Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generation mean analysis of dual purpose traits in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) walp)

Dual-purpose, the relative ratio of grain to fodder productivity of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ) is one of the major factors affecting the adoption of new varieties in sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts have been made to improve either the fodder or the grain productivity separately. However, there is the need to develop a variety with both good grain and fodder productivity. Gene effects for dual-purpose traits were estimated from the combined analysis of the parental, F 1 , F 2 and backcross populations involving one fodder cowpea and two grain type cowpeas with the aim of understanding the genetic basis of these characteristics. The fodder parent had significantly better performance compared to the grain types for all dual-purpose traits. Transgressive segregates for high and low fodder yield were observed, suggesting that the fodder yielding genes were dispersed among the parents. Frequency analysis showed that all the F 2 populations for fodder yield exhibited a continuous distribution, suggesting that inheritance of fodder yield is quantitative in nature and may involve more than two genes. Epistatic effects were found to be important for all dual-purpose traits (days to first flower, plant height, pod weight, leaf weight, branch weight, seed weight, biomass and fodder yield). Fodder yield per plant appeared to be influenced by both additive and non-additive gene effects, whereas grain yield was influenced by complementary gene action. Duplicate gene interaction was predominantly involved in the inheritance of most of the structural traits (plant height, leaf weight and branch weight). For genetic improvement of fodder and grain yield, utilizing non-additive components, intermating among selected segregates in early generation or reciprocal recurrent selection should be effective approaches. Keywords: Gene effects, fodder, Vigna unguiculata , generation mean analysis
Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Camelina Oil on Porcine Blood Lipids

: The effects of dietary supplementation with camelina oil on porcine plasma fatty acid composition and on serum cholesterol/triglyceride concentrations were investigated and compared with the effects of fish oil. The diets consisted of a control diet and diets supplemented with 5% camelina oil, 10% camelina oil and 5% fish oil. The camelina and fish-oil diets increased plasma ω3 fatty acids and reduced plasma ω6 fatty acids. Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5ω3, EPA) was increased more by the fish oils diet than the camelina-oil diets. Serum triglyceride levels were reduced by the camelina-oil diets.
Effect of Crude Brassinosteroid extract on growth and biochemical changes of Gosssypium hirsutum L. and Vigna mungo L

seed also showed the varied percentage of germination from 56.8 to 80.1. Both the plants exhibited high percentage of vegetative growth such as shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight and leaf area on 3% of BR supplementation. The amount of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll increased under BR treatments. Among the concentration, 3% BRs caused maximum effect than the other tested concentrations. High percentage of starch 53% and 31 % was observed in
The effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentrations on the metamorphosis, size, and survival of larval hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), bay scallops (Argopecten irradians), and Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica)

We present experiments that examined the metamorphosis, growth, and survivorship of larvae from three species of commercially and ecologically valuable shellfish (Mercenaria mercenaria, Argopecten irradians, and Crassostrea virginica) at the levels of CO2 projected to occur during the 21st century and beyond. Under CO2 concentrations estimated to occur later this century (~66 Pa, 650 ppm), M. mercenaria and A. irradians larvae exhibited dramatic declines (>50%) in survivorship as well as significantly delayed metamorphosis and significantly smaller sizes. Although C. virginica larvae also experienced lowered growth and delayed metamorphosis at ~66 Pa CO2, their survival was only diminished at ~152 Pa CO2. The extreme sensitivity of larval stages of shellfish to enhanced levels of CO2 indicates that current and future increases in pelagic CO2 concentrations may deplete or alter the composition of shellfish populations in coastal ecosystems.
THE EFFECT OF TOUCH THERAPY ON NUTRITION STATUS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS

Infancy started from 0-12 months which was characterized by rapid growth and physical changes accompanied by changes in nutritional needs to optimize the growth and development of the baby by providing touch, motion and other stimulation combinations. The research was purposed to know the effect of Touch Therapy on nutritional status and development on infants in Gayaman Village, Mojokerto Regency. The research design used one group pre-post test design. The population were infants in Gayaman Village, Mojokerto Regency, 70 respondents. The sample was 69 infants (0-18 months) in Gayaman Village, Mojokerto Regency, who were obtained by purposive sampling. Measuring instruments were used to assess nutritional status and denver II forms to assess the progress. The research was done on July 28 to August 25, 2018. Statistical test used Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The results showed that nutritional status before being given touch therapy was normal as many as 57 (83%) respondents, and the development after being given touch therapy increased to 66 (96%) respondents. The development before being given touch therapy was normal as many as 27 (39%) respondents with Ï = 0.003. This showed that there was an effect on touch therapy to their nutritional status. The nutritional status after being given a touch therapy increased to 57 (83%) respondents with Ï = 0.008. This showed that there was an effect of touch therapy on their development. Massaging was a fun way to help strengthening the bond between mother and child. This was the key to baby's development.
Fitness consequences of male parental care in Savannah sparrows

