Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RESPONSE OF LACTATING EWES TO SNOW AS A SOURCE OF WATER

Eight Suffolk-cross ewes, each nursing a ram-lamb, were kept in a snow-covered field and were individually offered 2 kg of dehydrated alfalfa pellets daily. Half the ewes were denied water from the 4th to 14th wk of lactation but had access to snow as a water source (snow ewes), while the others were offered water during the daily feeding period (water ewes). The ewes readily accepted snow as their source of water. The total water turnover of the snow ewes was approximately 35% less than that of the water ewes; however, this reduced water intake did not affect their milk yield, total body water, or hemactocrit. The liveweight and total body solids of the ewes and energy content of the milk were not significantly different in the two groups. The weight gain of the lambs from the two groups of ewes was not significantly different, averaging 118 and 105 g/day for lambs from the water and snow ewes, respectively.
Cytomics in regenerative medicine

Cytomics is the high-content analysis of cell-systems [6, 78]. The area of Cytomics and Systems Biology received great attention during the last years as it harbours the promise to substantially impact on various fields of biomedicine, drug discovery, predictive medicine [6] and may have major potential for regenerative medicine. In regenerative medicine Cytomics includes process control of cell preparation and culturing using non-invasive detection techniques, quality control and standardization for GMP and GLP conformity and even prediction of cell fate based on sophisticated data analysis. Cytomics requires quantitative and stoichiometric single cell analysis. In some areas the leading cytometric techniques represent the cutting edge today. Many different applications/variations of multicolour staining were developed for flow- or slide-based cytometry (SBC) analysis of suspensions and sections to whole animal analysis [78]. SBC has become an important analytical technology in drug discovery, diagnosis and research and is an emerging technology for systems analysis [78]. It enables high-content high-throughput measurement of cell suspensions, cell cultures and tissues. In the last years various commercial SBC instruments were launched principally enabling to perform similar tasks. Standardisation as well as comparability of different instruments is a major challenge. Hyperspectral optical imaging may be implemented in SBC analysis for label free cell detection based on cellular autofluorescence [3]. All of these developments push the systemic approach of the analysis of biological specimens to enhance the outcome of regenerative medicine.
Effects of maternal age and condition on parturition and the perinatal period of Antarctic fur seals

The effect of maternal age and condition on the date of parturition and the duration of the perinatal period of Antarctic fur seals at Bird Island, South Georgia, were investigated over three consecutive breeding seasons. Females rear young during a four-month lactation period in a highly seasonal but predictable environment. Although females may first pup at three years of age, they did not attain full adult size until six years of age; older females (≥ 6 years) tended to be heavier, longer, and in better condition than younger females (3–5 years). Older females returned to breeding beaches earlier and could occupy the most suitable pupping sites, and gave birth when densities of animals on the beaches were low (i.e. more favourable for pup survival). Females that arrived earlier were able to remain ashore longer with their pups prior to departing on their first foraging trips but this was unrelated to either maternal age or condition. Younger females returned later in the pupping season, possibly as a result of late implantation due to smaller energy reserves than older and larger females. In 1990 all females arrived late, were in poorer condition, gave birth to lighter pups, and had shorter perinatal periods. This suggests that not only was implantation late but that females returned to an area of low food availability prior to parturition.
Demography of Lolium rigidum in winter barley crops: analysis of recruitment, survival and reproduction

Demographic studies were conducted with Lolium rigidum Gaud. growing in winter barley crops at five sites in central and eastern Spain, over a period of 2 or 3 years. Although threefold differences (34-97%) in annual recruitment were recorded in the various experiments, most of the values were close to the overall average (67%). Seedling emergence took place in a very short period of time after sowing, with 90% emergence generally being reached after a thermal time of 242 d°C (provided soil moisture was adequate at sowing). Seedling survival was very high (78-95%) in most experiments, with no clear relationship between this parameter and any of the environmental variables studied. Survival curves were relatively linear, with plant mortality increasing gradually throughout the life cycle of the plant. There were 34-fold differences (from 7 to 237 seeds per plant) in the fecundities recorded in the various experiments. Variation in fecundity resulted partly from differences in crop and weed densities and total precipitation received during the growth cycle. The annual rate of population growth was estimated based on the above-mentioned parameters. The potential for population growth was high (average A = 6.21), but large differences were obtained for the different sites and years.
Quantifying the Effects of Pipeline Installation on Agricultural Productivity in West China

