Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic organization of plant microtubules at the three distinct transition points during the cell cycle progression of synchronized tobacco BY-2 cells

Dynamic changes of microtubule (MT) configuration have been examined during the cell cycle progression in tobacco BY-2 cells, which have been highly synchronized by aphidicolin treatment. Although it has been shown previously that four cell cycle stages display characteristic features of MTs (Hasezawa et al., 1991), distinct changes of MT configuration were observed at the interfaces of G2/M, M/G1 and G1/S, and the frequency of appearance of such distinct structures were quantitatively examined. Among others, it is the first observation that at M/G1 disintegrating phragmoplasts coexisted with short MTs in the perinuclear envelopes, but the MTs disappeared in the later stage, when cortical MTs were organizing. Thus it is supposed that cortical MTs originate from the transiently observed short MTs in the perinuclear region. This observation offered also an experimental system to analyze the molecular changes of MTs at the three interfaces during cell cycle progression in plant cells, as the mass culture of tobacco BY-2 cells is readily available.
Riqueza e distribuição espaço-temporal de anuros em um remanescente de Floresta de Araucária no sudeste do Paraná

Species richness, spatial distribution and the seasonal occurrence of anurans (adults and tadpoles) were studied throughout 15 months in an Araucaria forest remnant at Fazenda Rio Grande, Parana State, Brazil. Thirty-two species were registered, which corresponds to the third largest anuran richness in Parana State. The spatial distribution of the species was not uniform between habitats sampled: 46% of the species were associates with opened areas, occurring exclusively in habitats of open areas and/or in forest edges, 34% were associated with forest habitats, occurring, in habitats forest and/or forest edge, while that 13% were classified as generalists as they occurred in open formations, at the edge and interior of the forest fragments. The reproductive period of the species was correlated with rainfall, since 80% of the species were found in breeding activity the rainy season. About 40% of the registered anuran species were associated on the habitat features provided by the forest cover which reinforces the importance of conservation of Araucaria Forest remnants.
Fusarium commune is a new species identified by morphological and molecular phylogenetic data

Fusarium commune sp. nov. was isolated from soil and Pisum sativum in Denmark and several widespread locations within the northern hemisphere from diverse substrates including white pine, Douglas fir, carnation, corn, carrot, barley and soil. Fusarium commune is characterized by and distinguished from its putative sister taxon, the F. oxysporum complex, in having long, slender monophialides and polyphialides when cultured in the dark. Based on the combined DNA sequence data from translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) and the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA (mtSSU rDNA), the 15 isolates of F. commune analyzed formed a strongly supported clade closely related to but independent of the F. oxysporum and Gibberella fujikuroi species complexes.
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitory, Antioxidant Activities, and Antihyperlipidaemic Activities of Protein Hydrolysates From Scallop Mantle (Chlamys Farreri)

Scallop mantle (Chlamys Farreri) was hydrolysed with commercially available food-grade mixed proteases. The resulting hydrolysates of scallop protein hydrolyzate contained high levels of Glu, Gly, Asp, Arg, Ala, and Pro, and showed DPPH, hydroxyl radicals scavenging abilities, and reducing power. In this study scallop protein hydrolyzate had angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity in vitro with an IC50 of 10.28 mg/ml. It was also found that oral administration of scallop protein hydrolyzate decreased total serum cholesterol and triglyceride, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in rats fed with high-fat diet. The above results indicate that scallop protein hydrolyzate may prove to be a promising functional agent for the prevention and treatment of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and other cardiovascular diseases.
EFFECTS OF CELL DENSITY, TEMPERATURE, AND LIGHT INTENSITY ON GROWTH AND STALK PRODUCTION IN THE BIOFOULING DIATOM ACHNANTHES LONGIPES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) 1

