Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A COMPUTER-BASED TECHNIQUE FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL SOUNDS

ABSTRACT The method usually used to identify different sounds or divisions of sounds is to compare sonagrams visually. There have been some attempts to reduce the subjectivity and increase the repeatability of this approach, for example by tracing the sonagrams onto paper and examining the areas of overlap and mismatch, the use of multi-variate statistics and digitising tablets. Digital recording of sounds has allowed sounds to be input directly into computers which can be used to display sounds and facilitate measurement. To date there has been little attempt at their use for analysis. We outline a series of programs which have been developed to compare statistically any unit of a sound with a pre-recorded library of similar units. The creation of such a library allows the rapid and objective categorisation of large numbers of sounds. These programs have been used to analyse songs recorded from wrens Troglodytes troglodytes and house crickets Acheta domesticus. Potential applications of this software to .
Phytochemical Composition and In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Justicia WYNAADENSIS Leaves

Medicinal plants are primary source of healing and widely used for the treatment of various ailments. In the present study is to determine phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of Justicia wynaadensis family (Acanthaceae) by using different solvents such as petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate, acetone, and methanol. The phytochemical analysis of all solvents crude extract showed positive result for alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins terpenoids and steroids where as reducing sugar, saponins, anthroquinones, glycosides are absent. The In-vitro antioxidant activity of methanol extract from Justicia wynaadensis leaves determining by DPPH, reducing power, metal ion chelation, superoxide anion, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. The study showed that the methanol extract is a essential effect due to antioxidant activity.
Inhibitors of the α‐ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex alter [1‐13C]glucose and [U‐13C]glutamate metabolism in cerebellar granule neurons

Diminished activity of the α‐ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), an important component of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, occurs in several neurological diseases. The effect of specific KGDHC inhibitors [phosphonoethyl ester of succinyl phosphonate (PESP) and the carboxy ethyl ester of succinyl phosphonate (CESP)] on [1‐13C]glucose and [U‐13C]glutamate metabolism in intact cerebellar granule neurons was investigated. Both inhibitors decreased formation of [4‐13C]glutamate from [1‐13C]glucose, a reduction in label in glutamate derived from [1‐13C]glucose/[U‐13C]glutamate through a second turn of the TCA cycle and a decline in the amounts of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), aspartate, and alanine. PESP decreased formation of [U‐13C]aspartate and total glutathione, whereas CESP decreased concentrations of valine and leucine. The findings are consistent with decreased KGDHC activity; increased α‐ketoglutarate formation; increased transamination of α‐ketoglutarate with valine, leucine, and GABA; and new equilibrium position of the aspartate aminotransferase reaction. Overall, the findings also suggest that some carbon derived from α‐ketoglutarate may bypass the block in the TCA cycle at KGDHC by means of the GABA shunt and/or conversion of valine to succinate. The results suggest the potential of succinyl phosphonate esters for modeling the biochemical and pathophysiological consequences of reduced KGDHC activity in brain diseases. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phylogenetic analysis of Australian species of Veronica (V. section Labiatoides; Plantaginaceae)

Abstract. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA-sequence data have revealed that the southern hemisphere species of Veronica are derived from within the northern hemisphere Veronica clade. Previous analyses focussed on the species in New Zealand and included at maximum 7 of 23 species of section Labiatoides from Australia. In the present study, we used nuclear ribosomal-ITS and plastid ndhF–rpl32-spacer sequence data of all species currently recognised in Australia to analyse phylogenetic patterns. Most importantly, herbaceous species from coastal calcareous sands or limestone habitats do not form a clade with those from shady, moist forest habitats, as formerly believed, but seem to be independently derived from woody species. Incongruence between results from nuclear- and plastid-DNA markers suggest hybridisation to be an important factor in the evolution of the group. Our sample of V. parnkalliana included alleles similar to V. decorosa and V. novae-hollandiae at both loci, which suggests a hybrid origin.
Modelling Stomatal Behaviour and and Photosynthesis of Eucalyptus grandis

