Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abnormal embryos of sharpnose sharks, Rhizoprionodon porosus and Rhizoprionodon lalandii (Elasmobranchii: Carcharhinidae), from Brazilian coast, western South Atlantic

This study presents the second worldwide report on abnormal embryos of the sharpnose sharks, Rhizoprionodon , based on the two species ( Rhizoprionodon porosus and Rhizoprionodon lalandii ) occurring on the Brazilian coast. For R. porosus two conjoined twin embryos showing complete duplication of the vertebral column, viscera and several external structures (head, first and second dorsal fins, pectoral fins), and scoliosis in both axis at the pelvic fin level are reported. The three embryos of R. lalandii exhibited numerous lordosis and kyphosis along the entire vertebral column. The possible relationship between anomalies and the human major threats to sharks is discussed based on previous reproductive, genetic and ecotoxicological studies on R. lalandii for southern Brazil.
Comparing multivariate regression and artificial neural network to predict barley production from soil characteristics in northern Iran

In this study artificial neural network (ANN) models were designed to predict the biomass and grain yield of barley from soil properties; and the performance of ANN models was compared with earlier tested statistical models based on multivariate regression. Barley yield data and surface soil samples (0–30 cm depth) were collected from 1 m2 plots at 112 selected points in the arid region of northern Iran. ANN yield models gave higher coefficient of determination and lower root mean square error compared to the multivariate regression, indicating that ANN is a more powerful tool than multivariate regression. Sensitivity analysis showed that soil electrical conductivity, sodium absorption ratio, pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and organic matter consistently influenced barley biomass and grain yield. A comparison of the two methods to identify the most important factors indicated that while in the ANN analysis, soil organic matter (SOM) was included among the most important factors; SOM was excluded from the most important factors in the multivariate analysis. This significant discrepancy between the two methods was apparently a consequence ofthe non-linear relationships of SOM with other soil properties. Overall, our results indicated that the ANN models could explain 93 and 89% of the total variability in barley biomass and grain yield, respectively. The performance of the ANN models as compared to multivariate regression has better chance for predicting yield, especially when complex non-linear relationships exist among thefactors. We suggest that for further potential improvement in predicting thebarley yield, factors other than the soil properties considered such as soil micronutrient status and soil and crop management practices followed during the growing season, need to be included in the models.
SEX DIFFERENCES IN SPACE USE OF BREEDING COMMON RAVENS IN WESTERN MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Abstract We estimated core areas and home-range sizes and evaluated sex differences in home-range size, seasonal variation in movements, and space use for breeding Common Ravens (Corvus corax) in western Marin County, California. There were no significant interannual differences in average core area or average home-range size for either sex, although there were small-scale shifts in home-range use for 67% of females and 63% of males. There was no significant difference in home-range size between the sexes. Home-range size was positively correlated with distance to food source. Ravens traveled shorter distances from the nest during the incubation + nestling stage compared to other stages of the breeding season. Core areas were centered around nest sites and food sources, with significantly aggregated locations for 83% and 100% of females in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Males were more variable in their use of space, with significantly aggregated locations for 38% and 44% of males in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Individual variation in home-range size, movements, and space use was likely due to differences in the distribution of important food sources in the area. Diferencias Sexuales en la Utilización del Espacio en Corvus corax en el Oeste del Condado Marin, California Resumen. Estimamos los tamaños del área núcleo y rango de hogar y evaluamos las diferencias entre sexos en el tamaño del rango de hogar, variaciones estacionales de los movimientos y utilización del espacio en Corvus corax en el oeste del condado Marin, California. No hubo diferencias interanuales significativas en el área núcleo promedio ni en el rango de hogar promedio para ninguno de los sexos, aunque para el 67% de las hembras y el 63% de los machos hubo cambios de pequeña escala en el uso del rango de hogar. No hubo diferencias significativas en el tamaño de los rangos de hogar entre sexos. El tamaño del rango de hogar estuvo positivamente correlacionado con la distancia a la fuente de alimento. Los cuervos viajaron distancias más cortas desde el nido durante los períodos de incubación y de cría de polluelos en comparación con otros períodos durante la época reproductiva. Las áreas núcleo se centraron en los sitios de nidificación y las fuentes de alimento, con posiciones significativamente agregadas para el 83% y 100% de las hembras en 2000 y 2001, respectivamente. Los machos presentaron mayor variabilidad en la utilización del espacio, con posiciones significativamente agregadas para un 38% y 44% de los machos en el 2000 y 2001, respectivamente. Las variaciones individuales en el tamaño de los ámbitos de hogar, movimientos y uso del espacio fueron probablemente dadas por las diferencias en la distribución de los recursos alimenticios importantes en el área.
Effect of sub-clinical uterine infection on plasma amino acid concentrations in early lactation dairy cows

