Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FIRST REPORT OF CURVULARIA SPICIFERA CAUSING LEAF SPOT ON TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L.) IN EGYPT

In summer of 2014, brown to black necrotic lesions surrounded by yellow haloes were observed on leaves of tomato plants cultivated in Behira governorate. Isolation was made from 3−5 mm2 pieces of lesions margins onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) after surface disinfected using 0.5% NaOCl. The examined morphological features (colony and conidia) were reminiscent of Curvularia spicifera as described by Jeon et al. (2015). The identity was further confirmed by DNA amplification and sequencing of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) and second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2) gene regions using the same primer sets used in the study of Madrid et al. (2014). Sequences of gpd and rpb2 were deposited in GenBank under accession Nos. KU133371 and KU133372, respectively, and revealed similarity 100% to (KC928089) and 99% to (HF934818) of C. spicifera. Koch’s postulates were further confirmed using surface disinfected leaves cv. Super strain-B wounded by sterile needle. Approximately 3-mm2 of colonized PDA plugs of 7-days-old cultures were placed on the wounded sites. Control leaves and fruit were wounded and inoculated with sterile PDA plugs. Tomato leaves were placed at room temperature (28−30°C) and 80% of RH. Five days later, brown circular necrotic lesions (2-3 mm2) were developed on the inoculated leaves. The control leaves showed no symptoms. Re-isolation from infected tissues revealed C. spicifera and its identity was morphologically confirmed. To our knowledge this the first report of C. spicifera (Bainier) Boedijn causing leaf spot on tomato in Egypt.
Postbudburst Spur Pruning Reduces Yield and Delays Fruit Sugar Accumulation in Sangiovese in Central Italy

The influence of pruning date on yield control and ripening rate of spur-pruned Sangiovese grapevines was investigated over two years (2013 and 2014). Winter pruning was applied on 1 or 4 Feb (mid dormancy); 1 or 5 March (late dormancy); 2 or 7 April (bud swell); 2 or 7 May (flowers closely pressed together); and 1 or 6 June (40 to 50% of flower caps fallen), respectively. Vine yield and fruit composition at harvest were not affected by shifting from the standard pruning dates of mid and late dormancy to the bud swell stage. In contrast, the number of inflorescences in compound buds was significantly reduced for vines pruned in early May. No inflorescences were retained on vines pruned at the beginning of June. Early May pruning reduced fruit set and berry weight and slowed fruit ripening compared to the other pruning dates. At harvest, must soluble solids and titratable acidity were 1.6 Brix lower and 1.8 g/L higher, respectively, for the May treatment compared to the standard pruning dates. The early May pruning dates also achieved higher total anthocyanins and phenolic concentrations than the standard pruning dates, indicating that this technique can potentially decouple the accumulation dynamics of these components. Further studies are needed to better calibrate winter pruning date for managing yield and berry maturation rate.
First nesting account and breeding biology of “Gould's Inca” (Coeligena torquata omissa) in Manu National Park, Peru

ABSTRACT We present the first detailed nesting biology information for the highland Andean hummingbird Gould's Inca (Coeligena torquata omissa) at 2,200–3,000 m in Manu National Park, SE Peru. We found nine mossy cup-shaped nests lined with red fern scales containing nestlings or 1–2 synchronously hatching eggs. We obtained 17 days of internal nest temperatures from one nest, which exhibited wide circadian variation (range = 14.9–36.2 °C). We show that C. t. omissa meets the challenges of life and incubation at high altitudes by undertaking numerous (20.3 ± 0.4 trips/morning, range = 14–27) and short morning off-bouts (5.2 ± 0.2 min, range = 1–24 min). In the morning, the focal bird warmed the nest 1.7 times faster than in the afternoon where incubation bouts are long (17.8 ± 0.6 min, range = 4–56) and less frequent (10.2 ± 0.3 trips/afternoon). Incubation off-bout frequency and durations were not influenced by external temperature, suggesting strong nest insulation. On-bout durations increased with external temperature most strongly in the cold mornings. Short off-bouts and long on-bouts yielded high attentiveness (70.2%). One nestling fledged after 23 days. The eggs measured 15.2 ± 0.4 mm by 9.3 ± 0.3 mm and weighed 0.75 ± 0.03 g (n = 12). The small mossy cup nest was 81.9 ± 5.9 mm by 75.8 ± 4.4 mm wide and 73.1 ± 6.7 mm high. The inner cup was 45.7 ± 3.0 mm long by 45.6 ± 4.1 mm wide and 30.9 ± 2.5 mm deep (n = 8). Compared to C. t. torquata, we found a smaller egg width, higher nest placement and different nest substrate, but confirmed similarities in many aspects of nesting strategies.
Relations between GammaRay Burst time estimators and their implications

