Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating theory and experimentation in the study of malaria

Malaria poses a serious threat to much of the developing world and an enormous effort is under way to design vaccines and other novel interventions. Nevertheless, we understand very little about the ecology and evolution of malaria parasites. For instance, while scientists have had considerable success identifying factors involved in regulating parasite growth within hosts, it is extremely hard to disentangle the relative influences of host immunity and other within-host factors on infection dynamics. Many mathematical models have been directed at understanding the dynamics of malaria infections, and these have provided valuable insights. However, these models have also been criticized, most notably for lacking any statistical analysis of the goodness of fit of model predictions to data. Here, we develop a new modeling approach that improves on previous work, and apply it to a novel data set from a simplified rodent malaria system. We find that resource availability and competition are important drivers of dynamics, and we identify a number of parasite traits that may underlie differences in virulence between parasite strains. These include the number of progeny parasites produced per infected cell (burst size) and the invasion rates of target cells. We test these predictions with further experiments and find broad support for the role of burst sizes in determining virulence, but the role of invasion rates is less certain. We also find evidence of potential plasticity in these parasite traits
The Implications of CD36 Alteration on Rodent Skeletal Muscle Lipid Metabolism

THE IMPLICATIONS OF CD36 ALTERATION ON RODENT SKELETAL MUSCLE LIPID METABOLISM James S.V. Lally Advisor: University of Guelph Dr. Arend Bonen Fatty acid transport across the plasma membrane is an important site of regulation in skeletal muscle lipid metabolism, and is governed by a number of fatty acid transport proteins including, CD36, FABPpm, and FATP1 and 4. While each transporter is capable of independently stimulating fatty acid transport, less is known about their specific functions under various metabolic conditions, although CD36 appears to be key. The purpose of this thesis was to examine skeletal muscle fatty acid metabolism in several rodent models where CD36 has been altered, particularly via whole body deletion, by muscle specific overexpression, or in the face of permanent redistribution of CD36 to the plasma membrane. Using these models, this thesis sought to answer the following questions: 1) Is caffeine-stimulated fatty acid oxidation CD36-dependent? 2) Does CD36 function in tandem with FABPpm, and does this enhance fatty acid uptake at the plasma membrane and/or influence the metabolic fate of incoming
Dynamics of an isolated population of the crayfish Astacus astacus Linne

A population of crayfish isolated in five artificial ponds at Rdgle (SkAne, southern Sweden) was studied by manual sampling, electrical fishing and catching with various kinds of tackle. The density of the catchable crayfish population in a pond of 25,000 m2 by means of the capture-recapture method was calculated to be 12,400 individuals. An abnormal sex ratio (65.3% ,3 and 34.7% YY) appeared to be a result of intraspecific competition. Further sampling by electrical fishing made a rough estimation of the total population possible: in a pond of 25,000 m2 there were about 50,000 individuals (23.9% juveniles, 41.9% males and 34.2% females), viz. 2 crayfishes per M2. About 75 % of the populations consisted of individuals less than three years old. Crayfish growth was very slow in the ponds compared with most other Swedish populations, because of the high density of the unexploited population. The dense population, through feeding, retarded vegetation growth. Submerged plants were almost absent and the littoral vegetation was heavily grazed, especially in August when crayfishes were grazing on land as much as 0.5 m from the water's edge. After the population had been exterminated by crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci Schikora) there was a marked development of the aquatic macrophytic vegetation and certain sedentary invertebrate species. Pe3loMe
Evaluating the Relationship between White-Tailed Deer and Environmental Conditions using Spatially Autocorrelated Data in Tropical Dry Forests of Central Mexico

Ordinary least-square (OLS) regression is fundamental to quantitative research in many ecological disciplines. However, spatially explicit methods have recently been proposed that allow the incorporation of spatial autocorrelation into ecological models. We compared the spatial error simultaneous autoregressive model (SARerr) and generalized least squares regression (GLS) with the results of simple and multiple OLS regressions, to analyze the relationship between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population density and environmental conditions in two regions dominated by tropical dry forests in central Mexico. The spatially explicit methods presented better goodness of fit than the OLS regression; we also observed a miscalculation in the probabilities obtained with the OLS regression, which in this method led to an incorrect interpretation. In general, we suggest the application of spatially explicit methods to analyze species-habitat relationships when SAC is observed in model residuals. We also discuss the management implications of these results.
SPERM DNA DAMAGE AND EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AS RELATED TO FERTILITY POTENTIAL OF BUFFALO BULLS

