Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Presence of Dianthus roseoluteus Velen. (Caryophyllaceae) in Turkey and a New Species: Dianthus macroflorus Hamzaoğlu

Abstract The presence of Dianthus roseoluteus Velen. species in Turkey is based on specimens collected from Antalya province. After the publication of Flora of Turkey, many specimens have been collected from Thrace (Kırklareli and Edirne provinces) that belong to this species. A comparison of the specimens collected from Antalya and Thrace revealed that they were morphologically different. The literature survey verified that the specimens collected from Thrace were Dianthus roseoluteus. The species collected from Antalya province is a new species, Dianthus macroflorus Hamzaoglu, and its description, pictures, distribution, habitat, and threatened categories are given. Its general morphology and seed micromorphology are compared with the related species, Dianthus roseoluteus. In addition to phylogenetic relationships between some closely related Dianthus species that belong to section Dentati in Turkey, Dianthus macroflorus and 13 additional Dianthus species sequences obtained from GenBank were examined with DNA sequence data from the nuclear ribosomal ITS region. These analyses were supported with morphological data.
Ocean acidification enhances the bioerosion of a common coral reef sponge: implications for the persistence of the Florida Reef Tract

The increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide in seawater, termed ocean acidification (OA), depresses calcification rates of coral and algae, and may contribute toward reef ecosystem degradation. To test how future OA conditions will influence biologically-mediated dissolution (bioerosion) of coral by the common Caribbean boring sponge Pione lampa (de Laubenfels, 1950), we conducted a series of carefully controlled incubations and used changes in total alkalinity (TA) to calculate calcium carbonate dissolution. We present data showing a positive relationship between seawater pCO2 and chemical bioerosion that predict a 99% increase in chemical erosion before the end of the century, more than double the expected decline in coral calcification rate. To examine how OA-enhanced erosion will influence reef ecosystem persistence, we incorporated these and other data into a carbonate budget model of 37 reefs along the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). Our model showed that all FRT reefs had a positive CaCO3 budget [mean = 8.257 (SE 0.8077) kg m-2 yr-1 ] in preindustrial times, whereas approximately 89% of reefs presently exhibit net erosion. Present-day reef-specific calcification would need to increase by 29.4% to compensate for projected end of the century OA-enhancement of total bioerosion. These findings show that OA may accelerate Caribbean and Atlantic coral reef degradation more rapidly than previously predicted.
A two-second delay confers first-male fertilization precedence within in vitro sperm competition experiments in Atlantic salmon

In vitro paired-male sperm competition experiments in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar for a single female’s eggs revealed that 2 s delays in sperm release caused significant reductions in paternity, with second males achieving only 30% fertilization success (against an expected 50%). This first-male fertilization precedence supports previous work suggesting that sperm competition follows the principles of a race in Atlantic salmon, and suggests that any timing asymmetry in sperm release within natural competitive spawnings could have significant consequences for male fertilization success.
Invertebrate borers in the Mediterranean sea grass Posidonia oceanica: biological impact and ecological implications

The effects of polychaete (Lysidice ninetta, L. collaris, Nematonereis unicornis (Annelida: Polychaeta)) and limnoriid isopod (Limnoria tuberculata (Crustacea: Isopoda)) borers in the Mediterranean sea grass Posidonia oceanica (Potamogetonaceae) were assessed in the meadows of Olbia and Genoa (western Mediterranean Sea). Borer invertebrates were mainly found into the old leaf sheaths of the sea grass. At Olbia, a mean density of borers (202.6±34.8 ind m−2) significantly higher than at Genoa (23.2±7.3 ind m−2) was observed. In 3.3% of samples from Olbia, large polychaetes and isopods were also observed boring into living plant tissues. Only fractions from 0.8—3.9% of the sheath production was actually removed by borers at the two studied meadows. The fact that sheath weight loss with time was higher at Genoa than at Olbia regardless of the presence of borers suggests that other factors than the activity of such organisms are important in the sheath decay process.
Genetic Diversity of Mexican Oregano Lippia berlandieri Schauer, from the Chihuahuan Desert Area

