Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi: Participation in Nutrient Turnover and Community Assembly Pattern in Forest Ecosystems

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcMF) are involved in soil nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. These fungi can promote the uptake of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) and water by host plants, as well as facilitate host plant growth and resistance to stresses and diseases, thereby maintaining the aboveground primary productivity of forest ecosystems. Moreover, EcMF can acquire the carbon (C) sources needed for their growth from the host plants. The nutrient regulation mechanisms of EcMF mainly include the decay of soil organic matter via enzymatic degradation, nonenzymatic mechanism (Fenton chemistry), and priming effects, which in turn promote C and N cycling. At the same time, EcMF can secrete organic acids and phosphatases to improve the availability of soil P, or increase mycelium inputs to facilitate plant acquisition of P. The spatiotemporal distribution of EcMF is influenced by a combination of historical factors and contemporary environmental factors. The community of EcMF is associated with various factors, such as climate change, soil conditions, and host distribution. Under global climate change, investigating the relationships between the nutrient cycling functions of EcMF communities and their distribution patterns under various spatiotemporal scales is conducive to more accurate assessments of the ecological effects of EcMF on the sustainable development of forest.
Genetic diversity of captive spotted paca (Agouti paca) from south east Brazil assessed by the RAPD-PCR technique

The genetic diversity was analyzed among spotted paca (Agouti paca) from three commercial flocks located in Brazil. As the genome of this species is unknown, the RAPD-PCR technique was used. Ten primers generated sixty polymorphic bands. The among and within population genetic variability estimated by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was 12.55 and 87.45%, respectively. The shortest Nei distance value was 11.76% among the Carangola (CG) and Sao Francisco do Gloria (SF) populations. This value can be explained by the exchange of reproduction males and females between the two geographically close breeding sites. The analysis of principal components showed well defined and structured groups aggregating animals according their population of origin, with some exceptions. Lower diversity was found in the Sao Francisco population than in the Carangola and Castelo (CS) populations. This result suggested the variability is better conserved in breeding farms with fifty or sixty animals (CG and CS) than in the breeding farm with a dozen animals (SF). The RADP-PCR technique proved to be informative for the quantification of among and within population genetic variability of the spotted paca. The phenogram generated by UPGMA using the NTSYS-PC software from the Nei Distance, grouped CG and SF on a single branch connected to the CS, with 76 and 100% accuracy, respectively, to the bootstrap. This result was not only consistent with the historical and geographical information on flocks, but also shows the need for periodic reproductive male replacement. Future studies should be developed with co-dominant markers and include spotted paca from more distant places.
Ozone effects on wheat in relation to CO2: modelling short‐term and long‐term responses of leaf photosynthesis and leaf duration

A combined stomatal–photosynthesis model was extended to simulate the effects of ozone exposure on leaf photosynthesis and leaf duration in relation to CO2. We assume that ozone has a short‐term and a long‐term effect on the Rubisco‐limited rate of photosynthesis, Ac. Elevated CO2 counteracts ozone damage via stomatal closure. Ozone is detoxified at uptake rates below a threshold value above which Ac decreases linearly with the rate of ozone uptake. Reduction in Ac is transient and depends on leaf age. Leaf duration decreases depending on accumulated ozone uptake. This approach is introduced into the mechanistic crop simulation model AFRCWHEAT2. The derived model, AFRCWHEAT2‐O3, is used to test the capability of these assumptions to explain responses at the plant and crop level.
How Do We Think the Covid-19 Crisis Will Affect Our Careers (If Any Remain)?

This study is the first in the world to investigate the expected impact of the COVID-19 crisis on career outcomes and career aspirations. To this end, highquality survey research with a relevant panel of Belgian employees was conducted. About 21% of them fear losing their jobs due to the crisis—14% are concerned that they will even lose their jobs in the near future. In addition, 26% expect to miss out on promotions that they would have received had the COVID-19 crisis not occurred. This fear of a negative impact is higher in vulnerable groups, such migrants. In addition, we observe that many panel members believe they will look at the labour market differently and will have different work-related priorities in the future. In this respect, more than half of the panel members indicate that they have attached more importance to working conditions and work-life balance since the COVID-19 crisis.
On Piltdown: the possible roles of Teilhard de Chardin, Martin Hinton and Charles Dawson