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been proven to be cosmological objects that release a huge amount of energy in a relatively short time. Nevertheless th e canonical classification of bursts is usually in the observer frame, giving birth to a bim odal distribution of GRBs, long and short. Recently, an intermediate class of bursts have be en proposed and the intermediate class of GRBs is a recurrent topic of debate. The studies o n the group of GRBs were renewed by the classification in the burst frame, as a first res ult of bimodal behavior of the cosmologically corrected Auto-Correlation Function (ACF ) was reported. Following the recent classification trend, a sample of 15 GRBs with known re dshift detected by Swift and Suzaku satellites is analyzed in this work. The simultaneou s detection of long GRBs by the mentioned satellites offers the opportunity to study th e prompt emission of GRBs in a broad energy band range (15-5000 keV). Using the duration ti me o release the 50% of the total fluence (T50), the ACF evaluated at the full-width at half maximum and the emission time of the 50% of the total fluence (t 50) as temporal parameters first a possible sub-class of long GRBs is discussed when the temporal parameters are me asured in the GRB frame. The three temporal parameters characterize a time interval of the same physical process, but they are not completely equivalent although they are str ongly correlated. The relation is linear between T 50 and t50 as well as ACF and t 50. In the time-space plane, 4 GRBs are have longer values of time estimators and they are relativel y close suggesting a subclass of long GRBs. To elucidate if there is or not real evidence of t his special class of bursts, temporal values were combined with the energy parameters to look for their spectra and energy counterparts. Extending the validity of the Yonetok u relation for the studied sample of bursts, we found that in the time-energy plane, the same 4 b ursts exhibit a low isotropic luminosity (Li so) and a low peak energy (E p). A strong correlation between the remaining bursts in the time estimator-isotropic energy plane was obs erved, the correlations between t50 Liso and L50 tp are especially high, which is interpreted as two different p hysical processes, since t 50 is a temporal measure of the time intervals when the burst eng in is in its most active phase. In the studied sample, 4 bursts could b e characterized in the burst frame as long-dim-close bursts. The classification in the re st f ame in time-space and energy of bursts allows to restrict more the possible progenit ors of longs GRBs, and also demonstrated that the expansion of the Universe modifies all timescales and energy scales in the same way.
The effect of strength training by electrostimulation at a specific time of day on immune response and anaerobic performances during short-term maximal exercise

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of electrostimulation strength training (ES) and time-of-day on immune response and anaerobic performances during short-term maximal exercise. In randomized order, 24 active men divided into three groups: MTG (n=8): training times 07:00–08:00h; ETG (n=8): training times 17:00–18:00h; and CG (n=8) and were asked to perform a 30-s Wingate test (i.e. peak (PP), mean (MP)) and strength (1-RM) before (T0) and after four weeks of training (T1) at 08:00h and 18:00h. Our results showed that oral temperature, PP (p<0.05), MP (p<0.05), and Interleukine-6 levels (IL-6) (p<0.001) were significantly higher at 18:00h compared to 08:00h in all groups. However, 1-RM was not affected by the time-of-day (p>0.05). Likewise, IL-6 increased after exercise at T0 and T1 in CG, ETG, and MTG (p<0.001). Moreover, ES training leads an improvement in performances (p<0.05) with an increase in the tight circumference for the MTG (p<0.01) at the same time-of-training (08:00h) without affecting the immune response (p>0.05). In fact, the amplitude of variation was disappeared in MTG after ES. However, the ES did not affect the PP, MP, and 1-RM in ETG with no change in the tight circumference. A significant increase in IL-6 at the same time-of-training (p<0.05) was observed on ETG. For CG, no significant change was observed after ES compared with pre-training. In conclusion, ES training in the morning is a potent strategy to counteract the decrease in anaerobic performances without affecting inflammatory response compared to the evening training.
The community ecology of invasive species: where are we and what's next?

Alien species are continually introduced in most regions of the world, but not all survive and coexist with the resident native species. Approaches analyzing the functional (or phylogenetic) similarity between invasive species and native communities are increasingly employed to infer the processes underlying successful invasions and to predict future invaders. The relatively simple conceptual foundations have made these approaches very appealing and therefore widely used, often leading to confusion and hampering generalizations. We undertook a comprehensive review and synthesis of the functional similarity approach in invasion community ecology to clarify its advantages and limitations, to summarize what has been learned thus far, and to suggest avenues for future improvement. We first present the methodological state of the art and provide general guidelines. Second, by organizing the published literature around seven key questions in invasion ecology we found cumulative evidence that: at large spatial scales phylogenetic relatedness of invasive and native species is a good predictor of invasion success, but a poor predictor of invasion impacts; at fine spatial scales, community resistance to invasion tends to increase with native species diversity and with similarity to the invaders, consistent with patterns emerging from biotic interactions. In general, the processes filtering invaders appear to vary across species’ invasion stage and along environmental gradients. Nonetheless, we found conflicting evidence for differences in community assembly processes between invasive and native species, and between the invader's native and adventive ranges. Finally, we propose four important avenues for overcoming some of the identified methodological and conceptual limitations of the approach, in particular by integrating observational and experimental analyses and by explicitly considering species’ demographic rates and complex biotic interactions. Although the functional similarity approach bears intrinsic limitations, it still offers many opportunities in invasion community ecology at large spatial scales. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Taxonomic Relatedness of Spider and Carabid Assemblages in a Wetland Ecosystem

