Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of somatic cell count and lactation stage on sheep milk quality

Abstract In order to evaluate the effects of mammary health status and lactation phase on the qualitative parameters of ovine milk, 213 individual milk samples were repeatedly collected from 40 primiparous Sarda ewes on a monthly basis. Yield, physico-chemical characteristics, casein fractions quantitative distribution, somatic cell count (SCC), cheese making properties and plasmin-plasminogen activity were determined on each sample. Repeated individual milk SCC were used as a marker of udder health status, allowing the definition of three classes: “Healthy” (H), “Infected” (I) or “Doubtful” (D). Samples were grouped into 4 classes of days in milk (DIM). To evaluate the influence of mammary health status and phase of lactation, a mixed model was performed using the ewe as random effect. Milk physico-chemical parameters were influenced both by the udder health status and by lactation phase. In particular, the udder health status adversely affected ケs1 and ゲ1-casein fractions (P00.01) and curd firmness (P00.05). Samples reactive to rennet were 92.73%, 70.65% and 64.60% in “H”, “D” and “I,” respectively. Lactation phase influenced the overall milk composition and technological characteristics. Plasmin activity was higher in the “I” group than in the others (16.1 vs 11.8 and 11.2 U/ml; P00.01) and it significantly (P00.01) increased during lactation. In conclusion, both mastitis and mammary involution are proven to exert a detrimental effect on milk quality since they enhance its endogenous proteolytic activity.
Oral administration of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains of intestinal and vaginal origin to healthy human females: Re-isolation from faeces and vagina

The healthy vaginal ecosystem is maintained by the interaction of the vaginal epithelium and the microflora, where lactobacilli and occasionally bifidobacteria play an important role. Imbalances in the dominance of lactobacilli may lead to bacterial vaginosis or yeast vaginitis. Probiotics may be a means to secure a favourable microbial balance in the vagina and, as the normal vaginal flora ascends from the rectal mucosa, a convenient form of administration may be via the oral gastrointestinal route. Ten healthy women of different ages were orally administered a blend of 12 selected Lactobacillus strains and three Bifidobacterium strains originating from the intestine and the vagina. The daily dose of each Lactobacillus strain was 1–3×109 CFU and 1×108 to 1×109 CFU for each Bifidobacterium strain, and the doses were given in an oatmilk/blueberry drink. The treatment went on for 10 days. Samples of faeces and vaginal fluid were taken immediately before the administration was started, after 10 days of administration and 7 days after the termination of the administration. Five strains were recovered from faeces and three from the vagina after treatment. The test strains could be found in 9 of the 10 volunteers. L. plantarum strains, originally isolated from intestinal mucosa, were recovered from the vagina of five subjects after treatment. The L. plantarum strains, together with one strain of L. crispatus and one L. gasseri strain, were recovered from faeces.
DEVELOPMENT OF STARCH AND OTHER COMPONENTS IN NORMAL AND HIGH AMYLOSE BARLEY

The rate of synthesis of starch in the North American six-rowed barley Glacier (C.I. 9676) was greater than that in the high amylose cultivar designated Glacier (Pentlandfield). In both cases most of the synthetic activity in the developing grain occurred between the third and sixth weeks after anthesis, but the total starch content of Glacier (Pentlandfield) was reduced by some 6% whilst its total production of protein and fats was greater. The ratio of amylose to amylopectin in the starch of both barleys increased during ripening of the grains, but the proportion of amylose in the mature starch of Glacier (Pentlandfield) attained a value of about 47%, compared with about 26% in Glacier (C.I. 9676). The average diameter of the starch granules in the high amylose barley was smaller than in normal barley at all stages of endosperm development. The two parental varieties and ten others closely related to Glacier were examined, but none possessed the high amylose characteristic.
Estimation of the Cell-Cycle Duration in the Root Apical Meristem: A Model of Linkage between Cell-Cycle Duration, Rate of Cell Production, and Rate of Root Growth

The Rate of Cell Production (RCP) method to measure the duration of the cell division cycle in the root apical meristem is proposed. The method is based on a model of the steady state growing root and implies that the number of cells produced in the meristem per unit time has to be equal to the number of cells shifting to the elongation zone and, in turn, equal to the number of cells completing elongation. The model is based on the following assumptions: (i) the cycle time for all meristematic cells is the same; (ii) all meristematic cells proliferate; (iii) the number of cells in a meristem (or in a cell file within the meristem), Nm, is constant; and (iv) the flux of cells into and out of the nonproliferating elongation zone is the same. The rationale and basis for these assumptions are considered in detail. The model of linkage for the average duration of the cell division cycle (T), the rate of cell production in the meristem, and the overall root growth rate (V) is described as following T = (ln2 Nmle)/V, where le is the final length of elongated cells. With the aid of the model, the cell-cycle duration can be estimated with the simply measured variables Nm, V, and le. The analysis of the published data demonstrated that in various plant species the values of T in the root apical meristem obtained with 3H-thymidine and colchicine methods and those calculated with the RCP method were in close agreement and the differences were not more than 10%.
Comparative Investigations of the Sandfish’s β-Keratin (Reptilia: Scincidae: Scincus scincus). Part 1: Surface and Molecular Examinations

