Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AUTOMATIC PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY

Chromatography is a highly developed subject which provides techniques well-nigh indispensable in analysis, preparative organic chemistry, and biochemistry. The extensive literature is summarized in several monographs.ll* =. 28 A special branch of the subject involves the use of paper in the form of sheets, discs, strips, or fibres in which very effective separations of complex mixtures can be attained. The applications are primarily, though not exclusively, analytical, and their value lies mostly in the small quantities of material required for examination. The separation of the components of a mixture by permitting the mixture to dfiuse through a paper matrix accomplishes two things. It permits complete separation by the simple expedient of cutting out a section of the paper and extracting with a suitable solvent, and it permits qualitative identification on the basis of the preferential rate of Wusion. Under carefully controlled and specified conditions, identification is established in terms of the Rr factor, which represents the ratio of the distance traversed by the substance to that traversed by the solvent. If the process is extended to the use of a second solvent, and in a direction perpendicular to the first, then a new and confirmatory set of RI values may be used for identitication, or to resolve a pair which may have exhibited inappreciable differences in their Rt values in the first separation. This is two-dimensional paper chromatography,& which, among other applications, has been extremely useful in the analysis of amino acid mixtures. In view of the fact that the techniques of paper chromatography are so generally useful, and can be carried out with very simple and inexpensive equipment, one may well ask why it is profitable to employ instrumental aids in studying paper chromatograms. The use of instrumental aids, even fairly complicated ones, are justified for several reasons. For one thing, they are capable of refining the present techniques in quantitative estimations. What is perhaps more important is the ease with which extensive data can be accumulated on the kinetics of the process and on the influence of the many factors which affect the process. The simple matter of selecting appropriate solvent mixtures is highly empirical and there are no guiding generalizations. The busy analyst or biochemist is likely to let well enough alone when he has found a suitable solvent mixture for a given system, but in all likelihood the next problem will require another series of inspired hunches to find the optimum conditions. the theoretical foundations of chromatography are in a very elementary state and Despite the efforts of several able investigators:. 4, 6-12* 17-20*
When genes go wild: highly variable internal transcibed spacer1 and conserved mitochondrial DNA haplotypes used to examine the genetic diversity and dispersal pathways of invasive Hylotrupes bajulus in Western Australia

Hylotrupes bajulus (Linnaeus) is a cryptic insect pest of seasoned coniferous timber. In 2004, an incursion of Hylotrupes bajulus was discovered in Perth, Western Australia. Two genes, one mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase subunit I; COI) and one nuclear (internal transcribed spacer 1; ITS1) were used to infer the origin of this incursion, as well as to test the likely dispersal pathways and dispersal distances of H. bajulus. We sequenced and examined 1003 cloned ITS1 fragments and 170 COI fragments from 14 international and 156 domestic specimens. The ITS1 fragment was extremely variable, with 94% of the sites polymorphic. To remove the variability and select only the informative polymorphisms principal component analysis was employed. This resulted in the selection of eight informative single nucleotide polymorphisms and seven microsatellites, which were converted into 119 unique ITS haplotypes. In comparison, COI was highly conserved, yielding only four haplotypes. The data suggest at least three independent incursions, of which two contained the same mitochondrial haplotype but different ITS1 sequences. The datasets were further scrutinized to estimate local dispersal distances. The results suggested that individuals were capable of dispersing > 14 km, which is significantly further than previously reported.
Decomposition of trait diversity among the nodes of a phylogenetic tree

Biodiversity studies aim to explain spatiotemporal patterns of species distributions. We propose a new methodology in which trait diversity is measured by the quadratic entropy index, with distances among species calculated from differences among trait states. We show how this index of trait diversity can be decomposed among the nodes of a phylogenetic tree. The contribution to trait diversity of a particular node is equal to the trait diversity among the n groups of species descending from it multiplied by an abundance weight (either proportional to the number of descendant species or to their relative abundance). We developed three tests to characterize the phylogenetic pattern of trait diversity and evaluated our methodology with seven evolutionary models. The power of the tests was high and increased with the number of extant taxa and the number of traits analyzed. The Type I error analyses (erroneous rejection of true null hypotheses) suggested that our tests are neither too liberal nor too conservative. Species abundances were found to modify the phylogenetic signal in trait diversity if only a few species were abundant and if species abundances were correlated to their phylogenetic relatedness and/or their trait states. By comparing phylogenetic signals in trait diversity from the local to the metacommunity level, we explored the factors that structure butterfly trait diversity in calcareous grasslands of northern France and southern Belgium. We show that partial phylogenetic signal in traits combined with habitat filtering determined which species and lineages were able to co-occur locally. Interestingly, no phylogenetic signal was detected when measures of abundance were included in our analyses. For most species and clades, the abundance distribution among communities at the regional scale was random. Overall, studying trait diversity in a phylogenetic context allows the link between current local ecological processes and lineage-dependent historical evolutionary factors to be thoroughly investigated.
Habitat Selection, the Included Niche, and Coexistence in Plant‐Specialist Frogs from Madagascar