The fitness consequences of male parental care are central to life-history models of reproductive effort and the evolution of social and genetic mating systems. However, in a 4-year study (1992-1995) of Savannah sparrows (Passrrculus sandwichmsis) nesting on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada, male parental care during the nestling stage was only weakly related to offspring quality and survivorship. Females compensated for poor paternal performance by elevating their feeding rates, and they thus ameliorated selection on male parental care. The likelihood and size of subsequent broods, was also unrelated to male feeding effort, suggesting the absence of some indirect (or "female-mediated") benefits. These results were confirmed by an experiment in which male removal resulted in increased female feeding rates but had little effect on the number or quality of young. In contrast, previous research with multilocus DNA fingerprinting revealed a strong, positive relationship between a male's parental effort and his subsequent fertilization success. Together, this research suggests that the proximate and ultimate targets of male feeding effort can be distinct; traditional assumptions regarding the function of male parental care in birds may therefore be incomplete.
Biocatalytic conversion of turpentine – a wood processing waste – into oxygenated monoterpenes

Abstract Three kinds of turpentine (a waste by-product of industrial wood processing) of various monoterpene compositions were transformed by Picea abies cells and the product yields monitored in relation to the initial turpentine concentration. The major products obtained were trans-verbenol, trans-pinocarveol, myrtenol, α-terpineol, and p-cymen-8-ol depending on the substrate composition. The absolute quantitative values of the major products were evaluated for a substrate concentration of 0.86 g L−1. The concentration of trans-verbenol and trans-pinocarveol after twelve days of biotransformation was 768 and 388 mg L−1, respectively. The substrate was uptaken by Picea abies cells within the first three days and the majority of products released in five days. Although not all the starting material was consumed, the Picea abies suspension culture was able to convert concentrations of turpentine as high as 4.3 g L−1 into valuable products. By precise selection of the substrate concentration and time course, favourable conversion to products could be achieved.
Effects of Onion Quercetin on Oxidative Stability of Cook‐chill Chicken in Vacuum‐sealed Containers

The effects of onion quercetin were evaluated in relation to the storage stability of cooked dark chicken meat in retarding post-cooking oxidative changes. Autooxidation was followed using the 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. Dried onion flesh at 1.6% (w/w), typical for common cooking, reduced (P < 0.001) the TBA value in cooked chicken during refrigerated storage, when mixed before processing. The NaCl did not act as a prooxidant. The antioxidant effect (by TBA) of onion mixed with chicken meat prior to processing was equivalent to that of its measured quercetin content, quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Diversity and composition of Arctiidae moth ensembles along a successional gradient in the Ecuadorian Andes

Andean montane rain forests are among the most species‐rich terrestrial habitats. Little is known about their insect communities and how these respond to anthropogenic habitat alteration. We investigated exceptionally speciose ensembles of nocturnal tiger moths (Arctiidae) at 15 anthropogenically disturbed sites, which together depict a gradient of forest recovery and six closed‐forest understorey sites in southern Ecuador. At weak light traps we sampled 9211 arctiids, representing 287 species. Arctiid abundance and diversity were highest at advanced succession sites, where secondary scrub or young forest had re‐established, followed by early succession sites, and were lowest, but still high, in mature forest understorey. The proportion of rare species showed the reverse pattern. We ordinated moth samples by non‐metric multidimensional scaling using the chord‐normalized expected species shared index (CNESS) index at various levels of the sample size parameter m. A distinct segregation of arctiid ensembles at succession sites from those in mature forest consistently emerged only at high m‐values. Segregation between ensembles of early vs. late succession stages was also clear at high m values only, and was rather weak. Rare species were responsible for much of the faunal difference along the succession gradient, whereas many common arctiid species occurred in all sites. Matrix correlation tests as well as exploration of relationships between ordination axes and environmental variables revealed the degree of habitat openness, and to a lesser extent, elevation, as best predictors of faunal dissimilarity. Faunal differences were not related to geographical distances between sampling sites. Our results suggest that many of the more common tiger moths of Neotropical montane forests have a substantial recolonization potential at the small spatial scale of our study and accordingly occur also in landscape mosaics surrounding nature reserves. These species contribute to the unexpectedly high diversity of arctiid ensembles at disturbed sites, whereas the proportion of rare species declines outside mature forest.
Seed prédation and dormancy in the population dynamics of Avena fatua and A. barbata.

