Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Desempenho e digestibilidade dos nutrientes de rações com casca do grão de soja em substituição ao milho para cabras Saanen em lactação e no pré-parto

This experiment was carried out to evaluate productive performance, dry matter and nutrient digestibility, and milk composition of Saanen goats fed rations with soybean hulls (SBH) as a corn ground replacement (0, 50 and 100%SBH), during lactation until prepartum (30 days). Eighteen goats were used (75.70 ± 10.59 kg) in a completely randomized design. The rations presented 14.82% CP and 2.28 Mcal ME/kg DM intake. The animals were confined in individual pens, with daily control of ration intake and milk production. At the 150th lactation day and also 20 th days before kidding, fecal sampling started to be collected to determine ration and nutrient digestibilities. Monthly, milk samples were collected to analyses the main constituents. The levels of SBH did not affect body weight (BW), dry matter (DMI) and organic matter (OMI) intake, dry matter (DMD), organic matter (OMD) and crude protein (CPD) digestibility for milk production, milk production efficiency and milk composition during lactation; likewise for BW and digestibilities of DM and OM in prepartum period. The SBH influenced the intakes of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and digestibility of neutral detergent fiber in the two evaluated periods. In prepartum period, the greatest results for DM and OM intakes , digestibility of CP and plasma urea nitrogen were obtained with the level of 100%SBH. Soybean hulls can be used as a corn ground replacement in rations for lactating Saanen goats without changes in productive performance and milk composition.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae live culture affects rapidly fermentable carbohydrates fermentation profile in precision-fed dairy heifers

Lascano, G. J., Heinrichs, A. J. and Tricarico, J. M. 2015. Saccharomyces cerevisiae live culture affects rapidly fermentable carbohydrates fermentation profile in precision-fed dairy heifers. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 117-127. The experimental objective was to determine the dose effect of live yeast culture (YC) on rumen fermentation profiles and microbial total cell concentrations in precision-fed dairy heifers exposed to different rapidly fermented carbohydrates diets. A split-plot design with starch level as the whole plot and YC dose as sub-plot was administered in a four-period (21 d) 4×4 Latin square balanced for carryover effects. Eight Holstein heifers were allocated to two starch treatments (28% starch: HS; 17% starch: LS) and to a sequence of YC doses (0, 10, 30, and 50 g d-1). Total volatile fatty acid concentration was not different among YC doses or starch level, but molar proportions of propionate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate were higher for HS than for LS. Mean ruminal ammonia concentration was increased in HS-fed heifers. Heifers fed HS had an increased number of viable, non-viable, and total fluid-associated bacteria, particle-associated bacteria, and total bacteria. Increasing YC dose linearly beyond 10 g d-1 decreased viable and total fluid-associated bacteria. The effects of various YC doses on ruminal fermentation products, pH, and microbial total cell concentrations indicate diet dependency between source of readily available carbohydrates and YC addition in dairy heifers.
EVALUATION OF PHENOLIC CONTENTS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOL FRUIT EXTRACT OF VIGNA SINENSIS

Free radicals can contribute to innumerable precarious diseases. The ethanolic fruit extract of Vigna sinensis was screened for polyphenolic compounds with HPLC, and antioxidant activity using reducing power assay, total phenolic content, flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity determination methods. Major polyphenolic compounds like catechin hydrate, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, rutin hydrate and quercetin contents were measured in the extract by reverse-phase HPLC (60.82 ± 1.59, 5.06 ± 0.25, 3.58 ± 0.12 15.30 ± 0.72 and 21.76 ± 0.932 mg/100g of dry extract, respectively). The polyphenolic compounds in the fruit extract of Vigna sinensis might be responsible for the antioxidant activity exhibited by the sample. The extract was observed to demonstrate average reducing power ability (0.0791 ± 0.007 at 250 µg/ml), which increased with increasing concentration of the sample. The total phenolic and flavanoid contents were 56.24 ± 1.19 mg/g of gallic acid and 137.4 ± 12.5 mg/g of quercetin equivalent, respectively, while the total antioxidant capacity of Vigna sinensis was 147.8 ± 2.11 mg of ascorbic acid/g, which was considerably higher in the extract. The data from the present study reveal that Vigna sinensis fruit acts as an antioxidant agent due to the presence of its polyphenolic compounds.
Discovery of a new class of dithiocarbamates and rhodanine scaffolds as potent antifungal agents: synthesis, biology and molecular docking