ABSTRACT Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) was a Jesuit priest, philosopher and palaeontologist. A number of his letters and publications are examined, including those written from Paris almost immediately after the announcement of the controversial “Piltdown Man” (Eoanthropus dawsoni) which included a human cranium and the jaw of an ape. The first cranial fragments were obtained by Charles Dawson (an amateur palaeontologist) in 1908. The hoax or joke was not exposed until 1953. Writing to his cousin Marguerite Teillard-Chambon during World War I, some time after facing questions about Piltdown, Teilhard expressed a troubled mind, associated with questions and “circumstances in which I was necessarily involved”. He refers to a theological solution, through use of the words “eminently sanctifiable” (sanctify can mean to purify or free from sin). Writing to his theological friend Edouard le Roy from China, he makes a brief comparison between Sinanthropus (Homo erectus) and “Piltdown Man”. His comments are discussed in the context of the possibility that he was aware that E. dawsoni was not a genuine hominid fossil. A scenario is given whereby Martin Hinton, a zoologist and palaeontologist based at the British Museum (Natural History) was one of the perpetrators, associated with a joke aimed initially at Smith Woodward who formally announced “Piltdown Man” on December 18, 1912. In terms of this scenario, Hinton approached Teilhard in London (some time after August 11, 1913) to assist in exposing the joke. The painted canine of an orangutan was discovered at Piltdown by Teilhard on 30 August 1913, but was found in an area that had already been searched. The canine was accepted as a hominid tooth by Smith Woodward, instead of being recognised as a joke. Thereafter Teilhard appears to have been reluctant to write or say very much about “Piltdown Man”. A review of certain documents lends support to the hypothesis that Hinton, Teilhard as well as Charles Dawson were involved. Statements from both Teilhard and Hinton claim to suggest that Dawson was innocent in the case of Piltdown, but Dawson was evidently implicated in many forgeries and cannot be excluded as a person who was partly responsible.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF INTERFERON-γ AND TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-α ON TOXOPLASMA GONDII PROLIFERATION IN ORGANOTYPIC RAT BRAIN SLICE CULTURES

Organotypic slice culture explants of rat cortical tissue infected with Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites were applied as an in vitro model to investigate host–pathogen interactions in cerebral toxoplasmosis. The kinetics of parasite proliferation and the effects of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) in infected organotypic cultures were monitored by light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. As assessed by the loss of the structural integrity of the glial fibrillary acidic protein–intermediate filament network, tachyzoites infected and proliferated mainly within astrocytes, whereas neurons and microglia remained largely unaffected. Toxoplasma gondii proliferation was severely inhibited by IFN-γ. However, this inhibition was not linked to tachyzoite-to-bradyzoite stage conversion. In contrast, TNF-α treatment resulted in a dramatically enhanced proliferation rate of the parasite. The cellular integrity in IFN-γ–treated organotypic slice cultures was severely impaired compared with untreated and TNF-α–treated cultures. Thus, on infection of organotypic neuronal cultures, IFN-γ and TNF-α exhibit largely detrimental effects, which could contribute to either inhibition or acceleration of parasite proliferation during cerebral toxoplasmosis.
Horizontal growth in arctic-alpine clonal plants is not affected by climatic variability among regions

Background: Many arctic and alpine plant species from cold environments reproduce mainly vegetatively and can be extremely long-lived. To understand the life history and population dynamics of such species, careful in-situ measurements of growth are essential, but reports of such measurements are still scarce. Aims: Our objectives were to compare annual horizontal growth in populations of five clonal arctic-alpine species in different geographic regions, successional stages and years, and to test how much their mean annual growth is affected by season length. Methods: We performed replicated measurements of annual size increments in 36 populations of Carex curvula, Dryas octopetala, Salix herbacea, Vaccinium uliginosum and Empetrum nigrum in three arctic-alpine regions of Europe for 2 years (2008–2010). Results: The mean annual horizontal growth was different among the species and between early and late successional stages in both years. In late successional populations, the mean growth over both years was between 0.46 mm (Carex curvula) and 13.2 mm (Empetrum nigrum), and in early successional populations, the growth was between 0.85 mm and 19.0 mm, respectively. Across geographical regions, growth rates were not different, despite a difference of as much as 50 days among season lengths. Conclusions: Our results indicate that horizontal growth in arctic-alpine clonal plants may not be strongly affected by a warmer climate in the future. As a consequence, changes in arctic-alpine late successional vegetation dominated by the clonal species studied here might be slower in the face of global warming than changes in other vegetation types.
Examining the effect of principal leadership on student science achievement