Conventional semen analysis are not sufficient to evaluate bull’s fertility, however it might be used as a preliminary evaluation for predicting fertility potential. Sperm DNA integrity may give a better evaluation of bull fertility potential. In the current study, six mature buffalo bulls were divided into two groups (based on a threshold of 70% motility; as high or low potential fertility). The first objective of the current study was to evaluate DNA fragmentation (measured as Comet value) in the two groups of bulls (three bulls/group) in relation to its potential fertility. The results showed that low potential fertility bulls had significantly (P<0.05) more sperm DNA damage, higher (P<0.05) sperm abnormal morphology and lower (P<0.05) sperm viability than that of sperm from the high potential fertility bulls. Our second objective was to assess whether a relationship exists between bull’s sperm DNA damage and bull in vitro fertility. A significant variations (P<0.05) in the developmental competence of the embryos to the morula and blastocyst stages were observed. The results also showed a clear negative correlation between bull’s potential fertility and DNA integrity at and the ability of the fertilized ova to sustain its development to the morula (r=-0.756) and blastocyst stage (r=-0.643). These results indicate that measuring DNA integrity could be a powerful marker of bull’s fertility. Therefore, screening bulls for DNA damage should be emphasized along with routine semen analysis in selecting bulls either for natural mating or artificial insemination.
Tauchuntersuchungen an Isoetiden in einigen sauren Seen Südnorwegens

Specimens of three isoetid species were investigated in acidic Lakes (pH<5) in southern Norway. These isoetid populations consisted of plants without apparent damage and of distinctly damaged shoots. Normally developed individuls were characterized by rosettes (height, number of leaves) and rooting systems (length, number of roots)
Tomato Yield and Nitrogen Recovery as Influenced by Irrigation Method, Nitrogen Source, and Mulch

Factorial combinations of trickle or overhead irrigation, polyethylene mulch or no mulch, and 100% NH4NO3 or 50% sulfur-coated urea (SCU) and 50% NH4NO3 were evaluated for their effects on yield and N recovery by tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). In treatments using 100% NH4NO3, 15N-depleted NH4NO3 was applied. Neither tomato yield nor N uptake were affected by irrigation method but both were increased by the use of polyethylene mulch. Higher yields were obtained with NH4NO3 than with 50% NH4NO3 and 50% SCU. An average of 65% of the N in the plant and fruit originated from fertilizer N. Nitrogen recovery from plants and soil at the end of the season in treatments using 15N-depleted fertilizer ranged from 52% to 95%. Highest recovery was obtained with mulch plus overhead irrigation. With this system, 53% of the added N was recovered by the plant and 42% remained in the soil. Only 5% of the added N was lost from the system. All of the other treatments resulted in loss of an average of 46% of the added N.
Herbicide combinations for control of complex weed flora in transplanted rice

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the bioefficacy of some potent low dose herbicides of sulfonylurea group in conjunction with other traditional recommended herbicides for control of broad spectrum of weeds in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L) during the wet season of 2012 and 2013. Pretilachlor 750 g/ha as pre-emergence (PE) fb ethoxysulfuron 18.75 kg/ha as post-emergence or pretilachlor 750 g/ha followed by metsulfuron-methyl + chlorimuron-ethyl 4 g/ha or pyrazosulfuron 20 g/ha (PE) followed by manual weeding were better options for efficient weed control, higher grain yield and B: C ratio in transplanted rice.
Anaerobic digestion model No. 1 (ADM1)

