Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Floristic changes and regeneration patterns for a 12‐year period during the 3rd and 4th decades following selection logging in a subtropical rainforest

Changes in regeneration patterns in a subtropical rainforest in north-east New South Wales (Australia) are presented for a 12-year period during the 3rd and 4th decades following repeated single-tree selection logging. Changes were investigated using multivariate and univariate approaches. There were no significant differences in floristic assemblages within and between censuses. However, two contrasting trends of changes in plant groups were detected. In trees with a diameter at breast height (d.b.h.; that is, 1.3 m above the ground level) ≥ 10 cm, both the density and species richness increased in the shade-tolerant group, while density increased and species richness decreased in the shade-intolerant group. Among smaller sized regenerating species including trees (1.3 m in height < 10 cm d.b.h.), a general decrease in species richness was observed along with significant changes in stem densities where the number of stems in the shade-tolerant species increased while that of both shade-intolerant and vine species decreased. Excluding the vines and understorey species from the broader regenerating species, revealed a decrease in species richness in juvenile canopy tree, and a significant change in densities with the number of stems in the shade-tolerant increasing while that of shade-intolerant trees decreased. A comparison between the canopy trees ≥ 10 cm d.b. h. and the juvenile canopy trees group showed that these groups were tending towards similar floristic assemblages. These results suggest gradual replacement of shade-intolerant by shade-tolerant species as stands tend toward later stages of regeneration. This study shows that the inclusion of regenerating species in long-term studies is both complementary to the larger plant component and more revealing of both trends and changes.
Field Studies of Entomophthora (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales)—Induced Behavioral Fever in Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) in Denmark

Abstract House flies were collected over 3 days (three to five times per day) from specific sites on a dairy farm with a range of high to low temperatures. Flies were held individually to determine whether the distribution of fungus-infected ( Entomophthora muscae and E. schizophorae ) house flies differed according to the stage of infection and temperature. All but 2 of 396 infected flies (99.5%) had E. muscae. More E. muscae -infected flies collected from cool areas were in later stages of infection (i.e., dying 0–2 days after capture), whereas flies collected on sun-exposed surfaces tended to be in earlier stages of infection (i.e., dying 6–8 days after capture). Most flies died 3–5 days after capture and were consequently in the middle stages of infection. A mark and release experiment was conducted to determine whether E. schizophorae -inoculated flies frequented surfaces with higher temperatures than did uninfected control flies. About 3000 yellow-marked house flies inoculated with E. schizophorae and 3000 blue-marked control flies were released in an enclosed swine farrowing barn. Significantly more inoculated flies were recorded on the heat lamps than flies in the control group. The results suggest that behavioral fever occurs in the field for flies infected with both E. muscae and E. schizophorae and that flies can cure themselves of infection through the use of artificial heat sources.
Epifoliar fungi from Queensland, Australia

Collections of epifoliar ascomycete fungi from leaf surfaces in the tropical rain forests of Queensland, Australia, yielded 42 genera and 50 species, including one new genus (Dubujiana), three new species (Dennisiela asetosa, Dubujiana glandulifera, Microxiphium pleomorphum), three new combinations (Polychaeton purpuraefaciens, Seuratia australiensis, Stomiopeltis gautheriae), lectotypification of Micropeltis biseptata, various emended descriptions, and new species records. Each species is described and compared with similar taxa, and the new species are illustrated.
Equine laminitis