The Sandfish (Scincidae: Scincus Scincus) Is a Lizard Capable of Moving through Desert Sand in a Swimming-Like Fashion. the Epidermis of this Lizard Shows a High Resistance against Abrasion Together with a Low Friction to Sand as an Adaption to a Subterranean Life below the Desert’s Surface, Outperforming even Steel. the Low Friction Is Mainly Caused by Chemical Composition of the Scales, which Consist of Glycosylated β-Keratins. in this Study, the Friction, the Micro-Structure, the Glycosylation of the β-Keratin Proteins and β-Keratin Coding DNA of the Sandfish in Comparison to other Reptilian Species Was Investigated, Mainly with the Closely Related Berber Skink (Scincidae: Eumeces Schneideri) and another Sand Swimming Species, the Not Closer Related Shovel-Snouted Lizard (Lacertidae: Meroles Anchietae). Glycosylated β-Keratins of the Sandfish, Visualized with Different Lectins Resulted in O-Linked Glycans through PNA Employed as Carbohydrate Marker. Furthermore, the Glycosylation of β-Keratins in Various Squamatean Species Was Investigated and All Species Tested Were Found Positive; however, it Seems Like both Sand Swimming Species Examined Have a much Stronger Glycosylation of their β-Keratins. in Order to Prove this Finding through a Genetic Foundation, DNA of a β-Keratin Coding Gene of the Sandfish Was Sequenced and Compared with a Homologue Gene of Eumeces Schneideri. by Comparison of the Protein Sequence, a Higher Abundance of O-Glycosylation Sites Was Found in the Sandfish (enabled through the Amino Acids Serine and Threonine), Giving Molecular Support for a Higher Glycosylation of the β-Keratins in this Species.
Applications of a Bioenergetics Model to Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) and Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum)

A simple energy budget equation is developed to yield a bioenergetics model designed to simulate fish growth. Parameters for the model are estimated from the literature for application to yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum). Simulations are presented that demonstrate model output as functions of body size, activity level, ration level, food quality, and environmental temperature. Sensitivity analyses identify the importance of food consumption, activity, and excretion as biological processes represented in the parameters. On the basis of temperature conditions in selected lakes and specified feeding levels, simulations are presented to quantify the importance of year-to-year variation of temperature in determining growth. In heterothermal systems, temperature selection by percids can have a significant effect on growth. For walleye on fixed rations, annual growth can vary from zero to twofold increments due entirely to differences in summer temperatures. Variations i.
Effects of dietary energy level and tanniferous Acacia karroo leaf meal level of supplementation at finisher stage on performance and carcass characteristics of ross 308 broiler chickens in South Africa

The study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary energy level and tanniniferous Acacia karroo leaf meal level of supplementation at finisher stage on performance and carcass characteristics of male and female Ross 308 broiler chickens. Three hundred and sixty, 21 days old male and female broiler chickens were assigned to twelve treatments with three replications of ten birds in a 2 (sex) x 3 (dietary energy level) x 3 (tanniniferous Acacia karroo leaf meal level) factorial, complete randomized design. Supplementation with Acacia karroo leaf meal had no effect on diet intake, digestibility and live weight of broiler chickens. However, supplementation with 9 and 12 g of Acacia karroo leaf meal per kg DM feed reduced fat pad weights in male broiler chickens by 26 and 29% points, respectively. Similarly, supplementation with 9 and 12 g of Acacia karroo leaf meal per kg DM feed reduced fat pad weights in female chickens by 26% points. These reductions were achieved without any significant reduction in feed intake and digestibility. However, the physiological explanation for this effect is not clear and it, thus, merits further investigation.
Pyrophosphate as an Energy Donor in the Cytosol of Plant Cells: an Enigmatic Alternative to ATP

