Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occurrence of Bean Golden Mosaic Virus in Florida.

An epidemic of bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV-H) was observed in the winter of 1993 in South florida. The disease was found in common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, and lima beans, P lunatus, in southwest Dade County and southeast Palm Beach County. In a survey of 125 fields in Dade County, there was an average disease incidence of 26%, with higher disease incidences in fields of cranberry beans and pole beans than in snap beans. Approximately 3O% of the estimated 11,000 ha planted to snap beans in South florida was affected. In snap bean fields where BGMV-H was most severe, growers reported yields of 26-87 hL/ha compared to expected yields of 115 hL/ha. In some cases, fields were completely abandoned or destroyed. The disease was not detected in the other winter bean production areas in South florida. An isolate of the virus from Homestead (BGMV-H) was mechanically transmissible to P vulgaris cv. Topcrop, and the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (also known as Bemisia argentifolii) was an efficient vector of the virus in transmission tests. Plants with bright golden mosaic symptoms tested positive for geminivirus infection when extracts were probed (dot blots) with A component DNA from a geminivirus infecting the weed Macroptilium lathyroides or from the recently identified tomato mottle geminivirus, both from florida. The bean samples did not react with probes prepared to the B components for either of these viruses. Hybridization probes prepared to A and B components of BGMV-H gave strong reactions with extracts from beans infected with BGMV isolates from Guatemala and from the Dominican Republic. This is the first report of an epidemic of BGMV occurring in the continental United States
Anthocephalus cadamba (Roxb.) Miq., Rubiaceae, extract shows hypoglycemic effect and eases oxidative stress in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

The hydroethanolic extract of the flowering tops of Anthocephalus cadamba (Roxb.) Miq. , Rubiaceae, a Bangladeshi medicinal plant, was studied for its potential hypoglycemic effect and antioxidant property in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The extract induced significant reduction in serum glucose, and transaminases, e.g. aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatases (ALP), activities. Significant changes in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), peroxidase and catalase levels during the experimental period were also observed. The results established that the hydroethanolic extract of the flowering tops of A. cadamba possesses hypoglycemic property and is able to protect liver and brain from oxidative damages caused by diabetes.
Mechanisms of Coexistence of Optimal Foragers as Determinants of Local Abundances and Distributions of Desert Granivores

Foraging theory can be applied to the study of ecological communities. We developed and tested several local mechanisms of species coexistence based on foraging theory for a desert granivore community in a heterogeneous landscape in the Negev Desert, Israel. The most common species were Allenby's gerbil ( Gerbillus allenbyi ), Wagner's gerbil ( Gerbillus dasyurus ), and crested lark ( Galerida cristata ). Allenby's gerbils were most abundant on sandy substrates; Wagner's gerbils were most abundant on cobble and loess substrates; crested larks occurred across all three. To test among predictions of the different mechanisms of coexistence, we used live-trapping and counts to census rodents and birds, recorded spoor in sand-tracking plots to determine habitat-specific activity patterns, and measured giving-up densities in depletable food patches to estimate relative foraging efficiencies on different substrates and within different habitats. Allenby's gerbil had an advantage in habitat selection by being the most efficient forager (lowest giving-up densities on seeds in feeding trays) in the sandy habitat. The crested lark was the tolerant forager. Its foraging abilities were affected little by escape substrate, foraging substrate, or food type. As a result, the crested lark had three advantages: it was the most efficient forager in the loess habitat, it was a better insectivore than the gerbils, and its diurnal habit allowed it first access to seed patches that renew in the afternoon in the sandy habitat when winds typically arise. In response to our measures of foraging aptitude, Wagner's gerbil revealed no advantage over the other species, and factors promoting its success eluded our proposed mechanisms of species coexistence. Foraging ecology and community ecology can be integrated to understand local species distributions, abundances, and community structure and organization. Uniform conceptual and methodological techniques can be applied across taxa and communities. We were able to relatively quickly test which mechanisms of coexistence apply. In the community we studied, there were two species whose presence we feel we understood and one species whose presence remained an enigma.
Liana diversity and abundance as related to microenvironment in three forest types located in different elevational ranges of the Eastern Himalayas

