Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conservation and restoration of marine forests in the Mediterranean Sea and the potential role of Marine Protected Areas

Cystoseira species are some of the most important marine ecosystem-engineers, forming extended canopies comparable to land forests. Such forests are sensitive to human disturbances, like the decrease in water quality, the coastal development and the outbreak of herbivores. Conspicuous historical declines have been reported in many regions and several Cystoseira species are presently protected by European Union (EU) environmental policies. The aim of this work was to synthesize the conservation perspectives of Cystoseira forests in the Mediterranean Sea, focusing on the opportunities offered by artificial restoration and highlighting the potential role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs give a better protection to healthy forests than non-managed sites and may be a source of propagules for natural recovery and/or for non-destructive artificial restoration of nearby damaged forests. MPAs lacking Cystoseira forests may also represent preferential sites for reforestation. We proposed a flow-chart for the conservation and a reasoned restoration of Cystoseira in the Mediterranean Sea. The successful conservation of Cystoseira forests is still possible, via raising public awareness on the role of Cystoseira and reducing human impacts on coastal ecosystems. Such actions have to be coupled with more specific large-scale management plans, encompassing restoration actions and enforcement of protection within MPAs.
Arabidopsis thaliana as a new model host for plant‐parasitic nematodes

Summary We have established culture conditions for successful infection and development of several economically important cyst-forming and root-knot nematodes on Arabidopsis thaliana under monoxenic conditions. Complete life cycles were obtained with the sedentary cyst nematodes Heterodera schachtii, H. trifolii, H. cajani and the root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and M. arenariaas well as with the migratory nematode Pratylenchus penetrans. In contrast, H. goettingiana and Globodera rostochiensis were unable to develop on Arabidopsis roots. Tissue-culture quality agar and medium conditions optimized for hydroponic root culture were essential for successful infections. Detailed in-vivo observations were made inside Arabidopsis roots during the early infection stages of M. incognita and during complete development of H. schachtii. Seventy-four different ecotypes of Arabidopsis were screened for their susceptibility towards H. schachtii resulting in a range of infection rates. None of the ecotypes tested showed complete resistance in vitro. The use of Arabidopsis as a host for plant-parasitic nematodes will provide a new model system for the molecular genetic analysis of this interaction.
Ambulatory dispersal and life history response to food deprivation in twospotted spider mites

A major life history characteristic of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is the ability to disperse between different hosts. This may be done by aerial or ambulatory means. Although there have been a number of studies dealing with mite dispersal, most have been qualitative in nature and examine only the overall process. In this study we measure the ambulatory dispersal capabilities of twospotted spider mite adult females and males, as well as that of deutonymphs, protonymphs and larvae at distances up to 480 cm. Additionally, for adult females only vertical (upwards and downwards) distances of up to 240 cm were measured. We also measured the influence of food deprivation on spider mite longevity and fecundity by depriving mites of food for one, two or three days immediately after ecdysis at 24 or 30 °C, or food deprivation for one, two or three days (at 24 °C) after feeding as adults for five days. Dispersal efficiency, defined as the percentage of individuals successfully crossing the test distance, generally increased with time and decreased with distance. As expected, dispersal efficiency was shown to be related to stage, with adults the most efficient and larvae the least. Food deprivation studies revealed that at 24 °C mites were capable of withstanding two days without food before longevity and fecundity began to decrease.
Validation of two major quantitative trait loci for fusarium head blight resistance in Chinese wheat line W14