Stomatal conductances, CO2 assimilation, transpiration and intercellular CO2 mol fractions of Eucalyptus grandis leaves were measured in the field using a portable, controlled environment cuvette. Test leaves were subjected to a range of temperatures, humidities, photon irradiances and external CO2 mol fractions. An empiral function, gsw = g0 + g1 Ahs/(cs-I'), was able to account for steady- state stomatal conductances g*sw, over a wide range of environmental conditions and leaf photosynthetic capacities. In this equation, termed the stomatal constraint function, A is CO2 assimilation rate, hs and cs are relative humidity and CO2 mol fraction at the leaf surface respectively, I' is the CO2 compensation point, g0 is conductance at A = 0 and gl is an empirical coefficient. Equations describing the supply of CO2 through stomata and demand for CO2 in photosynthesis were solved simultaneously with the constraint function to give a combined model of stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation and intercellular CO2 mol fraction in terms of external environmental factors and several parameters describing C3 photosynthesis. The model provided a good description of experimental observations.
Forest tree research in post genomic era. Introduction to systems biology of broadleaves

Trees are long living organisms, rarely used in molecular experiments because of large size of the genome and long time of reproduction cycle. Sequencing data from Populus trichocarpa genome allowed for the development of research on the processes associated with tree biology such as secondary wood formation, long-term perennial growth, seasonal changes, biotic interactions, evolution etc. Reference data enable the investigation of non-model trees such as Quercus or Fagus, having ecological and economic significance. During projects scientists use genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches which contribute to better understanding of the physiological processes regulating tree biology. Data collected from these multiple studies need to be integrated. The integration of data is the subject of the newly established field of science called systems biology. This review presents progress in tree research after finishing the sequencing project of Populus. It concentrates on modern trends in ‘omics’ and systems biology study of temperate broadleave trees during the last 10 years of studies. Abbreviations: DE – dimensional electrophoresis, CE – capillary electrophoresis, DIGE – differential 2DE, EST – expressed sequence tag, FT – ICR – MS – Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, GC – gaschromatography, LC – liquid chromatography, MALDI-TOF – matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight, MPSS – massive parallel signature sequencing, MS – mass spectrometry, MW – mass weight, NCBI EGP – National Center for Biotechnology Information Entrez Genome Project, NMR – nuclear magnetic resonance, HPLC – highperformance liquid chromatography, SNP – single nucleotide polymorphisms, SRS – short reads sequences, SSH – suppression subtractive hybridization, TFA – transcriptome fingerprinting analysis, qRT-PCR quantitative Real Time PCR, QTL – quantitative trait loci Additional key words: genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, woody plants Address: Aleksandra M. Staszak, Tomasz A. Pawłowski Institute of Dendrology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland, e-mail: tapawlow@man.poznan. pl *corresponding author
Callose localization in cell walls during meiotic and apomeiotic megasporogenesis in diploid alfalfa (Medicago spp.)

SUMMARYThe localization of callose during meiotic and apomeiotic megasporogenesis in diploid species of the genus Medicago was investigated by fluorescence microscopy. Callose deposition and cytoembryological details were studied by treating flowers with a clearing/staining medium. Ovules were classified into different developmental stages and the distance of growing integuments from the micropyle measured. The relationship between the stage of development and the growth of integuments proved to be an effective method for correlating megasporogenesis events with callose deposition and assessing the cytological mechanism of apomeiosis. Within meiotic ovules callose deposition appeared as thin micropylar caps in the megaspore mother cells and as thick cell plates between dyad, triad and tetrad cells. The degradation of callose started at the beginning of embryo sac differentiation. Ovules with diplosporic cells were characterized by complete absence of callose. When callose was present at the megaspore moth.
Early embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. II. The developing embryo