Classic niche partitioning suggests that coexistence among asymmetric competitors is facilitated by differential resource use. Coexistence is also possible, however, when a species only has access to resources that are shared with a competitor, providing it is the superior competitor on that resource (the ‘included niche’). To test predictions of these two coexistence mechanisms, we studied habitat selection of two closely related sympatric plant‐specialist frogs from Madagascar (Guibemantis bicalcaratus and Guibemantis punctatus). Both species live and breed only in the water‐filled leaf axils of Pandanus plants, and previous experiments with their tadpoles demonstrated asymmetric competition. In a 3‐yr field study, we: (1) monitored the biotic and abiotic conditions of 348 plants; (2) surveyed these plants for frogs; (3) undertook a mark‐recapture study; and (4) conducted an experiment where we manipulated the amount of detritus in plants. We identified several differences in the conditions of the habitats selected by both species (e.g., plant height, canopy cover over the plant, abundance of heterospecifics). Co‐occurrence was nevertheless common, and G. punctatus persisted almost exclusively in plants it shared with G. bicalcaratus. As predicted by theory, G. punctatus was the superior competitor, at least in the tadpole stage. The inferior competitor (G. bicalcaratus) had access to exclusive resources not available to G. punctatus, by virtue of a faster developmental rate that permitted reproduction in lower quality plants. While there was some evidence of weak niche partitioning, we conclude that coexistence in these plant‐specialist frogs is primarily via an included niche mechanism.
Radical Scavenging and Antioxidant Activities of Fermented Laminaria japonica Extracts

Radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of Laminaria japonica and fermented its extracts were evaluated. Freeze-dried L. japonica was fermented by Aspergillus oryzae and extracted with distilled water. The extract solution was mixed with ethanol and centrifuged. The supernatant was ethanol soluble fraction, non-polysaccharide fraction (ESF), and residue was ethanol insoluble precipitation, polysaccharide fraction (EIP). ESF was subjected to sequential fractionation with dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. To determine the radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of these, DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical scavenging activities and linoleic acid oxidation were tested. Among the extracts, ESF of fermented L. japonica showed the highest radical scavenging activity. The ESF showed DPPH radical scavenging activity of 64.33% at concentration of 50 ㎍/mL. It was higher than 57.70% of vit. C. Ethyl acetate and butanol fraction had high value of radical scavenging and antioxidant activities, especially butanol fraction of fermented L. japonica was 79.48% of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity at concentration of 50 ㎍/mL. The fermented L. japonica had radical scavenging and antioxidant activities higher than L. japonica. These results suggest that fermented L. japonica is healthy food having radical scavenging and antioxidant activities.
Revision of the Classification of the Oscillatoriaceae

Discovered the extent of morphological variation of the individual species of Oscillatoriaceae, a group of algae which cover a substantial part of the earthÂ¿s barren surfaces & constitute a goodly proportion of the conspicuous plants in its bodies of water. The capabilities of these algae for structural change during natural growth in diverse habitats, & in a single habitat as the environment changes, have been ignored. Plants deviating from the Â¿typicalÂ¿ as a result of such variability have been interpreted as atypical or anomalous for the species concerned or have been described forthrightly as taxa new to science. The outcome of this investigation is comparable with that of a similar study of the coccoid Myxophyceae by Drouet & Daily (1956). Illustrations.
Life cycle assessment tool for estimating net CO2 exchange of forest production

The study describes an integrated impact assessment tool for the net carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange in forest production. The components of the net carbon exchange include the uptake of carbon into biomass, the decomposition of litter and humus, emissions from forest management operations and carbon released from the combustion of biomass and degradation of wood‐based products. The tool enables the allocation of the total carbon emissions to the timber and energy biomass and to the energy produced on the basis of biomass. In example computations, ecosystem model simulations were utilized as an input to the tool. We present results for traditional timber production (pulpwood and saw logs) and integrated timber and bioenergy production (logging residues, stumps and roots) for Norway spruce, in boreal conditions in Finland, with two climate scenarios over one rotation period. The results showed that the magnitude of management related emissions on net carbon exchange was smaller when compared with the total ecosystem fluxes; decomposition being the largest emission contributor. In addition, the effects of management and climate were higher on the decomposition of new humus compared with old humus. The results also showed that probable increased biomass growth, obtained under the changing climate (CC), could not compensate for decomposition and biomass combustion related carbon loss in southern Finland. In our examples, the emissions allocated for the energy from biomass in southern Finland were 172 and 188 kg CO2 MW h−1 in the current climate and in a CC, respectively, and 199 and 157 kg CO2 MW h−1 in northern Finland. This study concludes that the tool is suitable for estimating the net carbon exchange of forest production. The tool also enables the allocation of direct and indirect carbon emissions, related to forest production over its life cycle, in different environmental conditions and for alternative time periods and land uses. Simulations of forest management regimes together with the CC give new insights into ecologically sustainable forest bioenergy and timber production, as well as climate change mitigation options in boreal forests.
Do Bird Perching Structures Elevate Seed Rain and Seedling Establishment in Abandoned Tropical Pasture?

