Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land conversion at the protected area's edge

Protected areas are a common strategy to conserve biodiversity, ecological function, and ecosystem services. Through land market dynamics, however, protected area establishment can induce effects inimical to conservation goals. We examined the factors explaining land conversion within 2 km buffers of protected areas in Michigan, United States. We employed multilevel logistic models, with and without autocovariates, utilizing a multimodel inference paradigm. The most parsimonious models indicated that parcels with more developed, forested, and protected land in their vicinity, with well‐drained soils, at lower elevations, nearer roads and urban areas, in areas of greater population, and originally in agriculture are more likely to be developed. There is weak support for attributes of protected areas such as size, access, ownership, and protection mechanism affecting nearby land conversion. Our results stress the importance of a well‐designed system of protected areas and broad evaluations of the impacts of existing and future threats.
Calcium and phosphorus balances with laying birds

1. A series of balance experiments to compare calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and calcium gluconate as sources of calcium for laying hens is described. 2. Not one of the three supplements showed all-round superiority, but calcium sulphate was the worst. 3. The main results indicate that: (a) Calcium sulphate and gluconate cause scouring but carbonate does not. (b) The best retention of calcium occurs with gluconate and the worst with sulphate. (c) Calcium carbonate gives the best shells and calcium sulphate the worst. 4. The experiments also throw fresh light on some more general aspects of calcium and phosphorus metabolism. 5. On the basis of these general results and a review of the literature of blood calcium and phosphorus in laying hens a theory dealing with certain aspects of egg-shell formation is presented.
Use of Gas Chromatograms of the Essential Leaf Oils of the Genus Eucalyptus for Taxonomic Purposes

Using morphological observations, botanists have classified Eucalyptus species into characteristic series. A new vacuum distillation technique has been employed to obtain the characteristic leaf oils, which are very close to their in vivo compositions, from 35 species belonging to series Tetrapterae, series Torquatae and series Rufispermae. Accurate gas chromatograms have been obtained for each species and three analytical techniques (principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA)) have been used to process these chromatograms to see if agreement with these classifications could be achieved without using any auxiliary morphometric data. For the species chosen for the present study, linear discriminant analysis was the most successful in assigning species to their present botanic classifications. These analytical methods were also used with some success in searching for groupings within a series and within a species.
Repertório botânico da "Pitombeira" (Talisia esculenta (A. ST.-HIL.) Radlk. - Sapindaceae)

The authors present results on research with Talisia esculenta (A. St.-Hil.) Radlk. (Sapindaceae) commonly know as "pitomba" or "pitombeira" with botanical aspects concerning the morphology, taxonomy, geographical distribution and uses. The species is widely distributed in Brazil and is more frequently used in the north and northeast regions of the country
Analysis of genetic diversity of Pinus koraiensis plantation in CaoHekou forest farm by ISSR marker.

With ISSR method,the paper studied genetic diversity of 60 individuals in two populations of Pinus koraiensis plantation in Benxi CaoHekou forest farm.Through the amplification of ISSR with 14 primers,90 loci in which 65 were polymorphic were detected and percentage of polymorphic loci was 0.722 2.Nei's index showed the levels of genetic diversity of Xiquegou population(0.278 9) was higher than Lieshimu population(0.271 2);Shannon's index got the same result with Nei's.This study confirmed that P.koraiensis plantation in CaoHekou forest farm save the more genetic diversity.
Freezing Tolerance of Winter Canola Cultivars is Best Revealed by a Prolonged Freeze Test