Achnanthes longipes Ag. is a marine stalk‐forming diatom that grows in dense biofilms. The effects of cell density, temperature, and light on growth and stalk production were examined in the laboratory to determine how they affected the ability of this diatom to form a biofilm. Stalk production abruptly increased when A. longipes was cultured at a density of 5.4 × 103 cells·mL− 1 , with a lag before stalk production occurring in cultures initiated at lower densities. Growth occurred at all temperatures from 8 to 32° C, with maximum growth at 26° C. Growth rate was light saturated at 60 μmol photons·m−2·s− 1 . Stalk production was determined as the proportion of cells producing stalks and stalk length in response to various temperatures and light intensities at high (5000 cells·mL− 1 ) and low (500 cells·mL− 1 ) densities. More cells formed stalks at high density, with no difference in stalk length. The proportion of cells producing stalks was maximal at 20° C, with little change at 17–32° C. Stalk length was at a maximum between 14 and 26° C. Stalk production showed little change in response to varying light intensity. The results of an earlier investigation on the effects of bromide concentration on stalk formation were expressed as the proportion of cells forming stalks and the lengths of the stalks. Both measures of stalk production varied with bromide concentration, with maximum values at 30 mM bromide. The increased stalk production at higher densities may be a means of elevating cells above the substrate to avoid competition in the dense biofilm.
Short‐term variation in the isotopic composition of organic matter allocated from the leaves to the stem of Pinus sylvestris: effects of photosynthetic and postphotosynthetic carbon isotope fractionation

We aimed to quantify the separate effects of photosynthetic and postphotosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination on δ13C of the fast‐turn‐over carbon pool (water soluble organic carbon and CO2 emitted from heterotrophic tissues), including their diel variation, along the pathway of carbon transport from the foliage to the base of the stem.
Tuber latisporum sp. nov. and related taxa, based on morphology and DNA sequence data

A new species of white truffles, Tuber latisporum, is described from southwestern China. This species can be distinguished from other species in the genus by its white and pubescent ascomata, pseudoparenchymatous peridium and broadly ellipsoid ascospores with alveolate reticulum. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of this and morphologically similar species using ITS sequences demonstrated that it is significantly different from other white truffles such as T. borchii, T. puberulum, T. zhongdianense, T. liui, T. dryophilum, T. magnatum, T. rapaeodorum, T. foetidum and T. maculatum. Data from ITS sequences indicate that white and black truffles are not monophyletic lineages.
Field biology experiences of undergraduate students: the impact of novelty space

Fieldwork is generally considered an essential aspect of teaching and learning about biology, at both school and university level. However, previous research suggests that the novelty of being in an unfamiliar field environment can negatively, as well as positively, impact on the student experience and learning. This research uses the framework of novelty space to explore the student experience of an undergraduate biology field course to South Africa. It also evaluates the impact of enhanced pre-course preparation (using a CD resource) on the students' experiences in the field. The research uses questionnaires and student diaries (video, audio, and written) to investigate, first hand, the student experience of fieldwork. This paper explores the impact of four aspects of ‘novelty space’ (geographical, cognitive, psychological and social) on the student experience, and considers what action tutors can take to reduce the impact of the novelty effect and enhance student learning in the field. It appears that novelty is an important mediating factor which may influence student learning in the field, and that prior preparation can help students adjust to the new environment.
A Fault Tolerant Control Structure for an Induction Motor Drive System

In this paper the Fault Tolerant (FT) vector controlled induction motor drive system is described and tested in various drive conditions. The influence of the rotor speed sensor faults on the properties of the analyzed drive are tested. Faults detection algorithms, based on different algorithms are developed and described. The results of the simulation carried out using the MATLAB/Sim Power System software are verified in experimental tests in Micro Lab Box DS 1202, in a wide range of motor speed changes. The proposed detection algorithms can be successfully applied in the Fault Tolerant Drive Systems (FTDS).
Religious education in Greece: a new curriculum, an old issue