(7): 1175-1187. Traditional community indices, i.e. Shannon diversity and Simpson’s dominance, are generally used to describe biological assemblages in order to infer ecological trends about the effects of disturbance. Such indices are correlated with species richness and abundance and may be strongly influenced by the sampling effort. Conversely, taxonomic relatedness indices show interesting statistical properties and are independent of the sampling effort. Additionally, high values of taxonomical relatedness indices have proven to reflect habitat functionality in marine ecosystems. Their use in terrestrial ecosystems is rare, and despite their good potential, they have never been used for biodiagnostic purposes. In this paper, we present the 1st application of taxonomic relatedness indices to arthropod assemblages (namely spiders and carabids) and their comparison with several traditional community parameters that are generally used to evaluate environmental disturbances. The study was set in a wetland area within the Natural Reserve of Fondo Toce (northwestern Italy). Four different habitats with different degrees of disturbance (a reed bed, a mown meadow, a riparian wood with mesophilous elements, and a transitional mesohygrophilic area invaded by non-native vegetation) were sampled using pitfall traps. The spider and carabid assemblages occurring in each habitat were characterized by means of multidimensional scaling (MDS) and by several community parameters, including abundance, species richness diversity, taxonomic relatedness indices, and some descriptive functional traits. Differences among habitats were tested with generalized linear models. Correlations among community parameters were evaluated with Spearman’s rank correlations. According to the MDS plots, both assemblages were clearly separated in relation to habitat type. When considering the parameters describing the assemblages in relation to disturbance, the taxonomic approach was found to be particularly suitable for spiders, for which the less-disturbed habitat was characterized by higher values of average taxonomic distinctness. Furthermore, functional groups of spiders were more evenly distributed in undisturbed habitats. The functional approach was found particularly appropriate for carabids, which responded to disturbance in terms of a decrease in biomass (average body size) and an increase in the proportional abundance of macropterous individuals. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/51.7/1175.pdf
Identification and natural functions of cyclic lipopeptides from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens An6

Lipopeptides constitute a structurally diverse group of metabolites produced by various bacterial and fungal genera. In the past decades, research on lipopeptides has been fueled by their surfactant activities. However, natural functions of lipopeptides compounds have received considerably less attention. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the lipopeptides from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens An6, and further evaluate their biological activities. An6 lipopeptides were detected by PCR using degenerated primers and MALDI‐TOF‐MS. An6 strain was found to produce surfactin, fengycin, and bacillomycin. Following their purification, the in vitro antioxidant activity of An6 lipopeptides was studied through different assays. The scavenging effect on 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl radicals at a dosage of 0.75 mg/mL was 81%. Its reducing power was concentration‐dependant and reached a maximum of 1.07 at 2.5 mg/mL. Moreover, they showed a strong inhibition of β‐carotene bleaching. An6 lipopeptides mixture was also found to display significant antimicrobial activity against several Gram‐positive, Gram‐negative bacteria, and fungal strains. An6 lipopeptides were insensitive to proteolytic enzymes, stable between pH 4.0 and 12.0, and resistant to high temperature. Our results provided enough evidence proving that An6 lipopeptides could be used as functional‐food components.
Freshwater fungi in Lake Dianchi, a heavily polluted lake in Yunnan, China

Freshwater fungi on submerged woody substrates and grasses were investigated in Lake Dianchi, a highly polluted lake in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. One hundred submerged woody substrates were collected from this lake every three months and examined for fungi to investigate seasonal variation. A total of 97 fungi were recorded, including 56 ascomycetes and 41 anamorphic fungi. The occurrence of these fungi was recorded and the Shannon-Weiner index (H ) was used to evaluate the fungal diversity. The results showed that the variation among the four seasonal collections were insignificant. The diversity indices (H ) at the four season collections varied from 3.155 to 3.681. The fungal community on woody substrates from Lake Dianchi is compared with that from Lake Fuxian during the same season and differences were apparent (similarity index = 0.337). The diversity was higher in Lake Fuxian (H = 3.808) than in Lake Dianchi (H = 3.368) and this may be related to riparian vegetation and pollution. The effects of pollution on freshwater fungal communities are discussed. One hundred submerged samples each of three monocotyledon species (Phragmites australis, Pennisetum purpurreum and a bamboo species) were collected from Lake Dianchi and examined for fungi. The communities on each grass species are compared and discussed in relation to host-specificity.
Continuous Laser Beam Based Optical Detection of Ingredients in Highly Scattering Media∗