Small but important differences in winter survival are known to exist between winter canola cultivars. The objective of this study was to compare a short-term (lethal temperature for 50% plant kill [LT 50 ]) and a prolonged (lethal duration time for 50% plant kill [LD 50 ]) freeze test to identify differences in freezing tolerance of winter canola (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera Metzg. and Brassica rapa L. var. oleifera Sink.) species and cultivars. Viability following each freeze test was determined by electrolyte leakage, plant survival, biomass of shoot regrowth, and root regeneration. Plant survival from the LT 50 (cooling rate 3°C h −1 ) and LD 50 (−8°C isothermal for up to 24 d) tests were poorly correlated, and only the LD 50 test was able to identify cultivar differences in freezing tolerance. Electrolyte leakage did not correlate with actual survival measurements in both freeze tests. Shoot regrowth was a more sensitive viability test than plant survival. Brassica rapa plants subjected to the LT 50 test showed greater shoot regrowth than B. napus plants, yet no cultivar differences were found within each species. In the LD 50 freeze test, no difference in shoot regrowth was detected between the species; however, cultivar differences were found within both species. Tolerance to prolonged freezing is critical for winter survival, and the LD 50 freeze test may allow more accurate screening for species and cultivars with improved freezing tolerance than the LT 50 freeze test.
Hydrodynamics‐based transfection of the liver: entrance into hepatocytes of DNA that causes expression takes place very early after injection

The mechanism of gene transfer into hepatocytes by the hydrodynamics‐based transfection procedure is not clearly understood. It has been shown that, after a hydrodynamic injection, a large proportion of plasmid DNA remains intact in the liver where it is bound to plasma membrane and suggested that this DNA could be responsible for the efficiency of the transfection.
Stockage de carbone et flux de gaz à effet de serre en prairie (synthèse bibliographique)

Dans l’optique d’une attenuation des emissions de Gaz a Effet de Serre (GES) des systemes d’elevage, les ecosystemes prairiaux peuvent jouer un role important vu leur potentiel de sequestration de carbone (C) dans les sols. Une evaluation pertinente de la contribution des systemes d’elevage herbivores aux emissions de GES necessite donc de raisonner en termes de bilan, en considerant a la fois les sources de GES et leur compensation via la sequestration de carbone par les prairies. Cette synthese, basee sur des resultats experimentaux recenses dans la litterature, fait apparaitre l’importance de considerer conjointement les flux des trois principaux GES : dioxyde de carbone (CO2), protoxyde d’azote (N2O), methane (CH4). De plus, les bilans de C et de GES des parcelles presentent une grande variabilite, essentiellement liee aux conditions pedoclimatiques et aux modes de gestion. Cet article souligne la necessite de poursuivre les mesures a l’echelle de la parcelle et ce, pendant suffisamment d’annees, de maniere a etablir des bilans robustes et integrant la variabilite interannuelle. Enfin, il met en evidence la necessite d’ameliorer la comprehension des mecanismes controlant les differents echanges, en relation avec les facteurs environnementaux et les modes de gestion et ce, afin de pouvoir proposer des itineraires techniques capables de maintenir un puits de carbone minimum, tout en limitant les emissions de methane et de protoxyde d’azote.
Detection of κ-casein and β-lactoglobulin variants in Holstein Friesian cattle by PCR-RFLP.

A polymerase chain reaction–Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism assay was performed on genomic DNA extracted from blood samples of 281 pure Holstein Friesian bulls/ bull calves, to detect allelic variants of the bovine kappa casein and beta-lactoglobulin gene responsible for milk production traits. A 350 bp fragment of kappa casein and 247 bp fragment for beta-lactoglobulin was amplified and digested with Hinf I and Hae III restriction enzymes respectively. Two types of alleles A and B and three types of genotypes AA, BB and AB for kappa casein and beta-lactoglobulin were observed in the study which are useful markers for milk production traits on which bull can be evaluated and selected for future breeding programmes.
IDENTIFICATION OF GREEN ALGAL ENDOPHYTES AS THE ALTERNATE PHASE OF ACROSIPHONIA (CODIOLALES, CHLOROPHYTA) USING ITS1 AND ITS2 RIBOSOMAL DNA SEQUENCE DATA

The internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA cistron of green algal endophytes, previously identified as Chlorochytrium inclusum Kjellman and Codiolum petrocelidis Kuckuck, were sequenced. Culture studies have implicated marine Chlorochytrium and Codiolum‐like cells in the life histories of a number of macrophytic green algae. The identity of the endophytes was resolved by comparing DNA sequences from unicells endophytic in the foliose red alga Mazzaella splendens (Setchell et Gardner) Hommersand and in the crustose phase of Mastocarpus papillatus (J. Agardh) Kylin, with sequences from species of Acrosiphonia, Urospora, Ulothrix, and Monostroma. All endophyte isolates were more closely related to species of Acrosiphonia than to those of Urospora, Ulothrix, or Monostroma. The results support previous culture studies, and conclusively identify the endophytes obtained in the field as alternate life history phases of one or more Acrosiphonia species in southern British Columbia, Canada.
Taxonomic revision and phylogeny of Paedotherium and Tremacyllus (Pachyrukhinae, Hegetotheriidae, Notoungulata) from the Late Miocene to the Pleistocene of Argentina

