Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wavelet characterization of eucalypt flowering and the influence of climate and budding

In this study we examine the influence of climate (temperature and rainfall) on both flowering and budding, of E. leucoxylon and E. tricarpa from Victorian Forest Commission records and the field diaries of the Forest Overseer from Maryborough, Victoria between 1940 and 1962. Observations on the timing,quantity and distribution of flowering and budding of these species were collected on a monthly basis and placed into categories which had been pre-determined by the Commission. Flowering and budding intensity ofboth species were quantified by assigning a rank value producing a categorical time series (Table 1).
Effects of upland clearcutting and riparian partial harvesting on leaf pack breakdown and aquatic invertebrates in boreal forest streams

SUMMARY 1. Leaf litter breakdown and associated invertebrates were compared among three logged and three reference stream reaches 2–3 years before and 3–4 years after logging to assess the environmental impacts of partial-harvest logging as a novel riparian management strategy for boreal forest streams. 2. Partial-harvest logging at three sites resulted in 10, 21 and 28% average basal area removal from riparian buffers adjacent to upland clear-cut areas. 3. Leaf litter breakdown rates were not significantly different between reference and logged sites after logging, but litter breakdown was significantly different from year to year at all sites. 4. Significant post-logging differences in aquatic invertebrate communities were detected at only one of the three logged sites. These differences were largely the result of increases in some leaf-shredding stoneflies and a detritivorous mayfly and a decrease in a chironomid group 2–4 years after logging. This site where significant change was detected had the lowest intensity of riparian logging (average 10% removal) but the highest proportion of the catchment area that was clear cut (85%). 5.The post-logging differences in invertebrate communities at this site were more related to catchment-wide influences (e.g. weather patterns, water yield, possibly upland clearcutting) than to reach-level disturbances from riparian logging. 6.The study indicates that partial-harvest logging in riparian buffers at up to 50% removal should pose little risk of harm to leaf litter breakdown processes or aquatic invertebrate communities beyond any impacts that might arise from upland logging disturbance or catchment-wide influences. However, the results should be viewed in the context of the natural disturbance (summer drought conditions) through the post-logging assessment period of this study. Post-logging summer drought conditions may have masked or confounded logging impacts on streams.
Avifauna of the Nansei Shoto (Southwest Islands), Japan, in relation to distances among islands

The characteristics of the avifauna of the Nansei Shoto are explained. The Nansei Shoto consists of the Ryukyu, Senkaku, and Daito islands. The avifauna of the islands, in particular in relation to the species endemic to the islands and those species also occurrign in the islands as well as in both Kyushu and Taiwan, was investigated by means of the literature, mainly the “Check-List of Japanese birds. Sixth Revised Edition (The Ornithological Society of Japan 2000)”. The number of breeding bird species on islands was greatest on the largest islands, and reached maxima (37 species) on both Okinawa and Iriomote islands. In order to understand the similarities between the avifaunas of the various islands, Nomura-Simpsons' coefficient of breeding birds on twelve representative islands of the Nansei Shoto, Kyushu, and Taiwan were calculated. The results of the cluster analyses of the similarities among islands were partly explained by the distances between islands. It is inferred that disparities between the similarities of avifaunas and distances among islands result from differences in the environments of each island.
A BRIEF COMMUNICATION

Enhanced linear growth, hyperplasia, and tumorigenesis are well-known characteristics of “viable yellow” agouti A vy /- mice (Wolff GL, Roberts DW, Mountjoy KG. Physiol Genomics 1:151–163, 1999); however, the functional basis for this aspect of the phenotype is unknown. In the present study, we ascertained whether agouti signaling protein (ASIP) levels in A vy /a or a/a livers are associated with hepatocyte proliferation as a possible factor in promotion of hepatocellular tumor formation. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) assays and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays were performed on liver samples from mottled yellow A vy /a, pseudoagouti A vy /a, and black a/a VY mice to determine mitotic indices and expression levels of A vy and a in relation to the expression level of the housekeeping gene hprt. We found that ASIP levels were ~100-fold higher in yellow than in pseudoagouti or black mice and that the proportion of PCNA-positive hepatocytes was greater (P < 0.001) in yellow than in pseudoagouti or black mice.
Nuclear DNA Amounts in Some Tropical Hardwoods