Religious Education (RE) in Greece is a compulsory school subject according the 2011 new framework for compulsory education, entitled ‘New School’. This article focuses on two statutory documents for RE, ‘The Curriculum for RE’ and the ‘The Teacher’s Guide for RE’, and the pilot scheme of the new curriculum running in school years, 2011–2014, in 188 schools (primary and secondary education). Findings of the research demonstrate that, though the revision seems inevitable, the pedagogical and theological dimension of the RE curriculum is radical as it is based on contemporary theories and methodologies of the construction of the curriculum and RE approaches. However, the article indicates constructivist and critical approaches to RE that influenced the change to an actual non-confessional compulsory subject and also highlighted the tension between an overall constructivist approach to learning and the traditional orthodox content of much of the curriculum. The author opens a discussion on problematic aspects that need to be taken in to consideration when revising the curriculum.
Elephant Loxodonta africana driven woodland conversion to shrubland improves dry-season browse availability for impalas Aepyceros melampus

Abstract Along the Chobe Riverfront in northern Botswana, elephants Loxodonta africana have reduced woodland cover and modified woody species composition, forming shrublands. We tested the hypothesis that this has favoured the impala Aepyceros melampus population and contributed to the observed population increase by creating more available dry-season browse. Our results suggest that the increasing Capparis shrubland represents a key browsing habitat. The mixed Combretum shrubland was a less important browsing habitat, as female impalas browsed proportionally to the time spent feeding, but this habitat has more than doubled in extent, to almost 60% since 1962, thus providing much more available browse. The Baikiaea woodland, which has declined to less than half of its extent during 1962–1998 mainly due to elephant impacts, provided the least amount of dry-season browse for impalas. Impalas browsed mostly below 70 cm and conversion of woodland to shrubland has increased the availability of browse at this height. Our study suggests a three-way ecological interaction, with elephants changing the vegetation, and impalas increasing in number due to greater food availability.
Spatial climate models for Canada’s forestry community

We summarize ongoing efforts at the Canadian Forest Service to produce spatial climate models for Canada and the United States. Our models, which encompass a wide range of variables and spatiotemporal extents, typically employ thin plate smoothing splines to interpolate and extrapolate climate station values as a function of latitude, longitude and elevation. The resulting surfaces can be resolved as grids (i.e., maps) or as point estimates at locations of interest. Recent efforts, detailed here include: updated models for the most recent 30-year normal period (i.e., 1981–2010), moisture balance models, future climate projections using the latest round of general circulation model (GCM) outputs and emissions scenarios, lake ice freeze/thaw models, and growing season models. These models are available to the Canadian forest community and beyond via the internet (http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/projects/3) or by contacting the senior author.
The dynamics of tree populations in tropical forest: a review

ABSTRACT Published work on the dynamics of forest tree recruitment, growth and mortality in natural tropical forest is reviewed. In most forests studied, annual mortality is between 1% and 2% and is independent of size class in trees >10 cm dbh; mortality is negatively correlated with growth rate and crown illumination; growth rate is highly variable between individual trees, but shows strong autocorrelation between successive measurements on the same tree. Differences in the rate of dynamic processes can be detected between some species at a site, but data are presently insufficient to determine whether these differences are preserved at other sites where the species occur. None of the studies discussed are of sufficient duration to permit us to draw any conclusions about the equilibrium or non-equilibrium of floristic composition.
Factors Influencing Scope for Activity and Active and Standard Metabolism of Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri)

Scope for activity was similar for hatchery and wild rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), except at 25 C where values for wild trout were significantly higher than those for hatchery trout. In hatchery and wild rainbow trout, respectively, scope for activity was highest at 15 and 20 C. Active metabolism increased with temperature to 570 and 592 mg O2/kg per hr at 15 and 20 C, respectively. At 25 C, active metabolic rates of wild trout were higher than those for hatchery trout. In hatchery and wild trout, respectively standard metabolism increased from 36 and 42 mg O2/kg per hr at 5 C to 138 and 120 mg O2/kg per hr at 25 C.Scope for activity of hatchery trout was highest after 6 days starvation. Starvation had no effect on active metabolism of hatchery trout, but decreased their standard metabolism after 2 days.Scope for activity and active and standard metabolism of wild trout were similar during forenoon to those during afternoon when light simulated natural day and night and also when lighting was constant .
Microfiltration of Milk with Third Generation Ceramic Membranes