Drug resistance to established antifungals such as azole derivatives (fluconazole and ketoconazole) is driving the rise in global mortality due to fungal infection. Identification of new molecular entities structurally unrelated to these may represent a valid strategy to overcome resistance to currently available drugs. In an effort to develop highly potent antifungal agents, we report herein a series of 27 compounds of dithiocarbamate and the rhodanine molecules containing pyridine moiety and their antifungal activity. Among the synthesized compounds, several analogues have shown potent antifungal activity. The potent compounds against Candida albicans strain were further tested for in vitro anticandidal activity and amphotericin B-resistant strain of Candida albicans. Several derivatives 4a–f, 6, and 7k–n were found to be more effective (MIC = 0.39 – 3.12 μg mL−1) against Candida albicans MTCC183 and further these compounds, except 4e, 4f, and 7m, showed significant activity against amphotericin B-resistant strain of Candida albicans than that of fluconazole. Moreover, these analogues did not exhibit any toxicity up to MIC 3.12 μg mL−1 against mammalian cell line L929. A molecular docking study was undertaken to understand the mode of action of the active compounds towards prospective target lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP-51).
Correlation between Light and Electron Microscopic Observations and Identification of Mycoplasmalike Organisms using Consecutive 350 nm Thick Sections

Serial sections of 350 nm thickness were used to make a correlation between electron and light microscopic observations. While thionin-acridine orange staining gave a positive result to detect abnormal sieve tubes of phyllody affected Phlox drummondii Hook, when observed under light microscope, the same cells revealed the presence of typical mycoplasmalike organisms (MLOs) in electron microscopic examination. Advantage of 350 nm thick sections in electron microscopy, and the utility of the technique in MLO detection have been discussed. Zusammenfassung Korrelation zwischen licht- und elektronenmikroskopischen Beobachtungen und Identifizierung von mykoplasmaahnlichen Organismen in 350 nm dicken Schnittserien 350 nm dicke Serienschnitte wurden dazu verwendet, elektronen- und lichtmikroskopische Beobachtungen zueinander in Beziehung zu setzen. Durch Farbung mit Thionin-Acridin-Orange liesen sich unter dem Lichtmikroskop anomale Siebrohren von an der Verlaubungskrankheit erkrankten Pflanzen von Phlox drummondii Hook beobachten. Unter dem Elektronenmikroskop konnten in den gleichen Zellen typische mycoplasmaahnliche Organismen (MO) nachgewiesen werden. Der Vorteil von 350 nm dicken Schnitten in der Elektronenmikroskopie und die Brauchbarkeit der Methode zur Feststellung von MO werden diskutiert.
The food of larval blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou (Risso), in the Rockall area

Larval blue whiting of 3–42 mm total length, taken in 1967 and 1968 in the Rockall Bank area, were found to have fed almost exclusively on various stages of small crustaceans; the eggs, nauplii and copepodites of copepods, along with fewer numbers of larval euphausiids and Evadne nordmanni, formed the major proportion of the diet. The guts of the larger larvae contained a greater number of, and larger organisms, than those of the smaller larvae. Feeding incidence was generally lower at night. There was a general increase in the weight of the gut contents as the daylight hours progressed followed by a decrease during the night. Diurnal variation in the percentage composition of the food was also demonstrated. Comparisons of the diet in the two years showed that more food was consumed by almost all sizes of larvae in 1968. It has previously been suggested that blue whiting larvae may find better feeding conditions on Rockall Bank than off the Bank. However the present study suggests that larvae, particularly of 8 mm and longer, took more food when off the Bank. A brief comparison is made of the gut contents of the larvae of blue whiting and of the other eight most abundant species.
IDENTIFICATION AND STRUCTURE-FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIFICITY DETERMINING RESIDUES OF THE ALPHA SUBUNITS OF THE PROTEOSOMAL COMPLEX

