Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The lipase activity of Talaromyces emersonii

Studies were carried out on the ability of Talaromyces emersonii Stolk to produce extracellular lipase in stationary liquid medium under various conditions. The best temperatures for lipase synthesis and activity were 40–45 °C, and at all the temperatures (37–55 °C) tested for lipase production, maximum enzyme was produced 8 days after incubation. Lipase synthesis was induced when various carbohydrates were used as carbon sources both in the presence and absence of yeast extract. The significance of lipase production in relation to the natural habitat is discussed.
Analyses of Expression Patterns of Ethylene Receptor Genes in Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) Fruits Treated with or without 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)

1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) strongly inhibits ethylene-mediated ripening effects. Since 1-MCP binds irreversibly to ethylene receptors, and ethylene sensitivity is recovered through the appearance of new ethylene receptors, it is important to characterize ethylene receptor genes to understand 1-MCP efficacy. We isolated three putative ethylene receptor genes from apple fruit and examined Md-ETR1, Md-ERS1, and Md-ERS2 expression patterns in 1-MCP-treated and -untreated fruit of ‘Orin’ and ‘Fuji’. In both cultivars, treatment with 1-MCP suppressed ethylene production and rapidly decreased expressions of Md-ERS1 and Md-ERS2, but Md-ETR1 mRNA was slightly reduced by the application of 1-MCP. One possible explanation for the high 1-MCP efficacy in apple fruits is that 1-MCP suppresses ethylene production and Md-ETR1 is expressed in 1-MCP-treated fruit. Md-ERS1 and Md-ERS2 mRNAs accumulated more abundantly in untreated ‘Fuji’, which has a long shelf life, than in ‘Orin’. Since ethylene receptors negatively regulate ethylene signaling, differences in expression levels between the cultivars might be reflected in differences in ethylene sensitivity.
Predicting marine eutrophication: the yield of chlorophyll from nitrogen in Scottish coastal waters

There is perceived to be a problem of eutrophication in European marine coastal waters and hence a need to predict the response in terms of enhanced biomass of phytoplankton resulting from the input of anthropogenic nitrogen. This response was investigated indirectly by studying the relationship between nitrate and phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations in waters of the Scottish west coast. Two-thirds of the 60 data sets analysed gave significant inverse regressions of chlorophyll on nitrate concentration. This result is explained by interpreting synoptic data as representing variation in time, with nitrate decreasing as a result of its assimilation by phytoplankton and conversion into chlorophyll-containing biomass Thus the absolute value of the slope of each significant regression estimates the yield (g) of chlorophyll from nitrate and, indeed, from any form of nitrogen assimilable by microalgae. The median value for q was 1.05 mg chl (mm01 N) ' ; the range from 0.25 to 4.4 encompassed 95 % of values. Some, but not all, of the variation in q could be explained by error in individual estimates due to chemical-analytical and sampling errors or to inhomogeneities in each sampled phytoplankton population. The remaining variation in q included a seasonal trend, which might have resulted from changes in phytoplankton species composition, nutrient limitation status, or the balance between autotrophic and heterotrophic partitioning of nitrogen. It is suggested that an appropriate value of q can be used to predict the potential maximum increase in phytoplankton which would result from a given anthropogenic nitrogen discharge. The sensitivity of such predictions to error in determination of q is discussed, and the values obtained for q compared with observations in algal culture and mesocosms.
Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis of the Critically Endangered Trigonotis radicans var. radicans and var. sericea and Allied Species in Japan

Chromosome numbers of four Trigonotis taxa, T. brevipes (2n=24), T. peduncularis (2n=54), T. radicans var. radicans (2n=28), and T. radicans var. sericea (2n=24), were investigated and reported here for the first time. Our findings suggest that the chromosome number of T. radicans var. radicans represents 2n=24+4, because four small chromosomes were distinguished among the total of 28. FISH techniques revealed 5S rDNA sites in different chromosomes with 18S rDNA sites in T. brevipes and T. peduncularis, but in the same chromosomes in the two varieties of T. radicans. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences further suggested that the chromosomal features of T. radicans are specific and perhaps derived from within the genus.
Microhabitat and Prey Odor Selection in Hypsiglena chlorophaea