Pipeline construction can have considerable effects on agro-ecosystems. However, little research has documented pipeline installation disturbance on agricultural productivity. We sampled three sites in agricultural regions of West China in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces to study the effects of pipeline installation disturbance on crop productivity. Corn yield and five crop growth characteristics were measured and analyzed at six different distances on both sides of a pipeline at two sites: 0 (trench), 10 (piling or working zone), 20, 50, and 100 m. Crop productivity was assessed at a third site by sampling across pipelines at three different times after their construction (2, 6, and 8 yr). The results showed that agricultural productivity was mainly impaired inside the 20 m on both sides of the pipeline. The level of disturbance on agriculture productivity decreased as distance from pipeline increased. Crop productivity in the affected zones is expected to gradually improve over time. Pipeline installation had significant effect on soil organic matter, N content, and pH, and correlated with crop growth characteristics. Proper soil management practices, such as storing and backfilling topsoil separately from subsurface soil during the installation process, should be addressed to reduce the impacts of pipeline installation on crop productivity.
Bioavailability of iron complexed with organic colloids to the cyanobacteria Synechococcus and Trichodesmium

Iron (Fe) is an important limiting micronutrient to phytoplankton productivity in several major oceans due to its very low dissolved concentration and dominance by organic complexation. The biological uptake of Fe complexed with natural colloidal nanoparticles (measuring between 1 kDa and 0.2 μm), which are abundant in natural seawater, is important for the understanding of Fe limitation in the sea. In this study, we quantified the bioavailability of Fe complexed with colloids of various geochemical properties to 2 important marine cyanobacteria, Synechococcus and Trichodesmium. We demonstrated that the uptake of colloidal Fe was greatly dependent on the origin, size, aging, and Fe concentration of the colloids. The uptake of colloidal Fe was at least 1.7× lower than the uptake of Fe complexed with low molecular weight compounds ( 549 nM), the uptake rate constant decreased significantly. Overall, our data demonstrated that natural colloidal Fe is bioavailable to marine cyanobacteria, but the bioavailability is clearly dependent on the colloidal geochemical characteristics.
Biological control methods of pest insects in oilseed rape

Parasitoids, predators, insect pathogenic fungi, nematodes and microsporidia have all shown promise in the biological suppression of the key target pest, the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus in rapeseed, as well as in the control of other rapeseed pests. Under favourable conditions pollen beetles are locally and temporarily already under efficient natural control by one or several of these agents, but overall the pollen beetle remains the number one pest of rapeseed in Finland, as well as elsewhere in Europe. Conservation biological control to enhance natural control appears the most feasible approach to solve the problem. Field and simulation data are used to demonstrate how a simple change in the tillage practice may be enough to obtain efficient control of the pollen beetle. Several other options are, or will be available, subject to successful registration of microbial products based on the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, and the nematode Steinernema feltiae. Strategies and methods of applying these agents have been developed to facilitate either inundative treatments, or ecosystem restoration to (re-)establish the presence of these agents in agricultural fields. Critical components of agricultural practice have been identified for maximising control by biological agents within a functioning IPM system.
New and "visiting" fish species collected off the western coast of Poland (Baltic Sea) in 2007-2008 with a description of their parasite fauna.