SUMMARY Motivation: Proteosomes are polyenzymatic proteolytic structures that provide the degradation of the bulk of cytoplasmic proteins to oligopeptides. The proteosomal genes in the eukaryotes all arose by duplication of a single ancestral gene encoding the proteosomal subunits in the bacteria. The analysis of evolutionary events after duplication may be useful for discovering new information about proteosomal structural and functional properties. Results: We confine our study here to the detection of the positions of the α-subunits whose amino acid substitutions are specific to particular subunits of the proteosomal alpha-rings. We detected a set of the α-subunit positions whose substitutions are specific to the genes that encode the various proteosomal subunits. It was demonstrated that these specific amino acid substitutions are the features of residues that form the subunit contacts in the α-ring of the proteosomes. Availability: The proteosomal sequences, multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic tree used in analysis are available upon request.
Ecological realism and mechanisms by which diversity begets stability

We investigated how ecological realism might impact the outcome of three experimental manipulations of species richness to determine whether the patterns and the mechanisms underlying richnessvariability relationships differ as ecological communities are increasingly exposed to external forces that may drive richnessvariability patterns in nature. To test for such an effect, we conducted experiments using rock pool meio-invertebrate communities housed in three experimental venues: controlled laboratory microcosms, artificially constructed rock pools in the field, and naturally occurring rock pools in the field. Our results showed that experimental venue can have a strong effect on the outcome of richness manipulation experiments. As ecological realism increased, the strength of the relationship between species richness and community variability declined from 32.9% in the laboratory microcosms to 16.8% in the artificial pools to no effect of species richness on community variability in the natural rock pools. The determinants of community variability also differed as ecological realism increased. In laboratory microcosms, community variability was driven solely by mechanisms related to increasing species richness. In artificial rock pools, community variability was driven by a combination of direct and indirect environmental factors as well as mechanisms related to increasing species richness. In the natural rock pools community variability was independent of species richness and was only related to environmental factors. In summary, we found that stabilizing mechanisms associated with species interactions were influential in establishing species richnessvariability relations only in the less realistic experimental venues (the laboratory microcosms and the artificial rock pools in the field), and that these mechanisms diminished in importance as ecological realism and complexity of the experimental venue increased. Our results suggest that the effects of diversity might be more difficult to detect in natural systems due to the combined effects of biotic and abiotic forcing, which can mask our ability to detect richness effects. Anthropogenic changes to natural systems may affect both diversity and stability independently of the effect of diversity on stability, emphasizing the importance of environmental drivers affecting both (Ives and Carpenter
A MOF-BASED CHANGE META-MODEL

: Software evolution induces various types of changes on the models developed during the various steps of the software lifecycle. The induced changes often require the re-conduct of several development activities to ensure the consistency and correctness of the updated/new models. To assist developers in limiting the development activities to be reapplied, and hence to reduce the resulting costs, it is important to manage the change impacts on the development activities. Towards this aim, we propose a change meta-model that is independent of any software modeling language and covers several types of model changes. To ensure the first characteristic of our change meta-model, we define it based on the Meta Object Facility (MOF) standard meta-meta-model; this latter can be used to define various modeling languages amongst which UML. In addition, we ensured that it covers all types of changes proposed in existing change meta-models. Furthermore, we illustrate how our change meta-model can be used to trace the impact of changes on model transformation, an important activity in model-driven software development.
Effect of NPK Fertilization on Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) Expression in a Sub-Saharan African Region

