Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transformations of (14C‐lignin) cell walls of wheat by rumen microorganisms

The lower halves of apical internodes of wheat harvested at the flowering stage were labelled with [U-14C] phenylalanine (phe) or with [O14CH3] sinapic acid (sin). Cell wall residues (CWR) and saponified residues (SR) were incubated in a fermenter simulating the rumen for 7 days with rumen fluid or without microorganisms (controls). PheCWR was labelled in all lignin units (measured as aldehydes from nitrobenzene oxidation), in phenolic acids and slightly in proteins. Labelling of pheSR was more lignin-specific. SinCWR and sinSR were specifically labelled in syringyl units of lignin. The fermentation of CWR resulted in phenylpropane-derived unit losses in the following decreasing order: ferulic acid>p-coumaric acid>syringaldehyde>vanillin>p-hydroxybenzaldehyde. If allowance is made for slight losses in controls, 61, 52, 61 and 63% of the phenylpropanes of pheCWR, sinCWR, pheSR and sinSR, respectively, were transformed into an acid-precipitable fraction, an acid-soluble fraction and 14CO2. The comparison of pheCWR and sinCWR degradation showed that syringyl units were solubilised into acid-precipitable molecules to a greater extent than the other lignin units; demethylation of the syringyl units of lignins was also evident from the different productions of 14CO2. Alkali-resistant lignins of SR were mainly transformed into acid-precipitable molecules and were weakly degraded. Lignin solubilisation and degradation seem to be governed by different mechanisms which depend on both cell wall structure and rumen microflora.
Freeze Brands and Submandibular Latex Injections as Identifying Marks on Rainbow Trout

Abstract The percent retention of freeze brands and blue and red latex injections on 5,080 rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) was evaluated in a hatchery and in a stocked stream. Freeze brand retention was 98% after 13.5 weeks in the hatchery. In the stream, retention was 96% at 13.5 weeks and 92% at 22 weeks. Blue submandibular latex injections were retained at 92% after 13.5 weeks in the hatchery. Red latex injections, however, were consistently inferior (75% at 13.5 weeks) both to the blue latex and freeze brands. Fish examined in creel surveys (used to recover marked fish from fished streams) contained an average of 10% decapitated fish; thus, injections were missing. The brands were recognizable, however, even when fish were scaled. Our stainless steel branding symbol produced fewer high quality marks than silver branding symbols used in other marking studies.
Levantamento etnobotânico e caracterização de plantas medicinais em fragmentos florestais de Dourados-MS

Objetivou-se, neste estudo, coletar e identificar especies nativas consideradas medicinais em dois fragmentos florestais no municipio de Dourados-MS. Foram identificadas 37 especies distribuidas em 28 familias as quais foram indicadas pelos mateiros da regiao por serem utilizadas pela populacao como alternativa medicinal. Das familias identificadas, as que apresentaram maior numero de especies foram Piperaceae (10,8%), Moraceae (8,1%), Smilaceae (8,1%), Myrtaceae (5,4%) e Rubiacee (5,4%). O levantamento etnobotânico indicou 45 diferentes usos medicinais para as especies e as partes mais utilizadas para o preparo de remedios sao as folhas e cascas, sendo que as doencas para as quais houve maior numero de indicacoes foram reumatismo, disenteria, diabetes, febres, tosses e cicatrizacoes.
Pigmentation of Artic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) by Dietary Carotenoids

Feeds formulated to contain 75 ppm astaxanthin or canthaxanthin were fed to Artic char (Salvelinus alpinus, Labrador strain) for 15 weeks. After 9-15 weeks of feeding, the level of carotenoids in fillets of fish exceeded 4 mg/kg, which is considered sufficient for visual colour impression on the fillets. Significant correlations were observed between length of time the cartenoid-containing diets were administered and total carotenoid content of both flesh and skin for both the astaxanthin and canthaxanthin-fed fish. The Hunter a, redness, colour values were correlated with total carotenoids content in the flesh for both astaxanthin-fed and canthaxanthin-fed Artic char.
Massive Prevalence of Viral DNA in Ectocarpus (Phaeophyceae, Ectocarpales) from Two Habitats in the North Atlantic and South Pacific