Genetic Diversity of Mexican Oregano Lippia berlandieri Schauer, from the Chihuahuan Desert Area The Mexican oregano Lippia berlandieri Schauer is widespread in Mexico. Several studies have involved the characterization of its essential oil in order to use it as food additive and for medical aims, as well as its antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity, although there is a lack of information about genetic diversity of this species. In order to increase Lippia berlandieri Schauer application, knowledge of the genetic characteristics of the species and creation of a program for germplasm conservation seem to be essential. This study was carrying out in order to understand the population genetics of Lippia berlandieri Schauer. Oregano seeds were collected from 8 locations of the Chihuahua Southeastern desert area. The results showed high genetic variability among oregano populations suggesting that this species is mainly allogamous, pollinated mainly by insects because of the attractive flower color; AMOVA showed genetic differences within and among populations, the last one was found approximately 5 times higher than the genetic differences within populations. The analysis of the Wright's statistics, especifically FIS, supported the hypothesis that plants are not self-pollinating. On the other hand, it was found that the number of plants per a sample recommended for further genetic analysis of this specie is 13 or more.
Introduction

The spike in global food prices in 2007–08 not only led to riots on several continents; it also reawakened fears about the world's future ability to feed itself, as growing populations place greater demands on agricultural systems operating in increasingly difficult environmental and climatic conditions. With more than half the world's people and high levels of inequality, Asia lies at the centre of the global food-security challenge of the twenty-first century. The region – especially China and India – is drawing on world stocks and importing more staples, as its own farms strain to meet the growing middle classes’ desire for more meat and processed foods. Meanwhile, the smallholder farmers who supply 80% of the continent's food confront continued poverty, as they struggle to raise output in the face of creeping environmental degradation, looming water shortages and the unpredictable effects of climate change. As this Adelphi shows, there are no simple solutions. Today, rice is exported while some households still go hungry, unrest grows as land is appropriated for biofuels or industry, and nations compete over waters and fishing rights. Only integrated policies that take into account the complex socio-economic and political aspects of food security have any chance of succeeding.
Biomass and dry matter production in planted forests and an adjacent secondary forest in the grassland area of Sakaerat, northeastern Thailand

Biomass and dry matter production in 12- to 14-year-old planted forests (including three exotic and three indigenous species) and secondary forest, and the biomass of grasslands were studied in Sakaerat to quantify the capability of plantations to rehabilitate degraded tropical lands. The reforestation of Imperata cylindrica grasslands enhanced the aboveground biomass growth by 5 to 37 times 12 years after planting. Exotic species, especially two Acacia species, accumulated greater biomass in their aboveground and belowground parts than did indigenous species and secondary vegetation at a similar age, and reached or surpassed the biomass in secondary or natural forests within the same area. Indigenous species also accumulated biomass at rates higher than those of secondary vegetation. Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) was greater in plantations of exotic species than in plantations of indigenous species, which had ANPP similar to those in secondary forest. The high ANPP in plantations of exotic species, including one Acacia and Eucalyptus plantation, was associated with higher annual leaf production and shorter leaf lifetime, combined with a small leaf biomass. The rate at which photosynthates were allocated to biomass was similar for plantations of exotic and indigenous species, but was lower in secondary forest than in plantations. The results showed the superiority of artificial plantations over natural regeneration for the rapid restoration of grassland in Sakaerat.
Variance for water‐use efficiency among ecotypes and recombinant inbred lines of Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae)

Knowledge of natural variation among ecotypes and recombinant inbred lines of Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh for seasonlong water-use efficiency (WUE, moles of carbon accumulated per mole of water used) is useful in the design of experiments to understand the genetic control of this phenomenon. Water-use efficiency among 31 container-grown Arabidopsis ecotypes ranged from a high of 2.40 to a low of 1.86 mg/g (grams of dry aerial biomass per gram of water used). Genetic variance for WUE was observed among 80 F5 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between the highest (Lip-0) by the lowest (Edi-0) ecotype. The heritability of WUE was calculated as 0.18 ? 0.07. The mean WUE for the ten highest and ten lowest RILs was 2.42 and 1.05 mg/g, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the composition of stable isotopes of plant carbon (613C) between the mean of the ten highest (-31.230o) and the mean of the ten lowest (-31.96%o) RILs based on WUE. Characterization of the 80 RILs provides a structured population for further genetic and physiologic study of WUE.
Distinguishing closely held companies for taxation purposes: The Australian experience 1930–1972