Abstract The first occurrence of striped red mullet Mullus surmuletus in the Pomeranian Bay (in 2007) and the occurrence of three very rarely noted species (tub gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna , Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus , thicklip grey mullet Chelon labrosus ) collected in 2007–2008 in the Pomeranian Bay, Szczecin Lagoon and Lake Dąbie are reported. Their expansion is probably due to increased sea temperatures resulting from climate change, as well as the inflow of saline water. The ‘visitors’ hosted eight pathogens from four taxonomic groups: Protozoa, Nematoda, Acanthocephala and Mollusca. Nematodes, the most numerous ones, were found in three host species. All the parasite species were new for the hosts examined; only the larvae of the acanthocephalan Corynosoma strumosum had already been recorded in one of the hosts ( Chelidonichthys lucerna ). The stomachs of almost all the fish examined were empty, but the species composition of the parasite fauna found showed that the fish must have ingested some food in the Pomeranian Bay.
Five new species of Homoscleromorpha (Porifera) from the Caribbean Sea and re-description of Plakina jamaicensis

Five new species of Homoscleromorpha (Porifera) of four genera, Oscarella, Plakortis, Plakina and Corticium, are described from vertical walls of reef caves at depths ranging from 23 to 28 m in the Caribbean Sea. Oscarella nathaliae sp. nov. has a leaf-like thinly encrusting, flat body, loosely attached to the substrate and a perforated, not lobate surface. Oscarella nathaliae sp. nov. contains two bacterial morphotypes and is characterized by two mesohylar cell types with inclusions. Plakortis myrae sp. nov. has diods of two categories: abundant large ones (83–119 μm long) and rare small ones (67–71 μm long) with sinuous, S-bent centres; triods Y- or T-shaped (18–5 μm long), and abundant microrhabds (5–12 μm long). Plakortis edwardsi sp. nov. has diods of one category with thick, sinuous, S-bent centres (110 to 128 μm long); triods T-shaped (actines 28–59 μm long). It is the only species of this genus showing small diods (22–31 μm long). Plakortis dariae sp. nov. has diods of two categories: large ones (67–112 μm long) and small, rare, irregular ones, slightly curved, often deformed with one end blunt (30–59 μm long); triods rare and regular (actines 20–44 μm long). Corticium diamantense sp. nov. has oscula situated near its border, regular non-lophose calthrops of one size-class, very rare tetralophose calthrops and candelabra with the fourth actine ramified basally in 4–5 microspined rays. In addition, a re-description of Plakina jamaicensis is based on newly collected material and the type specimen. Plakortis jamaicensis has a convoluted brain-like surface; well developed sub-ectosomal cavities; irregular sinuous diods, triods, calthrops, rare monolophose calthrops, rare dilophose calthrops, rare trilophose calthrops and common tetralophose calthrops. Molecular ‘barcoding’ sequences for mitochondrial cob are given for Plakortis edwardsi sp. nov., P. dariae sp. nov., Plakina jamaicensis and Corticium diamantense sp. nov. An identification key for all western Atlantic Homoscleromorpha is provided.
Selective cardiorespiratory and catecholaminergic areas express the hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) under in vivo hypoxia in rat brainstem