SUMMARY2C-DNA values of 44 tropical hardwood species belonging to 20 families depict a range from 0.94 pg to 7.39 pg, an 8-fold difference. Likewise there is a 10-fold variation in per chromosome DNA values. The narrow range of variation as also the small genome size in tropical hardwoods have been discussed.
The signalling pathway of Bim L and Bim S, two isoforms of the BH3-only protein Bim, in apoptosis

discussions, for sharing her expertise and for her constant encouragement. Also, I am tremendously thankful to her for introducing me to the Berlin culture, for dragging me to kick boxing classes and for always reminding me that the chestnut trees blossom beautifully! I am mostly indebted to Ana Milojkovic for her true and unconditional friendship, for her trust, for her care and for sticking by me no matter what. I am genuinely grateful to her for spending hours on the phone without me talking, for teaching me about colour matching bags and shoes and for telling me her stories from Kreuzberg. Мoжeш ce да направиш ! Cе ке биде супер ! Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to my whole family and Christian Mauch for their love, support, understanding and patience. Without their help I could not have accomplished this work. Index Erklärung 2 Acknowledgements 3
PHOSPHATE SUPPLY AS A PROMOTER OF TOLERANCE TO ARSENIC IN PEARL MILLET

Many soils are contaminated by heavy metals, with arsenic posing serious environmental threat. Enrichment of soil with phosphate is believed to reduce the arsenic toxicity. However, only a few attempts have already been conducted towards understanding the precise role of phosphate in controlling As toxicity. Moreover, there is no adequate information on the effect of phosphate on As-induced oxidative stress, a major contributor of As toxicity in plant system. Τhe present study aims to determine the effect of varying concentrations of phosphate on As-mediated oxidative stress in pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides). Our study revealed that a concentration of 100 μM of phosphate was able to protect the test plant from As (100μM)-mediated oxidative stress, as evident from the data on growth and lipid peroxidation. This novel finding was further supported by the increased chlorophyll content of the test plant raised in phosphate supplemented media. Phosphatemediated improvement of antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), and APX (peroxidase), could be a crucial factor in regulating As-induced oxidative stress in pearl millet. The results of the present study suggest that availability of phosphate in the surrounding media has a clearly pivotal role in the generation of oxidative stress in P. typhoides exposed to As
Oviposition behaviour of Aedes albopictus in temephos and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-treated ovitraps

This study was conducted to determine the response of dengue vectors to ovitraps treated with temephos and Bacillus thuringensis israelensis (Bti) compared with untreated ovitraps which only contained seasoned tap water. The study was conducted at two sites: the natural breeding habitats where the ovitraps were exposed directly to sunshine and rain, and under shelter beneath a cabin without direct exposure. The ovitraps were placed for a period of five days at six different sites each in both conditions. The experiments were replicated three times. The results indicated that all mosquitoes breeding in the ovitraps were Aedes albopictus. There was no significant difference in the ovipositioning behaviour in the natural habitat, but there was a significant difference in the number of eggs laid in the ovitraps placed under the cabins. Though the mean number of eggs laid in traps in response to each treatment varied among the sites, the overall ovipositioning activity was not significantly different between sites when egg densities in the test ovitraps were averaged over the six-week ovitrapping period (site versus treatment effect) at p<0.05. The study also indicated that there was no ovicidal effect of both control agents since hatching of eggs occurred. Although eggs hatched, all larvae died eventually. The male to female ratio was 1:1 for both the sites. The study also showed that larval index is as effective as pupal index and can be used as a surveillance tool for the dengue vectors. It is concluded that containers treated with larvicide are not repellent to Aedes.
NITROGEN FERTILIZATION SUPPRESSES SOIL PHENOL OXIDASE ENZYME ACTIVITY IN NO-TILLAGE SYSTEMS

Phenol oxidase is associated with the carbon cycle and its presence in soil environments is important to the formation of humic substances. Little effort has been made to integrate the response of phenol oxidases with soil management. We investigated phenol oxidase activity on a Maury silt loam (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Paleudalfs) soil after 33 years of imposed tillage and N fertilization treatments. Particle size fractions were investigated independently to help identify the location of the enzyme. Phenol oxidase activity was 1.7 times greater (P < 0.01) in no-tillage (NT) compared with moldboard plow (MP) in the control treatment (0 kg N ha−1), consistent with the known effects of tillage. The phenol oxidase was located primarily in the silt fraction, followed by the clay and sand in the NT. In NT, N fertilization (336 kg N ha−1) had a marked negative effect on soil phenol oxidase activity, showing a 38% decrease (P < 0.01) despite the increase in soil organic carbon (SOC). In contrast, MP plots were relatively insensitive to applied N rate. Phenol oxidase activity was related negatively to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (r = −0.49, P < 0.1), SOC (r = −0.49, P < 0.1) and dissolved organic carbon (r = −0.51, P < 0.1) in NT. This research provides new information about the response of phenol oxidase enzymes to long-term N fertilization in NT and MP systems. These findings suggest that manipulating the application rates of fertilizer N in soils under NT will make it possible to impact phenol oxidase activity.
Comparative pollen morphology in the early‐divergent angiosperm family Hydatellaceae reveals variation at the infraspecific level

