Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Herd, Year, Age, and Stage of Lactation on Jersey Type Classifications

Abstract Jersey type classifications in the United States from 1968 to 1976 were examined to determine which environmental sources of variation affected final score and 14 component traits. Year explained 1 to 4% of the variation in type traits. Herd-year effects explained 21% of the variation in final score and 14 to 18% in the component traits. The recommendation is that sire evaluation be within herd-year. Age effects were significant for all traits. The greatest effect was on body capacity and dairy character, changing multiple correlation squared by 10.1 and 7.6%, and the least effect was on mammary and feet and legs. Effects of stage of lactation were small for all traits except body capacity and dairy character. Interaction of age by stage of lactation changed multiple correlation squared by only . 1 to . 3% in all traits. Separate ratio factors for adjustment were developed for age and stage of lactation. Repeatabilities estimated by the regression of later on earlier classification scores for these same traits within herd-year were highest for final score, stature, and general appearance (.67, .60, and .51) and lowest for feet, legs, and dairy character (.27, .29, and .30).
Failure Time and Fate of Harlequin Ducks Implanted with Satellite Transmitters

Abstract The recent use of abdominally-implanted satellite transmitters to track movements of waterfowl is rapidly filling gaps in our understanding of their population structure and affinities. However, premature loss of transmitter signals is of serious concern. Such loss occurred in 21 out of 25 satellite transmitters implanted in Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in 1996-1998. The tracking of eight birds captured while migrating along the shores of Forillon National Park, Gaspé Peninsula, Québec, and the resightings of some of these birds after transmitter failure is detailed. The birds were followed for three to 373 d (mean = 127 d, SD = 82 d) until transmitter signal was lost, but four birds were resighted 493 to 1,474 d after the surgical procedures. These results indicate that premature failure of the transmitter is a common cause of signal loss, even when the battery voltage is adequate at the time of loss. Harlequin Ducks drakes implanted with satellite radios are able to live long after the transmitter has failed.
Zinc‐dependent changes in ESR signals, NADPH oxidase and plasma membrane permeability in cotton roots

The effect of Zn2+ on the plasma membrane permeability and superoxide radical (O2-) formation in roots was studied with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Delta-pine 15/21) plants grown in nutrient solution with different Zn2+ supply. Compared to Zn-sufficient plants, the plasma membrane permeability of Zn-deficient plants was increased as indicated by a 3-, 5- and 2.5-fold increase in root cell leakage of K+, NO3- and organic carbon compounds, respectively. Resupply of Zn2+ to Zn-deficient plants for 12 h substantially decreased this leakage. The effects of Zn2+ on membrane permeability were closely correlated with the levels of O2- measured by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in the microsomal membrane fraction and in the cytosol fraction of root cells. The amplitudes of the O2- -derived Tiron ESR signal also coincided with a O2- -generating oxidase activity which was strongly dependent on the presence of NADPH and FAD. The results suggest that Zn2+ directly affects the integrity of the plasma membrane, at least in part, by interfering with O2- generation by a membrane-bound NADPH oxidase.
COMMUNITY GENETICS AND SPECIES INTERACTIONS