Abstract Ectocarpus, a cosmopolitan genus of filamentous marine brown algae, contains two species, E. siliculosus and E. fasciculatus. Both species are subject to virus infections, which either destroy the host's sporangia or persist in a latent state without visible symptoms. We used PCR amplification of a viral gene fragment to monitor the infection status of Ectocarpus samples from Gran Canaria Island, North Atlantic, and southern Chile over 26 months. At both sites, we found persistently high levels of pathogen prevalence: 40–100% of the Ectocarpus specimens from Chile and 55–100% from Gran Canaria contained viral DNA. No evidence for seasonal variation could be detected. We conclude that vertical transmission of viral DNA through mitotic zoospores of the host is the key mechanism for the persistence of the pathogen. The PCR amplification characteristics of samples from Gran Canaria indicate that two different virus genotypes coexist in the same host population.
Egg predation and predator‐induced hatching plasticity in the African reed frog, Hyperolius spinigularis

Predators can reduce prey density through consumption and induce changes in the phenotypes of surviving prey (e.g. their behavior, morphology, life history). Recent reviews have highlighted the importance of both types of effects for understanding species interactions in food webs. However, most studies focus on only density or trait effects-few have examined both within a single predator–prey system. Here I examine both the density and trait effects of egg-stage predators of the East African reed frog, Hyperolius spinigularis, a species with arboreal clutches and aquatic larvae. To quantify the density effects of egg predators, I monitored seasonal clutch production and survivorship over two breeding seasons and thus estimated the effects of different predators on larval input into the aquatic habitat. I also quantified the effects of egg predators on the timing of hatching and hatchling phenotype. The reed frog, Afrixalus fornasini, and the ephydrid fly, Typopsilopa sp. , caused most of the mortality of H. spinigularis eggs, so I focused on these two predators. Egg predation reduced larval densities from 18 to 82% depending upon the time of the season. Predation by Afrixalus and Typopsilopa caused surviving embryos to hatch 3–4 days earlier, at an earlier developmental stage, and at sizes that were 20–30% smaller compared to hatchlings from undisturbed clutches. Recent experimental studies in this system have demonstrated that reductions in larval density and size due to egg-stage predators facilitate larval survival in the presence of aquatic predators. Reductions in larval density increase larval survival by reducing larval competition and increasing growth through vulnerable size classes. Predator-induced early-hatched tadpoles exhibited higher larval growth rates than tadpoles from undisturbed clutches, and thus realized higher survival by growing more rapidly though vulnerable size classes. Thus both the density and trait effects of egg-stage predators have important, sometimes unexpected, consequences for survival in subsequent life-stages.
Host plant species affects the quality of the generalist Trichoplusia ni as a host for the polyembryonic parasitoid Copidosoma floridanum

Diet of herbivorous insects can influence both the herbivores and their natural enemies. We examined the direct and indirect effects of diet on the interactions between the polyphagous herbivore Trichoplusia ni Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its polyembryonic parasitoid Copidosoma floridanum Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). To determine how host plant species and host plant iridoid glycoside content affect host caterpillars and their parasitoids, parasitized and unparasitized T. ni were given leaves of either Plantago lanceolata L. , which contains the iridoid glycosides aucubin and catalpol, Plantago major L. (Plantaginaceae), which contains only aucubin, or Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg (Asteraceae), which contains neither. Survival of unparasitized T. ni was much lower when fed P. major compared with the other two host plants, whereas pupae were smallest when fed T. officinale and developed most slowly when fed P. lanceolata as larvae. Neither aucubin nor catalpol were detected in intact Plantago‐fed T. ni larvae or their hemolymph, and only trace amounts of aucubin were detected in frass, suggesting that these compounds are mostly metabolized in the midgut and are not encountered by the parasitoid. Copidosoma floridanum clutch size was almost doubled when reared from P. lanceolata‐fed T. ni compared with T. officinale‐fed larvae and tripled compared with P. major‐fed larvae, although the percent of parasitoids surviving to adulthood was uniformly high regardless of host diet. The observed variation in C. floridanum fitness among host diets is likely mediated by the effect of the diets on host quality, which in turn may be influenced more by other factors in the host plants than their iridoid glycoside profiles. Interactions between plant metabolites, generalist herbivores like T. ni, and their parasitoids may be predominantly indirect.
Systematics and evolution of the tribes Pyrophorini and Heligmini, with description of Campyloxeninae, new subfamily (Coleoptera, Elateridae)

