Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE ORGANIZATION OF SOIL ANIMAL COMMUNITIES

The Zoogeographie distribution of soil fauna may be related to the taxonomic level of the group, the ease of dispersal and \he size of the organism. It is concluded that the fundamental niche requirements of small soil animals are cosmopolitan units while those of larger animals are more restricted. Many species of micro- and mesofauna, however, are not eurytopic and the separation of ecologically equivalent species groups is discussed in relation to soil moisture and vegetation types. The divergence in opinion over the relationship between higher plants and the distribution of Collembola and mites might be resolved if the vegetation was described in biochemical terms and not by plant species. The organization of microarthropod communities within habitats is discussed with respect to food, space, time and mortality phenomena. Cryptostigmata exhibit some evidence of trophic differentiation with respect to body size but the differences are insufficient to account for the number of similar sized species within the guild. Potentially competitive species may also be spatially separated and a relationship is described between mite species diversity and microhabitat diversity. Catastrophic mortality and pr? dation contribute significantly to community organization and many animals are probably fugitive species within the habitat mosaic in space and time. The effects of these sources of mortality may be emphasised by the slow recovery of populations due to nutrient limitations to growth.
Urban environment and climate condition-related phenotypic plasticity of the common wasp Vespula vulgaris

Environmental alteration for urban development prompts ecological changes across urban centres, ranging out towards the surrounding undisturbed areas. These impact on organisms living across the urban-rural gradient and insects, being widely distributed in nature, are confronted with adaptive choices in such situations. The temperature in urban cores is generally higher due to the urban heat island effect. Thus, insects might modify their behaviour or morphology to cope with the urban environment. The common wasp Vespula vulgaris (L.) has shown adaptive capability as its colour pattern varies between years and geographic distribution. Our study assessed the impact of the built urban environment and summers of differing weather conditions on the common wasp by studying the melanic pigmentation on the abdomen. Samples were collected from urban zones in three cities and their adjacent rural zones in Finland. In one location samples were also collected from two different summers to see if climate condition difference between years can drive morph variation in the 1 and 2 tergite. We also studied the structure of the cuticle and discovered a structure similar to xanthopterin granules embedded in the yellow stripes of the cuticle, this pigment acts as solar cells and is useful in thermoregulation. Our results showed that the common wasps had differences in the frequency of colour morphs of 2 tergite between years with different weather and between urban and rural zones in the largest city, Helsinki. Wasps from urban and rural zones showed similar trend for the proportion of black and yellow pigmentation. Common wasps seem to have capability to adapt their pigmentation to correspond with prevailing summer and urban climate conditions, thus reaching better balance between heating and energy storing components in their cuticle.
First contribution to the knowledge of the braconid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) of Malta

ABSTRACT. A total of 48 species of braconid wasps (excluding 16 Aphidiidae) are here reported as occurring in the Maltese Islands, of which 38 species are reported for the first time from this territory. The braconid species of Malta belong to 13 subfamilies, of which two are the richest in terms of species diversity: Braconinae with 10 and Microgastrinae with 16 species. One Microgastrinae, Dolichogenidea zerafai sp. n. is described and distinguished from closely related species. The majority of the known species are widely distributed in Europe or in the Palaearctic. The braconid material is deposited in D. Mifsud’s private collection, with a few duplicates in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.
Cross Path-Mapping Pathways in KEGG or Biocarta with Functional Genomics Data

Analysis on the data generated through a functional genomics approach often results in a large number of candidate genes. In order to infer the biological implications based on the analysis, researchers usually need to look at the pathway information of the related genes. We have designed a useful and intuitive tool, CrossPath (http://ibs.sinica.edu.tw/crosspath/), to simultaneously map numerous genes onto the pathways from human, mouse or Arabidopsis in KEGG [1] or in Biocarta (http://www.biocarta.com/). It takes users only one click to get an overview of all the mapped pathways in these two popular pathway databases in the research community. In addition to a general summary listing with all the mapped pathways, the output is presented as organized individual genes.
Marine cyanophyceae of Papua New Guinea. VI: The genus Lyngbya S.L.