Abstract We studied the effects of various shelter and prey odor combinations on selection of microhabitat characters by the Desert Nightsnake, Hypsiglena chlorophaea, a dipsadine snake. We also examined the activity patterns of these snakes over a 23-h period. Three prey odors were tested, based on field work documenting natural prey in its diet: lizard, snake, mouse (plus water as control). In the first experiment, each odor was tested separately in various shelter and odor combinations. We found that snakes preferred shelter to no shelter quadrants, and most often selected a quadrant if it also had prey odor in the form of lizard or snake scent. However, snakes avoided all quadrants containing mouse (adult) odor. In the second experiment, all three odors plus water were presented simultaneously. We found that snakes showed a preference for lizard odor over the others, but again showed an aversion to mouse odor, even compared to water. The circadian rhythms in both experiments showed generally the same pattern, namely an initial peak in activity, falling off as they entered shelters, but then again increasing even more prominently from lights off until about midnight. Thereafter, activity tapered off so that several hours before lights on in the morning, snakes had generally taken up residence in a shelter. Prey preference correlates with field studies of dietary frequency of lizards, while activity exhibits strong endogenous nocturnal movement patterns.
ISSR as a tool to support taxonomic decisions: a first approach for Chascolytrum species complexes (Poaceae)

Chascolytrum Desv. is a South American grass genus, which presents several taxonomic controversies concerning genera and species circumscriptions. Morphological studies were not able to provide robust elements for taxonomic decisions in some species complexes. It was the case of Chascolytrum subaristatum and morphological allies, and of Chascolytrum rufum plus the acceptance (or rejection) of two varieties. In order to provide additional elements for taxonomic decisions in these species complexes, it was performed a preliminary survey using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat ( ISSR) markers. Nine primers were used to build similarity dendrograms, and 25 collections were included, analysed in two separated complexes. ISSR were able to separate the two varieties of Chascolytrum rufum , supporting their acceptance. Two species recently described could be clearly separated from their morphologically related taxa, but the species B. erecta , B. macrostachya and C. subaristatum , as well as B. subaristata var. interrupta , could not be separated, adding elements to the synonymization of these three taxa under Chascolytrum subaristatum . The ISSR contributed to solving some controversies on genus Chascolytrum , but its use as an exclusive species-marker is limited in this genus due to high band polymorphism.
Population genetic structure of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata Linnaeus, in the Orkney Isles suggests long‐distance dispersal

1. The application of population genetic analysis and molecular ecological approaches allows us to examine the invasion of species in the wild. In particular, we can gain an insight into the role of dispersal, a key determinant of the invasion and population dynamics of important pest species. Since the 1980s, severe outbreaks of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (Linnaeus), have caused extensive damage to heather moorlands in the Orkney Isles. The population genetic structure of O. brumata in Orkney was examined in order to establish whether the widely dispersed outbreaking populations are connected.
Synthesis and thermal properties of biodegradable poly(ester-urethane)s based on chemo-synthetic poly[(R, S)-3-hydroxybutyrate]

A series of telechelic oligo[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-diols (PHB-diols) was synthesized from ethyl (R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate (ethyl (HB)) and four different aliphatic diols, namely, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol and 1,10-decanediol by transesterification and condensation in bulk. The structures of the synthesized oligomers were confirmed by 1 H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. The use of 1,4-butanediol results in an oligoester with hydroxyl functionality of approximately 2. In the case of the higher aliphatic diols, the number average functionalities were found to be lower than 2. These differences were ascribed to side reactions which occur during polymerization, yielding unreactive end groups. Other novel families of biodegradable poly(ester urethane)s were synthesized either from PHB-diol alone, or PHB-diol mixed with poly(e-caprolactone)-diol (PCL-diol), poly(butylene adipate)-diol (PBA-diol) or poly(diethylene glycol adipate)-diol (PDEGA-diol). In each case, 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate was used as a nontoxic connecting agent. The homopolymers prepared from PCL-diol, PBA-diol and PDEGA-diol were also synthesized for the sake of comparison. All the prepared copolymers possess high molecular weight with glass transition temperature (T g ) values varying from -54 to 23°C. Some of the prepared copoly(ester-urethane)s are partially crystalline with melting temperatures (T m 's) varying from 37 to 56°C.
Recess channel structure for reducing source/drain series resistance in ultra-thin SOI MOSFETs