ABSTRACT Two genera of the subfamily Pachyrukhinae (Notoungulata, Hegetotheriidae), Paedotherium and Tremacyllus, are revised. The material comes from late Miocene (Chasicoan) to early Pleistocene (Marplatan) localities in Argentina and Bolivia. The genus Raulringueletia is here considered a synonym of Paedotherium. Three valid species of Paedotherium are recognized and re-characterized: P. bonaerense, P. typicum, and P. minor. Two species of Tremacyllus are recognized: T. impressus in the Pampean region, and T. incipiens in Catamarca Province. The presence of Tremacyllus sp. into the late Chasicoan extends its known temporal range. Pachyrukhos occurs slightly earlier within the Chasicoan, coexisting with Paedotherium. Paedotherium is dominant in frequency in the Pampean area (Buenos Aires and La Pampa) and extremely scarce in the Subandean region (Catamarca), while Tremacyllus has an opposite occurrence. Cladistic analysis of the subfamily shows Paedotherium as a monophyletic group, where P. bonaerense i.
Energy use and biodiversity loss

This paper evaluates the proposition that rates of population and species extinction can be assessed by using an indirect measure: total consumption of energy (industrial plus traditional) by man. This proposition rests on three assumptions. First, the rate of extinction is proportional to the rate of habitat destruction because most organisms are adapted to rather limited environments. Second, the rate of habitat destruction is correlated with the scale of human enterprise: the product of the number of people, average consumption, and the environmental damage done by the technologies used to supply each unit of consumption. Third, average energy can be used as a surrogate for the latter two factors, consumption x technology. Total energy use is therefore an indicator of trends in extinction rates, and thus could be used to estimate the rates themselves. I examine these premises and conclude that they are sufficiently well supported for biologists to use total energy consumption as an index of global extinction rates. That index, however, is not useful politically because the assumptions upon which it is based are not understood by decision makers and the general public.
Repeated vicariance of Eurasian songbird lineages since the Late Miocene

Aim The evolution of avian speciation patterns across much of Eurasia is under‐explored. Excepting phylogeographic patterns of single species, or speciation involving the Himalayas, there has been no attempt to understand the evolution of avian distributional patterns across the rest of the continent. Within many genera there is a pattern of (presumed) sister species occurring in adjacent areas (western, eastern or southern Eurasia), yet this pattern cannot be explained by existing biogeographic barriers. My aim was to examine the possible role of climate‐driven vicariance events in generating avian distributions.
DOCK2 Is Required in T Cell Precursors for Development of Vα14 NK T Cells1

Mouse CD1d-restricted Vα14 NKT cells are a unique subset of lymphocytes, which play important roles in immune regulation, tumor surveillance and host defense against pathogens. DOCK2, a mammalian homolog of Caenorhabditis elegans CED-5 and Drosophila melanogaster myoblast city, is critical for lymphocyte migration and regulates T cell responsiveness through immunological synapse formation, yet its role in Vα14 NKT cells remains unknown. We found that DOCK2 deficiency causes marked reduction of Vα14 NKT cells in the thymus, liver, and spleen. When α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a ligand for Vα14 NKT cells, was administrated, cytokine production was scarcely detected in DOCK2-deficient mice, suggesting that DOCK2 deficiency primarily affects generation of Vα14 NKT cells. Supporting this idea, staining with CD1d/α-GalCer tetramers revealed that CD44−NK1.1− Vα14 NKT cell precursors are severely reduced in the thymuses of DOCK2-deficient mice. In addition, studies using bone marrow chimeras indicated that development of Vα14 NKT cells requires DOCK2 expression in T cell precursors, but not in APCs. These results indicate that DOCK2 is required for positive selection of Vα14 NKT cells in a cell-autonomous manner, thereby suggesting that avidity-based selection also governs development of this unique subset of lymphocytes in the thymus.
Resurrection of the Pronotocrepini Knight, with Revisions of the Nearctic Genera Orectoderus Uhler, Pronotocrepis Knight, and Teleorhinus Uhler, and Comments on the Palearctic Ethelastia Reuter (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae)