Les taxons marins appartenant au genre Lyngbya s.l. ont ete etudies dans des collections realisees en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinee. Douze taxons, parmi lesquels un (L. demoulinii L. Hoffmann) est nouveau pour la science, sont decrits et illustres
Complexity of leaf miner–parasitoid food webs declines with canopy height in Patagonian beech forests

1. Consumer–resource species interactions form complex, dynamic networks, which may exhibit structural heterogeneity at various scales. This study set out to address whether host–parasitoid food web size and topology vary across forest canopy strata, and to what extent foliar resources and species abundances account for vertical patterns in network structure.
New Hoplitomeryx Leinders, 1984 remains from the Late Miocene of Gargano (Apulia, Italy)

ABSTRACT—Natural selection in isolated environments led to the positive selection of species bearing an extraordinary array of morphological traits and a very high grade of endemism. The unbalanced mammal assemblage found in the Upper Miocene karst infillings of the Gargano Peninsula (Southern Italy), and especially the intriguing ruminant Hoplitomeryx , is one of the best examples of fast, isolated evolution. Hoplitomeryx exhibits a peculiar combination of craniodental and postcranial characters, some of which are unique among the other ruminant families. For this reason, its phylogenetic position is still puzzling and far from being clarified. As such, every contribution to a more comprehensive knowledge of the genus is crucial to better understand the evolutionary process that led to such an advanced and peculiarly adapted ruminant. Here we report newly discovered dentognathic remains from the Gargano Peninsula, which are attributed to six different species of Hoplitomeryx on the basis of morphological and metrical evidence. Overall, our results show that the different species of Hoplitomeryx are clearly distinguished from each other on the basis of the dental morphology, which accounts for the high intraspecific and interspecific variability of the genus. In addition, we describe for the first time a new type of “ Muntiacus -like” upper canine, with no-spiralization, more robust shaped and with more rounded anterior margin than the upper canines previously reported for Hoplitomeryx . RIASSUNTO—La selezione naturale, all’interno di ecosistemi isolati, porta alla selezione positiva di specie altamente endemiche e aventi una straordinaria varieta di caratteri. La fauna a mammiferi fossili rinvenuta all’interno delle cavita carsiche del Miocene Superiore della penisola del Gargano (Italia meridionale), e soprattutto l’enigmatico ruminante Hoplitomeryx , costituiscono uno dei migliori esempi di una rapida radiazione in ambiente insulare. Hoplitomeryx presenta una peculiare combinazione di tratti craniodentali e postcraniali, alcuni dei quali unici di questa specie. Nel presente studio sono descritti ed analizzati nuovi reperti dentognatici provenienti dalla penisola del Gargano. Gli stessi sono inoltre attribuiti a sei differenti specie di Hoplitomeryx sulla base di caratteri morfologici e dimensionali. I risultati ottenuti evidenziano un’alta variabilita interspecifica ed intraspecifica nella morfologia dentale di Hoplitomeryx, e che questa puo essere utilizzata con successo per distinguere tra le varie specie appartenenti a questo genere. Inoltre, e qui descritto un nuovo tipo “ Muntjacus- like” di canino superiore che presenta un asse non spiralizzato, un margine anteriore uniformemente arrotondato e una morfologia piu robusta rispetto ai canini superiori finora noti in Hoplitomeryx .
Heterogeneidade espacial e temporal de variáveis limnológicas no reservatório de Itupararanga associadas com o uso do solo na Bacia do Alto Sorocaba-SP

Among the human activities around waterbodies, pollution by runoff of agrochemicals and sewage discharges into waterbodies can cause nutrient loading, which contributes to the eutrophication process and degradation of these ecosystems. This work aimed to determine spatial and seasonal heterogeneity in surface waters of the Itupararanga Reservoir and analyzed the influence of land use on the reservoir water quality. The reservoir is used for water public supply and is located in Ibiuna City, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Trophic State Index (TSI) and limnological variables were analyzed in both the wet and dry seasons in 2013. Data were compared with land use maps and with Brazilian environmental legislation - CONAMA n° 357/2005. The results indicated that total phosphorus was not in compliance with the CONAMA standard. The reservoir showed spatial and seasonal heterogeneity for TSI and also for limnological variables. Spatial heterogeneity was demonstrated using cluster analysis of water quality and land use data. The cluster analysis indicated that forest cover is an important factor in preventing solids from entering into the system. It also indicated that agriculture practices around the Itupararanga Reservoir are the main sources of nitrogen, whereas tributaries are responsible for the major phosphorus inputs. Since the Itupararanga Reservoir is socially and economically important to the region, conservation and preservation measures are recommended in order to mitigate harmful activities to the aquatic environment.
Out-of-school experience categories influencing interest in biology of secondary school students by gender: exploration on an Abu Dhabi sample