Identity of quantitative trait loci (QTL) governing resistance to fusarium head blight (FHB) initial infection (type I), spread (type II), kernel infection, and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation was characterized in Chinese wheat line W14. Ninety-six double-haploid lines derived from a cross of W14 [multiplication] 'Pion2684' were evaluated for FHB resistance in two greenhouse and one field experiment. Two known major QTL were validated on chromosomes 3BS and 5AS in W14 using the composite interval mapping method. The 3BS QTL had a larger effect on resistance than the 5AS QTL in the greenhouse experiments, whereas, the 5AS QTL had a larger effect in the field experiment. These two QTL together explained 33%, 35%, and 31% of the total phenotypic variation for disease spread, kernel infection, and DON concentration in the greenhouse experiments, respectively. In the field experiment, the two QTL explained 34% and 26% of the total phenotypic variation for FHB incidence and severity, respectively. W14 has both QTL, which confer reduced initial infection, disease spread, kernel infection, and DON accumulation. Therefore, marker-assisted selection (MAS) for both QTL should be implemented in incorporating W14 resistance into adapted backgrounds. Flanking markers Xbarc133 and Xgwm493 on 3BS and Xbarc117 and Xbarc56 on 5AS are suggested for MAS.
NEW LIGHT ON THE SCALING OF METABOLIC RATE WITH THE SIZE OF ALGAE

The scaling of metabolic rate with the size of algae has been discussed and researched at length. The observation that algae usually have exponents b in the equation R = a·W−b (where R is the specific growth rate, W is the organism [cell] biomass, and a and b are constants) equal to or higher than the value of −0.25 for many other organisms is generally related to resource‐saturated (maximal) values of R. Recent work has shown that the exponent b for light‐limited growth is more negative than −0.25. This was predicted from considerations of the package effect in photon absorption, as modulated by the volume‐specific pigment content of the cells, and the photosynthetic unit size. Further work is needed to extrapolate these findings to fluctuating light environments. This minireview puts the recent work into a broader context and suggests how further work could quantify the roles of optical thickness and of spatial and temporal variations in the radiation field in determining metabolic rates.
Water Relations, Growth, and Dry Matter Accumulation of Sorghum Under Post‐Rainy Season Conditions1

Field studies were conducted on deep vertisols to assess the effects of water stress on the growth and DM accumulation of sorghum. Leaf water potential and stomatal conductance were measured diurnally on 4 dates during the growing season. Irrigated sorghum exhibited higher stomatal conductance, higher leaf water potentials, higher LAI and greater DM accumulation than non-irrigated sorghum. Higher transpiration rates in irrigated sorghum were explained by increased net radiation measured over the irrigated canopy. Lower leaves in the sorghum canopy showed lower stomatal conductance. Non-irrigated sorghum had fewer tertiary branches/secondary branch, fewer seeds/panicle and smaller seeds. Non-irrigated sorghum used 213 mm water to produce 0.51 kg DM/m2; irrigated sorghum extracted 321 mm water to produce 0.93 kg DM/m2
The Cultivation of Palmaria palmata. Effect of Light Intensity and Temperature on Growth and Chemical Composition

Palmaria palmata was grown in flowing seawater in tanks in a greenhouse under various levels of irradiance and temperature. Plants grew equally well at temperatures between 6 and 14 °C, but poorly at 18 °C. A surface irradiance level of 53 ly day" was saturating for growth (plant density = 1 kg (wet wt) m"). Plants growing slowly under low irradiance accumulated nitrogen and mineral elements (ash), whereas plants growing rapidly under high irradiance had high dry matter and carbohydrate contents. There was an inverse relationship between total nitrogen content and growth rate. Total nitrogen and carbohydrate concentrations were also inversely related. Contamination by epiphytes was reduced by low irradiance and by low (6 °C) temperature.
Análisis genético y molecular de la inmunidad a la bacteriosis vascular en yuca (Manihot esculenta Crantz) mediante estrategias de mapeo genético y transcriptómica por RNA-seq