Whitham et al. (2003) and Neuhauser et al. (2003) advocate the "marriage of ecology and genetics" into a new field of community genetics, but do so in different ways. Whitham et al. (2003) emphasize the community-shaping effect of genetic variation in keystone species, connected ecologically to other community members, whereas Neuhauser et al. (2003) emphasize strong selection in nonequilibrium, genetically subdivided communities. Both papers present compelling evidence from different systems to illustrate that genetic variation has detectable effects on species interactions and the composition of ecological communities. The genetically variable keystone species range from aspens to microbial pathogens and the community consequences can occur at trophic levels other than that of the focal species. With "community epistasis" (Whitham et al. 2003), a QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) of a keystone species may affect the phenotypes of other species in the community with which the keystone interacts. Indeed, these kinds of community-level effects, if as common as Whitham et al. (2003) argue, will require the study of QTLs in a much broader natural context than is typically considered in molecular evolutionary genetic studies, whose "gene for" results are often viewed as independent of context. Whitham et al. (2003) extend the minimum viable population size (MVP) in conservation genetics to the community level as "the minimum viable interacting population" (MVIP). This requires preserving keystone genetic diversity (even specific genotypes). They also advocate determining whether global ecological changes might be amplified by genetic interactions between species. Like Neuhauser et al. (2003), they are concerned with genetic subdivision and apply concepts from multilevel selection theory like "community heritability" and "community epistasis. " Do the examples presented constitute the foundation of a new field of "community genetics," or do they emphasize the need to reintroduce genetics into community ecology?
Leaf Discs as a Source Material for Plant Tissue Culture Studies of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.

Sorghum bicolor is one of the most difficult plant species to manipulate for tissue culture and genetic transformation; on the other hand Sorghum crop improvement through biotechnology requires efficient plant tissue culture protocols. In the present study a protocol has been optimized for Sorghum callus induction and regeneration from leaf tissue by optimizing the suitable explant, photoperiod and media composition. In Sorghum generally inflorescence tissue was used as explants for initiating callus cultures. Conversely, Sorghum flowering occurs only once in its life time and for few days only, thereby providing a small window of opportunity to provide source material or explant to initiate callus. Hence it is essential to identify a suitable explant, which can be available at any season. In the present study efficient callus induction was achieved on media supplemented in combination with 2 mgl -1 2,4,5-T plus 1 mgl -1 NAA and 0.5 mgl -1 ZN. Among the different combinations and concentrations of plant growth regulators tried for regeneration, 2.5 mgl -1 TDZ plus 1.0 mgl -1 BAP and 0.5 mgl -1 IAA showed better shoot regeneration frequency with 62.2±4.6 shoots per explant after 4 weeks of culture. Similarly, root induction was obtained from shoots with 1.0 mgl -1 NAA followed by their transfer to half strength MS medium which produced an average of two roots per shoot. Among the six genotypes tested, genotype ‘IS3566’ displayed superior results. Because of the reproducibility and the easy of accessibility of leaf tissue, the plant regeneration from leaf tissue provides a foundation for genetic transformation of Sorghum; this is of significant importance for improving important traits such as biomass, protein and sucrose content.
Dynamic interactions of ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes in water-limited systems

Water is the essential reactant, catalyst, or medium for many biogeochemical reactions, thus playing an important role in the activation and deactivation of biogeochemical processes. The coupling between hydrological and biogeochemical processes is particularly evident in water-limited arid and semi-arid environments, but also in areas with strong seasonal precipitation patterns (e.g., Mediterranean) or in mesic systems during droughts. Moreover, this coupling is apparent at all levels in the ecosystems—from soil microbial cells to whole plants to landscapes. Identifying and quantifying the biogeochemical “hot spots” and “hot moments”, the underlying hydrological drivers, and how disturbance-induced vegetation transitions affect the hydrological-biogeochemical interactions are challenging because of the inherent complexity of these interactions, thus requiring interdisciplinary approaches. At the same time, a holistic approach is essential to fully understand function and processes in water-limited ecosys.
Diet of the Nonnative Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) in Maui, Hawaii