Under severe oxygen deprivation, all cells are able to express the transcription factor HIF‐1, which activates a wide range of genes. Under tolerable hypoxia, chemosensory inputs are integrated in brainstem areas, which control cardiorespiratory responses. However, the molecular mechanisms of this functional acclimatization are unknown. We investigated when and where the inducible HIF‐1α subunit is expressed in the rat brainstem in vivo, under physiological hypoxia. The regional localization of HIF‐1α mRNA and protein was determined by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry in adult male rats exposed to moderate hypoxia (10% O2) for 1–6 h. HIF‐1α protein was found in cell types identified by immunocytochemistry as catecholaminergic neurons. Hypoxia induced HIF‐1α mRNA and protein in only some parts of the brainstem located dorsomedially and ventrolaterally, which are those involved in the cardiorespiratory control. No labelling was detected under normoxia. The protein was detected in glia and neurons after 1 and 6 h of hypoxia, respectively. A subset of A2C2 and A1C1 catecholaminergic neurons colocalized tyrosine hydroxylase and HIF‐1α proteins under hypoxia, but no HIF‐1α was detected in more rostral catecholaminergic areas. In contrast to cardiorespiratory areas, HIF‐1α protein was already present under normoxia in glial cells of brainstem tracts but was not overexpressed under hypoxia, although HIF‐1α mRNA was up‐regulated. In conclusion, there appear to be two regulatory mechanisms for HIF‐1α expression in the brainstem: hypoxic induction of HIF‐1α protein in cardiorespiratory‐related areas and constitutive protein expression unaffected by hypoxia in brainstem tracts.
Transformation System for Aspergillus oryzae with Double Auxotrophic Mutations, niaD and sC

We developed a transformation system for Aspergillus oryzae using the Aspergillus nidulans sC gene encoding ATP sulfurylase as a selectable marker. The sC− mutants can be readily isolated by positive selection for selenate resistance, thereby the niaD− mutant strain of A. oryzae was bestowed with the sC− mutation. Transformation of the A. oryzae host (niaD−,sC−) with the plasmid carrying A. nidulans sC gave random and multi-copy integrants, while that with the A. oryzae niaD-carrying plasmid occurred mainly by single-copy and homologous integration events (more than 50% frequency), indicating that with this transformation system, the transformation marker could be selected according to the integration pattern one desires.
Construction of a Gene Bank of Streptococcus lactis Plasmid pLM2001 Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Escherichia coli

Abstract Plasmid pLM2001, which is essential for the fermentation of lactose by Streptococcus lactis LM0232, was isolated and cut into eight fragments with restriction endonuclease Eco RI. The deoxyribonucleic acid fragments ranged in size from approximately . 8 to 10.3 kilobases as determined by agarose gel electrophoresis. Eco RI-restricted pLM-2001 deoxyribonucleic acid was shotgun cloned into the single Eco RI site of the multifunctional Escherichia coli-Streptococcus sanguis shuttle vector, pSA4, insertionally inactivating the chloroamphenicol resistance gene. Following transformation of the deoxyribonucleic acid into Escherichia coli HB101, 242 transformants containing chimeric plasmids were detected by their resistance to tetracycline and failure to grow in the presence of chloramphenicol. Plasma deoxyribonucleic acid from 98 transformants was cleaved with Eco RI and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis for the presence of pLM2001 inserts. Clones were obtained, which individually contained each of the eight fragments. In addition, a series of clones containing various combinations of the fragments was obtained. The availability of a system for cloning and rapidly screening for fragments of Streptococcus lactis deoxyribonucleic acid under conditions where deletion of passenger or vector deoxyribonucleic acid does not occur will facilitate studies designed to isolate and characterize metabolically important genes carried by plasmids from the group N streptococci.
The distribution and number of the skin sense organs of agamid, iguanid and gekkonid lizards

The topography and numerical distribution of the skin receptors in 29 lizard species including 18 agamids, eight iguanids and three gekkonids, are compared and contrasted. There are no marked differences in the number of receptors in the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body in the different groups. The maximal density of the receptors occurs on the head and decreases in the caudal direction. Iguanids and gekkonids have 5–6 times more receptors than agamids. Agamids Gonocephalus grandis from S.E. Asia, Pogona barbata, Diporiphora bilineata from Australia and Ceratophora tennentii from Sri-Lanka, however, are distinguished by their high density of receptors, especially on the head. Species of Physignathus are similar to iguanids in this way. The agamid Phrynocephalus mystaceus shows considerable differences, in receptor number, from other species of this genus. There is a high density of receptors on the caudal scales of the Madagascan iguanid Oplurus, and a similar high density of receptors on the ventral surface of the gecko Teratoscincus scincus.
Cerebrolysin protects against rotenone-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Journal of Neurorestoratology 2014:2 47–63 Journal of Neurorestoratology Dovepress
Phylogenetic comparison of bacteria isolated from the honey stomachs of honey bees Apis mellifera and bumble bees Bombus spp.