: Pyrophosphate serves as an alternative energy donor to ATP for sucrose mobilisation via sucrose synthase, for glycolysis via pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase, and for tonoplast energisation via the tonoplast proton-pumping pyrophosphatase. This review considers the possible roles of these pyrophosphate-driven reactions. Correlative evidence based on expression patterns, the distribution of proteins and activities in various tissues, and comparisons of the in vitro properties of the enzymes with the in vivo metabolite levels indicates an important role in young growing tissues and in stress conditions including anaerobiosis, but interpretation is complicated by the reversibility of the pyrophosphate-driven reactions and by their duplication by ATP-dependent reactions. The review then considers the evidence emerging from experiments using reversed genetics to alter expression of sucrose synthase, the pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase, and the tonoplast proton-pumping pyrophosphatase. This approach has revealed that sucrose synthase plays an essential role in sucrose breakdown in potato tubers, and that pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase catalyses a near-equilibrium reaction with a net flux in the direction of glycolysis. However, it does not support a special role of the latter enzymes in stress responses. Interpretation is complicated by compensation, which can include expression of other members of a gene family, use of alternative pathways, and relaxation of the feed back regulation in response to decreased expression of the enzyme. In an alternative approach, ectopic overexpression of soluble pyrophosphatase from E. coli has been used as a tool to decrease the levels of pyrophosphate in the cytosol. Constitutive overexpression leads to dramatic changes in sucrose and starch synthesis, sink-source relations and plant growth, phloem-specific overexpression of soluble pyrophosphatase leads to an inhibition of phloem transport, leaf mesophyll-specific overexpression leads to a small stimulation of sucrose synthesis, and potato tuber-specific overexpression leads to an inhibition of starch accumulation.
Demography of feral camels in central Australia and its relevance to population control

Since their release over 100 years ago, camels have spread across central Australia and increased in number. Increasingly, they are being seen as a pest, with observed impacts from overgrazing and damage to infrastructure such as fences. Irregular aerial surveys since 1983 and an interview-based survey in 1966 suggest that camels have been increasing at close to their maximum rate. A comparison of three models of population growth fitted to these, albeit limited, data suggests that the Northern Territory population has indeed been growing at an annual exponential rate of r = 0.074, or 8% per year, with little evidence of a density-dependent brake. A stage-structured model using life history data from a central Australian camel population suggests that this rate approximates the theoretical maximum. Elasticity analysis indicates that adult survival is by far the biggest influence on rate of increase and that a 9% reduction in survival from 96% is needed to stop the population growing. In contrast, at least 70% of mature females need to be sterilised to have a similar effect. In a benign environment, a population of large mammals such as camels is expected to grow exponentially until close to carrying capacity. This will frustrate control programs, because an ever-increasing number of animals will need to be removed for zero growth the longer that culling or harvesting effort is delayed. A population projection for 2008 suggests ~10 500 animals need to be harvested across the Northern Territory. Current harvests are well short of this. The ability of commercial harvesting to control camel populations in central Australia will depend on the value of animals, access to animals and the presence of alternative species to harvest when camels are at low density.
Acoustic analysis of an intergrade zone between two call races of the Limnodynastes tasmaniensis complex (Anura : Leptodactylidae) in south-eastern Australia

Mating calls of the northern and southern call races of the L. tasmaniensis complex are described. Analysis of call structure along a transect across the main contact between these allopatric forms in north central Victoria indicates that there is a zone of intergradation between 90 and 135 km wide, about 215 km long and with a north-westerly orientation. The interaction is interpreted as a secondary contact in which there is hybrid or recombinant superiority along a subtle ecological gradient.
Cyanophycean Flora 0f Southern Himanchal Pradesh, India

The present paper deals with 37 taxa, 18 genera, 32 species, 4 varieties and 1 forma explored from southern Himanchal Pradesh of India. These taxa are represented by Microcystis , Chroococcus , Aphanocapsa , Aphanothece , Merismopedia , Coelosphaerium , Gomphosphaeria , Stichosiphon , Oscillatoria , Lyngbya , Pseudanabaena , Cylindrospermum , Anabaena , Nostoc , Nodularia , Fortiea , Calothrix , Anabaenopsis . Out of 37 taxa, 27 are first report from the study area. Key words : Fresh-water, blue-green algae, systematics, southern Himanchal Pradesh, India. doi: 10.3126/eco.v15i0. 1939 ECOPRINT 15: 29-36, 2008
Meat quality and fatty acid composition of pasture-finished beef steers fed barley and soybeans

The effect of supplemention on the performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid composition of pasture-finished cattle was studied. Thirty-two steers were assigned to four treatments in a randomized block design. Treatments were: totally mixed ration (TMR) [confinement-fed total mixed ration (60% grass silage, 40% rolled barley], pasture only (rotationally grazed temperate mixed pasture); pasture plus barley (the same pasture plus 4.5 kg DM hd-1 d-1 rolled barley) and pasture plus soybeans (the same pasture plus 1.8 kg DM hd-1 d-1 whole roasted soybeans). Steers were slaughtered after 105 d on test. Tissue samples were collected at slaughter for analysis of meat quality and fatty acid content. Dry matter (DM) intakes were greater for TMR-fed cattle (P < 0.05). Among the pasture-fed cattle those fed barley (P < 0.05) consumed more total DM than those given pasture alone. Rates of BW gain were higher for TMR-fed steers than those fed pasture only (P < 0.05). Carcass weights and dressin.
Will European soil‐monitoring networks be able to detect changes in topsoil organic carbon content?

Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, articles 3.3 and 3.4 stipulate that some voluntary activities leading to an additional carbon (C) sequestration in soils could be accounted as C sinks in national greenhouse gas inventories. These additional C stocks should be verifiable. In this work, we assess the feasibility of verifying the effects of changes in land use or management practice on soil organic carbon (SOC), by comparing minimum detectable changes in SOC concentration for existing European networks suitable for soil monitoring. Among the tested scenarios, the minimum detectable changes differed considerably among the soil‐monitoring networks (SMNs). Considerable effort would be necessary for some member states to reach acceptable levels of minimum detectable change for C sequestration accounting. For SOC, a time interval of about 10 years would enable the detection of some simulated large changes in most European countries. In almost all cases, the minimum detectable change in SOC stocks remains greater than annual greenhouse gases emissions. Therefore, it is unlikely that SMNs could be used for annual national C accounting. However, the importance of organic C in soil functions, and as an indicator of soil condition and trends, underlines the importance of establishing effective national SMNs.
Effects of different boiling time of soybean ( Glycine max (L) merril) on growth performance of tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) fingerlings

A 56-day feeding trial was conducted with Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) fingerlings fed soybean boiled at different periods. The period treatment variations were unboiled soybean as control (T 1 ); soybean seeds boiled for 20 minutes (T 2 ); 30 minutes (T 3 ); 40 minutes (T 4 ) and for 50 minutes (T 5 ). The soybean seeds so treated were sun dried, milled and were used to formulate iso-nitrogenous diets (25% crude protein). The trials were conducted in hapas of 1m 3 submerged in a pond. The diets were fed at 5% body weight and each hapa was stocked with 20 fingerlings. Evaluation of growth parameters and nutrient utilization of fish fed the experimental diets was based on mean weight gain (MWG); specific growth rate (SGR); protein efficiency ratio (PER); food conversion ratio (FCR) and survival rate. There was significant difference (P 4 had the highest MWG (2.40g); SGR (0.63% day -1 ); PER (1.76) and conversely the lowest FCR (0.41). While fish fed diet T 1 had the lowest MWG (0.32g) SGR (0.14% day -1 ); PER (0.25) and highest FCR (2.39). Therefore fish fed raw soybean had the lowest growth and least utilized the diet. Keywords : boiling time, soybean, Oreochromis niloticus Journal of Aquatic Sciences Vol. 21(1) 2006: 15-18
Electron Microscopical Investigations of a New Species of the Genus Sappinia (Thecamoebidae, Amoebozoa), Sappinia platani sp. nov., Reveal a Dictyosome in this Genus

The genus Sappinia belongs to the family Thecamoebidae within the Discosea (Amoebozoa). For long time the genus comprised only two species, S. pedata and S. diploidea, based on morphological investigations. However, recent molecular studies on gene sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene revealed a high genetic diversity within the genus Sappinia. This indicated a larger species richness than previously assumed and the establishment of new species was predicted. Here, Sappinia platani sp. nov. (strain PL-247) is described and ultrastructurally investigated. This strain was isolated from the bark of a sycamore tree (Koblenz, Germany) like the re-described neotype of S. diploidea. The new species shows the typical characteristics of the genus such as flattened and binucleate trophozoites with a differentiation of anterior hyaloplasm and without discrete pseudopodia as well as bicellular cysts. Additionally, the new species possesses numerous endocytobionts and dictyosomes. The latter could not be found in previous EM studies of the genus Sappinia. Standing forms, a character of the species S. pedata, could be formed on older cultures of the new species but appeared extremely seldom. A loose layer of irregular, bent hair-like structures cover the plasma membrane dissimilar to the glycocalyx types as formerly detected in other Sappinia strains.
Reproductive Biology and Annual Variation of Reproductive Variables of Black Drum in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Black drums Pogonias cromis were sampled from commercial and recreational catches in the northern Gulf of Mexico from July 1987 to September 1990, Seasonal onset of spawning, evidenced by the presence of postovulatory follicles in ovarian tissue sections and by elevated gonadosomatic indices, occurred in January of each year (one female with hydrated oocytes was sampled in December 1988). Atretic oocytes observed in mid to late April indicated imminent cessation of spawning. Two of 115 females less than age 5 had achieved sexual maturity; all females age 5 and older were mature. Fifty percent maturity of females was attained at 640–649 mm fork length and all females larger than 690 mm were mature. Male black drums entered the breeding population at a younger age (>50% maturity at age 4) and a smaller size (50% maturity at 610–620 mm). Multiple oocyte stages observed throughout the annual spawning seasons verified groupsynchronous oocyte development and multiple batch spawning. Estimated batch fec.