Estimates of seed loss due to animal predation in Avena fatua and A. barbata over a number of sites in the California annual—type grasslands varied from 0% to 65% of the total seed load. Avena species showed complex patterns of variation in germination both between and within populations. Counts of seedling deaths due to precocious germination in nature suggest that the observed variation in germination provides insurance against seedling losses due to somewhat erratic fall rains. These factors are significant in regulation of Avena populations. See full-text article at JSTOR
Noteworthy hysteriaceae from southern South America

Species of Gloniella, Glonium and Gloniopsis from southern South America were studied. A new fungus Glonium colihuae sp. nov., with hysterothecia is described from Argentina, Patagonia; Glonium chusqueae is synonymized with Gloniella lyphae; Gloniopsis argentinensis and Glonium costesi are validated, and some comments on the taxonomy and occurrence of Gloniopsis araucana, G. praelonga, Glonium abbreviatum and G. cumingii are presented.
TCRγ Silencing during αβ T Cell Development Depends upon Pre-TCR-Induced Proliferation

During thymus development, immature T cells become committed to two distinct lineages based upon expression of αβ or γδ TCR. In the αβ lineage, developing thymocytes progressively extinguish transcription of the TCRγ genes by a poorly understood process known as γ silencing. We show that αβ lineage thymocytes in mice lacking a functional pre-TCR undergo limited proliferation and fail to silence TCRγ genes during development. Stimulation of pre-TCR-deficient immature thymocytes with anti-CD3 Abs does not directly down-regulate TCRγ transcription but restores TCRγ silencing following proliferation. Collectively our data reveal an important role for pre-TCR induced proliferation in activating the TCRγ silencer in αβ lineage thymocytes, a process that may reinforce αβ or γδ lineage commitment.
Behavioural study of freshwater fishes Rasbora daniconius and Puntius saphore exposed to sodium fluoride

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ Fishes are considered as good indicators of aquatic pollution. They are highly sensitive to the alterations in the quality of water. Aquatic ecosystems are ultimate sinks for agricultural residues as well industrial pollutants and it has become a global environmental problem in recent days. Fluoride is considered to be a pollutant if it exceeds beyond the normal permissible limits. It occurs naturally in all forms of the life including the aquatic ecosystem. The Fresh water fishes, Rasbora daniconius and Puntius saphore were exposed to sub lethal dose of sodium fluoride for 30 days to study the impact on the behavioral study. The behavioral patterns including swimming and surfacing activity, opercular movements, and feeding habits were observed. Alterations in behavioral patterns were well marked during the period of the experiment. Initially fishes appeared lethargic and showed dose dependent erratic swimming movements. They developed nausea for food and accelerated opercular movements.
Assessment of Serum Ischemia-modified albumin, Prolidase and Thiol-Disulphide Levels in Subjects With Breast Cancer

Abstract Background: Oxidative damage is of great importance for patients with breast cancer. Thus, studies were performed to identify the relationship between breast cancer and oxidative stress biomarkers. Objectives: In this study, our aim was to find out the oxidative and antioxidant status, serum thiol-disulphide levels in subjects with breast cancer. Methods: This study was conducted between March and June 2018 with 82 control subjects (aged between 32-67 years) and 127 breast cancer patients (aged between 27-66 years) (p=0.058) in Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. Serum myeloperoxidase (MPO), catalase, prolidase were analyzed with kinetic spectrophotometric and thiol-disulphide, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), ceruloplasmin were detected by colorimetric methods. Results: Serum levels of catalase [199.3 (16.4-489.9) vs 81.6 (18.2-322.9) (kU/L)], MPO [124±28 vs 101±31 U/L], disulphide [25 (11-61) vs 18 (2-41) µmol/L], IMA [0.66 (0.31-3.30) vs 0.62 (0.19-1.31) absorbance unit (ABSU)] and prolidase levels [2217±538 vs 1456±401 U/L] were higher in patients than control subjects (For all p<0.001 except for IMA p=0.031). Native thiol [342±60 vs 391±52 µmol/L] and total thiol levels [396±56 vs 430±52 µmol/L] were lower in patients compared with the control group (For all p<0.001). Conclusions: Levels of serum thiol/disulphide and prolidase might be reliable indicators for determining oxidative status in certain patient populations.
The effects of climate change on avian migratory patterns and the dispersal of commercial poultry diseases in Canada - Part II