Imagine your best mare has just been observed to have colic. Your veterinarian diagnoses a large colon volvulus, a fatal twist of the large intestine if surgery is not completed immediately. After being encouraged by a successful abdominal surgery correcting the problem, four days later the surgeon calls with new problem, laminitis. Your mare is lame in all four feet, but particularly in the front feet. There is a bounding pulse in the arteries coursing to the feet and the feet are hot. The mare treads as if walking on eggs and postures with her front limbs stretched out in front of her. Radiographs of the front feet reveal a change in the coffin bone position within the hoof. The bone is separating from the hoof wall with the tip of the coffin bone angling down toward the ground. The pain is not relieved with pain relievers, special shoes or even surgery to relieve pull of the deep flexor tendon. The pain is constant and excruciating. Even with the best of treatments the disease progresses with penetration of the bone through the bottom of the foot. Euthanasia is your only real choice. How did it start; how did it progress so quickly? Why can’t laminitis be prevented? Too often this scenario is experienced by owners and veterinarians. Laminitis or inflammation and degeneration of the lamina in the horse’s foot is unique to the horse. The problem is both a physical problem due to the way the hoof lamina support the horses weight and the vascular system in the foot, which is particularly sensitive to systemic inflammation originating in the intestine or uterus. Research on equine laminitis has unraveled many of the physiologic responses that occur within the horse’s foot. However, the exact cascade of events, which lead to damaged lamina with eventual separation of the coffin bone from the cornified hoof is not completely understood.
Le microbiote intestinal : un compartiment biologique à explorer chez les animaux d’élevage

In a perspective of safe, competitive and sustainable animal breeding systems, deepening animal phenotyping and defining new breeding goals are identified as major concerns. The intestine hosts a microbial ecosystem referred to as the gut microbiota. The gut epithelium, at the interface between the host and the microbiota, plays fundamental roles in nutrient absorption, local and systemic immune functions, as well as adaptive functions. The onset of high throughput sequencing methods have paved the way toward an unprecedented characterization of the microbiota by producing data on the non cultivable bacteria set. In livestock species, the scientific and technological context is in place to study the gut microbiota at both phylogenetic (bacteria diversity) and functional levels, and analyze the impact on shaping the host phenotype
Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers reveal less genetic variation in the endangered plant Cerastiumfischerianum var. molle than in the widespread conspecific C. fischerianum var. fischerianum (Caryophyllaceae)

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to assess the level of genetic diversity in an endangered plant Cerastiumfischerianum var. molle and the widespread conspecific C. fischerianum var. fischerianum. At both the variety and the population level, C. fischerianum var. molle had a lower level of RAPD variation than var. fischerianum. Analysis of molecular variance ( AMOVA) showed that most of the genetic diversity exists among populations for both varieties. Genetic differentiation among populations probably resulted from the highly selfing habits of both varieties. To conserve C. fischerianum var. molle genetically, preservation of only a part of the population is insufficient.
Fiber Digestion by Rumen Ciliate Protozoa

The study of fibrolytic enzymes of rumen ciliate protozoa has lagged behind that of rumen bacteria and fungi. However, molecular biology has enhanced the investigation of rumen protozoa, and significant information has been accumulated in the last decade. The cellulolytic activities of cell-free extracts from each species of rumen ciliate protozoa have been summarized. Large Ophyroscolecidae such as Epidinium, Polyplastron, and Eudiplodinium have higher levels of endoglucanase and xylanase activity. On the other hand, Entodinium spp. have only weak activity to degrade plant fibers. The molecular weight of the main endoglucanase appears to be less than 40k Daltons, and the endoglucanases have the ability to bind cellulose. A total of eight fibrolytic enzyme genes have been cloned from cDNA libraries of Epidinium caudatum and Polyplastron multivesuculatum, and have been registered in GenBank. Four of these 8 clones have high homology with glycoside hydrolase family 5 endoglucanase (GHF5) genes. The remaining four have homology with xylanase (GHF10 and GHF11) genes. The guanine (G)+cytocine (C) content (mol%) of protozoal genes is about 30% and the codon usage is specific and different from that of the endoglucanase or xylanase genes originating from other microorganisms. The codon for Lys in the protozoal ORF is mainly (about 90%) AAA, unlike the Lys codons in rumen bacteria (25%) and the fungal gene (27%). The phylogenetic tree for family 5 endoglucanases shows that the endoglucanases of four ciliates are closely related to each other and form a cluster. On the other hand, the xylanases of these ciliates appear more closely related to xylanases from gram-positive bacteria such as Ruminococcus and Clostridium than to other xylanases of eukaryotic origin.
The zoeal development of Platymaia wyvillethomsoni Miers, 1886 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Majoidea: Inachidae) described from laboratory reared material