La yuca es uno de los cultivos mas importantes a nivel mundial. Una de las enfermedades que mas compromete su produccion es la bacteriosis vascular (CBB por sus siglas en Ingles) causado por Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam). La mejor manera de controlar esta enfermedad es la siembra de variedades resistentes, obtenidas a traves de mejoramiento genetico tradicional o por transformacion genetica. No obstante, en la actualidad no hay reportes de la clonacion de genes relacionados con inmunidad para CBB. Uno de los pasos importantes hacia el aislamiento de genes es la construccion de mapas geneticos altamente densos que permitan la clonacion posicional. Aqui se presenta el desarrollo de uno de los mapas geneticos de yuca mas densos. Este mapa se obtuvo a traves de la aplicacion del enfoque de genotipificacion por secuenciacion (GBS por sus sigas en Ingles), el cual permitio la obtencion de miles de marcadores moleculares de polimorfismo de un solo nucleotido (SNP por sus siglas en Ingles). Estos SNPs fueron obtenidos y evaluados en la progenie de una poblacion F1 segregante resultado del cruce entre TMS30572 y CM2177-32. En total se identificaron 78,854 SNPs que cubren el 87% (463.2 Mb) del genoma de yuca. El set completo de SNPs se evaluo para parametros de mapeo y aquellos SNPs de alta calidad se seleccionaron para construir el mapa de ligamiento. El mapa cubre 2,571 cM distribuidos en 18 grupos de ligamiento con una distancia promedio entre marcadores de 1.26 cM. Este mapa fue usado para la deteccion de loci de un caracter cuantitativo (QTL por sus siglas en Ingles) para la resistencia a CBB. La poblacion de mapeo fue evaluada para la resistencia a dos cepas de Xam (Xam318 y Xam681) en dos localidades en Colombia: La Vega (Cundinamarca) y Arauca (Arauca). La evaluacion se realizo durante las epocas de lluvia y sequia. Una tercera evaluacion fue realizada bajo condiciones de invernadero. Adicionalmente, la poblacion fue evaluada bajo condiciones naturales de infeccion en Puerto Lopez (Meta) durante una epoca de lluvia. A traves de mapeo de QTL se identificaron 18 QTL que explican entre el 10.9 y el 22.1% de la varianza fenotipica. De estos QTL nueve mostraron estabilidad entre las epocas de evaluacion. Se detectaron interacciones QTL x ambiente significativas para diez de los QTL. Dentro de los intervalos de los QTL se describio un repertorio de 151 genes candidatos relacionados con defensa a CBB (CDRGs por sus siglas en Ingles), de los cuales trece corresponden a genes que codifican proteinas que contienen dominios representativos de proteinas de inmunidad. Cuatro CDRGs mostraron expresion diferencial durante la infeccion por Xam681 en el parental resistente TMS30572. El repertorio de CDRGs que co-localizan con QTL representa una fuente de regiones genomicas nuevas involucradas en la resistencia a CBB, que puede ser explorado y validado para su uso futuro dentro de programas de mejoramiento de yuca.
Yet-to-be Cultured Microorganisms Relevant to Methane Fermentation Processes

Anaerobic wastewater treatment sludge represents part of the natural microbial population found in various anaerobic ecosystems. The sludge drives the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater, generally converting complex organic compounds into carbon dioxide and methane. This anaerobic conversion (methanogenesis) relies greatly on close interaction among a variety of different trophic groups of anaerobes within the sludge. Recent culture-independent molecular inventories of the microbial community of anaerobic (methanogenic) sludges revealed a vast diversity of microbes, the majority of which have not yet been cultivated and hence whose ecophysiological functions remain largely unknown. Two ongoing challenges in this field are to explain the in situ functions of these uncultured organisms and to establish how they interact with other organisms to make the methanogenic degradation of complex organic matter possible. In this review, recent progress in the study of the composition of microbial communities and the functions of individual populations in anaerobic sludge is summarized, with a special emphasis placed on the ecology and function of yet-to-be cultured microbes. In addition, it is also emphasized that the granular sludge in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors is an ideal model ecosystem with which to explore the functions of uncultured lineages of anaerobes and to elucidate the interaction of such organisms with other trophic groups of microbes in situ.
Age-Related Changes in Adenylate Cyclase Activity in Mouse Oocytes

Adenylate cyclase (AC) activity in mouse oocytes immediately after ovulation was electron histochemically detected by the method of Wagner et al., and compared among the 3 age groups of 30-day-old, 60- to 90-day-old and 180- to 210-day-old animals. AC activity was detected as lead granules, high in electron density on the cytoplasmic membrane. The activity was found in all the oocytes, but the intensity was highest in 30-day-old mice and lowest in 180- to 210-day-old ones with statistically significant differences.
Development of an Evidence-Based Best Practice Model for Teams Managing Crisis in Dementia: Protocol for a Qualitative Study