Background: Liana diversity and abundance in forests along an elevational range is poorly understood. Aims: To study the diversity and abundance of lianas in three forest types located in different elevational belts of the Eastern Himalayas, and to explore the role of microenvironmental factors in relation to liana abundance. Methods: Adult (≥ 0.2cm diameter at breast height) and juvenile lianas were enumerated in 0.1ha and 1m2 plots in lower montane, montane and upper montane forests between 1200 and 3000m above sea level. Ten microenvironmental variables were related to liana density within each forest type using stepwise forward multiple regression analysis, and across the forest types by using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Results: Liana species richness followed the order: lower montane > montane > upper montane forest. Light and soil phosphorus (P) concentration were related to adult liana density. Soil pH, P, light and relative humidity were related to seedling density. The positioning of 43 liana species with respect to light, soil pH, nitrogen and P gradients in CCA plots indicated species-specific microenvironmental preferences. Conclusions : Liana diversity and abundance decreased with increasing elevation, and at each elevation were related to specific microenvironmental variables and differential species response.
Increasing model robustness for stem cell regulation in plant shoots

The transcription factor WUSCHEL and the peptide CLAVATA3 have key roles to plat in the regulatory network effecting the differentiation of the stem cells at the shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis. The signal pathway of this network has been under investigation for several years and models utilizing the already identified parts of the network have been developed. Such models have however so far been unable to explain a buffering ability of WUSCHEL against certain perturbations made experimentally to the promoter strength of CLAVATA3. For this thesis several alternative models have been proposed and investigated. All of them have a basis in a previously published model and adds or replaces different connections in order to be able to produce the experimentally observed dynamics. These in silico experiments have yielded several new models that are able to explain the buffering capabilities of WUSCHEL. They also show that many types of self-activation of WUSCHEL can produce not only the WUSCHEL buffering dynamics, but also the dynamics of the additional six mutant experiments that were used as a basis for the previous model.
THALLUS DIFFERENTIATION OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, GROWTH, REPRODUCTION, AND UV‐B SENSITIVITY IN THE GREEN ALGA ULVA PERTUSA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) 1

The chlorophyte Ulva is perceived as a simple and uniform algal form, with little functional differentiation within a thallus. We compared morphology, pigmentation, photosynthesis, growth, reproduction, and UV‐B sensitivity between different thallus regions of Ulva pertusa Kjellman. Thallus thickness and cell size were significantly greater, whereas cell number was less in the basal region than in other regions. Photosynthetic pigment contents were lowest in the basal region and increased toward the marginal region. Photosynthetic capacity and photosynthetic efficiency normalized to fresh weight, area, volume, and cell number showed a progressive increase from the basal to marginal parts; however, on a chl basis those values were equal regardless of thallus part. Values of light saturation point were not statistically different between regions. Growth rates increased from marginal to basal and to middle parts of the thallus, whereas sporulation was highest in marginal (100%) followed by middle (30%) and basal parts (0%). Daily observation over 9 days showed that 56% of the basal cells divided once and did not produce spores, whereas every marginal cell went through its first division and 89% of the primary daughter cells also divided, resulting in 100% sporulation. A 7‐day treatment with PAR and PAR + UV‐A caused a significant decrease in the effective quantum yield of all thallus regions, followed by a recovery toward the initial values, whereas PAR + UV‐A + UV‐B irradiation led to greater photoinhibition and less recovery. Marked differences in the UV‐B sensitivity were observed, with marginal parts being more sensitive and basal parts most resistant.
Epigenetic inheritance systems in bdelloid rotifers. I. Maternal‐age‐related biochemical effects