The IWA Task Group for Mathematical Modelling of Anaerobic Digestion Processes was created with the aim to produce a generic model and common platform for dynamic simulations of a variety of anaerobic processes. This book presents the outcome of this undertaking and is the result of four years collaborative work by a number of international experts from various fields of anaerobic process technology. The purpose of this approach is to provide a unified basis for anaerobic digestion modelling. It is hoped this will promote increased application of modelling and simulation as a tool for research, design, operation and optimisation of anaerobic processes worldwide. This model was developed on the basis of the extensive but often disparate work in modelling and simulation of anaerobic digestion systems over the last twenty years.
Colonization dynamics of new ponds, and the age structure of colonizing Alpine newts, Triturus alpestris

La relation âge-dispersion a ete etudiee chez le triton alpestre par le suivi pendant trois annees de la colonisation de milieux neufs, ces derniers etant cinq mares creees dans ce but. La structure d'âge des colons a ete comparee par squelettochronologie aux structures d'âge de deux populations etablies de longue date. Alors que les individus les plus jeunes recrutes dans les populations etablies sont âges de trois ans, la plupart des colons sont plus jeunes, avec un âge compris entre un et deux ans. Cette etude montre neanmoins que des individus plus âges participent aussi a la colonisation. Comme attendu a la lumiere de la theorie de la dispersion, le sex-ratio des colons se trouve biaise en faveur des mâles. Une dispersion plus frequente des individus mâles peut se trouver reliee au systeme d'appariement et a l'asymetrie d'effort reproducteur entre les sexes. La dispersion juvenile apparait comme un caractere adaptatif dans le contexte de dynamique de metapopulation avec des patchs d'habitats maintenus en constante evolution par le processus de succession ecologique.
CAUSES OF MORTALITY AND DISEASES IN TORTOISES

Most of the 40 species of tortoises are experiencing population declines. Of the various causes of mortality in wild populations of tortoises, the interactions of disease and population dynamics are least understood. Although habitat degradation is considered the most significant threat to wild populations of tortoises, disease is being observed more frequently in certain popu lations. An upper respiratory tract disease has been seen in populations of desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizi, in the Mojave Desert, USA, and certain populations of the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, in Florida, USA. Much more information is available on diseases of captive tortoises than on those of wild tortoises. Of infectious diseases, viral, bacterial, mycotic, and parasitic diseases have all been reported. Noninfectious diseases identified in tortoises include various nutritional diseases, hypothyroidism, and neoplasia. Virtually nothing is known about the effects of pollutants/ toxicants in individual or populations of tortoises.
Epidemiology of clinical and environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

strains collection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the hospital environment (100), marine water (119) and mineral water (77) were identified and con- firmed by 26 biochemical, physiological and metabolic tests. This identification was deep- ened by three epidemiological markers: antibiotyping, serotyping and pyocinotyping. The biochemical and epidemiological studies showed that the clinical strains and the mineral water ones are closely related: (i) the dominant hospital serotypes are O: 1, O: 4, O: 10 and O: 11. Those of mineral water are O: 1, O: 10, the poly-agglutinable and the non-agglutin- able. Marine strains are clearly characterised by the predominance of O: 6 serotype (95,8%). The pyocinotyping suggests a clear separation of the clinical strains dominated by the pyocinotypes P10, P3 and P1 and the marine strains represented by the pyocinotypes P31, P77, P84 and the non-pyocinotypable. The clinical strains are the most resistant to antibiotics. Those of mineral water have an intermediate resistance and the marine strains are the most sensitive. The epidemiological markers allow us to define the strains variabil- ity in hospitals and environment. All the results suggest a clear segregation of the P. aeruginosa isolated both from hospital environment and marine water whereas the min- eral water strains are intermediate between the two groups and are more related with the clinical strains.
Distributional ecology of anthropochorous plants in villages surrounded by forest

and site similarity: species richness decreases with increasing isolation of the village but it increases with village size, and the similarity in the species composition between two villages decreases with increasing distance between them. Some species are restricted to one part of the study area, possibly because of their limited geographical range and/or habitat selection (climate, soil, type of agriculture, etc.), though an alternative population dynamic explanation, based on the density of suitable sites (villages) in space, is also possible. The rarity of other species appears to be due to stochasticity in regional population dynamics. The core-satellite species hypothesis predicts that if the average net rate of dispersal of species (colonization minus extinction) is low, and if the stochasticity affecting dispersal is large, the species tend to be either regionally common or rare, as was observed here.
High Tunnel and Outdoor Production of Containerized Annual Bedding Plants in the Midwestern United States