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to estimate the relationships among principal leadership, teacher-related factors (e.g. job satisfaction, self-efficacy of teaching, and collaboration), and student achievement in science. With the United States sample of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 data, we used a series of two-level structural equation models to examine the direct, indirect, and moderated effect of principal leadership. The results revealed that (a) teachers’ rating of principal leadership had a direct and positive relationship with student science achievement, (b) teachers’ job satisfaction and collaboration were positively associated with principal leadership but did not mediate the relationship between principal leadership and student science achievement, and (c) principal leadership’s direct effect on science achievement was moderated by school size. Implications are discussed.
Mamíferos de la Selva Zoque, México: riqueza, uso y conservación

Mammals of Zoque Forest, Mexico: richness, use and conservation. Zoque Forest is one of the richest and threatened regions in Southeastern Mexico, and for which few studies on mammal biology and use are available. Here we analyzed the conservation status of mammalian species according to Mexican and inter - national laws, with an updated checklist of mammals in this forest, and some information on their use by some rural communities. Basic information was obtained from national and international collections and publications. A total of 42 fieldtrips, that followed conventional techniques, were conducted from 2003 through 2010, and some questionnaires to local hunters were applied. The mammalian fauna found in the area was composed of 149 species belonging to 99 genera and 30 families; these results support that the Zoque Forest is the richest in the number of mammalian species in Mexico. A total of 35 species were considered at risk by the Mexican National Law NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, and 21 species were found to be registered in the IUCN Red List or in CITES. Of the 40 species included in any of the lists, only the Baird's tapir, jaguar and white-lipped pec- cary were included in all three lists and 14 species were shared by the two of them. The main uses of mammals in order of importance are: 1) bushmeat, 2) pets, 3) skins, and 4) traditional medicine. Subsistence hunting and trade are unofficially allowed for farmers in this area. As for now, the region has healthy populations of a large number of mammals even though they have been used by local residents. However, since a considerable number of these species are listed under some criterion of threat, local authorities are called for more control. Rev. Biol. Trop. 60 (2): 781-797. Epub 2012 June 01.
Tarim Large Igneous Province Caused by a Wide and Wet Mantle Plume

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) can form by interactions between a hot mantle plume and the lithosphere. The Tarim LIP between ~300 and 280 Ma, located in Northwest China, has been investigated by geochemistry and sedimentology studies. However, the factors controlling Tarim LIP formation and the ancient Tarim plume characteristics remain unclear. Here, a series of 3‐D geodynamic models are combined with geological observations to constrain the Tarim LIP evolution and the features of the related Tarim plume. Our results show that (1) an ancient plume produced abundant melts attributed to decompression melting, excess temperature, high water contents, and slow plate motion velocities to form the banded Tarim LIP. (2) The simulated pre‐eruption topography coincides with the stratigraphic records from the late Carboniferous to early Permian. Specifically, the swell area of pre‐eruption topography is sensitive only to the plume radius and enables us to constrain the ancient mantle plume size well. (3) Based on the volcanic activity and pre‐eruption topography, we infer that the ancient Tarim plume had a very large radius of ~200 km, a high excess temperature of ~250 K, and a high water content of ~5 wt. %. (4) Our parameter tests and global plate reconstruction results show that high water contents and slow plate motion velocities facilitate continental flood basalts to form with thick lithosphere. Our geodynamic modeling not only provides new constraints for the Tarim LIP evolution but also first quantificationally demonstrates that water in the mantle plays a key role in continental flood basalt formation.
A NOVEL ROUTING PROTOCOL IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK’s (WSN) BASED ON CLUSTER OPTIMIZATION

Smart Electric Grids are authentically tracked and managed using Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) for different applications in the field of Smart Grid applications. The purpose of this paper is to simulate and scrutinize the performance of four WSN Routing protocols operating in various smart grid environments. The four WSN routing protocols that will be analyzed in this paper are the Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH), Centralized LEACH (LEACT-C) and two conventional protocols namely Minimum Transmission Energy (MTE) and Static Clustering. It is important to select and use the appropriate WSN routing protocol for smart grid applications and this study provides an understanding of how each protocol performs under different environments. The results of the study have shown that the clustering approach is more reliable than the conventional protocols namely static clustering and MTE. Rather, uniform dissipation of energy through the sensor nodes was observed in the clustering approach which is important as it increases the lifetime of the networks through less energy consumption.
Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), a stored food pest in the UK.