Abstract The Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) is one of the most widespread frog species in the world. Because of its high population densities, widespread distribution, and consumption of native invertebrates in some invaded sites, understanding its impacts in Hawaii is important. We analyzed stomach contents of 397 frogs from 10 study sites in Maui. Results suggest Greenhouse Frogs are active, ant-specialist predators in the leaf litter. Ants (Formicidae) were the dominant prey found in stomachs in both number and volume. Furthermore, only ants were consumed in a higher proportion than they were sampled in the environment. Because ants dominated their diets, and because all ants are nonnative to Hawaii, this means Greenhouse Frogs consumed primarily nonnative invertebrates (>80%) in the areas sampled. Although results suggest that most native taxa are not at risk from Greenhouse Frog predation, the only locations where we could currently find Greenhouse Frogs were in human-dominated lowlands, which have a lower proportion of native species. Greenhouse Frogs may consume more native species if they invade more native-dominated habitat. Alternatively, nonnative ants are known to impact negatively many native invertebrates in Hawaii, and their possible reduction through Greenhouse Frog predation could affect other species positively. Our research highlights the need to understand better the effects of Greenhouse Frog predation on both native and nonnative invertebrates in Hawaii.
The Effect of Starter Culture Use in Pastırma Production on the Properties of End Product

The effects of three different starter preparations (Staphylococcus carnosus, Staphylococcus carnosus + Lactobocillus pentosus and Staphylococcus xylosus + Lactobacillus sakei) on the end product of pastirma were investigated. In the production of pastirma samples, dry curing was performed using NaCl, KNO3, glucose and saccarose, and starter culture was added together with curing compounds to the meat. The starter culture used affected the counts of total aeophilic mesophilic Micrococcus/Staphylococcus and lactic acid bacteria. The Enterobacteriaceae counts were generally found to be below the detectable level (
THE GENERIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE NEW ENDEMIC AUSTRALIAN ANT SPIDER GENUS NOTASTERON (ARANEAE, ZODARIIDAE)

Abstract A revision of the new endemic Australian genus Notasteron revealed two species, Notasteron carnarvon new species (male), Notasteron lawlessi new species (female, male). The genus is characterized by a strongly reticulated, shield-shaped sternum with steep lateral margins and a posteriorly situated boss. The male palp has a semicircular and undulated distal tegular apophysis and the female epigyne has long, convoluted copulatory ducts. Possible relationships of Notasteron with genera of the Asteron complex, Habronestes, Hetaerica, Malinella and Storosa, are analyzed with NONA and also reconstructed using the Hennigian method. The results indicate that the new genus does not belong to the Asteron complex but is the sister genus of Hetaerica. Notasteron lawlessi is quite common and occurs throughout the eastern part of Australia, whereas N. carnarvon is only found in the Carnarvon region of Western Australia.
Fontes protéicas vegetais na alimentação da carpa húngara

This study was conducted to evaluate the partial replacement of porcine meat meal by plant-protein meals in diets for common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Five experimental diets were evaluated: control (FCS), only porcine meat meal as protein source, and four plant-based diets: soybean meal (FS), canola meal (FC), sunflower meal (FG) or linseed meal (FL) replacing 50% of protein from porcine meat meal. Juveniles (195, 43.4±0.4g) were fed twice daily (9:00 am and 03:00pm) for 71 days. At the end of the trial, the best weight (205,69g), weight gain (2,29g day-1), specific growth rate (2,2% day-1) and food conversion ratio (1,74) were obtained in FCS, followed by FC and FS, that did not differ among each other. Fish fed FCS, FG and FS showed higher body fat. The FL diet had the worst performance, protein retention coefficient, protein and fat deposition in whole body and fillet. It was concluded that a diet based on porcine meat meal provides higher growth and protein deposition in common carp juveniles, compared to diets with plant-protein meals; carcass parameters (carcass and fillet yield and digestive indices) are not affected by the dietary protein sources.
Impact of wheat and oat polysaccharides provided as rolls on the digestion and absorption processes in the small intestine of pigs