Examination of types and comparative studies of the male and femule genitalia and other morphological characters of all genera of the "Pyrophorini" permitted a reclassification of this tribe. It is divided into two others: Pyrophorini sensu stricto and Heligmini, trib. n. The former, exclusively bioluminescent, includes seventeen genera (Pyrophorus sensu stricto, two genera here revalidated: Phanophorus Solier, 1851 and Hypsiophthalmus hatreille, 1834, and the following new ones: Nyctophyxis, Noxlumenes, Cryptolampros, Sooporanga, Pyroptesis, Hapsodrilus, Ptesimopsia, Pyrearinus, Fulgeochlizus, Opselater, Ignelater, Lygelater, Deilelater and Vesperelater). The latter includes all non luminous genera previously placed within the "Pyrophorini" (except for Hifo Candeze, 1881, Hifoides Schwarz, 1906, Hemirhipus Latreille, 1829, and Chalcolepsis Candeze, 1857) and four new genera originally described in the genus "Pyrophorus" (Agnostelater, Coctilelater, Euplinthus and Arcanelater). Campyloxenus Fairmaire, 1860, is removed from the Pyrophorinae and placed in a new subfamily. The hypothetical phytogeny of both tribes based on morphological evidence rombined with geographical patterns, is given. Considerations on the biology and ecology of the Pyrophorini are given.
Dinâmica do afilamento do tronco e da produção de madeira em plantios de Araucaria angustifolia

The research aimed to evaluate the evolution of stem taper and wood assortment in plantations of Araucaria angustifolia. The data came from 30 sampled trees in plantations established between the decades of 1940-1960 in Irati National Forest, Parana State, Brazil. The trees were subjected to the technique of complete stem analysis that allows reconstitution of the entire past growth. The data generated allowed the obtaintion of diameter at different heights at various ages. The mean stem profile by age was obtained from taper functions and cubic splines functions were used to evaluate the evolution of wood assortment by age classes. We also conducted studies on the stem taper dynamics with the use of form factors. The results were presented with the mean of all trees and grouping them into two site classes, when the trees are 50 years old they reach an average volume of 1.20 m 3 , of which 14% could be used for lamination, 66.2% for sawmill 2, 15.9% for sawmill 1, 3.7% for pulpwood and only 0.3% would be residuals. In this same age the sites I and II had mean total volume of 1.94 m 3 and 0.57 m³, respectively. The 5 th degree polynomial function adjusted by age classes allowed to infer that stem tapering improves with age, with the stem becoming more cylindrical. This same trend can be established on the form factor, which practically stabilized after the 35 years of age, at a value of about 0.6.
Taxonomic value of seed characters in the Erica tetralix L. group (Ericaceae)

A study of the seed morphology of Erica tetralix and the related species E. mackaiana and E. andevalensis was performed to evaluate the taxonomic importance of seed characters. Size and shape of seeds and surface cells were studied, and area, perimeter, main axis lengths, elongation and sinuosity were measured. Levels of intraspecific variation were considered by means of nested analysis of variance. The study of the intraspecific variation of the characters shows significant differences for lower levels, higher than variations between species for most characters. Levels of variation must be based upon the numerical analysis of seed characters for a correct approach to determining systematic value. E. mackaiana and E. andevalensis group together versus E. tetralix for sinuosity of testa cells. This is a good taxonomic character because it shows significant differences between species and no significant differences between populations. E. tetralix has strongly undulated testa cells while E. mackaiana and E. andevalensis have slightly undulated or curved testa cells. These two species can be discriminated by size of the seed, with seeds of 0.37-0.38 mm for E. andevalensis and 0.4 - 0.45 mm for E. mackaiana. Similarities are found in seed morphology for E. mackaiana and E. andevalensis, but we nevertheless consider the species status for the three taxa as the most natural taxonomic assignment. A key to the species is provided.
Daily larval growth and RNA and DNA content of the NW Mediterranean anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and their relations to the environment

Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus larvae, collected from 2 different sites in the Western Mediterranean Sea (the Gulf of Lions and the Cdtalan Sea), were analyzed for daily growth rates and RNA and DNA content. An exponential function describes the growth pattern. The larvae were shown to have a growth rate of 0.56 mm d-' at 8 mm (standard length). Anchovy larvae from the Gulf of Lions showed higher daily growth rates than larvae from the Catalan Sea. In accordance, sagittal size, measured in terms of otolith area and radius, of larvae from the Catalan Sea were smaller than those of larvae from the Gulf of Lions. RNA/DNA ratio ranged from 1.09 to 7.79, and the mean RNA/DNA ratio was 4.49. Ancho~y larvae from the Gulf of Lions were shown to have a higher slope in the RNA (pg larva-') versus DNA (pg larva-') relationship than larvae from the Catalan Sea. This indicates that the former were in better condition. However, due to the high variability of the RNA/DNA ratio, no significant differences in RNA/DNA ratio were found between the 2 areas. A preliminary study of the relationship between environm~nla1 factors 2nd th? XN,I! DNA ratio was peifolllled ior each region. 'The RNA/DNA ratio of larvae from the Catalan Sea correlated negatively with temperature and pos.i. tively with relative fluorescence and organic matter, while in the Gulf of Lions there was a positive correlation with temperature and no relation with relative fluorescence or organic matter.
Root architecture of warm- and cool-season grasses: relationship to mycorrhizal dependence

Root architecture of five warm-season and five cool-season grasses was compared. The cool-season grasses had significantly more primary and secondary roots than warm-season grasses, and the diameter of primary, secondary, and tertiary roots of cool-season grasses was significantly smaller than that of warm-season grasses. Soil microorganisms, mycorrhizae, and P fertilization did not affect root number or diameter of the cool-season grasses; root number of warm-season grasses did respond to mycorrhizae and P fertilization, but not soil microorganisms. Specific root length of cool-season grasses was not altered by mycorrhizae, soil microbes, or P fertilization, and was significantly greater than that of warm-season grasses, particularly those inoculated with mycorrhizae. Topological analysis of root architecture revealed that mycorrhizal symbiosis inhibited root branching in warm-season grasses but had no effect on rooting strategy of cool-season grasses. In contrast, P fertilization did not substantially a.
Quantitative comparison and selection of home range metrics for telemetry data

Home range (HR) metrics are widely used in ecology and conservation, but the quantitative basis for choosing and parameterizing metrics is weak. Home range estimates are ecological and statistical hypotheses that must balance type I and type II errors. Here, we present and test a new approach to fine‐tuning and comparing HR estimates using the area under the curve (AUC) statistic.
Effect of pH on Pressure and Thermal Inactivation of Avocado Polyphenol Oxidase: A Kinetic Study

High-pressure and thermal inactivations of avocado polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were studied for enzyme systems with pH 4−8. Both pressure and temperature inactivation of the enzyme followed first-order kinetics in the pH range 5−8 but showed deviation from simple first-order kinetics at pH 4. Threshold pressure and temperature for PPO inactivation, as well as pressure and temperature dependence of the inactivation rate constants, were influenced by pH. The minimum inactivation pressure increased from ∼450 MPa at pH 4 to ∼850 MPa at pH 8. The threshold temperature increased from ∼40 at pH 4 to ∼65 °C at pH 6 and was approximately constant at higher pH values. The zp value and the absolute value of the activation volume, both reflecting the pressure dependency of the inactivation rate constant, respectively increased and decreased with increasing pH, in the pH range 5−8. The zt value and activation energy, both reflecting the temperature dependency of the inactivation rate constant, respectively decreased and .
Búsqueda de xifidiocercarias (Trematoda) en moluscos de agua dulce recolectados en nueve municipios del Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Xiphidiocercariae, aquatic larval stages of some trematodes are considered a potential instrument for biological control of mosquitoes. In this study we evaluated its natural occurrence in Campinas region and two places in Vale do Ribeira (Registro and Miracatu), Sao Paulo State. Snails were obtained from fresh water collections from September 1996 to February 1999. The species collected were Lymnaea columella, Physa marmorata, Biomphalaria tenagophila, Biomphalaria sp. , Drepanotrema cimex, D. lucidum and Drepanotrema sp. Fasciola hepatica, xiphidiocercariae (Haematoloechidae) and echinostomatid cercariae were detected in the lymnaeids snails from Miracatu, SP. In the same locality were found planorbids snails parasitized by furcocercariae, echinostomatid cercariae and xiphidiocercariae. The xiphidiocercariae found in the planorbids were different from those obtained from lymnaeids. One Biomphalaria sp. infected with furcocercariae was found in Louveira, SP. In the ROSA place (Campinas, SP) an individual of Biomphalaria sp. and one of L. columella were found infected by the furcocercariae and echinostomatid cercariae, respectively. In the place UNI-I, in Campinas, one L. columella was infected by furcocercariae. Double infection in snails from Miracatu was also observed
Physiological mismatching between neurons innervating olfactory glomeruli in a moth