Early in the life of Australia's income tax, the government, sensitive to loss of taxation revenue through artificial arrangements to divert taxable profits from individuals to companies where they would be taxed more lightly, saw fit to provide a special taxation regime for closely held companies. From the first attempts by the government to distinguish closely held companies for tax purposes in 1930, until the final legislative changes in 1972, there arose a highly unsatisfactory situation in which taxpayers sought, through increasingly artificial means, to subvert the legislative purpose with the aim of tax avoidance. The government's response throughout was inadequate in a number of respects, and fuelled the fires of tax avoidance through inept drafting of the relevant legislation and delayed treatment of perceived abuses by taxpayers.
REVISION OF THE GENERA DYNAMENELLA, ISCHYROMENE, DYNAMENOPSIS, AND CYMODOCELLA (CRUSTACEA: ISOPODA), INCLUDING A NEW GENUS AND FIVE NEW SPECIES OF EUBRANCHIATE SPHAEROMATIDS FROM QUEENSLAND WATERS

ABSTRACT Collections of isopod crustaceans from a wide variety of intertidal marine habitats in Queensland. Australia, contained five new species and a new genus of eubranchiate sphaeromatids. Descriptions are given for the different stages of their growth and some ecological considerations are discussed. The new genus is Paradella and the new species are: Paradella octaphymata, new genus, new species; Dynamenella liochroea, new species; D. ptychura, new species; D. trachydermata, new species; and Ischyromene polytyla, new species. Ischyromene Racovitza, Dynamenella Hansen, Cymodocella Pfeffer, and Dynamenopsis Baker are redefined and rediagnosed. The importance of founding species on descriptions of adult males is stressed, but this should be supplemented with descriptions of all other stages of the life cycle if possible. The form of the brood pouch of the ovigerous female and the form of the penes and appendix masculina of the mature male should be included as these characters are relatively consistent at the generic level.
Investigation on seed transmission of cucumber mosaic virus in cowpea

Cowpea breeding lines were infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) by mechanical inoculation to investigate seed transmission rates for this virus. Transmission rates ranging from 0% to 6% were scored by symptom assessment. However, when cowpeas grown from seeds of infected mother plants were tested by ELISA, up to 30% of the plants were infected with CMV. Evaluating ELISA for CMV detection in cowpea revealed that virus concentration was highest in flowers and lowest in primary leaves. To compare the capacity of ELISA for CMV detection, the serological test was compared with RT-PCR; ELISA proved sensitive and reliable for detection of CMV in infected tissue. For seed analysis, a non-destructive assay for CMV detection based on tissue blotting of hypocotyls tissue was developed. RESUME Des varietes selectionnees du niebe etaient infectees par inoculation mecanique avec le virus de la mosaique de concombre (CMV) afin d'etudier la transmission par semence de ce virus. Les taux de transmission de l'ordre de 0 % a 6 % etaient enregistres apres l'evaluation des symptomes. Cependant, lorsque les plantes de niebe issues de semences provenant des parents infectes ont ete testees par ELISA, jusqu'a 30 % des plantes etaient infectees par le CMV. L'evaluation de L'ELISA pour la detection du CMV chez le niebe a revele que la concentration du virus etait la plus elevee dans les fleurs et le plus faible dans les feuilles primaires. Afin d'evaluer la capacite d'ELISA de detecter CMV, le test serologique etait compare a la RT-PCR, ou l'ELISA s'est montre sensible et fiable pour la detection du CMV dans des tissus infectes. Pour l'analyse de semence, une methode non-destructive de detection de CMV basee sur le blotting de tissus d'hypocotyle etait developpe. (Af Crop Science and Production: 2001 9(4): 677-684)
Dominance relations among adult females in a free‐ranging group of Japanese monkeys at Katsuyama