Embryo differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana follows the classical Capsella variation of the Onagrad type. Fertilization occurs approximately 3 h after flowering, whereupon vacuolar organization in the zygote changes and the cell elongates rapidly to approximately three times its original length. Cytoplasmic polarization is maintained. During the first two division steps there is very little increase in total cell volume, and during subsequent divisions vacuole number increases, with a concomitant decrease in size. Plastids remain undifferentiated up to the late globular stage, after which grana begin to develop. Ribosomal concentration increases significantly after fertilization. Differences between embryo proper cells become evident by the heart stage; vacuole, plastid, and mitochondrial abundance, size, and complexity vary within the embryo. There are no plasmodesmatal connections with the endosperm or integuments. Suspensor development is complete by the early globular stage, when it consists of sev.
Survey of the symptoms and viruses associated with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.)) in the agroecological zones of Kwara State, Nigeria

A comprehensive field survey was carried out in 2011 spanning thirty locations within the forest and savannah agroecologies of Kwara State, Nigeria. This was with the objective of having an overview of the prevalence of virus disease symptoms and to specifically identify the viruses infecting cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata .L.) in Kwara State. Data were collected on the prevalence of some peculiar virus symptoms on cowpea plants on growing on farms in each location. Symptomatic cowpea leaves were also collected from each location for virus identification in the laboratory. The serological protocol employed for virus detection in the leaf samples was the antigen – coated plate Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ACP–ELISA) method. The results of the field survey indicated that the symptoms observed on the cowpea plants were peculiar to those associated with virus disease infection. The symptoms observed were leaf mottling (36.8%), mosaic (24.9%), leaf curl (15.6%), necrotic spots (8.2%) and other symptoms (14.5%). The result of the laboratory assay to detect the viruses present in the leaf samples revealed the presence of four (4) different viruses. The viruses identified were, Cowpea Aphid Borne Mosaic Virus (CABMV), Cowpea Yellow Mosaic Virus (CYMV), Blackeye Cowpea Mosaic Virus (BICMV) and Cowpea Mottle Virus (CPMoV). These viruses were detected infecting the cowpea plants in mixtures of two or three. These results are indicative of the presence of viruses in all the ecological zones of Kwara State where cowpea is cultivated. Keywords : Survey, Agroecology, Cowpea, Virus, Symptoms, ACP-ELISA
Fishing through (and up) Alaskan food webs

We used a 112-year time series of Alaskan fishery catches to test competing hypotheses concerning trends in mean catch trophic level, a widely used indicator of fisheries sustainability. We found that mean trophic level has generally remained steady or increased in recent decades on Alaska-wide and regional scales, indicating stable catches of high trophic level taxa. During historical periods of declining mean trophic level, catches of upper trophic level taxa either increased or remained steady, contrary to the predictions of the “fishing down the food web” hypothesis. Further, a climate index was highly correlated (r = 0.69–0.97) with mean trophic level and (or) the related fisheries in balance (FIB) index across climate regime shifts in the 1940s and 1970s, indicating that climate effects, particularly on high trophic level taxa, can act as the major driver of variability in these parameters. These results provide a contrast to the view of ubiquitous declines in mean trophic level of fishery catches, .
Norditerpenoid Alkaloids from Aconitum spicatum Stapf

To search for pharmacologically and structurally interesting substances from traditional Chinese medicines, we investigated the chemical compounds of Aconitum spicatum Stapf. Two new norditerpenoid alkaloids, namely spicatine A (compound 1) and spicatine B (compound 2), as well as 11 known norditerpenoid alkaloids were isolated from the CHCl3 portion of the 90% ethanol extract of the roots of A. spicatum. The structures of the alkaloids were characterized on the basis of their spectral data. One of the isolated compounds showed significant cytotoxic activities (IC50 values < 200 μmol/L) against the HL-60 cell line. (Managing editor: Wei Wang)
A Comparative Study of the Developing and Aborting Fruits of Prunus cerasus

