wind turbines. A parametric study of the effect of the installation method, load eccentricity and sand saturation on the lateral response of jacked piles is then realized using of an instrumented pile. The pile is loaded monotonically, then a thousand cycles are applied. A new methodology has been developed for determining of the constants needed in the integration procedure to identify the lateral displacement profile of the pile. The installation method influences directly the global (maximum moment and lateral displacement) and local behaviour (p-y curves) of the piles. The effect of the load eccentricity and sand saturation on the behaviour of the piles is also presented. In each case a comparison with the p-y curves extracted from the DNVGL code is realized.
An investigation into the spatial scales of genetic and reproductive variation in the scallop Pecten maximus L.

7 INDEX OF CONTENTS . 8 INDEX OF TABLES . 13 INDEX OF FIGURES . 15 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 17 THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTIVITY AND SPATIAL SCALE IN FISHERIES MANAGEMENT . 17 Marine protected areas . 18 Biologically relevant management units . 21 ASPECTS OF SCALLOP BIOLOGY AFFECTING CONNECTIVITY. 21 Pelagic Larval Duration . 21 Larval Behaviour . 23 Metamorphosis, settlement and juvenile habitat . 24 POPULATION GENETICS . 26 Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium . 26 Random genetic drift . 27 Migration . 28 Mutation . 29 Molecular markers . 29 AIMS AND THEMES OF THE THESIS . 31 CHAPTER 2: SPATIAL VARIATION IN THE GONAD CONDITION OF THE SCALLOP PECTEN MAXIMUS L. 32 ABSTRACT . 32 2.
Influence of Droplet Size and Density on Phytotoxicity of Three Herbicides

The effects of droplet size and numerical deposit density on herbicide efficacy differed among investigations that relied on commercial nozzles to produce droplets strictly within small, medium, or large sizes. A droplet generator capable of producing uniform and homogeneous droplets was therefore used in a greenhouse experiment. Four droplet size classes (150, 350, 450, and 650 μm) using glyphosate, hexazinone, and triclopyr on red alder, aspen, and white birch were studied. Herbicides applied in small (150 to 450-μm) droplets were more phytotoxic than large (660-μm) ones because of their greater numerical coverage and translocation. Leaf age, weed species, herbicide type, and mixture of droplet sizes were not critical in modifying the effects of droplet behavior; however, the concentrations of herbicide used had a positive effect. When the herbicides were applied at high concentrations, the influence of droplet size was nullified. These findings may help reduce the cost of application and the chemical burden in a forest environment.
Unravelling the Diversity behind the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (Ophiocordycipitaceae) complex: Three new species of zombie-ant fungi from the Brazilian Amazon

In tropical forests, one of the most commonly encountered relationships between parasites and insects is that between the fungus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae , Hypocreales, Ascomycota) and ants, especially within the tribe Camponotini. Here, we describe three newly discovered host-specific species, Ophiocordyceps camponoti-atricipis , O. camponoti-bispinosi and O. camponoti-indiani , on Camponotus ants from the central Amazonian region of Brazil, which can readily be separated using morphological traits, in particular the shape and behavior of the ascospores. DNA sequence data support inclusion of these species within the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex.
The role of buried stack residues in the folding of the beta-helix domain of P22 tailspike

In-register, parallel alignment of similar or identical side chains is a common structural phenomenon in amyloid fibers. In the crystal structure of an amyloid fiber, these residues not only align, but take identical side chain orientations, creating long stacks of identical residues with identical orientations. This phenomenon of side chain stacking is a dominant component of the amyloid structure, and may take an equally important role in the seemingly sequence-independent formation of amyloid fibers or the sequence-dependent species barrier to amyloid transmission. Side chain stacking has long been observed as a prominent feature of the soluble parallel β-helix fold, which exhibits a cross-β structure reminiscent of amyloids. To investigate the sequence requirements of these stacks for directing a polypeptide chain into a β-helical fold, we performed systematic mutational studies using the complete P22 tailspike protein, which contains a 13 rung β-helix domain. The in vivo folding and assembly of 150 single mutant polypeptide chains were characterized at multiple temperatures by SDS-PAGE, which distinguishes the fully native, SDS-resistant state from partially folded or misfolded conformers. The vast majority of the buried core was completely intolerent to subsitution at physiological temperatures, while only a few sites composing a continuously contacting network of residues called the folding spine were intolerant of alanine mutations at 18oC. These results indicate that the β-helix folds through a processive folding mechanism, analogous to the nucleation and elongation mechanism of amyloids, but requiring recurring sequence-dependent stacking contacts that stretch the length of the βhelix. Numerous avenues of investigation demonstrated that the observed folding defects of the full length tailspike were due to a sequence effect on the folding of the βhelix domain. Alanine mutants capable of reaching a native-like trimeric state were as thermostable as the wild-type trimer, indicating that mutants affect a folding intermediate rather than the native state. In vivo folding efficiencies of eight β-helix folding mutants in the context of the isolated β-helix domain paralleled the folding of the full length tailspike, demonstrating that these mutants act at the level of β-helix folding. In vitro refolding of both full length and isolated β-helix tailspike mutants demonstrated that the observed mutant folding deficiencies were solely caused by the single amino acid change and not due to interactions with cellular components.
Click beetles : genera of the Australian Elateridae (Coleoptera)