ABSTRACT The Nearctic genera Orectoderus Uhler, Pronotocrepis Knight, and Teleorhinus Uhler are revised. One new species from Texas, Teleorhinus crataegi, sp. nov., is described. Teleorhinus oregoni Knight, 1968 is transferred to Orectoderus Uhler. The following new synonyms are proposed (senior synonym first): O. arcuatus Knight = O. schuhi Knight; O. montanus Knight = O. utahensis Knight, O. Salicis Knight, and O. cockerelli Knight; O. obliquus Uhler = O. ruckesi Knight; P. clavicornis Knight = P. ribesi Knight and P. ruber Knight; T. cyaneus Uhler = T. brindleyi Knight and T. nigricornis Knight; T. tephrosicola Knight = T. floridanus Blatchley and T. utahensis Knight; O. bakeri Knight = T. oregoni Knight Orectoderus and Teleorhinus are transferred from the Hallodapini Van Duzee to the Pronotocrepini Knight. The Palearctic genus Ethelastia Reuter, 1876, is reviewed and transferred from the Phylini to the Pronotocrepini. A rediagnosis for the tribe Pronotocrepini, a key to the included genera, keys to males and females, illustrations of male and female genitalia, except for the female of Teleorhinus crataegi, new species, dorsal habitus photographs, scanning micrographs of selected structures, and new locality and host-plant records are included for all species.
Effects of elevated atmospheric [CO2] on instantaneous transpiration efficiency at leaf and canopy scales in Eucalyptus saligna

Rising atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (Ca) can reduce stomatal conductance and transpiration rate in trees, but the magnitude of this effect varies considerably among experiments. The theory of optimal stomatal behaviour predicts that the ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration (instantaneous transpiration efficiency, ITE) should increase in proportion to Ca. We hypothesized that plants regulate stomatal conductance optimally in response to rising Ca. We tested this hypothesis with data from young Eucalyptus saligna Sm. trees grown in 12 climate‐controlled whole‐tree chambers for 2 years at ambient and elevated Ca. Elevated Ca was ambient + 240 ppm, 60% higher than ambient Ca. Leaf‐scale gas exchange was measured throughout the second year of the study and leaf‐scale ITE increased by 60% under elevated Ca, as predicted. Values of leaf‐scale ITE depended strongly on vapour pressure deficit (D) in both CO2 treatments. Whole‐canopy CO2 and H2O fluxes were also monitored continuously for each chamber throughout the second year. There were small differences in D between Ca treatments, which had important effects on values of canopy‐scale ITE. However, when Ca treatments were compared at the same D, canopy‐scale ITE was consistently increased by 60%, again as predicted. Importantly, leaf and canopy‐scale ITE were not significantly different, indicating that ITE was not scale‐dependent. Observed changes in transpiration rate could be explained on the basis that ITE increased in proportion to Ca. The effect of elevated Ca on photosynthesis increased with rising D. At high D, Ca had a large effect on photosynthesis and a small effect on transpiration rate. At low D, in contrast, there was a small effect of Ca on photosynthesis, but a much larger effect on transpiration rate. If shown to be a general response, the proportionality of ITE with Ca will allow us to predict the effects of Ca on transpiration rate.
Species-specific phytoplankton growth rates via diel DNA synthesis cycles. III. Accuracy of growth rate measurements in the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum.