Abstract The present study focuses on the changes of protein patterns that occur with age and on their maintenance across orthoclonal generations (i.e., lines that belong to the same clone and that differ with the age of their ancestors). About 500 individuals of the bdelloid rotifer Macrotrachela quadricornifera were cultivated and processed, and their protein phenotypes compared by a similarity test. The number of protein bands decreased with the age of the individuals. Young rotifers had the young protein pheno‐type when born from young mothers, and the old protein pattern when born from aged ones. The age of their grandmother was irrelevant. On the basis of these results, bdelloid rotifers seemed to transmit to the offspring their biochemical phenotype modified by age and the modified phenotype could persist over the two generations considered. Thus, a truly evolutionarily ancient partheno‐genetic taxon, such as Bdelloidea, apparently produces variable offspring by transmitting phenotypic variations i.
Intraspecific variations and phylogenetic relationships among heat tolerant strains of Steinernema siamkayai (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) from Pakistan.

The genetic diversity and phylogenetic intraspecific relationship among thirty heat tolerant strains of Steinernema siamkayai from Pakistan were investigated during summer season. DNA fragment lengths of amplified ITS region obtained from eighteen Steinernema strains ranged from 742 to 1009 bp (182 bp nucleotide difference). There were high intraspecific variations among the Pakistani strains detected from different regions of Pakistan 0.01 to 0.09 %. However, the fragment length of twelve strains of amplified 12S rDNA gene ranged from 500 to 594 bp. The intraspecific variation of the sequences ranged from 0.02 to 0.07 % (94 bp nucleotide difference). Phylogenetic relationships based on both molecular makers ITS rDNA and 12S rDNA gene was constructed by using Bayesian Interference (BI) and Maximum Parsimony (MP) tree. Both the rDNA ITS1 and 12S rDNA genes sequences are useful for resolving relationships among S. siamkayai strains. The highest survival rate for heat tolerance was observed in PAK.S. S.38 (5600±5.5 IJs/ml) at 39.5 oC. In Galleria mellonella, the mortality % was 100±2.8 in PAK.S. S.58 and the reproduction rate was 1018.8±5.5 (IJs/mg larvae) in PAK.S. S.38 strain. The mortality % and reproduction rate was found maximum in PAK.P.S.80 of Planococcus ficus (95.74±2.8; 223.3±2.8 IJs/mg larvae).
Genetic diversity and ecological niche modelling of the restricted Recordia reitzii (Verbenaceae) from southern Brazilian Atlantic forest

Genetic diversity analyses, coupled with ecological niche modelling (ENM) of species with a restricted distribution, may provide valuable information for understanding diversification patterns in endangered areas. We analyzed the genetic diversity of Recordia reitzii, a tree restricted to the threatened and highly fragmented Brazilian Atlantic forest, using three intergenic cpDNA spacers and ten microsatellite (SSR) loci. To assess the historical processes that may have influenced the distribution of extant R. reitzii populations, the current potential distributions of R. reitzii and Recordia boliviana, a closely related species, were modelled and projected onto the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Last Interglacial (LIG) periods. Niche divergence was quantified between these two. The cpDNA and SSR data showed a north–south pattern of the diversity distribution and structured populations, suggesting that gene flow is probably limited. According to our data, R. reitzii exhibits low genetic diversity, which may be a result of a founder or distribution-reduction effect, narrow distribution or small population size. The ecological niche models showed a wider palaeodistribution during the LIG and a retraction during the LGM for both species. Tests of niche divergence and conservatism indicated that bioclimatic factors might have influenced the diversification of these Recordia species. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 176, 332–348.
Key Habitats in Swedish Managed Forests