This is the first monograph on the Australian genera of Elateridae - click beetles. The book deals with 74 genera, among which 14 are newly recognised. The volume documents the entire Australian fauna and provides lavish illustrations of representative species, and typical examples of the male and female genitalia for each genus. The phylogeny of the genera is analysed and there is a checklist of all described species and appropriate bibliographic and type locality details are given.
The impact of co-infection by a nucleopolyhedrovirus and the endoparasitoid Microplitis pallidipes on the total hemocyte count and composition in larval beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua

The physiological effects of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) infection and parasitism by Microplitis pallidipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on the hemocytes of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae were examined. We found that compared to healthy (control) larvae, the total hemocyte count (THC) and granulocyte count in parasitized larvae increased 1 day after parasitization and then decreased, while the plasmatocyte count was not significantly affected for the first 5 days but was significantly enhanced on day 6 after parasitization. In parasitized + infected larvae, both the THC and granulocyte counts began be lower from day 1 compared to parasitized larvae, while the plasmatocyte count was generally lower than in parasitized larvae. Compared to the control, THC, and granulocyte counts of virus-infected larvae were higher 1 day after infection. Compared to that in virus-infected larvae, THC and granulocyte counts in parasitized + infected larvae began to decrease from day 1 while the plasmatocyte count generally decreased. We concluded that the host immune response of cell communities to parasitization by M. pallidipes was elicited during the development of the parasitoid egg, but that immune response was inhibited during larval development of parasitoids in the host body. Meanwhile, we found that NPV infection impeded the regulatory effect of M. pallidipes on host cellular immune responses, and parasitization by M. pallidipes similarly inhibited the host cellular immune response caused by NPV infection.
Survey of the main causal agents of fusarium head blight of durum wheat around Bologna, northern Italy

Several Fusarium species and Microdochium nivale are involved in fusarium head blight (FHB), which in Italy has been constantly present on wheat since 1995. This study was carried out from 1995 to 2007 on FHB-infected durum wheat heads collected in the Bologna countryside, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. The most frequent Fusarium species found were: Fusarium graminearum (32.1%), F. culmorum (25.2%) and F. poae (17.8%), while F. avenaceum and M. nivale occurred discontinuously. Other Fusarium species were also found, but only sporadically. It is important to identify and characterize the main species involved in the FHB syndrome for this will help us to establish control strategies that will contain the disease and the content of mycotoxins in food and animal feed.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed dormancy and its regulation by ethylene.

ABSTRACT Freshly harvested sunflower (Heliarthus annuus L.) seeds germinated poorly, with a temperature optimum close to 25 °C. The inability to germinate at high temperatures (25 to 40°C) resulted principally from a seed-coat imposed dormancy, whereas poor germination at temperatures below 25 °C was mainly due to an embryo dormancy. Dry storage greatly improved germination at temperatures ranging from 5 to 40°C, by eliminating both the seed-coat imposed and the embryo dormancy. A too high temperature (45°C) always completely inhibited germination and rapidly induced a secondary dormancy which was broken by redrying and dry storage of the seeds. The depth of embryo dormancy varied during the development of the seeds. It was low in very immature embryos, but increased and then decreased during desiccation of the seeds on the mother plants. Ethylene and its immediate precursor (1-aminocyclopropane-l-car- boxylic acid) strongly stimulated germination of primary dormant seeds. On the contrary, inhibitors of e.