Some preliminary experiments have been performed concerning the possibility of single-sided optical detection of characteristic inhomogeneities (ingredients, e.g., ill places in tissues) hidden in highly-scattering homogeneous host media (e.g., healthy tissues) irradiated by a collimated cw laser beam. The detection is based on comparative analysis of the backscattered-light intensity distributions over the entrance /exit plane of the medium obtained in the presence and absence of ingredients. The obtained experimental results show that inhomogeneities whose contrast exceeds the measurement signal-to-noise ratio can be distinguished at depths of the order of several transport mean free paths of the photon in the scattering medium. The transversal (with respect to the sensing beam) distinguishability distance turns out to be of the same order. The results of the work are physically viewable and interpretable, but a more rigorous substantiation of them is desirable based on appropriate theoretical models. PACS codes: 42.62. Be, 87.50. W, 87.14. Cc, 87.64. Cc
Microsoft Word-Picart_Prelims i-iv incl PCN

The idea of digitally reconstructing the optical wavefront first appeared in the 1960s. The oldest study on the subject dates back to 1967 with the article published by Goodman in Applied Physics Letters [GOO 67]. The aim was to replace the “analog” recording/decoding of the object by a “digital” recording/decoding simulating diffraction from a digital grating consisting of the recorded image. Thus, holography became “digital”, replacing the silvered support with a matrix of the discrete values of the hologram. Then, in 1971, Huang discussed the computer analysis of optical wavefronts and introduced for the first time the concept of “digital holography” [HUA 71]. The works presented in 1972 by Kronrod [KRO 72] historically constituted the first attempts at reconstruction by the calculation of an object coded in a hologram. At that time, 6 h of calculation was required for the reconstruction of a field of 512 × 512 pixels with the Minsk-22 computer, the discrete values being obtained from a holographic plate by 64-bit digitization with a scanner. However, it took until the 1990s for array detector-based digital holography to materialize [SCH 94]. In effect, there have been important developments in two sectors of technology: since this period, microtechnological processes have resulted in charge coupled device (CCD) arrays with sufficiently small pixels to fulfill the Shannon condition for the spatial sampling of a hologram; the
Ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity is higher in narrow hedges composed of a native compared to non‐native trees in a Danish agricultural landscape

Non‐cultivated areas in agricultural landscapes can substantially contribute to biodiversity. Therefore, to examine the role of tree‐line hedges in supporting arthropod diversity in an agricultural landscape, we sampled carabid beetles in three replicates of a native deciduous (hawthorn, Crataegus mono‐gyna), a non‐native deciduous (rowan, Sorbus intermedia), and a non‐native coniferous (spruce, Picea spp.) hedge in Jytland, Denmark. We hypothesised that hedgerows with deciduous trees harbour more diverse carabid assemblages than hedges composed of non‐native trees. The number of carabid individuals and species was highest in the hawthorn hedges and significantly lower in rowan and spruce. This was caused by the presence of forest specialist species. Differences in the number of the grassland and the cropland specialist ground beetle individuals and species were not statistically significant among the hedges. Litter depth and the density of herbs and grasses negatively, while hedge width positively influenced carabid diversity. Overall, hedges composed of the native, deciduous hawthorn were superior to ones composed of the non‐native rowan, and especially to coniferous ones to conserve and maintain carabid diversity in this cultivated Danish landscape.
Yield and Quality Response of Soybean to Full and Deficit Irrigation at Different Growth Stages under Sub-Humid Climatic Conditions

This study investigated the yield and quality response of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] to full and deficit irrigation applied at different growth stages under sub-humid climate conditions over a two-year period. A rain-fed (non-irrigated) treatment and 13 different irrigation treatments (1 full and 12 deficit irrigations) were applied to soybeans at four critical development stages: vegetative (V), flowering (F), pod formation (P) and seed enlargement (S). Deficit irrigation had a significant effect on seed yield, crude oil content, crude protein content and various agronomic parameters. The highest seed yield (4004 kg ha-1) was obtained with full irrigation (based on the replenishment of 100% of soil water depletion from a soil depth of 90 cm at 7-day intervals throughout the development period) and the lowest (1974 kg ha-1) with the rain-fed treatment, with a 50.6% difference in average yield between full irrigation (VFPS) and rain-fed treatments. The rain-fed treatment also resulted in the lowest crude oil content (19.1%) and the highest crude protein content (33.6%). As a result, it may be concluded that while VFPS treatment may be the best choice for maximum yield under local conditions, irrigation schedules should be reconsidered when water cost is high and/or water is scarce; in such cases, an irrigation schedule that includes water deficit at the vegetative development stage can be applied.