Dominance relations among adult females in the Katsuyama group of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) were analyzed. Dominance relations among female relatives of 6 or more years of age corresponded almost exactly to those predicted by Kawamura's principles [Primates, 1:149–156, 1958] in the four highest‐ranking kin‐groups. According to these principles, 1) a mother is dominant to her daughter and 2) among sisters, the younger is dominant to the older. However, 9 of the remaining 11 middle‐and low‐ranking kin‐groups included dyads in which dominance relations did not correspond to those expected from Kawamura's principles. Within the dominance rank order, of all 74 adult females of 6 or more years of age, individuals of the high‐ranking kin‐groups always ranked adjacent to members of their own kin‐group, while individuals in middle‐ and low‐ranking kin‐groups tended to be ranked independently of members of their own kin‐groups. These results indicate that, since females of a high‐ranking kin‐group form a cohesive matrilineal unit, it may be very difficult for females of other kin‐groups to break into the dominance rank order that exists among females of the high‐ranking kin‐groups. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Coating-Dependent Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Tobacco Seed Germination and Early Growth

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in a wide range of consumer products because of their excellent antimicrobial properties. AgNPs released into the environment are prone to transformations such as aggregation, oxidation, or dissolution so they are often stabilised by coatings that affect their physico-chemical properties and change their effect on living organisms. In this study we investigated the stability of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) coated AgNPs in an exposure medium, as well as their effect on tobacco germination and early growth. AgNP-CTAB was found to be more stable in the solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium compared to AgNP-PVP. The uptake and accumulation of silver in seedlings was equally efficient after exposure to both types of AgNPs. However, AgNP-PVP induced only mild toxicity on seedlings growth, while AgNP-CTAB caused severe negative effects on all parameters, even compared to AgNO3. Moreover, CTAB coating itself exerted negative effects on growth. Cysteine addition generally alleviated AgNP-PVP-induced negative effects, while it failed to improve germination and growth parameters after exposure to AgNP-CTAB. These results suggest that the toxic effects of AgNP-PVP are mainly a consequence of release of Ag+ ions, while phytotoxicity of AgNP-CTAB can rather be ascribed to surface coating itself.
Biofilm development and extracellular enzyme activities on wood in billabongs of south‐eastern Australia

SUMMARY 1 The accrual of organic matter, chlorophyll a and bacteria, and the activities of various extracellular enzymes were studied during biofilm formation on River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) wood submerged in two temperate Australian billabongs for 24 weeks over summer and winter of 1989–90. 2 Peak organic matter content of the biofilm ranged from 0.7 to 3.3mg AFDW cm−2, chlorophyll a content from 1.3 to 4. 2μg cm−2 and bacterial abundance from 18 × 106 to 94 × 106 cells cm−2. Most variation in organic matter content, chlorophyll a content and bacterial abundance in the biofilms couid be attributed to the duration of immersion (28–48% of variation) and to the interaction between site and submergence period (11–12%). Differences between sites and between seasons were less important in explaining total variation. 3 Alkaline phosphatase, aminopeptidase and [3-D-glucosidase activities, determined per unit substratum surface area, were up to 138 ± 26 nmol cm−2h−1, 113 ± 1 nmol cm−2h−1 and 9.3 ± 2.2 nmol cm−2h−1, respectively. Activities of these three enzymes determined per unit organic biomass were up to 203 ± 25, 157 ± 13, and 16 ± 2.1 nmol mg1 AFDW h−1 respectively. Enzyme activities expressed on an area- or biomass-specific basis responded differently to the effects of season, site and duration of substratum exposure. 4 Few consistent relationships could be established between the activity of a given enzyme system and the activity of other enzymes, nor with the various biomass parameters, such as total organic matter content, chlorophyll a content or bacterial abundance. 5 We suggest that submerged wood of the River Red Gum is an important site for biofilm development in lentic systems in south-eastern Australia, and thus as a food resource for grazing invertebrates and for transformations of various nutrients and organic matter.
Ability of sire breeding values to predict progeny bodyweight, fat and muscle using various transformations across environments in terminal sire sheep breeds