Abstract This study employed the international Relevance of Science Education questionnaire to survey the interest in biology and the out-of-school experiences of Abu Dhabi secondary school students (median age 17, mean age 17.53 and mode age of 16) in the third semester of 2014. It included 3100 participants. An exploratory factor analysis was used to categorise the items for both interest in biology and out-of-school experience. Ten interest in biology and 12 out-of-school experience factors were extracted. The summated means for each factor indicated that ‘health and fitness’ and ‘disease control’ enjoyed highest interests among students. For out-of-school experiences, the two factors of ‘digital applications’ and ‘medical treatment’ received the highest scores. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that all factors for both interest in biology and out-of-school experience exhibited significant differences between boys and girls. More girls than boys were interested in disease control, reproduction (human biology), alternative science, health and fitness, zoology, and applied cosmetic biology. No significant differences were observed for the remaining five other categories. Furthermore, analysis of variance revealed significant differences between boys and girls with regard to individual items comprising each of the factors. The highest correlations were between the two factors of out-of-school experiences of ‘the natural world’ and ‘learning through observation’ and the interest in biology factor related to ‘plant and animal farming and agriculture’. Results suggested that more emphasis must be placed on students’ out-of-school experience and their engagement in informal learning in contextual outdoor environments to enhance their interest in learning more about biology and the living environment in general.
Gene Expression Profiling of Human c-Kit Mutant D816V

The tyrosine kinase receptor III, c-Kit/stem cell factor receptor and its ligand, human stem cell factor (huSCF) are the predominant regulator of mitogenesis in the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, gain-of-function mutations alter c-Kit auto-regulatory mechanisms to aberrant c-Kit signaling, leading to the onset or progression of cancerous transformations. The most common mutation of c-Kit is the substitution of aspartic acid residue in position 816 to valine (D816V), which is majorly responsible for its ligand-independent constitutive activation, and is implicated in hematopoietic malignancies. Currently, molecular targeted therapy is increasingly becoming a hot spot due to its specificity and low toxicity. As the molecular mechanisms responsible for D816V-c-Kit mediated tumorogenicity are largely unknown, in this study, we aimed to investigate the D816V-c-Kit signaling mediated downstream molecular targets. Specifically, we created c-Kit active mutant form D816V and performed inducible gene expression of mutant D816V-c-Kit in monomyelocytic cell line U937. Mutant D816V-c-Kit expressing cells revealed significantly enhanced cellular mitogenic activity compared to wild-type c-Kit expressing cells independent of huSCF. To examine the molecular targets regulating tumorogenic proliferation, we evaluated the consequences of mutant D816V-c-Kit expression on downstream gene expression profile by high throughput microarray technology. The levels of some of the relevant genes (PIK3CB, eIF4B, PRKCDBP, MOAP1) were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. SLA, STAT5B, MAP3K2 and MAPK14 emerged as important downstream molecular targets of mutant D816V-c-Kit. Further, by dissecting the signaling pathways, we also demonstrated that the D816V-c-Kit mediated hematopoietic cell proliferation is dependent on molecular target p38 MAP kinase.
Molecular analysis of micropropagated apple rootstock MM111 using ISSR markers for ascertaining clonal fidelity.

Inter simple sequence markers (ISSR) were used to assess the genetic stability of micropropagated plants regenerated through axillary buds of clonal apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) rootstock MM111 after twenty second passages. A total of 24 primers were initially screened and finally 15 were chosen for the present study to analyse genomic DNA from mother plants and in vitro plant material. A total of 147 amplification products were generated with an average of 10 bands per primer. The outlier M7 was also taken along with TC raised progenies of MM111 to rule out the possibility that the invariant banding pattern was on account of inefficiency of ISSR primers in detecting variations. A homogenous amplification profile was observed for all the micropropagated plants. The results confirmed the clonal fidelity of the tissue culture-raised MM111 plantlets and corroborated the fact that axillary multiplication is the safest mode for multiplication of true-to-type plants.
Studies on proteins and isozymes in aromatic and non aromatic rice

SDS-PAGE of soluble proteins and storage proteins did not reveal any marked differences between the aromatic and non-aromatic varieties of rice. However, isozyme analysis of the two groups of rice'varieties showed malate dehydrogenase to be monomorphic while eight other enzymes, viz. alcohol dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, esterase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, glutamate dehydrogenase, peroxidase, phosphoglucomutase and shikimate dehydrogenase to be polymorphic. Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase and peroxidase isozyme patterns were distinct and could be used for distinguishing non-basmati aromatic varieties while phosphoglucomutase isozyme pattern could be useful in identifying the basmati aromatic varieties. Dendrogram constructed, based on isozyme data revealed three major clusters of rice varieties. Isozyme polymorphism may be used for differentiation and identification of rice cultivars and for utilization in a rice varietal improvement programme.
Descrição de dois novos gêneros afins a Alphus White e duas novas espécies (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Acanthoderini)

Two new genera are described, including checklists of species: Exalphus gen. nov. (type species, Alphus leuconotus Thomson, 1860) and Ateralphus gen. nov. (type species, Alphus subsellatus White, 1855). Exalphus spilonotus sp. nov. (type locality - Jacareacanga, Para, Brazil) and Exalphus confusus sp.nov. (type locality - Encruzilhada, Bahia, Brazil) are also described.
The relative performance of AIC, AICC and BIC in the presence of unobserved heterogeneity