Background Teams working in the community to manage crisis in dementia currently exist, but with widely varying models of practice, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of such teams. Objective The aim of this study is to develop a “best practice model” for dementia services managing crisis, as well as a set of resources to help teams implement this model to measure and improve practice delivery. These will be the best practice tool and toolkit to be utilized by teams to improve the effectiveness of crisis teams working with older people with dementia and their caregivers. This paper describes the protocol for a prospective study using qualitative methods to establish an understanding of the current practice to develop a “best practice model. ” Methods Participants (people with dementia, caregivers, staff members, and stakeholders) from a variety of geographical areas, with a broad experience of crisis and noncrisis work, will be purposively selected to participate in qualitative approaches including interviews, focus groups, a consensus workshop, and development and field testing of both the best practice tool and toolkit. Results Data were collected between October 2016 and August 2018. Thematic analysis will be utilized to establish the current working of teams managing crisis in dementia in order to draw together elements of the best practice. Conclusions This is the first study to systematically explore the requirements needed to fulfill effective and appropriate home management for people with dementia and their caregivers at the time of mental health crisis, as delivered by teams managing crisis in dementia. This systematic approach to development will support greater acceptability and validity of the best practice tool and toolkit and lay the foundation for a large scale trial with teams managing crisis in dementia across England to investigate the effects on practice and impact on service provision, as well as the associated experiences of people with dementia and their caregivers. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/14781
Evaluation of Moringa oleifera Aqueous Extract for Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Activities in Animal Models

Moringa oleifera L. (Moringaceae) is known to possess high nutritional value and is used in a folklore medicine to treat various ailments related to pain and inflammation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the aqueous extract of the leaves of M. oleifera in laboratory animals, using the writhing, hot-plate and formalin tests as the antinociceptive assays, and carrageenan-induced paw edema test as the anti-inflammatory assay. The extract (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg) exhibited significant (P < 0.05) antinociceptive activity, which occurred in a dose-dependent manner, in all tests used. The extract also exhibited significant (P < 0.05) anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the extract antinociceptive activity was suggested to be modulated via opioid receptors at the central, but not peripheral, antinociceptive level, based on the ability of 5 mg/kg naloxone to reverse the extract activity in the hot-plate, but not the writhing test. In conclusion, M. oleifera leaves possess peripherally non-opioid mediated and centrally opioid mediated antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. This study also confirms the traditional uses of M. oleifera in the treatment of ailments, particularly those related to pain and inflammation.
Artrópodos associados à copa de Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae), na região do Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brasil

Six individuals of the palm A. phalerata, in Pocone floodplains of Mato Grosso, were sprayed with a synthetic pyrethroid (0.25% concentration) in order to study the biomass, diversity, and richness of the canopy arthropods. A total of 17,188 (238.7±80.6 ind./m²) arthropods belonging to 22 Orders, was collected in a 72 m² funnel area. Two hours after spraying, 58.9% of the total number fell into the funnels, 37.6% was obtained by shaking the trees, and finally, 3.5% after cutting and washing all the palm leaves. The Coleoptera (27.4%), Hymenoptera-Formicidae (19.0%), Collembola (13.6%), Psocoptera (10.7%), Diptera (9.0%) and Araneae (6.4%) were the predominant. The total biomass was 15.1 g dry weight (0.4mg/m²; 0.13+0.04/tree). A total of 4,715 beetles representing 48 families and 326 morphospecies were obtained. Tenebrionidae (22.9%), Curculionidae (22.0%), Carabidae (10.9%) and Staphylinidae (7.9%) were the most abundant, while Curculionidae (44 spp.), Staphylinidae (40 spp.) and Chrysomelidae (34 spp.) presented the largest number of morphospecies. Herbivores (37.5%) were the dominant in the trophic guilds of adult Coleoptera, followed by predators (35.4%), fungivores (14.6%), and saprophages (12.5%). Although most arthropod Orders were represented in all the palms sampled, analysis of variance showed no significant differences in their composition, however there was a significant difference in their frequency of occurrence.
Diurnal and nocturnal movements of river blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) in a south‐eastern Australian upland stream