The small aquatic family Hydatellaceae was recently assigned to the early‐divergent angiosperm order Nymphaeales. Pollen morphology is described using both SEM and LM for all 12 species of Hydatellaceae, and using TEM for one species (T. submersa). These observations are compared with pollen data from the other two families of Nymphaeales, Nymphaeaceae and Cabombaceae, including original observations for both genera of Cabombaceae. No significant interspecific variation in pollen morphology occurs in Hydatellaceae, though both of the perennial species (Trithuria inconspicua and T. filamentosa), which could be apomictic, possess at least partially sterile and collapsed pollen. Pollen of Trithuria is small, oblong or rounded (viewed from the distal pole) and monosulcate. The aperture has a distinct margin and extends the full length of the pollen grain. The exine is tectate‐columellate. The tectum is perforate: discontinuous with numerous small perforations randomly scattered over the entire non‐apertural surface. The exine surface is microechinate. In most species of Trithuria, a small percentage of pollen grains possess a trichotomosulcate aperture. In two species, rare atypical grains with striate or partially striate exine sculpturing were found. This striate pattern is very similar to exine sculpturing in Gymnotheca (Saururaceae, Piperales). The presence of anasulcate pollen does not contradict placement of Hydatellaceae within Nymphaeales, but this pollen type is also common among other early‐divergent angiosperms and monocots. Exine sculpturing differs between Cabombaceae, Hydatellaceae and Nymphaeaceae, but this character also differs between the two genera of Cabombaceae and among genera of Nymphaeaceae. Compared with other families of Nymphaeales, Hydatellaceae are relatively uniform in pollen morphology.
Observaciones morfométricas y reproductivas en el langostino Pleoticus muelleri Bate, 1888 procedente de embarcaciones comerciales del puerto Rawson, Argentina

The shrimp Pleoticus muelleri is the most important species in the crustacean fishery off Patagonian Argentine Sea. Morphometric and reproductive aspects of 1,564 specimens from Rawson Port zone, South Argentine, were analyzed. The shrimps were taken approximately 12 nm by the trawling coastal fleet, between January and April 2001. From the total sample, only 3.9% were juveniles. Mature and impregnated females were mostly found in January (86.27%) and the lowest peak was in March. Immature female shrimps were caught in only in April. These results show the importance to characterize the shrimps from landing samples, to the fishery management.
THEMATICS is Effective for Active Site Prediction in Comparative Model Structures

THEMATICS (Theoretical Microscopic Titration Curves) is a simple, reliable computational predictor of the active sites of enzymes from structure. Our method, based on well-established Finite Difference Poisson-Boltzmann techniques, identifies the ionisable residues with anomalous predicted titration behaviour. A cluster of two or more such perturbed residues is a very reliable predictor of the active site. The power of the method is that it only requires the three-dimensional structure as input. The protein does not have to bear any resemblance in sequence or structure to any previously characterized protein. The disadvantage of the method is that it does require the structure. We now present evidence that THEMATICS can also locate the active site in structures built by comparative modelling from similar structures. Results are given for three sets of orthologous proteins (Triosephosphate isomerase, 6-Hydroxymethyl-7, 8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase, and Aspartate aminotransferase) and for one set of human homologues of Aldose reductase with different functions. In all of the cases studied, THEMATICS correctly locates the active site in the model structures. This suggests that the method can be applicable to proteins for which an experimentally determined structure is unavailable.
Matrix metalloproteinases and collective cell migration in 24 h primary zebrafish explant cultures: MMP13 plays an inhibitory role and MMP14 may respond to stretch during reepithelialisation

Zebrafish keratocytes collectively migrate rapidly when established in explant cultures but little is known about the signals that initiate motility or the signal transduction pathways that result in an epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are strong candidates for playing a role in this regulation and have previously not been analysed in this wound healing model system. Results presented here document a rapid and dramatic rise in MMP14a, MMP2, MMP9 and MMP13a mRNA levels over time. In a motility assay, a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor and an inhibitor specific for MMP2 and MMP9 significantly decrease cell migration in a dose dependent manner but treatment with an MMP13 specific inhibitor significantly increases cell sheet area. Immunofluorescence staining with an antibody specific for the catalytic domain of MMP14 indicates that activated MMP14 protein is highly expressed on cells at the leading edge of a sheet compared with follower cells in the centre of the sheet, and is augmented further in leader cells that are stretched, thus likely in the process of detaching from the cell sheet. These data are consistent with a model in which active MMP14 at the leading edge of cell sheets in explant cultures triggers activation of MMP2 and/or MMP9, thus creating promigratory signal(s) that outweigh the inhibitory role of targets cleaved by MMP13. Taken together, these data suggest that MMPs play an important but complex role in regulating the collective cell migration of zebrafish keratocytes and provide support for the relevance of using zebrafish as a model for human disease.
EFFECTS OF DROUGHT STRESS ON BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN CALLUS CULTURES OF Carthamus tinctorius VARIETIES