S UMMARY . Due to the high cost associated with constructing and operating a greenhouse, many growers have begun using alternative, low-input methods for bedding plant production, such as unheated high tunnel and outdoor production. Previous research indicates that bedding plant production in unheated high tunnels may be suitable for cold-tolerant species, but ﬂowering is delayed compared with greenhouse production. To our knowledge, there has been no published research on the effects of outdoor production on bedding plant species. The objectives of this study were therefore to 1) compare the growth and development of 10 cold-tolerant and intermediate annual bedding plant species grown in an unheated high tunnel or in an unprotected outdoor growing area, 2) evaluate the effect of a 1-week acclimation period in the high tunnel before outdoor production, and 3) quantify the effectiveness of these production methods for producing high-quality bedding crops. Seedlings of ‘Antigua Orange’ african marigold ( Tagetes erecta ), ‘Hot Cakes White’ stock ( Matthiola incana ), and ‘Lilac Flame’ primula ( Primula acaulis ), and rooted cuttings of ‘Aloha Kona Hot Pink’ calibrachoa ( Calibrachoa · hybrida ), ‘Royal Lavender’ regal geranium ( Pelargonium · domesticum ), ‘Bella Oceano’ lobelia ( Lobelia erinus ), ‘Potunia Plus Red’ petunia ( Petunia · hybrida ), ‘Phloxy Lady Purple’ phlox ( Phlox maculata ), ‘Summertime Pink Charme’ osteospermum ( Osteospermum ecklonis ), and ‘Empress Purple’ verbena ( Verbena · hybrida ) were transplanted on 13 Apr. 2015 (week 16) into an unheated high tunnel or an outdoor growing area, or into an unheated high tunnel for a 1-week acclimation period before being moved outdoors. Average mean daily air temperature was 2.3 (cid:2) C lower outdoors compared with inside the high tunnel, whereas average daily light integral (DLI) increased by 11.7 mol (cid:1) m L 2 (cid:1) d L 1 . All plants were delayed when grown outdoors compared with in the high tunnel, and all marigolds grown outdoors died in April when outdoor air temperatures dropped below L 4 (cid:2) C. When plants were acclimated for a 1-week period before outdoor production, all species, with the exception of regal geranium, were delayed by less than 1 week compared with those grown in the high tunnel. Stem length of all species grown outdoors was reduced or similar to those in the high tunnel, whereas biomass accumulation and branch number was unaffected or increased for most species. Overall, high-quality bedding plants could be grown outdoors, although development may be delayed compared with high tunnel production. Growers must be aware of the risk of crop loss due to extreme temperatures and plan for delays when growing annual bedding plant crops outdoors.
Constraints of cold and shade on the phenology of spring ephemeral herb species

Spring ephemeral herb species in temperate deciduous forests are active above‐ground only briefly each year. This study tested experimentally how two countervailing constraints – cold and darkness – influence the phenology of six spring herb species. Dormancy of underground structures, maintained by cold temperatures in a growth chamber, was broken at six 25‐day intervals from January or February to June in two consecutive years. Upon emergence, survival and flowering were measured on cohorts grown outdoors. Shade cloth was added at the time of normal canopy closure. Cardamine concatenata, Dicentra cucullaria, Erythronium albidum and Trillium recurvatum had no or low 2‐year survival in the two or three earliest cohorts and no or low survival in the latest cohort, relative to their natural cohort. Allium canadense and Claytonia virginica had survival in all cohorts. Flowering never occurred in the first two or three cohorts for three species and never occurred or declined in later cohorts in all species. Despite widely differing emergence dates, senescence was completed within a 40‐day period soon after shade was imposed for all cohorts for all species. Consequently, leaf life span became shorter as date of emergence was delayed among cohorts. In general, the brief growth period of spring herb species is an adaptation to avoid winter cold and late‐spring canopy shade. These constraints are species‐specific and differ for survival and flowering for some species. Claytonia virginica is the most tolerant among the species to a wider range of conditions. Synthesis. Knowing that cold and shade constrain a plant's non‐dormant period is important because of the significant role plant phenology plays in responses to climate change.
Maintenance of non-breeding populations of the estuarine prawn Callianassa kraussi (Crustacea, anomura, thalassinidea)