Lack of seed dispersal has been shown to be a major factor limiting tropical forest recovery in abandoned pasture land. The goal of this work was to determine whether bird perching structures serve to enhance seed dispersal and seedling establishment in an abandoned pasture in Costa Rica. Two types of perching structures (crossbar and branch) were tested. Bird visitation rates were significantly higher on branch than on crossbar perches. The number of animal‐dispersed seeds was significantly higher below branch perches than below crossbar perches or in open pasture. Despite differences in seed rain, percent cover of animal‐dispersed plants and the number of seedlings of animal‐dispersed plant species were similar below both perch types and in open pasture. Baiting perches with bananas did not increase either bird visitation rates or seed rain. These results suggest that, although bird perching structures increase seed dispersal, they do not overcome other barriers to tropical forest recovery such as seed predation and low seed germination.
Fruit stem blight on kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) in China

Abstract A new blight disease on fruit stems of kiwifruit was observed in Fengxin County, Jiangxi Province, China in 2011 and 2012. Twenty isolates from diseased fruit stems were obtained and their pathogenicity was confirmed. The pathogen was identified as Glomerella septospora based on morphological characters and molecular methods. This is the first report of fruit stem blight disease of kiwifruit caused by G. septospora.
Biophysical Effects on Chronic Rhinosinusitis Bacterial Biofilms

Firstly, the role of bacterial biofilms in CRS is discussed identifying the major bacterial spe‐ cies involved in CRS (section 2). Secondly, the importance of the cyclic process of biofilm formation is reviewed focusing on the nature of the attachment and detachment process (section 3). Thirdly, treatments are categorized into medication and physical methods (sec‐ tion 4), with a major emphasis on ultrasound and the bioelectric effect. Finally, future direc‐ tions on the use of ultrasound and electric fields, and their potential effects on biofilms are discussed (section 5).
Functional Reconstitution and Characterization of Recombinant Human α1-Glycine Receptors*

By utilizing a baculoviral expression system described previously (Cascio, M., Schoppa, N. E., Grodzicki, R. L., Sigworth, F. J., and Fox, R. O. (1993)J. Biol. Chem. 268, 22135–22142), functional recombinant homomeric human α1-glycine receptors (GlyR) were overexpressed in insect cell culture, solubilized, purified, and reconstituted into lipid vesicles via gel filtration. Reconstituted GlyR channels were observed to retain native-like activity in single channel recordings of planar bilayers and in flux assays of small unilamellar vesicles, providing evidence that the recombinant homomeric receptor may be functionally reconstituted. This reconstitution is significant in that it indicates that the overexpressed homomeric receptor is an appropriate substrate for subsequent biophysical characterization aimed at the general elucidation of structure-function. Circular dichroism spectroscopy of reconstituted GlyR indicated a low α-helical content and a significant fraction of polyproline structure. The small fraction of observed α-helix is insufficient to accommodate the four helical transmembrane domains proposed in models for this receptor. By inference, other members of the homologous ligand-gated channel superfamily, which include the ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid, acetylcholine, and serotonin receptors, may also be erroneously modeled, and alternate models should be considered.
Polytene chromosome maps in the Medfly Ceratitis capitata

Polytene chromosome maps of the five autosomes from salivary gland cells in Ceratitis capitata are presented, and the more characteristic features of each element are described. The correlation of the polytene elements to miotic chromosomes and linkage groups is established by using various Y-autosome and autosome-autosome translocation lines. Two loci, dp (black pupal case) and w (white pupal case), are mapped to the third and fifth chromosome, respectively. In addition to the polytene maps presented, some extra figures of specific chromosomal regions are given for easier identification of each polytene element.Key words: polytene chromosome maps, Ceratitis capitata.
Evaluating estimators of species richness: the importance of considering statistical error rates