The aim of the work was to evaluate the callus induction response and in vitro drought tolerance of eight genotypes of safflower. The experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement with three replications. To evaluate the drought tolerance of the genotypes, growing calli were exposed to drought stress after two subcultures by adding different concentrations of mannitol to the culture medium for one month. Under stress conditions, the genotypes were compared in terms of proline content, cell viability, relative growth rate, ion content (Na+ and K+), relative water content and index of tolerance. Drought affected all the measured biochemical and physiological factors and there were significant differences between the tested genotypes. The proline content increased in drought-stressed calli, and mannitol, as a stress agent, stimulated the synthesis of proline in all the genotypes, especially at the highest concentration (505 mM), whereas the ion contents, cell viability,.
QTL Analysis of Agronomic Traits in Rice Using SSR and AFLP Markers

A quantitative trait is a measurable trait that depends on the cumulative action of many genes and their interaction with the environment that can vary among individuals over a given range to produce a continuous distribution of phenotypes. The identification and mapping of QTLs for such traits has great significance for rice breeders. In this study, a genetic analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting 11 agronomical traits was performed using an F 2 population of a cross between two Oryza sativa ssp. indica type cultivars, ‘Domsiah’ and ‘IR44’, comprising 160 plants. A total of 22 QTLs were detected for 11 traits, including two for plant height (PH), one for full grain per panicle (FG), two for flag leaf width (FLW), three for 1000-grain weight (TGW), two for number of panicles per plant (NP), three for flag leaf length (FL), two for peduncle length (Pd), one for panicle exertion (PE), two for grain yield (GY), two for basal panicle length (BPL) and two for awn length (AL).
Evolution of female choice in seaweed flies: fisherian and good genes mechanisms operate in different populations

The relative contributions of the Fisher process and viability indicator mechanisms to the maintenance of a female mating preference in seaweed flies have been assessed. Both types of mechanism seem to operate, but their effectiveness varies in different populations depending on ecological factors. In stable populations not subject to tidal variation, all females prefer to mate with large males and produce large, ‘sexy’ sons. In contrast, females from a tidal population, which suffers regular genetic bottlenecks, appear to mate disassortatively with respect to both size and a chromosomal inversion system, thereby increasing the proportion of highly fit, heterokaryotypic offspring. This relation between population stability and female preference suggests that the Fisher process may not operate in populations suffering genetic bottlenecks.
Characterization of Trichoderma spp. Associated with Green Mold of Oyster Mushroom by PCR-RFLP and Sequence Analysis of ITS Regions of rDNA

Molecular profIles of PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA were compared between morphologically distinguishable species of Trichoderma isolated from substrates of oyster mushroom in Korea, T. atroviride, T. citrinoviride, T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, T. virens, and two unidentified species, Trichoderma sp. 1 and 2. PCR­RFLP analysis divided the Trichoderma spp. into six RFLP groups, A, B, C, D, E, and F. The RFLP groups were generally agreed with described morphological species, except that the RFLP group A containing the two unidentified species. A neighbor-joining tree based on ITS sequences well supported RFLP groups observed by RFLP analysis of ITS regions of rDNA. Additionally, the two unidentified species, Trichoderma sp. 1 and 2, which could not be distinguished by PCR­RFLP analysis, were separated in sequence analysis of ITS regions of rDNA.
Tetraploid induction and cytogenetic characterization for Clematis heracleifolia

Clematis heracleifolia is a beautiful garden plant, and both the whole plant and its root are important in traditional Chinese medicine. Polyploids are usually more valuable because they exhibit increased biomass and content of effective compounds for medicinal plants. This research aimed to induce tetraploidy in C. heracleifolia by the apical meristem method using 0.2% colchicine. Apical buds were induced under three treatments (24, 48 and 72 h) to explore the best treatment time. Cytology identification was accomplished for the obtained mutants and diploid controls. It showed that the highest mutation rate of up to 80% was obtained with the 48 h treatment. The leaves of mutants were much broader, thicker, and showed lower leaf index compared with controls by morphology examination. There were significant differences between tetraploids and controls for stoma size and stoma frequency at the 0.01 or 0.05 levels. The chromosome number of most mutants was 32 (2n = 4x), while the chromosome number of diploid controls was 16 (2n = 2x) by cytology observation of root tip cells. Mutants were further confirmed by the meiosis behavior of pollen mother cells. Compared with regular meiosis of diploid controls, induced tetraploids were cytogenetically distinguished from diploids by the occurrence of a quadrivalent configuration at diakinesis, asynchronous chromosome segregation at meiosis II and finally generating polyads with various numbers of unbalanced microspores. Other abnormalities were observed as laggard chromosomes and some chromosome bridges at anaphase I and II in induced tetraploids. As a consequence tetraploid mutants of C. heracleifolia were successfully developed by colchicine induction and identified in this study. This has implications for further breeding programs.