Despite the occurrence of populations of the anomuran prawn Callianassa kraussi Stebbins in salinities as low as one part per thousand, investigation showed that a minimum salinity of 25-30 parts per thousand was required for successful development of the eggs and larval stages. Dispersal into areas of low salinity and maintenance of these non-breeding populations is accomplished by migration of the early post-larval stages from higher salinity areas.
Multiple prehistoric introductions of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) on a remote island, as revealed by ancient DNA

The majority of the non‐volant mammals now present on the island of Gotland, Sweden, have been introduced in modern times. One exception is the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), which was present on the island more than 9000 years ago. This paper investigates the origins of the Gotland hares and temporal changes in their genetic structure, and considers how they may have reached the island.
Pigment Content and Gas Exchange of Red Raspberry In Vitro and Ex Vitro

CO2 uptake and various leaf parameters were examined including photosynthetic pigment content (chlorophyll a, b, and total carotenoids), fresh/dry weight, percentage of water content, gram dry weight/area, and total plantlet leaf areas of an aseptically cultured clone of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) incubated at 5 light intensities, from 2 to 6 klx. Cultured plantlets demonstrated relatively low levels of CO2 uptake, averaging 2.5 mg CO2 dm–2hr–1 and rarely exceeding 4 mg CO2 dm–2 hr–1 at saturating light intensities. Pigment content was higher in plantlets incubated at lower light intensities (2 to 4 klx). Cultures incubated at 3 klx were evaluated both at the time of transfer to soil and 1 month later. Plantlet leaves retained from culture could be distinguished from new leaves by tagging all plantlet leaves prior to soil transfer; both were assessed separately 1 month after transplantation. Leaves retained from culture, 30% of the total leaf area of transplants, contributed less than 10% of the CO2 uptake at 3 klx. These leaves accounted for 10% to 30% of the total leaf area at higher light intensities but were net respirers. There was an increase in dry matter accumulation at 6 and 9 klx in these tagged leaves, but not at 3 klx. Continued accumulation of dry matter by the tagged leaves can be only at the expense of photosynthetic activity of the newly formed leaves. New leaves of transplants had a greater dry matter accumulation at 9 klx and a pigment content greater than the tagged leaves. Their pigment content was similar to that of young, control plant leaves. Transplants were capable of uptake rates of 5–7 mg CO2 dm–2 hr–1 or 50% of field control rates. The photosynthetic contribution of the leaves from culture was small or negative. The first new leaves formed in soil were transitional with intermediate capability. Acclimatization to the soil environment was time dependent and required the production of new leaves initiated in the new environment.
Depletion of soil potassium under a pearl millet - wheat and guar-wheat cropping sequence in a tropical soil in India

A long-term field experiment was conducted to study grain yield and the depletion of native and applied K under pearl millet - wheat and guar - wheat rotations. In the presence of P, an application of K significantly increased the grain yield in both rotations. In general K application alone, however, had no significant effect on crop yields. Total annual removals of K were significantly higher in plots receiving maximum amounts of P and K (P 60 K 90 ) than the control plots (P 0 K 0 ). The levels of exchangeable K decreased from 714 kg ha -1 to 250 kg ha -1 in control plots of the pearl millet - wheat rotation. Even after 13 years of cropping the values of exchangeable K were still above the critical limit (110 kg ha -1 ). The nonexchangeable K pool was depleted from 4460 to 1010 kg ha -1 in 13 years of cropping of control plots. The contribution of nonexchangeable K to plant K was observed as high as 94% in untreated plots in pearl millet - wheat and 84% in guar - wheat rotations. The regression coefficients between free energy change ΔG r and exchangeable and nonexchangeable K, and between K fixation capacity and exchangeable and nonexchangeable K, were all negative.