Large numbers of pomaceous and stone fruits fall from the trees before reaching maturity. The abortion (failure to reach maturity) and subsequent dropping of fruits may be so great that the crop is seriously reduced. Abortion of these fruits has been attributed most frequently to one or more of the following conditions: I. Selfor cross-sterility in the sense that no fruit is set following selfor cross-pollination. 2. Lack of pollination, usually attributed to unfavorable weather during the blossoming period. 3. Lack of fertilization after pollination; a condition which, when not due to incompatibility, may result from weather conditions unfavorable to pollen-tube growth. 4. Improper nutrition of the tree or of a part of the tree. 5. Competition of the individual blossoms for nutritive materials. There is no question but that selfand inter-sterility, which are common among varieties of the sweet cherry, the plum, the apple, and other orchard fruits, are responsible for excessive fruit-dropping in some orchards. Many studies have been made to determine what varieties are self-sterile and what self-sterile varieties are inter-compatible; but investigations of the causes of the sterility are relatively few. Dorsey (5) reported that in the plum "the type of sterility, either selfor cross-, was found to be that termed incompatibility, in which gametic fusion is prevented by slow tube growth. " He also found that sterility resulting from embryo abortion occurs in the plum. Crane (2) observed in histological investigations made in conjunction with Collins that in selfand cross-incompatible pollinations of cherries and of plums the pollen tubes are arrested in the nutrient tissue of the style. As a result fertilization does not occur and the young fruits fall at an early stage. In some crosses of sweet cherries the fruits reach a greater degree of development before the majority cease growing and fall. Crane stated that the falling of the larger fruits and the formation of fruits with imperfect seeds are probably due to degrees of gametic incompatibility which arrests the embryonic growth at different stages. He pointed out
Morphology of Ceratozamia

1. Ceratozamia mexicana grows best in well shaded mesophytic conditions. 2. Any individual in passing from the seedling to the adult stage shows such a progressive change in its leaves, the leaflets becoming larger, broader, thicker, and more numerous, that descriptions of species based largely upon leaves are open to suspicion. 3. The ovulate strobilus shows considerable variation in the size and number of its sporophylls. 4. In addition to the primary haustorium, a system of secondary haustoria is developed later from the basal portions of the pollen tube. There are regularly two sperms, but occasionally four are produced. 5. A small ventral canal nucleus is present, but occasionally it enlarges and may fertilize the egg. It is suggested that this may explain the so-called hybrids obtained by Van Tieghem. In most cases fertilization occurs in the usual way. 6. Both suspensors and young embryos may unite, so that from five fertilized eggs there may come one to five embryos. In the mature seed, as found in nature, there is one embryo with a single cotyledon.
Melan-A/MART-151–73 represents an immunogenic HLA-DR4-restricted epitope recognized by melanoma-reactive CD4+ T cells

The human Melan-A/MART-1 gene encodes an HLA-A2-restricted peptide epitope recognized by melanoma-reactive CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Here we report that this gene also encodes at least one HLA-DR4-presented peptide recognized by CD4+ T cells. The Melan-A/MART-151–73 peptide was able to induce the in vitro expansion of specific CD4+ T cells derived from normal DR4+ donors or from DR4+ patients with melanoma when pulsed onto autologous dendritic cells. CD4+ responder T cells specifically produced IFN-γ in response to, and also lysed, T2.DR4 cells pulsed with the Melan-A/MART-151–73 peptide and DR4+ melanoma target cells naturally expressing the Melan-A/MART-1 gene product. Interestingly, CD4+ T cell immunoreactivity against the Melan-A/MART-151–73 peptide typically coexisted with a high frequency of anti-Melan-A/MART-127–35 reactive CD8+ T cells in freshly isolated blood harvested from HLA-A2+/DR4+ patients with melanoma. Taken together, these data support the use of this Melan-A/MART-1 DR4-restricted melanoma epitope in future immunotherapeutic trials designed to generate, augment, and quantitate specific CD4+ T cell responses against melanoma in vivo.
Identification and phylogenetic relationships of Vahlkampfia spp. (free-living amoebae) by riboprinting