The spider crab Platymaia wyvillethomsoni was reared in the laboratory, from hatching to the megalopal stage at 20°C. The larval development comprises two zoeal stages and a megalopa. The zoeal stages are described for the first time and compared with those of the four known species of the family Inachidae from the northern Pacific. The zoeal characters (carapace spines, antenna, mouthpart appendages, pleon and telson fork) of P. wyvillethomsoni are significantly different from those of two Achaeus species from northern Pacific and other inachid genera (Inachus and Macropodia) from the Atlantic. Therefore, this species should not be placed in the family Inachidae based on zoeal morphology. A provisional key for the identification of known zoeae of the family from the northern Pacific is provided.
NF-κB Activation in Tumor Necrosis Factor α-stimulated Neutrophils Is Mediated by Protein Kinase Cδ

The transcription factor NF-κB is critical for the expression of multiple genes involved in inflammatory responses and apoptosis. However, the signal transduction pathways regulating NF-κB activation in human neutrophils in response to stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) are undefined. Since recent studies implicated activation of NF-κB as well as protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) in neutrophil apoptosis, we investigated involvement of PKCδ in the activation of NF-κB in TNFα-stimulated neutrophils. Specific inhibition of PKCδ by rottlerin prevented IκBα degradation and NF-κB activation in TNFα-stimulated neutrophils. This regulation of NF-κB activation by PKCδ was specific only for TNFα signaling, since lipopolysaccharide- or interleukin-1β-induced NF-κB activation and IκBα degradation were not inhibited by rottlerin. In addition, we show that in human neutrophils, but not monocytes, IκBα localizes in significant amounts in the nucleus of unstimulated cells, and the amount of IκBα in the nucleus, as well as in the cytoplasm, correlates with the NF-κB DNA binding. These results suggest that in human neutrophils, the presence of IκBα in the nucleus may function as a safeguard against initiation of NF-κB dependent transcription of pro-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic genes, and represents a distinct and novel mechanism of NF-κB regulation.
Effect of potato plants expressing snowdrop lectin (GNA) on the performance and colonization behaviour of the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae

Abstract Transgenic potato plants expressing snowdrop lectin (GNA potatoes) are developed to increase resistance against sap-feeding insects. When expressing GNA at relatively high levels such potatoes may have a negative effect on the fecundity and development of the first generation of the important pest, the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). However, the effects on M. persicae over several generations, and how such plants affect the alate aphids’ colonization behaviour have not been reported. In this laboratory study, the performance of single M. persicae on potatoes with low GNA expression, measured as developmental time, fecundity, size and survival, was compared with the control, following two successive generations of single apterous aphids. Aphid population growth on the two plant lines was also studied. In addition, colonization behaviour was investigated in a choice experiment where the alate aphids could choose between the GNA and an isogenic control potato plant in a cage. The present study showed that the apterous aphid performance was not significantly different on the two potato lines, although the aphids tended to perform slightly poorer on the transgenic potato. However, the transgenic potato was less likely to be colonized by alate aphids. It is concluded that such transgenic potato plants expressing the lectin at a relatively low level, maximum 0.2% of the soluble protein, have no significant impact on the performance of apterous M. persicae once on the plant, but may have a potential in controlling the aphids by altering the colonization behaviour of alates.
Phylogenetics and evolution of a circumarctic species complex (Cladocera: Daphnia pulex)

The evolutionary history of freshwater zooplankton is still relatively unknown. However, studies of the microcrustacean Daphnia have revealed interesting patterns; the daphniids that dominate ponds and lakes in the northern hemisphere may have recent origins, likely associated with the glacial advances and retreats during the Pleistocene. Moreover, they form species complexes that actively engage in hybridization and introgression. The present study examines the phylogenetic relationships among circumarctic members of the Daphnia pulex complex, through the analysis of sequence diversity in 498 nt of the ND5 mitochondrial gene. Our results suggest that the complex is composed of three major clades, two of which are subdivided into at least eight different lineages. Clearly, species in the complex show genetic discontinuity. Many lineages originated during the Pleistocene, but at least three lineages diverged during the Pliocene. Two taxa (D. pulex, D. pulicaria), thought to be broadly distributed in the northern hemisphere, are shown to be endemic to single continents. In general, the diversification of the pulex complex is characterized by rapidly dispersed lineages spanning enormous distances and also by endemism in temperate areas. Gene flow among lineages from the temperate region of different continents are restricted to rare intercontinental migrations across a polar bridge followed by convergent morphological evolution.
First Isolation of the H1N2 Swine Influenza Virus in Polish Pig Farm