The objective of the present investigation was to study the impact of wheat and oat polysaccharides provided as rolls with contrasting dietary fibre characteristics on ileal digesta and portal and arterial plasma glucose concentrations. The diets were offered as baked rolls to eight pigs fitted with a T-shaped cannula for total collection in a crossover design and to four portal vein- and mesenteric artery-catheterised pigs. Ileal digesta were collected at 2 h intervals during an 8 h sampling period and portal and arterial blood at 10 min intervals from − 10 min up to 120 min and then at 30 min intervals up to 240 min post-feeding. There was substantial variation in the flow of ileal digesta during the 8 h sampling period, but the flow was more uniform when feeding the oat rolls compared with the wheat rolls. Carbohydrates were the predominant ileal constituent, with most of them present as non-starch polysaccharides and with starch in both diets almost completely digested at the end of the small intestine. Ingestion of the two diets was followed by a rapid rise in postprandial glucose concentration but with no significant difference in either portal or arterial glucose concentration pattern between the two diets. The recovery of glucose in the portal vein up to 240 min after feeding represented 47–64% of consumed starch. Cellulose, resistant starch and arabinoxylans were almost completely recovered at the ileum, while there was a substantial loss of mixed linkage (1 3)(1 4)-β-D-glucan. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
The determination of sex and age ratios in fur animals.

In the present study, methods for determining sex and age ratios have been developed for the raccoon, mink, red fox, gray fox, striped skunk, and badger. (Similar methods more recently have been found applicable in the coyote, ringtail, spotted skunk, and marten with a strong probability that they also will apply in many other fur species.) Previously described sex and age determination methods are discussed for the muskrat and long-tailed weasel. Information on the opossum is being published elsewhere (Petrides 1949a).
Antimicrobial and toxicological activities of some depsides and depsidones

Four depsides, namely, atranorin, lecanoric acid, erythrin, sekikaic acid and the depsidone lobaric acid were screened for their microbial activity against six bacterial species and six fungal species with respect to standards. The depside sekikaic acid and the depsidone lobaric acid showed potent activity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi compared to the standard imipenum. Although the depsides atranorin, lecanoric acid and erythrin showed insignificant antimicrobial activity, their hydrolytic products such as methyl orsellinate and methyl-β-orcinolcarboxylate showed significant antifungal activity. Toxicological studies of these compounds were carried out using brine shrimp cytotoxicity assay. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, depsides, depsidones, lichen substances. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v40i1. 4167 J.Natn. Sci.Foundation Sri Lanka 2012 40 (1):43-48
Enhanced high fructose syrup production by a hybrid fermentation/pervaporation system using a silicone rubber hollow fiber membrane module

In this study, a new mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used for the co-production of fructose and ethanol by selectively converting glucose to ethanol from a sucrose medium. To enhance the fermentation process, a pervaporation unit was coupled to the bioreactor to keep the ethanol concentration in the broth at a low level, thereby reducing the ethanol inhibition on the yeast. The membrane module consisted of silicone rubber hollow fibers assembled in an inside feed/outside vacuum design. Batch fermentation, using a synthetic medium with 31% (w/v) sucrose, without membrane separation of ethanol required about 27 hr for the glucose concentration to decrease to 2% (w/v), with a fructose yield of 99%, and an ethanol yield of 78%. Batch fermentation, using the same medium, with membrane separation of ethanol required about 16.5 hr for the glucose concentration to reach the 2% (w/v) level, with a fructose yield of 96.5% and an ethanol yield of 79.5%, if the membrane was initiated 6 hr after the beginning of batch mode. In fed-batch mode, the yeast was able to process the equivalent of a 41% (w/v) sucrose feed in 24 hr, compared to over 40 hr without ethanol removal, with fructose and ethanol yields of 98 and 82%, respectively.
Kinematics and Hydrodynamics of Undulatory Locomotion in Hagfishes (Myxinidae) and Hagfish-like Robotic Models