A new Recess-Channel technology has been developed which significantly reduces the source/drain series resistance. This technology is potentially very useful for ultra-thin-film fully depleted SOI MOSFET fabrication with arbitrary silicon film thickness. Silicide technology may also be used in conjunction with the Recess-Channel technique to further reduce the source/drain series resistance and increase the current drive. <<ETX>>
Photoperiodic Pereception in Biloxi Soy Beans

1. When whole plants of Biloxi soy beans are subjected to 8 hour photoperiods, initiation occurs if the intensity of light during the photoperiod is above 100 foot candles. Below 100 foot candles no flower primordia are initiated. 2. When plants are given an 8 hour photoperiod of natural light supplemented by 8 hours of Mazda light, initiation occurs if the intensity of the supplemental light is below 0.5 foot candle, but does not occur if the intensity is above 0.5 foot candle. 3. The stimulus that causes initiation of flower primordia at the growing points arises in the leaves and moves to the growing plants. 4. Flower primordia may be initiated at growing points that are kept, either in complete darkness or on photoperiods above the critical, provided the leaves are kept on short photoperiods. 5. Photoperiods shorter than the critical, applied directly to growing points, have no effect on flower bud initiation. Control of initiation is exercised only through application of photoperiods of proper length to the leaves. 6. Whether the responses secured in these experiments are due to a flower forming hormone or to other causes remains to be determined.
Detecting QTLs for plant architecture traits in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

To improve the efficiency of breeding cucumber in China, we previously mapped QTL for most fruit- and flower-related traits of this species. Here, we mapped QTLs for six plant architecture traits including lateral branch number (LBN), lateral branch total length (LBTL), main-stem length (MSL), internode length (INL), main-stem diameter (MSD), and petiole length (PL) were detected in greenhouse environments. In total, 14 QTLs were identified for the six traits (LBN, 3; LBTL, 2; MSL, 3; INL, 2; MSD, 2; and PL, 2) with additive heritability of individual QTL ranging from 1.6% to 29.5%. Five QTLs for four traits (LBN, LBTL, MSL, and INL) were observed to have significant ( P ≤ 0.05) QTL × environment interaction effects. The broad-sense heritability for the six traits ranged from 8.5% to 47.0%. The QTL information presented in this research, together with the data in our previous study on the fruit- and flower-related traits, will facilitate the breeding of elite cucumber cultivars by marker-assisted selection in China.
Use of Breeding and Nonbreeding Encounters to Estimate Survival and Breeding-Site Fidelity of the Piping Plover at the Great Lakes

Abstract. In the Great Lakes region, numbers of the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) are gradually increasing, but the population of <100 pairs is still at risk of extinction and remains sensitive to fluctuations in adult survival. Given the central role of adult survival in population recovery, an accurate estimate of this quantity is essential. Using a Barker model and 11 years of mark-resighting data of breeding and nonbreeding Piping Plovers (1998–2008), we estimated true adult survival (S), probability of detection of breeding birds (p), probability of detection nonbreeding birds (R), and site fidelity (F). Adults' survival rate averaged 0.76 but with considerable annual process variation (&sgr; = 0.05) and strong evidence of decline over this period. The probability of detection of breeding birds was near perfect (p = 1.00, 95% CI 0.97–1.00), but probabilities of detection of nonbreeders were substantially lower, although they increased from approximately 0.25 to 0.50 through the study period because of increased effort in observation and reporting. The birds' fidelity to the area of the Great Lakes in which they were monitored was high ( = 0.91, 95% CI 0.66–0.98), with evidence of an increase through time that we attribute to increased intensity of monitoring. Evidence for a decline in true adult survival over nearly a decade suggests a pressing need for research on the timing and causes of adult mortality in this population.
Characterization of novel sugarcane expressed sequence tag microsatellites and their comparison with genomic SSRs

Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are one of the most suitable markers for genome analysis as they have great potential to aid breeders to develop new improved sugarcane varieties. The development of SSR derived from expressed sequence tags (EST) opens new opportunities for genetic investigations at a functional level. In the present work, the polymorphism obtained with a subset of 51 EST-SSRs derived from SUCEST was compared with those generated by 50 genomic SSRs (gSSR) in terms of number of alleles, polymorphism information content, discrimination power and their ability to establish genetic relationships among 18 sugarcane clones including three Saccharum species (S. officinarum, S. barberi, S. sinense). The majority of EST-SSRs loci had four to six alleles in contrast to the seven to nine observed for the gSSRs loci. Approximately, 35% of the gSSRs had PIC values around 0.90 in contrast to 15% of the EST-SSRs. However, the mean discrimination power of the two types of SSR did not differ significantly as much as the average genetic similarity (GS) based on Dice coefficient. The correlation between GS of the two types of SSRs was high (r = 0.71/P = 0.99) and significant. Although differences were observed between dendrograms obtained with each SSR type, both were in good agreement with pedigree information. The S. officinarum clone IJ76-314 was grouped apart from the other clones evaluated. The results here demonstrate that EST-SSRs can be successfully used for genetic relationship analysis, extending the knowledge of genetic diversity of sugarcane to a functional level.
Agronomic responses of corn to stand reduction at vegetative growth stages

The current standard for assessing corn (Zea mays L.) yield loss due to stand reduction from hail assumes that remaining plants lose the ability to compensate for lost plants by mid-vegetative growth. From 2006 to 2009, experiments were conducted over 12 site-years in Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio to determine the agronomic responses of corn to stand reduction at the 5, 8, 11, and 15 leaf collar stages (V5, V8, V11, and V15, respectively), and whether these responses vary between uniform and random patterns of stand reduction with differences in within-row interplant spacing. When compared to a control of 88,900 plants ha -1 , grain yield decreased linearly as stand reduction increased from 16.7 to 50%, but was not affected by the pattern of stand reduction. This rate of yield loss was greatest when stand reduction occurred at V11 or V15, and least when it occurred at V5. With 50% stand loss, yield was 83 and 69% of the control when stand loss occurred at V5 and V15, respectively. With 16.7% stand loss at V5, V8, or V11, yield averaged 96% of the control. Per-plant grain yield increased when stand loss occurred at earlier stages and was more severe. With 50% stand loss at V11 or V15, per-plant grain yield increased by 37 to 46% compared to the control. These results show that corn retains the ability to compensate for lost plants through the late vegetative stages, indicating that current standards for assessing the effect of stand loss in corn should be re-evaluated.
THE BIOLOGY OF CANADIAN WEEDS.: 14. Gypsophila paniculata L.

This contribution on Gypsophila paniculata L. , baby’s breath (Caryophyllaceae), is part of a series that presents biological information on plants that are weedy in Canada. G. paniculata, an ornamental which has escaped from gardens, is a weed problem in sandy, submarginal farmlands, roadside drainage ditches and various ruderal habitats. It occurs across Canada and has been found at 60° N latitude. Largest infestations of the species occur in the southern portions of the three most western provinces.
Intraspecific and interspecific competition of Wyeomyia smithii (Coq.) (Culicidae) in pitcher plant communities