This study examined the effect of sub-clinical endometritis (scEndo) in early lactation on plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations of dairy cattle (n = 46). On D21 and D42 postpartum cows were classified as having scEndo or Clean based on uterine cytology; >18% polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells amongst uterine nucleated cells. On D21 and D42, 35% and 7% of cows respectively were classified as having scEndo, with a large proportion of scEndo cows having self-resolved the infection by D42. Plasma serine concentrations were higher (P <0.03) in scEndo compared to Clean cows irrespective of day postpartum. Independent of uterine status, three AA altered (P <0.05) in concentration between D21 and D42. The effect of change in uterine status from D21 to D42 resulted in decreased (P =0.05) concentrations of three AA in cows that resolved infection. The use of a lower cut-off to define scEndo (4% vs 18%PMN) identified four AA, instead of three AA at 18% that differed over time. Thus, during the early postpartum period, the concentrations of a number of AA change (P <0.05) irrespective of uterine health. However, scEndo is associated with an increase in plasma serine and a decrease in the concentration of several AA when a uterine infection is resolved.
Significant Effect of Mycorrhization on some Physiological Parameters of Salvia officinalis Linn. Plant

The effect of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Trichoderma viride on the physiological parameters of Salvia officinalis was studied in green house pot experiment. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants had higher chlorophyll content (a, b and total) as compared with the non-AM plants. The Salvia plants inoculated with Acaulospora laevis plus T. viride had higher phosphorus content (0.844±0.02; 0.977±0.02) in shoot and root after 45 days. Likewise, ninety days after inoculation (DAI), maximum P content in shoot and root was observed in the plants treated with A. laevis plus Glomus mosseae (0.975±0.03) and A. laevis plus T.viride (1.223±0.04) respectively. Content of P was observed more in root than shoot. The results suggest that mycorrhizal symbiosis affects plant physiology thereby bioprospecting the possibility of mycorrhizal inoculation in order to improve the cultivation practices of medicinal plants. K e y w o r d s Trichoderma viride, Glomus mosseae, Acaulospora laevis, medicinal plants
Summary of Doctoral Thesis

Insulin‐like growth factors (IGF‐I and IGF‐II), or somatomedins, are small polypeptides structurally related to insulin. IGFs exert insulin‐like, differ‐entiative and mitogenic actions on their target tissues (1). Several, if not all, human fetal and adult tissues produce IGFs, as evidenced by studies on the IGF content of tissue extracts and expression of IGF messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) (2,3). Many tissues and cell lines possess IGF receptors, through which IGFs exert their biological actions (4). Serum and tissue contents of IGF‐I, and to a lesser extent IGF‐II, are regulated by GH, nutritional status, age and other factors (5). Thus IGFs are thought to act both in endocrine and locally in an autocrine or paracrine manner.
RESEARCH ARTICLE ALLELOPATHIC POTENTIAL OF CALLUS EXTRACT OF LANTANA CAMARA

Callus cultures of Lantana camara L. (family verbenaceae) were induced from leaf and stem explants on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with α naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), Indole3-acetic acid (IAA) and 2,4 dichloro-phenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Callus cultures (4.04 g dry weight) developed from young leaf and shoot tips on medium containing 2, 4-D (0.02 mg/liter) after 25 days in vitro. Callus extract (1% conc.) showed toxicity to the growth of Salvinia molesta Mitchell after 7 days. The leaves and flowers of this species serve as for a source of allelopathic compounds, both exhibited high potential to act as strong biopesticide and suppressed a number of organism including bacteria, fungi, aquatic and terrestrial weeds in its aqueous leachate/extract in earlier studies. This study high lights the ability of callus of L.camara to produce allelochemicals under in vitroconditions that also exhibited phytotoxicity.
Endophytic fungi occurring in Ipomoea carnea tissues and their antimicrobial potentials

The aim of this work was to study the endophytic fungi associated with the tissues of Ipomoea carnea, a common invasive plant of India. A total of 69 isolates belonging to ten taxa comprising 1.45% Zygomycetes, 10.14% Coelomycetes, 62.32% Hypomycetes, 18.84% sterile mycelia and 7.25% unidentified species were obtained. Species of Curvularia, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Colletotrichum and sterile fungus were isolated as dominant endophytes. Colonization frequency of Curvularia (7.25%) was highest which was isolated from all the tissues. The samples collected during the monsoon harbored more endophytes and showed higher species richness than the samples obtained in summer season. Of the total isolates, 15 isolates (21.74%) displayed antimicrobial activity, inhibiting at least one of the test microorganisms that comprised of pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Shigella dysentriae) and fungi (Trichophyton rubrum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Trichophyton sp). The results provided promising baseline information on the endophytic fungal diversity associated with I. carnea tissues and their potential exploitation as antimicrobial agents.
cDNA sequence and tissue expression analysis of glucokinase from liver of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella )

A full-length cDNA coding glucokinase (GK) was cloned from the liver of grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. The cDNA obtained was 2066 bp exclusive of poly (A) residues with a 1431 bp open reading frame encoding 476 amino acids. The GK protein has a calculated molecular weight of 53.7 kDa and isoelectric point of 5.11. Some conserved functional sites were found including one conserved hexokinase signature sequence Leu 156 -Phe 181 ; two N-linked glycosylation sites Asn 176 and Asn 214 ; one cell attachment sequence Arg 202 -Asp 204 ; one glycosaminoglycan attachment site Ser 455 -Gly 458 . The amino acid sequence has a high similarity to GK of other species, the percent identity compared with topmouth culter, common carp, human and rat are 98.1, 96.8, 80.3 and 79.8%, respectively. Tissue distribution of GK mRNA in brain, mesenteric adipose tissue, spleen, white muscle and liver of grass carp was analyzed by SYBR real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR method using β-actin as an internal control for cDNA normalization. The result shows that the expression level of GK mRNA in liver was significantly higher than in mesenteric adipose tissue, spleen and brain (p<0.05). Relative expression profile of GK mRNA in liver normalized with β-actin level was 31, 454 and 649-fold compared with the levels in mesenteric adipose tissue, spleen and brain, respectively. Meanwhile, GK mRNA was not detected in white muscle. Key words : Ctenopharyngodon idella , glucokinase, full-length cDNA, tissue distribution, real-time PCR.
Meios de cultura alternativos para fungos utilizando diferentes substratos, especialmente de mandioca (manihot esculenta).

Os fungos filamentosos sao um importante grupo de micro-organismos, nao apenas por serem os mais numerosos dentre todos os micro-organismos, mas devido ao seu potencial em processos biotecnologicos como a producao de antibioticos e enzimas, fontes de vitaminas, alimentacao e outros. Os fungos tambem sao conhecidos como patogenos de plantas, animais e humanos, e produtores de toxinas. Cultivar fungos e uma rotina em laboratorios de microbiologia e um dos meios muito utilizado e o Batata Dextrose Agar (BDA), que utiliza a batata como uma fonte rica em amido. Em algumas regioes do pais, como a Regiao Norte, a batata tem um elevado custo e por este motivo a busca por novas fontes de amido e uma alternativa. Assim, outros vegetais devem ser pesquisados visando a substituicao da batata. No presente trabalho foram inicialmente utilizados mandioca (Manihot esculenta), batata-doce (Ipomoea batatas), cenoura (Daucus carota), gengibre (Zingiber officinale) e cara (Dioscorea alata), sendo demonstrado que a mandioca (Manihot esculenta) e uma alternativa relevante para o cultivo de fungos. Esta especie vegetal e uma planta tropical de grande importância comercial no Brasil, na Africa e em outras regioes do mundo, sendo que para a regiao Norte a mandioca e muito cultivada e tambem de baixo custo. Assim, apos a triagem inicial com outros tuberculos, foi realizada a avaliacao e otimizacao do meio de cultura de Mandioca Dextrose Agar (MDA). Para o ensaio do meio com mandioca foram utilizadas diversas especies de fungos com importância biotecnologica (Beauveria bassiana, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Phanerochaete chrysosporium). Foi avaliada a taxa de crescimento, a esporulacao e a formacao de hifas no meio de cultura BDA (utilizado como controle) e MDA. Os resultados comprovaram a eficiencia do MDA para o crescimento dos fungos analisados, destacando-se a taxa de crescimento radial em meio solido e peso seco do micelio em meio liquido. Entretanto, em MDA ha uma menor esporulacao dos fungos quando comparado ao BDA. Finalmente, foi realizado, utilizando meio BDA e MDA, o isolamento de fungos endofiticos de duas plantas: guarana (Paullinia cupana) e oliveira (Olea europea), nos quais o meio de cultura MDA tambem se mostrou eficiente. A identificacao de fungos endofiticos revelou que eles variaram conforme a planta hospedeira. A diversidade de fungos endofiticos foi maior em guarana no meio MDA que em BDA, e o numero de isolados foi menor em oliveira nos dois meios utilizados. Assim, do ponto de vista economico e social, o substrato de mandioca pode ser considerado uma alternativa de alta potencialidade na obtencao de meios de cultura para laboratorios de micologia, especialmente em paises tropicais
Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby Group Size Effects Reflect A Trade-Off