Model selection is difficult. Even in the apparently straightforward case of choosing between standard linear regression models, there does not yet appear to be consensus in the statistical ecology literature as to the right approach. We review recent works on model selection in ecology and subsequently focus on one aspect in particular: the use of the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) or its small‐sample equivalent, AICC . We create a novel framework for simulation studies and use this to study model selection from simulated data sets with a range of properties, which differ in terms of degree of unobserved heterogeneity. We use the results of the simulation study to suggest an approach for model selection based on ideas from information criteria but requiring simulation. We find that the relative predictive performance of model selection by different information criteria is heavily dependent on the degree of unobserved heterogeneity between data sets. When heterogeneity is small, AIC or AICC are likely to perform well, but if heterogeneity is large, the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) will often perform better, due to the stronger penalty afforded. Our conclusion is that the choice of information criterion (or more broadly, the strength of likelihood penalty) should ideally be based upon hypothesized (or estimated from previous data) properties of the population of data sets from which a given data set could have arisen. Relying on a single form of information criterion is unlikely to be universally successful.
Vorschläge der Arbeitsgruppe "Antibiotikaresistenz" für die Belegung von Mikrotiterplatten zur Empfindlichkeitsprüfung von Bakterien gegenüber antimikrobiellen Wirkstoffen in der Routinediagnostik: Mastitis- und Großtierlayouts

: Two layouts for microtitre plates, which should serve for in-vitro susceptibility testing in routine diagnostics, have been set up by the working group "Antibiotic resistance" of the German Society for Veterinary Medicine. One of these layouts was designed for the testing of bacteria from cases of mastitis and the other for bacteria from infections in large food-producing animals. The choice of the antimicrobial agents and their concentrations to be included in these layouts were based on (1) the bacteria frequently associated with the respective diseases/animals, (2) the antimicrobial agents licensed for therapeutic use in these diseases/animals, (3) the currently available breakpoints, and (4) cross-resistances between the antimicrobial agerts so far known to occur in the respective bacteria.
Cytology and Histology of the Cerebral Neurosecretory Systems in some Tropical Earthworm Species

The cerebral ganglia of tropical earthworms, Metaphire houlleti, Metaphire posthuma (Megascolecidae), Eutyphoeus gammiei (Octochaetidae) and Eudrilus eugeniae (Eudrilidae) revealed mainly two categories of neurosecretory cells (NSCs) – A cells and B cells. Thick cortical tier of A cells stained intensely with AF and were differentiated into A1, A2 and A3 types on the basis of their shape, size and location. The sub-cortical B cells, lying close to the neuropile stained lightly with AF. While the axons of A1 cells discharged neurosecretory material (NSM) beneath the perineurium, those of A2, A3 and B cells generally transported NSM at the margin of the neuropile forming “accumulation zone”. Our present study revealed that in earthworms, in absence of any well-defined neurohaemal organ, there was a phenomenal deposition of NSM in the “accumulation zone” or tissue spaces beneath the highly vascular perineurium from where the secretion readily entered the capillaries by diffusion to meet the physiological demand of the animal.
The effect of primary producers dynamics (macrophytes and macroalgae) on Hydrobia ulvae population dynamics

Eutrophication in the Mondego estuary gave rise to qualitative changes in the benthic community, involving the replacement of eelgrass, Zostera no/tii, by green algae, like Enteromorpha sp. and Uiva sp . Hydrobia u/vae, is a dominant species conceming abundance and biomass. The objective was to compare to what extent ditferences in primary producers dynamics might atfect H. u/vae life cycie, production and population dynamics. During the study period H. u/vae population exhibited both temporal and spatial density variations. The settlement was equal in the presence of both primary producers, and took place in March, June, July and September. However; the population was denser in the Zostera no/tii meadows, when compared to the eutrophied area, were macroalgae where present Life span was estimated as 21 months ± 3 months. Growth productivity (P) was estimated as 93.7 g. AFDW m 2 year' in the Z. no/tii meadows, and 30.3 g.AFDW m· year ' in the eutrophied area. Elimination productivity (E) was estimated as 300 g. AFDW m 2 year ' in the Z. no/tii meadows, and 97.5 g. AFDW m 2 year' in the eutrophied area. The average annual biomass (B) (standing stock) of the population was estimated as 70.2 g. AFDW m 2 in the Z. no/tii meadows, and 7.4 g. AFDW m 2 in the eutrophied area. PIB and ElB ratios were estimated as 1.3 and 4.8 in the Z. no/tii meadows, and 4.5 and 13.2 in the eutrophied area, respectively. There is evidence that H. u/vae population structure and annual production are atfected by primary producers dynamics, particularly by macroalgae blooms dynamics.