Abstract The paper describes an outbreak of swine influenza, which was the first H1N2 outbreak confirmed in pig farm in Poland. The outbreak occurred in October 2011 in the farrows to finish farm, first in the fattening units, and subsequently in the reproduction and weaning sectors. Samples of the lungs taken from dead gilts were tested by the use of real time and multiplex PCR, sequencing, and virus isolation methods. The amplification of the genetic material extracted from the lungs confirmed the presence of the M1 gene sequence of type A influenza virus. Using multiplex PCR, the bands of 241 bp, typical for HA1 human-like type, and of 791 bp, typical for NA2, were demonstrated. The new isolates of swine influenza virus, named A/swine/Poland/15817/2011, were obtained in embryonated SPF chicken eggs and MDCK cells. Phylogenetic analysis of the HA and NA genes of the isolate revealed that the virus is of human swine linkage closely related to European human-like viruses. On the basis of such results, it can be stated that A/Swine/Poland/15817/2011 is a new swine influenza virus, representing the H1N2 subtype strain, which emerged in Poland.
Gibberellins

Summary (With Christy Fleet) Gibberellins (GAs) were initially identified as fungal compounds that caused strange effects in infected plants, and were subsequently discovered to be endogenously-produced plant growth hormones. “Green revolution” genes that can produce semi-dwarf, high yielding plants have been identified as GA synthesis or response genes. Ongoing research into GA accumulation and response promises further increases in yields. Recently, the DELLA proteins, whose stability is GA-dependent, were shown to be critical integrators of environmental factors that control plant growth responses.
Anaerobic sporulation in facultatively anaerobic species of the genus Bacillus

Sixteen strains of 11 facultatively anaerobic species of the genus Bacillus were tested for their ability to sporulate anaerobically on common laboratory media. Reliable data depended on a method providing anaerobic conditions quickly. Bacillus macerans (one strain tested) and B. polymyxa (two out of two strains tested) sporulated anaerobically without added nitrate. But B. licheniformis (one out of two strains tested) required nitrate for "anaerobic" sporulation. Anaerobic sporulation of B. macerans and B. polymyxa on potato extract agar was inhibited by nitrate.
INFLUENCE DE L’ENRICHISSEMENT CARBONÉ ET DE SON MODE DE DISTRIBUTION SUR L’ÉVOLUTION DES ÉCHANGES GAZEUX DE LA TOMATE DE SERRE

Net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, internal CO2 concentration and transpiration were measured on the fifth well-developed and excised leaf of tomato seedlings (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ’Vedettos’) 48–83 d old. These measurements were taken in order to monitor the evolution of the gas exchanges of seedlings exposed to concentrations of 330 or 1000 ppm, continuously, to 1000 ppm from 06: 00 h to 10: 00 h or to 1000 and 330 ppm alternately every 2 h. CO2 enrichment substantially increased the net photosynthesis rate of the seedlings, particularly at the beginning of the experiment. The long-term effects of CO2 enrichment subsided after a few weeks of treatment. Intermittent CO2 enrichment is partially helpful in remedying the loss of effectiveness of the CO2 after a long period of enrichment. High CO2 concentrations reduced the opening of the stomata. Our work shows that maintaining a high internal CO2 content in the leaves would indirectly reduce the stomatal conductance of the seedlings. Howeve.
Pricing American Options in the Heston Model: A Close Look at Incorporating Correlation