The primary olfactory centres of most vertebrates and most neopteran insects are characterized by the presence of spherical neuropils, glomeruli, where synaptic interactions between olfactory receptor neurons and second–order neurons take place. In the neopteran insect taxa investigated so far, receptor neurons of a specific physiological identity target one glomerulus and thus bestow a functional identity on the glomerulus. In moths, input from pheromone–specific receptor neurons is received in a male–specific structure of the antennal lobe, called the macroglomerular complex (MGC), which consists of a number of specialized glomeruli. Each glomerulus of the complex receives a set of peripheral sensory afferents that encode one of several compounds involved in sexual communication. The complex is also innervated by dendritic branches of antennal lobe output neurons called projection neurons, which transfer information from the antennal lobe to higher centres of the brain. A hypothesis stemming from earlier work on moths claims that the receptor neuron innervation pattern of the MGC should be reflected in the pattern of dendrites of projection neurons invading the different MGC glomeruli. In this study we show that in the noctuid moth Trichoplusia ni, as in several other noctuid moth species, this hypothesis does not hold. The degree of matching between axon terminals of receptor neurons and the dendritic branches of identified projection neurons that express similar physiological specificity is very low.
Benthic invertebrate production—facilitating answers to ecological riddles in freshwater ecosystems

Abstract Invertebrate secondary production, or the formation of invertebrate biomass through time, has been estimated in many freshwater benthic habitats. It has been a major research theme for the North American Benthological Society (NABS), and many of its members have made significant contributions to the subject, both before and during the existence of J-NABS. Although some benthic production work occurred before 1960, the major methods were developed primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. Most of these methods also were applied in terrestrial and marine environments. The main focus of our paper is how secondary production has been used as an essential variable in facilitating answers to a wide variety of ecological questions. Benthic freshwater production studies before the inception of J-NABS were primarily related to life history, interpopulation comparisons, niche overlap/competition, predator–prey relationships, differences in production/biomass (P/B), energy flow, the trophic basis of production, habitat-specific microdistributions, effects of pollution and dams, and quantification of aquatic–terrestrial linkages. Since that time, new applications have been related to habitat-specific macrodistributions, quantitative food webs, experimental and tracer-based studies of trophic resources, chemical flows/stoichiometric relationships, diversity/function relationships, influence of nonnative species and landuse changes, implications of metabolic theory, and the importance of meiofauna vs macrofauna. J-NABS has been a major outlet for many of these applications, has probably included a higher fraction of papers incorporating secondary production analysis than any other journal, and probably will continue to be a leader in this area.
Basal Dinosauriform Remains from Britain and the Diagnosis of the Dinosauria

A new genus and species of dinosauriform is described from the Triassic of south‐west England. The description is based on isolated elements recovered from an assemblage of other dissociated tetrapod remains that include crocodylomorphs, rauisuchiforms and sphenodontians. The key elements in the new taxon are the ilium, astragalus, and the humerus, and these exhibit five synapomorphies of Dinosauria. Three of these, namely a largely to fully perforate acetabulum, the presence of a brevis fossa, and a reduced astragalus with an ascending process, are considered to be particularly relevant. The definition and diagnosis of the Dinosauria are restated and the positions of the new form, herrerasaurs and Eoraptor relative to true dinosaurs are discussed.