The performance of species richness estimators can be highly variable. Evaluating the accuracy and precision of different estimators for different assemblages is common in the ecological literature, but estimator performance is rarely measured in terms of research goals such as detecting patterns in diversity. We evaluated the efficacy of nonparametric richness estimators to detect changes (i.e. type‐I and type‐II error rates) in species richness using two experimental designs: a block design and a trend analysis. We also evaluated estimator efficacy across a variety of species‐abundance distributions, species number and sample sizes. The evaluation was performed using simulated data that mimicked the qualities of real data to ensure real‐world relevance. We found that the bias and precision of all estimators evaluated had high sensitivity to sample size and shifts in the species‐abundance distribution. Importantly, all estimators demonstrated elevated type‐I error rates when the species‐abundance distribution varied. These inflated type‐I error rates resulted in spurious conclusions about patterns in species richness. Results suggest that caution should be taken when using nonparametric estimators to detect pattern in species richness. Furthermore, estimator evaluations should always include measures of type‐I and type‐II error rates. These quantities can reveal the inference consequences of the dependency of estimator bias and precision on community and sampling characteristics.
Does nest box design influence use by the eastern pygmy-possum?

Abstract. Managing the availability of shelter sites is central to the conservation of vertebrate wildlife dependent on tree hollows (cavities) because hollow abundance has been reduced in many landscapes and trees do not typically acquire hollows until they are at least 100 years old. Artificial hollows (nest boxes) provide one option to offset local shortages in tree hollows. However, knowledge of preferred designs is required for this to be effective. We investigated nest box preference by the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus), a small marsupial recognised as threatened across part of its geographic range in eastern Australia. We installed nest boxes of four different designs in each of 30 plots where tree hollows were scarce. Designs showed no significant difference in thermal profile. We captured 223 adult and subadult pygmy-possums within 78% of the 120 boxes. Breeding females used boxes more frequently than adult males and showed a preference among the designs whereas males did not. Females favoured plywood nest boxes over a PVC design offering a horizontal cavity. Use of the PVC design increased when repositioned to present a vertical cavity. Thus, breeding females are selective of the cavities used to rear young, which may limit local population size.
Age determination of the African lion (Panthera leo)

A system is described for estimating the age of the African lion by studying the eruption sequence of deciduous and permanent teeth of both jaws and the wear of permanent teeth. This system is supplemented by observing criteria such as height of the cemento-enamel line of permanent canines above the alveolar margin, the closure of the apical foramen of the pulp chamber and the discolouration of permanent teeth. Where skulls are available curves and equations describing closure rate with age of the pulp chambers of maxillary and mandibular canines measured at their maximum mesio-distal width, are provided. These measurements can be taken by either sectioning the canines transversely at a certain point or by X-raying the teeth. Sex-specific von Bertalanffy growth curves and equations describing skull growth with age for four skull measurements are also provided while the use of cranial sutures for age determination in the lion is evaluated. Canine root sections were removed, decalcified, sectioned and stained for incremental cementum line counts. The results of this method were in close agreement with the ages of known-age lions and those aged by the previously mentioned methods (r=0.973; P<0–001). A series of photographs and a description is provided whereby lions observed in the field can be classified into age classes. Sexual dimorphism in the permanent canines is described and appropriate measurements given whereby a single permanent canine can be used to decide on the sex of an animal. The use of oxytetracycline and lead acetate for the in vivo“labelling” of teeth in wild lions is examined.
Nestboxes and immigration drive the growth of an urban Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus population

Drivers of wildlife population dynamics are generally numerous and interacting. Some of these drivers may impact demographic processes that are difficult to estimate, such as immigration into the focal population. Populations may furthermore be small and subject to demographic stochasticity. All of these factors contribute to blur the causal relationship between past management action and current population trends. The urban Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus population in Cape Town, South Africa, increased from three pairs in 1997 to 18 pairs in 2010. Nestboxes were installed over this period to manage the interface between new urban pairs of Falcons and the human users of colonized buildings, and incidentally to improve breeding success. We used integrated population models (IPMs) formally to combine information from a capture–mark–recapture study, monitoring of reproductive success and counts of population size. As all local demographic processes were directly observed, the IPM approach also allowed us to estimate immigration by difference. The provision of nestboxes, as a possible stimulant of population growth, improved breeding success and accounted for an estimated 3–26% of the population increase. The most important driver of growth, however, was immigration. Despite low sample sizes, the IPM approach allowed us to obtain relatively precise estimates of the population-level impact of nestbox deployment. The goal of conservation interventions is often to increase population size, so the effectiveness of such interventions should ideally be assessed at the population level. IPMs are powerful tools in this context for combining demographic information that may be limited due to small population size or practical constraints on monitoring. Our study quantitatively documented both the immigration process that led to growth of a small population and the effect of a management action that helped the process.