The Binomial model and similar lattice methods are workhorses of practical derivatives valuation. But returns processes more realistic than lognormal diffusions with constant parameters easily create difficulties for them. One of the most important extensions of the Black-Scholes paradigm is to allow stochastic volatility, but even nonstochastic timevarying volatility destroys the important property that the tree recombines, which limits the growth in the number of nodes as time advances. Stochastic volatility introduces a second random variable, which then requires adding another dimension to the tree, under the constraint that the return and volatility changes must maintain the same degree of correlation as in the data. The Heston model features correlation in return and volatility shocks, but building it into a lattice is tricky. In this article, Ruckdeschel, Sayer, and Szimayer develop a lattice method that begins with a binomial tree for the volatility and a trinomial tree for stock price, and then connects them in such a way that the empirical degree of correlation between return and volatility is maintained. Efficiency relative to existing methods is increased, and in some cases it is possible to improve performance further by matching higher moments as well.
How to Avoid Overharvesting During Repeat Follicular Unit Excision Sessions by Calculating the Number and Density of Previously Excised Grafts

1. Kuniyoshi Yagyu, MD, FISHRS (nhttkyo11{at}kioicho.jp) 1. Tokyo, Japan Donor area alopecia has become an issue after follicular unit excision (FUE). Even though the size of each FUE scar is small, a large number of scars can result in thinning of the hair in the donor area.1-5 In order to
Inhibitory Effect of Flusilazole on the Spore Formation of Aspergillus niger Causing the Onion Black Mold in Vapour Phase

In 1998, a pathogen isolated from infected onions was identified as Aspergillus niger. At 3, A. niger AnYD-1 showed the best mycelial growth, spore germination, and high pathogenicity to onions. In spite of the weak inhibitory effect of flusilazole and hexaconazole on the mycelial growth on PDA, they showed the specific inhibitory activity against the formation of spores in the vapour phase. With flusilazole and hexaconazole, the effects of the solvent, the applied concentration and the incubating temperature on the activities inhibiting the spore formation were confirmed. Their inhibitory effect on the spore formation in vapour phase was excellent by solving them with dimethylsulfoxide and dimethylformamide among tested solvents, and applying them at high temperature such as 30~35.
Effects of tributyltin and hypoxia on the progression of Perkinsus marinus infections and host defence mechanisms in oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin)

Oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), naturally infected by the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus in the field were exposed for 6 weeks to tributyltin (TBT), hypoxia, or to both stressors simultaneously. The TBT-exposed oysters continuously bioaccumulated TBT, reaching about 4 mg kg−−1 dry weight by 6 weeks; hypoxic oysters were exposed to water containing an average dissolved oxygen level of about 3 mg L−−1. Untreated control oysters suffered about 30% cumulative mortality by 6 weeks as a result of the progression of their P. marinus infections. The TBT treatment alone produced no additional mortality; however, cumulative mortality in hypoxic oysters was elevated. Mortality among oysters receiving both TBT and hypoxia significantly exceeded that caused by either stressor alone, suggesting a synergistic effect. In an attempt to identify immunotoxicological mechanisms underlying stress-related augmentation of P. marinus infections, defence-related immune functions were measured at 3 and 6 weeks in control and treated oysters. In general, the total number of haemocytes increased as the infections progressed, and the TBT and hypoxic treatments also caused significant additional increments in some samples. However, oxygen-dependent (reactive oxygen species) and oxygen-independent (lysozyme) antimicrobial host defence mechanisms appeared to be largely unaffected by TBT and/or hypoxia. This may be explained by the death of those oysters with marked immunological lesions prior to sampling or by the actual lack of treatment effects.
Effects of infection with a granulosis virus on larval growth, development and ecdysteroid production in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni

ABSTRACT. Granulosis virus‐infected Trichoplusia ni (Hûbner) larvae exhibited an increased larval life span with no supernumerary moult and no pupation. Weight gain was not affected. Insects infected shortly after hatching were slower in reaching the fourth and fifth stadia than were control insects. Haemolymph ecdysteroid titres were lower in virus‐infected insects than control insects, but these differences were only significant (P<0.05) in the fifth stadium. Electron microscopic examination of the pro thoracic glands revealed extensive granulosis virus infection, and glands from virus‐infected insects produced no RIA‐detectable ecdysteroids in vitro. Injection of 20‐OII‐ecdysone into virus‐infected larvae at various concentrations and times did not induce pupation.