Summary It has recently been discovered that the honey bee Apis mellifera has a large flora of symbiotic lactic acid bacteria in its honey stomach, belonging to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. It appears that the flora may protect the honey bees, their larvae and their food against harmful microorganisms. Since bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are related to honey bees and have a honey stomach where they store nectar during their flight we investigated whether their honey stomachs also contain symbiotic lactic acid bacteria. Bacterial isolates cultivated from both the surface and from the honey stomachs of bumble bees were identified using 16S rRNA gene analyzes. The results showed that bumble bees also possess lactic acid bacteria in their honey stomachs but in fewer phylotypes and only belonging to the genus Lactobacillus. In contrast to honey bees, bumble bees do not produce honey or bee bread but feed their larvae directly with nectar and pollen, and their society does not survive the winter in temperate climates. It was therefore concluded that bumble bees have less need than honey bees of an extensive lactic acid bacterial flora.
Application of the random amplified polymorphic DNA technique in a study of heterosis in common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied to three varieties of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. : Xingguo red carp, German mirror carp and Russian mirror carp. Twenty-seven decamer primers pre-screened from 40 random primers were used to assay polymorphisms within and between the populations. One hundred and ninety-nine fragments were generated in the three populations; 155 of these fragments were polymorphic. The similarity indices and genetic distances within and between the three populations of carp were calculated. The results indicated that the highest value of similarity within populations was obtained for German mirror carp, and the genetic distance between Xingguo red carp and Russian mirror carp was the farthest. It can be presumed that the heterosis between Xingguo red carp and Russian mirror carp is the highest within these three populations.
Evaluation of environmental impacts of harvest residue-based bioenergy using radiative forcing analysis

The “carbon neutrality” assumption plays an important role in the evaluation of the global warming potential (GWP) of bioenergy relative to fossil fuels. In the case of woody bioenergy, this assumption implies that the carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of the biomass is equal to the carbon dioxide sequestered from the atmosphere within that biomass. However, the collection and conversion of woody biomass requires energy inputs in various forms that produce emissions to the air or water. To be able to estimate the overall environmental burdens associated with converting woody biomass to bioenergy, and the net reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere by avoiding the use of fossil fuel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is the internationally recognized method of choice. However, the carbon neutrality of woody biomass and the environmental impacts associated with wood-based bioenergy are hotly debated in national and international arenas. This study presents a comprehensive evalua.
Divergent sympatric lineages of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean crinoid Tropiometra carinata

The shallow water comatulid crinoid Tropiometra carinata is native to both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, a distribution anomalous among shallow water crinoids and many other broadcast spawning species. Given this species' short pelagic larval duration, the findings of previous work that suggest that the Benguela upwelling is a significant barrier to gene flow in broadcast spawning species, and T. carinata's unexpected geographic distribution, we predicted that the crinoids presently recognized as T. carinata consisted of a species complex. To test this prediction, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene from 30 individuals of T. carinata collected from Brazil, the Mozambique Channel, Madagascar, and Reunion Island. We found that nucleotide divergence ranged 0.02–3.10% among haplotypes. Moreover, while a Bayesian phylogenetic tree indicated that there were two substantially divergent genetic lineages, there was no evidence to support that T. carinata is comprised of a species complex due to isolation-by-distance. Surprisingly, both lineages were found in sympatry in both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Likewise, a 95% parsimony haplotype network revealed that identical haplotypes are found in both oceans, suggesting that a species complex may indeed exist, just not one caused by geographic isolation. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected genetic structure, such as natural dispersal or human-mediated movement, and how the genetic structure found here is relevant to other marine organisms and to cryptic speciation.