– We used radio-telemetry to investigate the movement patterns of river blackfish [Gadopsis marmoratus (Richardson)] in Armstrong Creek, south-eastern Australia between August and October 2005. Movements of 11 fish were monitored 2–3 times per week during daylight over 48 days and diel movements of six fish monitored hourly for three consecutive days and nights. Most river blackfish displayed little or no movement during the day and were confined to distinct positions in the stream. However, fish moved over significantly larger ranges and moved amongst mesohabitats at night, which would not have been detected using daylight tracking data only. River blackfish most often were located within pools, but they also commonly used riffle and run habitats. We also found that several fish used inundated riparian areas during a flood and two fish made rapid, large movements coinciding with the elevated flows. This study has revealed previously undocumented aspects of the movements and behaviour of river blackfish. The study has also shown the potential for different conclusions regarding the extent of movement by a species depending on the temporal scale and the timing of observations.
Sensorimotor Behavior in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Unaffected Biological Parents

Background: Sensorimotor impairments are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and evident in unaffected first-degree relatives, suggesting that they may serve as important endophenotypes associated with inherited risk. We tested the familiality of sensorimotor impairments in ASD across multiple motor behaviors and effector systems and in relation to parental broader autism phenotypic (BAP) characteristics. Methods: Fifty-eight autistic individuals (probands), 109 parents, and 89 control participants completed tests of manual motor and oculomotor control. Sensorimotor tests varied in their involvement of rapid, feedforward control and sustained, sensory feedback control processes. Subgroup analyses compared families with at least one parent showing BAP traits (BAP+) and those in which neither parent showed BAP traits (BAP-). Results: Probands with BAP- parents (BAP- probands) showed rapid manual motor and oculomotor deficits, while BAP+ probands showed sustained motor impairments compared to controls. BAP- parents showed impaired rapid oculomotor and sustained manual motor abilities relative to BAP+ parents and controls. Atypical rapid oculomotor impairments also were familial. Limitations: Larger samples of ASD families including greater samples of probands with BAP+ parents are needed. Genetic studies also are needed to link sensorimotor endophenotype findings directly to genes. Conclusions: Results indicate rapid sensorimotor behaviors are selectively impacted in BAP- probands and their parents and may reflect familial liabilities for ASD that are independent of familial autistic traits. Sustained sensorimotor behaviors were affected in BAP+ probands and BAP- parents re ecting familial traits that may only confer risk when combined with parental autistic trait liabilities. These findings provide new evidence that rapid and sustained sensorimotor alterations represent strong but separate familial pathways of ASD risk that demonstrate unique interactions with mechanisms related to parental autistic traits.
β-Cell Destruction May Be a Late Consequence of the Autoimmune Process in Nonobese Diabetic Mice

The NOD mouse is an animal model of IDDM that shows many of the characteristics of human IDDM. It has been proposed that β-cell destruction in IDDM progresses over time in a linear manner. Recently, we and others have demonstrated that T helper type 1 (Thl) cells have pathogenic roles in the NOD model and proposed that cytokine balances change as the disease progresses. However, it has not been demonstrated how or when the cytokine balances change or how the β-cell destruction progresses. We have recently demonstrated that the cytokine profiles of CD45RBlow CD4+ cells correlate either with their pathogenic or with their protective roles in the NOD mouse. To further analyze this apparent correlation between the shift in cytokine level and IDDM, we examined the anti-CD3-induced cytokine profiles of this subset from NOD mice of various ages compared with that from age-matched I-Ak transgenic NOD and BALB/c mice as controls. A significantly higher ratio of anti-CD3–induced interferon-γ/interleukin-4 was found in diabetic NOD mice (P < 0.0001) but not in age-matched nondiabetic NOD mice. This cytokine ratio did not change significantly until the onset of diabetes in NOD mice. Based upon these results, we propose that IDDM in the NOD mouse progresses as a predominant inflammatory β-cell dysfunction without actual β-cell destruction until late in the disease process. This supports the possibility that late-stage immunotherapy may preserve islet β-cell mass.