The objective of this study was to compare the behavior of different ceramic membranes during skimmed milk microfiltration. Permeate flow rates, protein rejection, and decimal reduction of bacteria were compared for three different 1.4-µm pore size ceramic membranes, one of which was considered traditional (ceramic multichannel membrane) while the other two had a modified structure (on either the macroporous support or the filtering layer). Permeate flux ranged from 400 to 530 Lm−2h−1 at 0.5 bar of transmembrane pressure. Protein rejection values between 0.8 and 2.9% were obtained. Temperature (21–45°C) did not have a significant effect. Membranes showed decimal reduction in total bacterial count between 3.5 and 5.2, with Isoflux® membranes showing higher values. The lifespan of microfiltered milk was extended to 10 days in the absence of heat treatment.
Métodos de controle de plantas daninhas e desrama precoce no crescimento do eucalipto em sistema silvipastoril

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of chemical and mechanical weeding and pruning on the early growth of eucalyptus under the silvopastoral system, consisting of Eucalyptus saligna (clone 34039), spaced 9 x 3 m and Brachiaria brizantha. The treatments consisted of a 5 x 2 factorial, with five levels of pruning: 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% live crown and two types of eucalyptus crown, mechanical and chemical weeding. The following parameters were evaluated: Gain in height, diameter at ground level and canopy volume at 90, 180, 270 and 360 days after application (DAA), and at 640 DAA, growth in diameter and height, and stem dry matter. There were no significant differences for the parameters evaluated for the weeding methods. However, there was no effect for the intensity of pruning and time of evaluation. In all periods, the increase in the level of pruning caused a reduction in growth in height and diameter. At 90 DAA, 40% of the pruned plants showed a reduction in height growth of 69% and 87% for diameter, compared to plants not pruned, and, at 360 DAA, with this difference falling to 21.8 and 22.8% for height and diameter, respectively. At 640 DAA, indication of recovery of the pruned plants was observed but no negative effects of pruning intensity on the growth of eucalyptus were found. It was concluded that the type of weeding did not influence the early growth of eucalyptus and early pruning facilitates glyphosate application, but causes plant growth reduction.
Environmental correlates of annual survival differ between two ecologically similar and congeneric owls

Understanding how survival is affected by the environment is essential to gain insight into population dynamics and the evolution of life-history traits as well as to identify environmental selection pressures. However, we still have little understanding of the relative effect of different environmental factors and their interactions on demographic traits and population dynamics. Here we used two long-term, individual-based datasets on Tawny Owl Strix aluco (1981-2010) and Ural Owl S.uralensis (1986-2010) to undertake capture-mark-recapture analysis of annual survival of adult females in response to three biologically meaningful environmental variables and their two-way interactions. Despite the similar ecology of these two species, their survival was associated with different and uncorrelated environmental drivers. The main correlate of Tawny Owl survival was an inverse association with snow depth (winter severity). For Ural Owl, high food (vole) abundance improved survival during years with deep snow, but was less important during years with little snow. In addition, Ural Owl survival was strongly density-dependent, whereas Tawny Owl survival was not. Our findings advise caution in extrapolating demographic inferences from one species to another, even when they are very closely related and ecologically similar. Analyses including only one or few potential environmental drivers of a species' survival may lead to incomplete conclusions because survival may be affected by several factors and their interactions.
An assessment of the Prochilodus platensis Holmberg population in the Pilcomayo River fishery, Bolivia using scale‐based and computer‐assisted methods