Species preservation has permeated Swedish nature conservation. Pressure recently exerted on the Swedish National Board of Forestry by environmentalists has resulted in large-scale inventories of areas ('key habitats') that contain or are assumed to contain red-listed species. 40,000 key habitat sites have been identified in forests with private ownership and a similar number is expected in company and state forests. The companies will themselves implement the inventories. Key habitat sites now appear to cover 0.8% (some 200,000 ha) of the productive forest land. The protection and management of the key habitat site is, to a large extent, left to the individual owner. The inventories considered mainly the occurrence of bryophyte, fungal and lichen species, and the population or community concepts were not taken into account. There is therefore a lack of understanding of the key habitat sites as to extinction risks, successional trends, spatial population dynamics, and community interactions. Functional sites should be identified, probably based on some especially sensitive species in the communities. Some preliminary studies in a particular key habitat demonstrate great problems for conservation, e.g. with succession, species dependence on area and on specific habitat features, and an independence of the species richness of different taxa in various sites. Many key habitat sites cannot be left without some management if the species pool is to be preserved. Therefore, it is suggested that adaptive management with large-scale experimentation with buffer zones, corridors and supply of limiting resources be adopted. At the same time monitoring appears necessary to certify the persistence of representative species.
Canopy dynamics of Eucalyptus maculata Hook. IV. Contrasting responses to two severe droughts.

Contrasting responses of a Eucalyptus maculata forest at Kioloa on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, to two serious droughts of similar duration and overall rainfall deficiency in 1980 and 1982 are described. Annual rainfall in 1982 was the lowest and that in 1980 the second lowest in a century. Pronounced shrinkage of tree boles in winter, wilting of foliage and massive leaf-shedding in the forest when soil moisture was exhausted during spring 1980 were not repeated in 1982-83, although measured soil water deficits reached extreme values on three occasions. Annual rainfall in 1982 was of more favourable distribution in relation to the occurrences of critical soil moisture deficits than in 1980. This, together with relatively low evaporative demand, enabled eucalypts to maintain an adequate internal water status, and explains the small response of forest canopies to one of the worst droughts ever in terms of rainfall deficiency.
Variability in reproductive investment of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in relation to the ocean–climate dynamics in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is characterised by significant climatic and oceanographic variability such as the seasonal monsoon and the decadal and inter-annual oscillation of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Understanding the effects of ocean–climate variability on marine top predators is important for both fisheries and ecosystem management. To test the hypothesis that variability in surface and subsurface temperature affects the annual reproductive cycles of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean, we examined the seasonal and inter-annual variations of the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and determined hatch date by using otolith microstructure analysis. The GSI tended to be higher in January–February during the north-eastern monsoon when seawater cooling at the subsurface layer is induced by the seasonal inflow of the South Equatorial Countercurrent (SECC). The mode of the hatch-month distribution was also detected in that season. The generalised linear model (GLM) resulted in a dome-shaped quadratic relationship, with a peak GSI between 24°C and 26°C occurring at a depth of 50 m during austral summer. These findings indicate that seasonal monsoons and associated changes in oceanographic conditions strongly affect the energy-allocation pattern of skipjack tunas.
A comparative kinetic study on β-amylase and its antioxidant property in germinated and non germinated seeds of Glycine max. L

Enzyme activity plays a key role in each stage of plant development starting from the initial seed germination responses. A comparative analysis of beta amylase activity was performed, isolated from germinated and non germinated Glycine max seeds, which was partially purified by dialysis. The optimum pH and temperature for germinated seeds was found to be 4.5 and 37 0 C and that for non germinated seeds were 5.5 and 75 0 C respectively. MnCl 2 and CoCl 2 exhibited marked activating effect on the enzyme, while HgCl 2 was a potent inhibitor for both seeds. The K m and Vmax value for β-amylase with soluble starch as substrate was found to be 3.03mg/ml and 6.6micromol/min/ml for germinated seed and for non germinated seeds it was found to be 5mg/m and 10micromole/min/ml respectively. The molecular weight of partially purified enzyme was 57±1kDa on SDS PAGE with 1.918 fold purification and 27.98% yield for germinated seeds and for non germinated seeds the purification fold was 1.507 with 26.65% yield. The enzyme showed highest amount of total antioxidant activity of 304µg/ml in partially purified germinated seed. For ABTS free radical scavenging activity, partially purified enzyme from germinated seed showed the highest of 76.09% activity with an IC 50 value of 58. 20µg/ml . Germinated seeds have highest enzymatic activity which can be considered for several industrial purposes.
Negligible Effect of Ginkgo Biloba Extract on the Pharmacokinetics of Cilostazol

Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) extract is a widely used phytomedicine for the oral treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Cilostazol is a synthetic antiplatelet and vasodilating agent for the treatment of intermittent claudication resulting from peripheral arterial disease. It is likely to use concomitantly G. biloba extract and cilostazol for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, which raises a concern of increasing their adverse effects of herbal-drug interactions. To clarify any possible herbal-drug interaction between G. biloba extract and cilostazol, the effect of the G. biloba extract on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol was investigated. As cilostazol is known to be eliminated mainly by cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated metabolism, we investigated the effects of G. biloba extract on the human CYP enzyme activities and the effect of G. biloba extract on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol after co-administration of the two agents to male beagle dogs. The G. biloba extract inhibited more or less CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 enzyme activities in the in vitro microsomal study with values of 30.8, 60.5, and , respectively. In the pharmacokinetic study, co-administration with the G. biloba extract had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol in dogs, although CYP2C has been reported to be responsible for the metabolism of cilostazol. In conclusion, these results suggest that there may not be a pharmacokinetic interaction between G. biloba extract and cilostazol.
UNIQUE LOCATION OF THE PHYCOBILIPROTEIN LIGHT‐HARVESTING PIGMENT IN THE CRYPTOPHYCEAE 1

The cryptophyte algae, or cryptomonads, comprise a small algal group with a unique photosynthetic apparatus. Both a chlorophyll a/c2 light‐harvesting complex and a phycobiliprotein antenna (which can be either phycoerythrin or phycocyanin) are present, with the phycobiliprotein playing the major role in harvesting light for photosynthesis. Longstanding circumstantial evidence suggested that, in cryptophytes, the phycobiliprotein is located in the intrathylakoid space (thylakoid lumen) rather than on the outer surface of the thylakoid as part of a phycobilisome as in other algae. We used immunogold labeling to show conclusively that 1) the phycoerythrin (PE) of the cryptophyte Rhodomonas lens Pascher and Ruttner is located within the intrathylakoid space, 2) the PE is not exclusively bound to the thylakoid membrane but instead is distributed across the thylakoid lumen and 3) a fraction of this PE is tightly associated with the thylakoid membrane. The thylakoids are not everted to compensate for this unusual arrangement. The location of the major light‐harvesting pigment on the “wrong” side of the otherwise very normal photo‐synthetic membrane is unexpected, unique to the cryptophytes, and, remarkably, does not impair the photosynthetic abilities of this organism. A model is presented which incorporates these results ‐with previous information to give a complete structural picture of the cryptophyte light‐harvesting apparatus.
Ecological, physiological, and biomolecular surveys on microalgae from Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Abstract Results of analyses on pico, nano‐ and microphytoplankton from the sea‐ice of Terra Nova Bay, during austral summer 1995–96, are reported. In this environment, among the 116 taxa that we found, the most abundant were diatoms (102). The interior algal community of the sea‐ice was dominated by Fragilariopsis spp. , Archeomonas areolata, and hypnozygotes of Porella glacialis. In the algal mat at the deeper layer of the ice, however, diatoms showed higher density. Photoautotrophic picoplankton was also present and red‐fluorescing cells, small eukaryotes and phycocyanin‐rich cyanobacteria prevailed over phycoerythrin‐rich cyanobacteria. Besides these data, ultrastructural, physiological and biomolecular surveys on three Antarctic sea water microalgae, of which only Koliella antarctica was known, were also carried out. The 18S rDNA gene sequences of K. antarctica and other closely related species allowed us to verify that the Koliella genus belongs to Trebouxiophyceae, while as regards the other two taxa, one of them was found to belong to the Heterococcus and the other to the Pyramimonas genus. They might be unde‐scribed species of the Southern Ocean. Pyramimonas sp. , found in Terra Nova Bay during the austral summer 1998–99, carried tri‐chocysts. Moreover, K. antartica, like Heterococcus sp. , showed great ability to live both in fresh water and at different salinities.