As group size increases, individuals of many species modify the time allocated to anti-predator vigilance and foraging. Group size eAects can result from a reduction in predation risk or from an increase in competition as a function of aggregation. Anti-predator models of vigilance and foraging group size eAects both predict a non-linear relationship between group size and time allocation. Linear relationships between group size and time allocation may reflect the modification of such relationships by intraspecific interference competition for limited resources, which would reveal a fundamental cost of sociality. We studied the degree to which group size eAects in the yellow-footed rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus, a macropodid marsupial) were non-linear. Like several other macropods, yellow-footed rock-wallabies foraged more and looked less as group size increased. Variation in vigilance was best explained by the number of conspecifics within 10 mAa distance substantially less than the 30‐50 m often used to quantify group size in macropodids. Linear regressions explained more variation than non-linear ones, suggesting that wallabies tradedoA the benefits of aggregation with the costs of competition. Moreover, dominant yellow-foots looked less and tended to forage more than subordinate animals. We hypothesize that competition may be relatively more important in the life-histories of yellow-footed rock-wallabies than those of other macropodid marsupials.
Survey and Analysis of Current End-User Data Analytics Tool Support

There has been a very large growth in interest in big data analytics to discover patterns and insights. A major challenge in this domain is the need to combine domain knowledge – what the data means (semantics) and what it is used for – with advanced data analytics and visualization techniques to mine and communicate important information from the huge volumes of raw data. Many data analytics tools have been developed for both research and practice to assist in specifying, integrating and deploying data analytics applications. However, delivering such big data analytics applications requires a capable team with different skillsets including data scientists, software engineers and domain experts. Such teams and skillsets usually take a long time to build and have high running costs. An alternative is to provide domain experts and data scientists – the end users – with tools they can use to create and deploy complex data analytics application solutions directly with less technical skills required. In this paper we present a survey and analysis of several current research and practice approaches to supporting data analytics for end-users, identifying key strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for future research.
Allergen Protein from Mango (Mangifera indica) Flowers Pollen

Plant pollen is one of the most common causes of seasonal allergic disease world wide. In this study Mango flower pollen protein (MFPP) was extracted, filtered, fractioned, purified, and the homogeneity of this allergen protein demonstrated by the presence of a single band on SDS-PAGE. This purified protein showed the pectate lyase (Pel) activity expected of MFPP. The yield of MFPP was 4.10% of the total protein present in the aqueous extract of the pollen, while its allergenic activity was about 44% of the total dialyzable activity, as verified by blood tests. The molecular weight of the extracted protein, estimated by SDS-PAGE, was 27,000 Da and the isoelectric point of the extracted protein was 6.5. Application of this protein to mice pro- duced a change in physical appearance and a rise in the levels of eosinophils and neutrophils level by 2%-5.5% and 34%-77.5%, respectively, relative to the normal levels. Hence the present study demonstrates that extracted protein from Mango flower pollen has allergic effects on animals.
Dano: A herbal solution for dandruff

Dano, a poly-herbal hair oil was studied for anti-dandruff activity using microbiological and clinical tests. There was a clear symptomatic relief from dandruff in all the volunteers after 10 days of use. Further, the isolation of Pityrosporum ovale, the causative organism of the dandruff in culture was not possible after use of the Dano oil. The plant extracts is from Wrightia tinctoria (Indrajev), Cassia alata (Dadmari) and bitter fraction of Azadirachta indica (Neem or Nimba). Methylene blue reductase test was employed to study the anti-dandruff efficacy of the oil
Production of high‐quality edible protein from Candida yeast grown in continuous culture

Candida utilis NRRL Y‐900 was grown in aerobic continuous culture with cane molasses as the source of the growth‐limiting carbon. At 1% reducing sugar in the chemostal (10 liter working volume) feed medium, addition of Zn (25μM) to a minimal salts medium resulted in an increase in the biomass productivity of the chemostat from 1.7 to 2.6 g/liter/hr with a growth yield of 0.55 g dry biomass/g reducing sugar utilized at Dmax. On the average, the yeast biomass was 50–55% protein. At SR > 2% sugar, the biomass productivity was limited by the oxygen supply. With O2‐supplemented aeration (at SR = 4.2%)the maximum biomass productivity Was 7.25 g/liter/hr. Aerobic ethanol production was not observed. A highquality undenatured protein fraction was isolate from the yeast homogenate by isoelectric precipitation at pH 4.5. Contaminating nucleic acid was removed as an insoluble complex by chelation with an organic cation (cetavlon). The final protein product contained about 3% RNA (DWB) and was suitable for use as a food additive.
Coral Populations Fringing Islands: Larval Connections

The ubiquitous Indo-Pacific coral Pocillopora damicornis utilises two modes of larval dispersal; one operates over short distances and involves a brooded, asexually-produced, planula; the second acts over longer distances and involves a sexual propagule. When examined genetically, larval connections between definable populations were weaker between fringing reefs around an island than they were between patch reefs in an embayment of similar dimensions. Differing regimes of water circulation were inferred to explain this pattern. One implication for management is that populations on fringing reefs are more likely to contain singularities than those on patch reefs and will thus contribute more to the total genetic diversity within a species.