-We investigated the inquiline communities found in the leaves of the purple pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea L. No general patterns were found among the abundances of common species or in correlations between biotic and abiotic variables (pitcher volume, sediment volume, pH). Further, no support was found for successional patterns within the pitchers when leaf number was used as an estimate of pitcher age. Experiments were conducted to quantify the effects of two size classes of the mosquito Wyeomyia smithii (Coq.) (Culicidae) and cladocerans (family Daphnidae, subfamily Eurycerinae, species undetermined) on the growth and survival of the small-mosquito size class. In simulated pitchers maintained in growth chambers for 14 days, small mosquitoes and large mosquitoes suppressed small-mosquito growth, and large mosquitoes decreased small-mosquito survivorship. Cladocerans had no effect on small-mosquito growth or survival. In simultaneous experiments conducted in natural pitchers in the field, large mosquitoes suppressed smallmosquito abundance and growth; no other significant interactions were found.
DIVING BEHAVIOR OF JUVENILE NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS

We describe and review the development of the diving and foraging pattern of northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, during migrations over the first 2 years of life. The diving pattern and migratory tracks of 23 juveniles, 9–27 months of age, from Ano Nuevo and Piedras Blancas, California, were recorded with attached time–depth recorders and Argos satellite tags. The seals exhibited a general diving pattern like that of adults, diving deep (373 ± 77 m per dive (mean ± SD)), long (15.2 ± 2.6 min per dive), and continuously (88.7 ± 2.7% of the time submerged while at sea). Level of performance increased with age and experience up to 2 years of age, the end of the fourth migration, when modal diving performance was equal to that of adults. Juveniles migrated north to the waters west of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, moving more slowly and not as far as adults. By the third trip to sea, males began to exhibit more flat-bottomed dives than females, a sex difference observed in adults, sug.
Chemistry of Corphinoids a

Corphins are hexahydroporphinoid ligands that combine structural elements of both the porphins and the corrins. They contain the carbon-nitrogen skeleton of porphins and a chromophore system similar to that occurring in corrins. Pyrrocorphins are corphin tautomers in which one of the four five-membered rings is in pyrrolic form (FIG. 1). The first corphin was a synthetic compound made in 1968’. ’ for the sake of studying its chemical properties in context with the hypothesis that intermediates with a corphin structure might play a role in vitamin BIZ biosynthesis. This “corphin hypothesis”b (FIG. 2) posited a conversion of uroporphyrinogen 111 into a corphin derivative by consecutive peripheral C-methylations by S-adeno~ylmethionine,~~’~ followed by an unknown but mechanistically justifiable reductive ring contraction through which the C-20 meso carbon of the corphin becomes the angular methyl group” of the corrin. At that time, essentially nothing about vitamin BIZ biosynthesis was known beyond Shemin’s*-” classical work which had shown that the corrin nucleus of vitamin B,, stems from aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen and that the peripheral methyl groups derived from S-adenosylmethionine. In our laboratory, the envisaged reductive corphin corrin ring contraction was intensively sought in experiments involving the synthetic corphin complexes and metal-free corphins shown in FIG. 3. ” However, the search was uniformly unsuccessful in that reduction experiments, e.g., with zinc and acetic acid under various conditions, simply led to partial reduction of the corphin chromophore. This was, a t the time, considered to be of lesser interest (which is no longer the case today, as we have learned13*“ that those very same reaction conditions can convert the chromophore of a nickel(I1) corphin complex into the type of chromophore system that occurs in the recently d i s c o ~ e r e d ~ ~ ’ ~ coenzyme F430). Finally, the “corphin hypothesis” in its original form was shattered by the discovery of Shemin and made by means of ‘’C NMR spectroscopy in 1972, that in the biosynthesis of vitamin BIZ, the C-20 meso carbon of uroporphyrinogen does not become the carbon of the corrin’s angular methyl group, but rather is expelled a t an unknown later stage of the biosynthetic sequence (FIG. 4). As a consequence of this discovery, the corphin structure disappeared from the scene of interest for a number of years, only to suddenly rise again almost a decade later. Today, we witness what we refer to in our laboratory as the “corphin renaissance” for reasons which become evident from the summary of recent developments given in FIGURE 5. The impetus for the renaissance came from various sources. First, it has come from new insights gained from a systematic synthetic analysis of the mechanistic manifold