Climate change has already provoked a northward shift in the geographic range of many bird species, and current climate projections favour the modification of avian distributions and migratory routes. Given that wild birds are recognised as pathogen-dispersing agents, there is concern that changes in migrant ranges and movement patterns will increase the frequency of bird-borne pathogens reaching Northern areas, such as Canada. Furthermore, climate change will likely affect vector, pathogen, and reservoir ecology, which could contribute to changes in the range limits, the intensity of disease transmission and, under some circumstances, the risk of emergence and re-emergence of pathogens affecting commercial poultry. However, the role of wild birds in the perpetuation of disease is unclear. Even if climate change increases the introduction of zoonotic and bird-borne pathogens into Canada, it is difficult to predict whether this will increase the occurrence of diseases in poultry. It is likely that outbreaks will become more unpredictable, which will complicate efforts to identify periods and areas of high risk. Efforts to manage and control these events in the face of climate change will require proper biosecurity measures, in addition to more consistent surveillance of sentinel and high-risk carrier species to avert the potential risk of diseases dispersing into Canada.
Phylogeny of elms (Ulmus, Ulmaceae): molecular evidence for a sectional classification.

The approximately 45 woody species of Ulmus (Ulmaceae) have been placed in five to nine sections on the basis of morphological characters. Cladistic analyses of chloroplast DNA restriction site variation were employed to examine phylogenetic relationships among 29 Ulmus accessions, including representatives from all proposed sections and subsections, and Zelkova serrata. Sufficient variation was detected to construct cladograms with branches both well-resolved and supported. The cpDNA results are largely congruent with those based on nuclear ribosomal DNA. Inclusion of 18 morphological/chemical characters further resolved relationships within the genus. Intrageneric relationships implied by the molecular and combined cladograms differ from previous classifications in a number of respects. Three species, U. crassifolia, U. serotina, and U. thomasii, which have been placed in two or three sections, were found to form a well differentiated monophyletic group (sect. Trichoptelea). The maintenance of sections Anisoptelea and Trichocarpus and the recog- nition of subsections Foliaceae and Glabrae within section Ulmus are not supported. The inclusion of U. mexicana, sometimes treated as the distinct genus Chaetoptelea, within Ulmus is supported. The molecular evidence supports the distinctiveness of U. rubra and the recognition of two subgenera: Oreoptelea (sects. Blepharocarpus, Chaetoptelea, and Trichoptelea s. 1.) and Ulmus (sects. Lanceifolia, Mi- croptelea, and Ulmus).
Comparing body condition and foraging ecology of two populations of Cape Gannets on Bird and Malgas Islands

3 Chapter 1: Introduction . 5 Seabirds and fisheries . 5 Benguela ecosystem . 5 Cape gannets . 6 Gannets and fishery waste . 8 Chapter 2: Study area and methods . 11 Study area . 11 Foraging behaviour . 11 Diet . 14 Body condition. 17 Statistical analyses . 19 Chapter 3: Results . 21 Foraging behaviour . 21 Diet . 26 Body condition. 32 Chapter 4: Discussion . 35 Availability of gannet food resources . 36 Gannet diet . 37 Gannet body condition . 40 Intraspecific competition . 41 Conclusions . 43 References . 45
Requirement of Ras/MAPK Pathway Activation by Transforming Growth Factor β for Transforming Growth Factor β1Production in a Smad-dependent Pathway*

Our previous results have shown that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) rapidly activates Ras, as well as both ERKs and SAPKs. In order to address the biological significance of the activation of these pathways by TGFβ, here we examined the role of the Ras/MAPK pathways and the Smads in TGFβ3 induction of TGFβ1 expression in untransformed lung and intestinal epithelial cells. Expression of either a dominant-negative mutant of Ras (RasN17) or a dominant-negative mutant of MKK4 (DN MKK4), or addition of the MEK1 inhibitor PD98059, inhibited the ability of TGFβ3 to induce AP-1 complex formation at the TGFβ1 promoter, and the subsequent induction of TGFβ1 mRNA. The primary components present in this TGFβ3-inducible AP-1 complex at the TGFβ1 promoter were JunD and Fra-2, although c-Jun and FosB were also involved. Furthermore, deletion of the AP-1 site in the TGFβ1 promoter or addition of PD98059 inhibited the ability of TGFβ3 to stimulate TGFβ1promoter activity. Collectively, our data demonstrate that TGFβ3 induction of TGFβ1 is mediated through a signaling cascade consisting of Ras, the MAPKKs MKK4 and MEK1, the MAPKs SAPKs and ERKs, and the specific AP-1 proteins Fra-2 and JunD. Although Smad3 and Smad4 were not detectable in TGFβ3-inducible AP-1 complexes at the TGFβ1promoter, stable expression of dominant-negative Smad3 could significantly inhibit the ability of TGFβ3 to stimulate TGFβ1 promoter activity. Transient expression of dominant-negative Smad4 also inhibited the ability of TGFβ3 to transactivate the TGFβ1 promoter. Thus, although the Ras/MAPK pathways are essential for TGFβ3 induction of TGFβ1, Smads may only contribute to this biological response in an indirect manner.