The accuracy of species-specific phytoplankton growth rates estimated by cell cycle analysis was tested with the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum (Pav.) Sch. under conditions of altered nitrogen and phosphorus availability. Reduced nutrient availability caused major changes in the duration of cell cycle phases. At the nutrient level of complete f/2 media, the length of the combination of S, G2, and M phases was about 8 h at growth rates of 0.53 to 0.56 d-' A decrease in ~ 0 ,o~r N-O3 concentration extended the S+G2+M phase to about 15.5 to 17.7 h at growth rates ranging from 0.41 to 0.30 d-' Changes in phase durations dld not significantly affect growth rate estimates. In addition, a minimum growth rate, calculated from the maximum values on phase fraction curves, was shown to be usable as an error detector in some cases. Results support the validity of cell cycle analysis to measure in situ growth rates.
Speech perception of children and adults in a dual-task paradigm under noisy conditions

Human hearing benefits from several binaural and monaural cues. Therefore, it is possible to hear and understand speech in complex acoustic scenes. Children spend a considerable amount of time in educational buildings, where mostly a highly complex acoustic scene is existing. Previous studies have already shown, that children have to expend more effort to recognize speech in these situations, especially in noisy situations. However, these studies were conducted using adult target speech and multi-talker babble based on adults’ voices as background noise, but a realistic scene consists of adults as well as children voices and relevant and irrelevant noises. This work presents an experiment using a dual-task paradigm to assess children speech perception and listening effort under different noise conditions considering aurally-accurate reproduction methods. The same experiment has been carried out with adults in a further step as a comparison with the initial children run.
Rice cold tolerance at the reproductive stage in a controlled environment

A tolerância do arroz (Oryza sativa L.) ao frio no periodo reprodutivo e importante para garantir alto rendimento em ambientes com temperatura baixa. No entanto, a selecao em condicoes de campo nao permite identificar fontes adequadas de tolerância e limita a selecao de linhas segregantes devido a temperatura variavel. Este trabalho teve por objetivo definir uma metodologia capaz de distinguir genotipos de arroz quanto a sua tolerância ao frio no periodo reprodutivo quando avaliados sob temperatura controlada. O efeito do frio foi investigado em seis genotipos de arroz submetidos a 17°C por periodos variaveis de tempo (tres, cinco, sete e dez dias) em dois estadios do periodo reprodutivo (microsporogenese e antese). A tolerância ao frio foi avaliada por meio da porcentagem de reducao na exercao da panicula e na fertilidade de espiguetas. O resultados indicaram que avaliar a tolerância ao frio por meio da reducao na exercao da panicula nao permitiu separar genotipos tolerantes ao frio de genotipos sensiveis e, quando avaliada por meio da reducao na fertilidade de espiguetas, no minimo sete dias foram necessarios para diferenciar os genotipos quanto a tolerância ao frio. Eles foram mais sensiveis ao frio na antese que na microsporogenese e, como estes estadios foram altamente correlacionados, a selecao sob frio poderia ser feita somente neste estadio, que e de mais facil determinacao. Logo, a tolerância do arroz ao frio no periodo reprodutivo pode ser avaliada por meio da reducao na fertilidade de espiguetas devido a temperatura baixa (17°C) aplicada por sete dias no estadio de antese.
Barrels and pagodas: clarifying the identity and variability of two nominal taxa of carinated land snails in the genus Plagiodontes (Gastropoda: Orthalicidae: Odontostominae)

Plagiodontes weyenberghii (Doering, 1877) has a shell with a strong suprasutural keel; the species inhabits a restricted area in Central Argentina. Plagiodontes weyenberghii minor (Parodiz, 1939) was described as a subspecies with obese shells and broader geographic distribution; some populations were sympatric with Plagiodontes daedaleus (Deshayes, 1851). A discriminant analysis on 244 adult shells combined with original information on the internal anatomy confirmed the distinctiveness of P. weyenberghii weyenberghii, whereas P. weyenberghii minor showed a broad overlap with P. daedaleus and no evidence of anatomical differences. As a consequence, P. weyenberghii minor is considered a junior subjective synonym of P. daedaleus daedaleus (Deshayes, 1851). Plagiodontes weyenberghii (Doering, 1877) has unique characteristics such as the weak vascularization of the pallial system, the relative size of the penial papilla and its accessory lobe, the markedly swollen distal portion of the bursa copulatrix duct, the spermoviduct with two whorls, and the vagina with a medial depression.