The riboprinting technique (restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction amplified ribosomal DNA) was applied to 8 strains representing 7 species of amoebae from the Vahlkampfia genus (Family Vahlkampfiidae, Class Heterolobosea). The length of the 18S ribosomal gene was found to vary significantly between species. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis following digestion of the amplified ribosomal DNA with 18 restriction enzymes confirmed the separate identity of each species, originally based on morphological characteristics, and generated a phylogenetic tree. Two strains assigned to the same species yielded identical riboprints.
Silica nanoparticle induces oxidative stress and provokes inflammation in human lung cells

Amorphous silica has been used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications. Nanosized silica is being considered a potentially ideal nanomaterial for biomedical and biotechnological applications. In the present study, hierarchical oxidative stress paradigms of nanoparticle toxicity were assumed to evaluate the toxicity of amorphous silica nanoparticle in human healthy lung cells, L-132. The cells were exposed to varied concentrations viz. 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 μg/ml of silica nanoparticle for 24 h. Different parameters of cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory markers were assessed. Silica nanoparticle exposure showed concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability, increase in reactive oxygen species with depletion of antioxidant enzyme activity, induction of inteleukin-8 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression and subsequent DNA damage in L-132 cells. The results indicated that amorphous silica nanoparticle followed hierarchical oxidative stress model and generated oxidative stress which provoked the pro-inflammatory response and caused necrosis in human lung cells.
RESPIRATION OF FISHES WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON STANDARD OXYGEN CONSUMPTION: II. INFLUENCE OF WEIGHT AND TEMPERATURE ON RESPIRATION OF SEVERAL SPECIES

Standard oxygen consumption, as estimated by simultaneously measuring spontaneous activity and oxygen consumption, for five species of freshwater fishes, was measured in relation to weight and temperature. The fish studied were brown trout, Sulmo trutta; brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis; common white sucker, Catostomus commersonii; brown bullhead, Ictalurus nebulosus; and carp, Cyprinus carpio. When expressed on a logarithmic grid, standard oxygen uptake increased linearly with weight for all species. The proportionate change in standard oxygen consumption for a given change in temperature appears to be independent of size within each species. The mean slope values of the regressions found for brown trout, brook trout, common white sucker, brown bullhead, and carp are 0.877, 1.052, 0.864, 0.925, and 0.894, respectively.The standard rates of oxygen consumption found in the present investigation are less in most cases than the lowest applicable values that could be found in the literature.Spontaneous acti.
Testing genetically engineered potato, producing the lectins GNA and Con A, on non‐target soil organisms and processes

Summary 1. Two lectins, concanavalin A (Con A) and Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA), have anti-feedant properties that suggest a potential for the control of invertebrate pests of plants. We tested potato plants genetically engineered to produce each of these lectins constitutively, as well as the purified lectins, for possible non-target effects. 2. Laboratory studies with soil bacterial communities and a ciliate protozoan could detect no direct effect of either lectin over a range of concentrations. There was a significant inhibition in the host-finding response of a bacterial-feeding nematode when Con A or GNA was present in the medium at 0·5–50 µg ml−1. 3. A number of GNA- and Con A-producing potato lines had no detectable effects on the rhizosphere microbial and microfaunal populations when examined in pot trials. The incorporation of leaves from transgenic plants into soil reduced protozoan populations significantly, but there was no subsequent effect on the decomposition of added cotton strips. 4. Controlled field-release experiments demonstrated that, although GNA-producing potato lines consistently altered the physiological profile of the rhizosphere microbial community at harvest, the effect did not persist from one season to the next over a trial period of two field seasons. There was no significant effect of the best performing GNA line on the development of a subsequent barley crop. 5. A single Con A-producing line was tested in a controlled field-release. The only significant effects were transient reductions of c. 40% in soil protozoan populations and of c. 10% in potential microbial activity.