Hagfishes have both intrigued and confused biologists since Linnaeus first mistakenly classified one as an “intestinal worm. ” Modern hagfishes (Myxinidae) are elongate, marine fishes often described by what they lack: jaws, scales, paired fins, or a vertebral column. Accompanying this reduced morphology was a long-held view that hagfish are lazy animals that mostly lay about on the ocean floor, but more recent research has revealed them to be active hunters and scavengers in the benthic community. Routine swimming is a requisite part of these activities, yet knowledge of how these exceptionally flexible fishes swim is limited. Here, I use an integrative experimental approach to provide a more comprehensive, quantitative understanding of locomotory mechanisms in hagfishes. In Chapters 1 and 2, I use high-speed videography to quantify whole-body kinematics of steady and unsteady swimming in Eptatretus stoutii and Myxine glutinosa, representing the two main lineages within Myxinidae. Both species generally swim with high amplitude head movements and use tail beat frequency to control swim speed, but interand intra-specific variation in other undulatory wave variables suggests multiple mechanisms to modulate speed. Changes in the shape of the body wave characterize the observed unsteady swimming behaviors. During positive linear accelerations, hagfish transiently adopt a larger, longer body wave. During lateral maneuvers, hagfish approximate “sidewinding” behavior as anterior body regions interact
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Phlebotomus papatasi is a proven vector of Leishmania major which is one of the causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Old World. Although it has a wide geographical range, its population structure is not yet well understood. In an effort to better understand the population dynamics of this vector, we developed a panel of di- and trinucleotide microsatellite markers, using a magnetic bead hybridization enrichment protocol. These microsatellite loci showed three to seven alleles with an expected heterozygosity range between 0.702 and 0.876. The level of polymorphisms found in this study suggests that these microsatellite loci can be used for population analysis of P. papatasi.
Temporal and spatial variability in soil food web structure

Heterogeneity is a prominent feature of most ecosystems. As a result of environmental heterogeneity the distribution of many soil organisms shows a temporal as well as horizontal and vertical spatial patterning. In spite of this, food webs are usually portrayed as static networks with highly aggregated trophic groups over broader scales of time and space. The variability in food web structure and its consequences have seldom been examined. Using data from a Scots pine forest soil in the Netherlands, we explored (1) the temporal and spatial variability of a detrital food web and its components, (2) the effect of taxonomic resolution on the perception of variability over time and across space, and (3) the importance of organic matter quality as an explanatory factor for variability in food web composition. Compositional variability, expressed using the Bray-Curtis similarity index, was measured over 2.5 years using a stratified litterbag design with three organic horizons per litterbag set. Variability in community composition and organic matter degradation increased over time in the litter horizon only. Seasonal variation in community composition was larger than variation between samples from the same season in different years. Horizontal spatial variability in community composition and organic matter degradation was relatively low, with no increase in variability with increasing distance between samples. Vertically, communities and organic matter degradation was more different between the non-adjacent litter and humus horizons than between adjacent layers. These findings imply that soil food webs, at least in temperate forest plantations, are more variable than is currently appreciated in experiments and model studies, and that organic matter turnover might be an important factor explaining variability in community composition. Species composition was more variable than functional group composition, which implies that aggregated food webs will seem less sensitive to local temporal and spatial changes than they in fact are.
Brown trout (Salmo trutta) removal by rotenone alters zooplankton and phytoplankton community composition in a shallow mesotrophic reservoir

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) are known to have effects on multiple trophic levels in New Zealand streams, but their impacts on lower trophic levels are less well understood within lentic systems. We examined the effects of brown trout removal using rotenone on zooplankton and phytoplankton community composition in the Upper Karori Reservoir, New Zealand. Significant shifts were observed in zooplankton and phytoplankton composition following removal of brown trout from the reservoir. Shifts in zooplankton community composition did not occur immediately following trout removal (February), but instead followed the likely timing of galaxiid spawning (July). The removal of brown trout likely resulted in reduced predation pressure on galaxiids. A major change occurred in the zooplankton community with the dominance shifting from larger crustaceans to smaller rotifers, indicating an increased predation pressure from the larval native galaxiid. A delayed response in zooplankton community composition change indicates rotenone was not the direct cause of this. A major shift in phytoplankton community composition occurred immediately following trout removal. This was not consistent with the trophic cascade hypothesis of reduced grazing pressure from larger zooplankton due to increased galaxiid predation as a result of brown trout removal.