Abstract Over the last 30 years the booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila has become an increasingly common domestic pest of stored food products. This review draws together published and unpublished information on the biology, population dynamics, and physiology of this species. The current pest status of L. bostrychophila in the UK and elsewhere is described. Emphasis is given to the parthenogenetic nature of reproduction and the surprising degree of variability seen in populations from different locations in the UK. A variety of approaches to the management of booklice as pests are explored, both in the industrial and domestic setting. Tolerance to pyrethroid insecticides has been found in some populations and is identified as a potential problem in current control practices.
Virulence of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites. Effects of bacteria, microaerobic conditions, and metronidazole

The association of axenically grown trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica strains HK-9 or HM-1:IMSS with various types of gram- negative bacteria for relatively short periods markedly increased their virulence, as evidenced by their ability to destroy monolayers of tissue-cultured cells. Interaction of trophozoites with bacteria that were heat inactivated, glutaraldehyde fixed, or disrupted by sonication, or bacteria treated with inhibitors of protein synthesis, did not augment amebic virulence. Lethally irradiated bacteria, however, retained their stimulative properties and trophozoites that ingested bacteria were protected from the toxic effects of added hydrogen peroxide. An increase in virulent properties of amebae was also found in experiments carried out under microaerobic conditions (5% O2, 10% CO2). The augmentation of amebic virulence due to association with bacteria was specifically blocked by metronidazole, but not by tetracycline or aminoglycosides, and the rate of metronidazole uptake in stimulated trophozoites was two to three times higher. The results obtained suggest that virulence of axenically grown E. histolytica trophozoites may depend to a considerable extent on the cell's reducing power. Both microaerobic conditions and the association with bacteria apparently stimulate the electron transport system of the ameba. Bacteria may function as broad range scavengers for oxidized molecules and metabolites through the contribution of enzymatic systems, components, or products.
COLONIZATION AND EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT ENDOMYCORRHIZAL FUNGI WITH APPLE SEEDLINGS AT TWO PHOSPHORUS LEVELS

Summary Six species of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi originally isolated from orchard soils were evaluated at low phosphorus (approx. 30 mg kg−1) and high phosphorus (approx. 180 mg kg−1) levels for root colonization and effects on growth of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) seedlings. Fungi tested were Gigaspora calospora (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe, Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe, Glomus maculosum sp. ined. , Glomus manihotis Howeler, Sieverding & Schenck, Glomus bitunicatum sp. ined. , and two isolates of Glomus occultum Walker. Trees grew larger and had higher leaf P concentrations at high soil P than at low soil P regardless of mycorrhizas. At low P, fungal species differed in percentage root length colonized, intensity of colonization, types of mycorrhizal structures formed, and number of spores produced. Fungal species also differed in effects on plant growth. At harvest, five treatments were taller than the non-mycorrhizal control trees, and two were not. Stem diameter and total dry weight were increased by only three treatments. At high P, no treatment resulted in greater than 5 % of root length colonized, and endogonaceous fungi had little influence on plant growth.
Yield and stolon characteristics of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars in perennial pasture in Victoria

Summary. The herbage yield, stolon characteristics and soil seed reserves of a diverse range of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars were studied at Hamilton in south-western Victoria. The cultivars were sown with perennial grass (Phalaris aquatica L.) and the pasture was rotationally grazed by sheep. The aim of the study was to identify white clover types which would persist under sheep grazing. The widely used cultivar, Haifa, fails to persist in this environment. Cultivars were divided into 3 groups depending on leaf size (range 2.5–13.0 cm2). Large-leaved cultivars were the most productive in the first year of the experiment but by year 3 some of the intermediate leaf-size cultivars were the most productive. Haifa (large leaved) was particularly unproductive in the third year compared with other large and intermediate leaf-size cultivars. Stolon characteristics were measured in early spring 1987, mid summer 1988 and early autumn 1988. Total stolon yield on each occasion was 0.46–0.99, 0.65–1.68 and 0.05–0.25 t DM/ha respectively. Intermediate leaf- size cultivars tended to have the highest stolon yields on each occasion. Stolon yield declined at the same rate (mean 87%; range 81–92%) in all cultivars between the second and third sampling date indicating that there is no variation in the cultivars’ ability to survive the summer drought period. Although seed reserves for most cultivars were high at the end of the experiment (range 11–130 kg/ha) no seedling recruitment was observed and seed is thought to play no role in sward survival in this environment. Plant breeders developing white clover cultivars for this environment should concentrate on maximising stolon yield at the beginning and end of the summer drought period (January–mid March). Intermediate leaf-size genotypes are likely to provide the best combination of stolon and herbage yield. Grazing management should also aim to maximise stolon yield at these critical times. The use of large-leaved, non-stoloniferous cultivars should be discouraged by advisers as they are not suited to this marginal environment under sheep grazing.