The catch from the fishery for the migratory Prochilodus platensis Holmberg on the Rio Pilcomayo shows considerable annual variation. Peaks were apparent in 1981 and 1982, followed by very low returns between 1983 and 1985 and a resurgence in 1986. The catch in 1986 was 1011t with the degree of annual variation probably lying between 500 and 2000t. In the Pilcomayo P. platensis is a rapidly growing short-lived fish with a maximum life expectancy of 6-7 years and an upper size approaching 61.5cm. The fish first migrate and appear in Bolivian’ waters when they are 21/2-3 years old, having spent the first 2 years on the nursery grounds, probably on the Argentine/Paraguay section of the river. Although fish of this age were numerous in the 1986 catches, the optimal market size is rather larger, and older fish are taken preferentially. The fishery actually depends upon very few age classes. A comparison of growth and mortality rates obtained from scale reading and from length frequency analysis by ELEFAN programs showed a close agreement. The considerable fluctuations in the fishery are largely due to the highly variable flood regime of the river rather than to fishing pressure, with the flood determining recruitment in 2 years’ time. Nevertheless, a combination of a sequence of poor flood years with sustained fishing pressure could seriously damage the fishery.
White Paper on Televised Political Campaign Debates

This White Paper is a collaborative effort sponsored by the Publication Committee of the American Forensic Association and the Research Board of the National Communication Association. The paper is intended to survey existing research on televised campaign debates, indicate areas for future research, consider the resources needed to expand and improve current research efforts, and encourage more systematic and sustained inquiry. The report summarizes existing research conducted about televised campaign debates in respect to format, the nature and number of participants, contexts, the utterances of the candidates, the style of presentation, media coverage, and diffusion. It highlights four questions that should help direct future research: (1) How do debates achieve their effects? (2) What are the characteristic of the best debates? (3) How can we optimize the potential of the debates? (4) How can we best study the debates? The paper also notes two compelling needs in terms of resources: an archive containing comprehensive records of media coverage of the debates and a longitudinal dataset on citizens' responses to debates.
Syntheses of C‐3‐Modified Sialylglycosides as Selective Inhibitors of Influenza Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase

In an effort to develop new structures as inhibitors of both influenza virus proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, a series of sialic acid derivatives, including those with one of the hydrogen atoms at the C-3 position replaced by either OH or F, were synthesized. The sialic acid derivative with a 3-eq-OH group was first synthesized by means of a new process and used as the key intermediate for further derivatization at the C-3 position. The stability of these compounds under acid- and sialidase-catalyzed hydrolysis conditions was studied, and the results showed that these compounds exhibit stronger resistance towards both conditions than their parent p-nitrophenyl α-sialoside. Further inhibition assay indicated that the 3-ax-OH or F derivatives 4, 5, and 24, the 4-epimer of 4, are effective specific inhibitors of the sialidases from Clostridium perfringens, among other bacterial sialidases tested. The 3-eq-OH derivative 3, however, showed little inhibition. The same tendency was observed for the inhibition of human influenza sialidases N1 and N2. Compounds 3−5 and sialic acid were then converted into the distealoylphosphatidylethanolamine conjugates. Of these liposome-like compounds, the ones from 4 and 5 showed potent and selective inhibitory activities against the hemagglutinin H3 subtype, but displayed resistance to the influenza virus neuraminidases N1 and N2.
Engineering Identities

This paper considers the construction by students of feminine and masculine identities in an engineering department in an old Scottish university. It utilises theories of identity that emphasise fragility, contradictions and ambiguity in multiple processes of identity formation, which might involve identification with the dominant gender order, counter identification and resistance, or disidentification and transformation. The paper shows how, while things have changed significantly for young professional women, they and their male peers still reinscribe dominant notions of femininity and masculinity. Gender remains an issue even as the visibility and confidence of women works to destabilise traditional patterns. A narrative approach seeks to represent the voices of these students, and the social lines of power that criss-cross the webs of identity construction.