The influence of NPK fertilizer on the incidence, severity and gravity of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was investigated using eight genetically improved cassava varieties and eight local farmer’s varieties. The study was carried out in a savannah region (Gandajika) in D.R. Congo at two locations. The varieties were planted with and without NPK fertilization. Application of NPK fertilizer significantly (P<0.05) increased CMD incidence, severity (AUDPC) and gravity overtime compared to the trials without fertilizers for all the improved cassava varieties evaluated. The CMD incidence remained below 30% of infected plants for improved cassava varieties and reached 100% of plants for local varieties during the six months trial. The same trend was observed for CMD gravity (number of infected leaves per plant) that was below 50% for improved varieties while reaching 100% for all the local varieties at 6 MAP. High incidence and gravity of CMD were observed on local varieties just one month after planting. NPK fertilizers increased significantly the CMD incidence and gravity compared to control site during the first month after plantation. Thereafter, the effect of NPK fertilizer on CMD symptom expression was not noticeable since all the plants from local varieties were infected regardless of the fertilization regimen. Research Article
Two eggs per day increase plasma lutein and zeaxanthin in a pediatric population characterized by low intake of fruits and vegetables.

Aims: Eggs are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids known for their antioxidant properties. Mexican children have been shown to consume limited amounts of fruit and vegetables. The purpose of the current study is to determine whether the inclusion of eggs in the diet increases plasma carotenoids in this population. Study Design: This study is a follow up on the effects of high egg intake on plasma lipids and atherogenic lipoproteins in children. Fifty four Mexican children (25 boys/29 girls) aged 8-12 y were randomly assigned to consume either 2 eggs/d (518 mg additional dietary cholesterol) (EGG period) or the equivalent amount of egg whites (SUB Period) in a cross-over design for 4 wk. After a 3 wk washout, children were crossed over to the alternate treatment. Methodology : 3-day dietary records, plasma carotenoids and apolipoproteins were measured at the end of the EGG and SUB Periods . Results: In agreement with the lack of effects of eggs in increasing atherogenic
Preconditioning of Physalis angulata L. to maintain the viability of seeds

The important chemical and food properties conferred to P. angulata make it necessary to conduct studies in seed conservation. This study evaluated the effect of priming of P. angulata seed for varying periods and storage conditions. Lots of seeds were stored in a refrigerator and in ambient conditions for up to 24 months. Some of these seeds were primed before or after storage. The results show that there was variation in moisture content. The germination rate and germination rate index remained high in ambient conditions when primed up to 24 months.
Site-specific Management for the Twenty-first Century

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. precision agriculture, precision farming, GPS, GIS, sustainable, crop quality, food safety SUMMARY. A better awareness of soil and crop condition variability within fields brought the notion, in the early 1980s that variable management within fields by zones rather than whole fields would increase profitability by doing the right thing at the right place in the right way. At the same time, the microcomputer became available and made possible the acquisition, processing, and use of spatial field data as well as the development of a new kind of farm machinery with computerized controllers and sensors. Precision agriculture (PA) has been considered for most common cropping systems and some specialty crops, worldwide. It is particularly well adapted to high value crops such as many horticultural crops. PA is still in infancy and its adoption varies greatly but precision agriculture is the agricultural system of the future. It offers a variety of potential benefits in profitability, productivity, sustainability, crop quality, food safety, environmental protection, on-farm quality of life, and rural eco- nomic development.
Presence and patterns of alkaline phosphatase activity and phosphorus cycling in natural riparian zones under changing nutrient conditions