Data used for the genetic evaluation of the terminal sire sheep breeds in Australia originate from a large range of genotypes and environments. This means there are large differences in the level of production and therefore contemporary group means and variances within the data. This study examined four transformations to account for the heterogeneity of variance in the observed data and their effect on the ability of estimated breeding values of sires (sire EBV) to predict progeny performance. This predictive ability was described by regressing offspring performance on sire EBV. The expected value of this regression is 0.5, which indicates that half of the sire EBV differences can be expected in the progeny. The transformations of observed data were investigated in low, medium and high production environments for weight and ultrasound scan traits (fat and muscle) in terminal sire sheep breeds. There were records from over 300 000 sheep in the LAMBPLAN terminal sire dataset, predominately from Poll Dorset, Texel, Suffolk and White Suffolk breeds. The transformation methods applied to the observed data were: traits expressed as a percentage of the contemporary group mean; traits re-scaled to a common contemporary group mean in units of measurement; a logarithmic transformation; and a square root transformation. The heritabilities and other variance ratios estimated from the transformed traits were not significantly different from those using the observed data. Phenotypes transformed to a proportion of the contemporary group mean, either as a percentage or in units of measurement, resulted in the most consistent EBV across all production environments for weight and fat traits, with little effect of transformations for muscle traits. The transformation of data to the contemporary mean in units of measurement for weight and fat traits has been implemented in the Sheep Genetics evaluation system. The consistency of the progeny–sire EBV regressions around 0.5 in the data from these purebred industry flocks is heartening for terminal sire evaluation.
Energy Density and Size of Pelagic Prey Fishes in Lake Ontario, 1978–1990: Implications for Salmonine Energetics

Abstract We describe dynamics of energy density and size of Lake Ontario alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax, and we use a bioenergetics model of a common pelagic piscivore, chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, to demonstrate the effect of these factors on piscivore daily ration during 1978–1990. The energy density of alewives varied more than twofold between peaks in September (age 1) or October–November (age ≥2) and the lows in May (age 1) or July–September (age≥2). The previously described seasonal pattern of energy density of Lake Michigan alewives was similar except that energy density of older alewives (age≥3) was markedly higher in Lake Michigan. During 1978–1990, the spring energy density of Lake Ontario alewives peaked in 1979 (6,259 J/g wet weight), declined irregularly until 1985, and then remained stable through 1990 (at approximately 4,600 J/g). The initial decline may have been a density-dependent response to a burgeoning alewife population, but the lack of an i.
Preferential Pairing of Sex Chromosomes in the Tetraploid Silkworms (Bombyx Mori)

In the oocytes of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, only the sex chromosome bivalent (ZW) can be identified among the 28 bivalents, when we use the females of the sex-limited yellow cocoon (Sy) strain, in which the W carries a long fragment of the second chromosome. Autotetraploid silkwonns were induced from Sy females, in order to investigate whether preferential pairing between Z and Z as well as W and W occurs in the 4n oocytes. Two types of pairing patterns, (ZZ + WW) and (ZW +ZW), were observed in the oocytes, and the ratio of the pairing patterns, (ZZ+WW): (ZW + ZW), was 34:21 in Sy4n (Sy♂× Sy♀), while 16:2 in Syr4n (Sy♂× re9♀). Sex chromosome formulae of the eggs formed by the tetraploid can he confirmed when tetraploid females are crossed with sch males (sex-linked chocolate larva). The triploid off spring from Syr4n females mated with sch males, showed ZW gametes and ZZ gemetes produced in a 22:l ratio, which coincides with the ratio calculated from the pairing pattern ratio, 16:2. The results indicated preferential pairing of Z with Z and of W with W in tetraploid oocytes.