Phosphorus (P) is an important limiting nutrient in aquatic ecosystems and knowledge of P cycling is fundamental for reducing harmful algae blooms and other negative effects in water. Despite their importance, the characteristics of P cycling under changing nutrient conditions in shallow lakes were poorly investigated. In this study, in situ incubation experiments were conducted in a natural riparian zone in the main diversion channel used for water transfer into Lake Taihu (Wangyu River). Variations in microbial biomass, dissolved P fractions (organic and inorganic), and alkaline phosphatase activity (bulk APA and specific APA) were determined after incubation with and without the addition of P and nitrogen (N) (4 total water treatments: +P, +N, +NP, and control). Experiments were conducted during two seasons (late spring and early fall) to account for natural differences in nutrient levels that may occur in situ . Our results demonstrated that low levels of DRP may not necessarily indicate P limitation. Phytoplankton exhibited “serial N limitation with P stress” in May, such that chlorophyll a (Chl a ) increased significantly with N addition, while the limiting nutrient shifted to P in October and phytoplankton biomass increased with P addition. Phytoplankton contributed greatly to APA production and was significantly influenced by P bioavailability, yet high levels of bulk APA were also not necessarily indicative of P limitation. In contrast to phytoplankton, bacteria were less P stressed. As a consequence of enhanced utilization of dissolved reactive P (DRP) and dissolved organic P (DOP), +N treatment elevated APA significantly. By contrast, APA could be repressed to low values and phytoplankton converted a large portion of DRP to DOP with P addition. But this was not consistent with bacteria APA (bact-APA) in the absence or presence of abundant phytoplankton biomass. The correlation between bulk APA and DRP was good at separate sites and discrepant for the whole data set. Regulation of APA was demonstrated by an inverse hyperbolic relationship between bulk APA, specific APA, and DRP, with a transition from high to low activity occurring between 20 and 50 μg L -1 . This study provides a better understanding of how APA and P cycling change with nutrient perturbations in Lake Taihu system. The obtained results can help understanding the process of P cycling in water and providing a reference for nutrient control in the water transfer project.
Preferences of the common garden ant (Lasius niger) in choice of aphid mutualist

The aim of this study is to acquire knowledge about the preferences regarding aphids of the ant Lasius niger (common garden ant), commonly found attending aphids and protecting them agains their natural enemies in apple orchards around the world. By knowing this, it is hypothesized that another plant can be brought into an orchard carrying another aphid, more suitable as an ant-mutualist, to compete with the pest aphid present on site. The aphid Dysaphis plantaginea (rosy apple aphid), one of the key pests in apple orchards, was compared with Aphis fabae (black bean aphid), a common aphid that has been widely studied. This was done in an experiment involving multiple elements, including three arthropod organisms, apple trees and bean plants, in a semi-lab environment, to mimic real orchardconditions. The result of the experiment was in undisputed favour of Aphis fabae, showing a significantly higher attention-rate by ants, and also a growing attention over time in comparison with the attention of D. plantaginea that did not increase. In conclusion, it can be stated that A. fabae is a better ant-mutualist and that the addition of this aphid could very well amplify the effects of biological control of D. plantaginea by natural enemies in orchards.
Evolution of life history traits in Leporidae: a test of nest predation and seasonality hypotheses

Recently, it has been proposed that adult mortality schedules may be responsible for latitudinal patterns of life history variation in passerine birds, whereas nest predation only could explain within latitude patterns. Unfortunately, no independent test has been performed regarding the importance of nest predation with different taxa. In the present study, seasonality and nest predation hypotheses explaining variations in gestation time and litter size in 17 lagomorph species were tested. Among latitude patterns were analysed using the phylogenetic independent contrast method of Felsenstein and within latitude patterns were analysed by the pairwise comparative method. The results obtained indicate that latitudinal patterns observed in both variables are explained by different factors: seasonality for litter size and nest predation for gestation time. Litter size variations within latitudes are also explained by differences in nest predation, supporting previous hypotheses. In conclusion, the present study suggests that, when compared among latitudes, different life history traits (e.g. litter size and gestation time) may be shaped by different selective forces and that the effects of nest predation may be high both within and between latitudes.