Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploratory studies on gamma radiation for the sterilization and control of Anopheles quadrimaculatus.

In laboratory studies on the effect of gamma radiation on Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, it was found that dosages of 8,865 to 12,900 r applied in the pupal or adult stage were required to cause complete sterility. Irradiated females mated to unirradiated males produced no eggs, whereas unirradiated females mated to irradiated males produced a normal number of eggs but none hatched. When irradiated males were introduced into caged populations of normal males and females at ratios of 4: 1:1 or less, usually no reduction in the total number of viable eggs was produced, but at ratios of 6:1:1 and 10:1:1 there was a reduction of about 80%. The dosages(r) required to cause 50% and 100% mortality in 48 hours were; for eggs, 2,600 and >;11,000; for larvae, 32,000 and 120,000; for pupae, 22,000 and 40,000.
Antitumoric Potentiality of Enzyme Preparations of Pumpkin Ascorbate Oxidase and Shiitake Mushroom Polyphenol Oxidase

A crude preparation of ascorbate oxidase was prepared from Japanese pumpkin by treating extract successively with barium acetate, ammonium sulfate, magnesium sulfate and alumina. On the other hand, a purified preparation was obtained by barium acetate treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, acetone precipitation, twice chromatography on DEAE cellulose column and gel filtration with sephadex G 100. Both preparations contained antitumoric potentiality against sarcoma-180, even though ascorbate oxidase activity had been decreased after long storage in frozen state or had been completely lost by carboxymethylation of ascorbate oxidase preparation. In addition, antitumoric potentiality was maintained more or less when ascorbate oxidase had been inactivated by heating or splitting off with trypsin. Thus, it was indicated that the antitumoric potentiality of ascorbate oxidase preparation was attributed to the protein itself, but has no intimate relationship with the enzymatic activity. On the other hand, a crude preparation of poIypheno1 oxidase, a similar copper enzyme to ascorbate oxidase, was prepared from shiitake mushroom by treatments with acetone, calcium acetate and ammonium sulfate. Its antitumoric potentiality was also confirmed for sarcoma-180 and MH-134.
Biodiversity and domestication of yams in West Africa: traditional practices leading to Dioscorea rotundata Poir.

The domestication of wild yams is still common practice in West Africa. It also offers one of the few remaining opportunities to understand how farmers use their empirical knowledge to tap the genetic resources of wild plants and create products suitable for agriculture. Yam agronomist and breeders have, until recently, focused little attention on this process of organizing and generating agrobiodiversity. This book aims to fill the gap by pooling existing knowledge on the subject. This original field offers a wealth of prospects for scientific progress at a time when scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that local farmer's knowledge and practices relating to genetic resource management substantially enhances the potentials for technical progress and adaptation to environmental change. The focus is deliberately only on domestication leading to Dioscorea rotundata yams, the type most widely cultivated in West Africa. Several chapteres are devoted the biodiversity of Dioscorea rotundata yams and the wild forms from which they derive.The authors conclude by putting forward hypthoseses to explain the phenotype transformations induced by domestication practices and their maintenance by vegetative propagation. Futher research, especially by geneticists, is needed to confirm these hypotheses. Some are already being assessed, using the most advanced molecular marker analysist techniques, by joint teams of scientists from developed and developing countries. Contents: Acknowledgements. Foreword. Introduction. The Dioscorea rotundata Poir. yam: Botanical aspects; Geographical distribution; Botanical origins of Dioscorea rotundata; Organization of diversity in Dioscorea rotundata (Yam diversity on African farms; State of the scientific knowledge; Morphological and physiological diversity; Genetic diversity; Chemical diversity; Cooking quality; Sexual features; Cultivation requirements; Intrinsic productivity of the plant material; Market adaptation). Wild yams Dioscorea praehensilis Benth and Dioscorea abyssinica Hochst ex Kunth: General; Dioscorea praehensilis; Dioscorea abyssinica; Addendum: Dioscorea togoensis Knuth. Phenomena that could explain the variability of wildand domesticated yams: Climatic disturbance; Anthropogenic pressure; Reciprocal gene flow between wild and cultivated yams; Effects of periodic fallows; Variations in genome expression; Mutation; Ploidization. Domestication leading to Dioscorea rotundata: Definitions and general aspects; Rationales and limits of domestication (Significance and importance of domestication for farmers; Framework of domestication). Cultivation techniques used to transform wild yams into double-harvest Dioscorea rotundata yams: General; Domestication process and effects; Thoughts on domestication leading to double-harvest Dioscorea rotundata yams. Conclusion. Glossary of technical terms. References
Estudos estruturais com fosfolipases A2 e fosfolipases A2 homólogas isoladas no veneno de Bothrops moojeni

2 (Asp49-PLA2s) and homologue phospholipases A2 (including Lys49-PLA2s) present in Bothrops venoms. This complication related to snakebite is not currently solved by the administration of ophidic serum and, therefore, several studies have been conducted in attempt to understand the pharmacological sites of these toxins and to develop complementary treatments to serum therapy. In this work, we performed a comparative crystallographic study between BmooPLA2-I and other Asp49-PLA2s which present inhibitingplatelet aggregation activity using protein crystallography. The results suggest that some regions distinct from the site proposed by prior works could be responsible by this biological activity. Studies with MjTX-II and other Lys49-PLA2s were also performed and it was proposed that long-chain molecules, such as fatty acids and polyethylene glicols (PEGs), contribute to the crystallization of these toxins. Besides, these compounds interact with the active site, thus causing the hyperpolarization of the Cys29/Gly30 residues via Lys122. These findings reinforce the theory which establishes the catalytic activity of Lys49-PLA2s is not abolish only by the presence of the Lys49 sidechain close to the calcium binding loop, but also due to other structural features. Finally, studies with the MjTX-I revealed that this toxin is different from other Lys49-PLA2s since its crystal structure presents four molecules in the asymmetric unit and a distinct configuration of the myotoxic site as previously proposed for other Lys49-PLA2s. Other studies with MjTX-I using spectroscopy techniques (dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)) and size exclusion chromatography showed that this toxin tends to form oligomers in solution. In addition, the SAXS experiments indicated the dimeric conformation of MjTX-I is similar to “conventional dimer” proposed for Lys49PLA2s, suggesting new functionalities for this toxin, probably related to the adaptation of Bothrops moojeni to cerrado environments, a very distinct habitat in relation to those occupied by other snakes from the same genus.
Estudo Comparativo da Biologia de Meloidogyne enterolobii (= M. mayaguensis) e Meloidogyne javanica em tomateiros com gene Mi

Visando conhecer a relacao parasito hospedeiro de M. enterolobii em plantas com resistencia a nematoides das galhas, estudos comparativos da biologia de M. enterolobii e M. javanica em tomateiros com o gene Mi foram conduzidos. O experimento foi conduzido em esquema fatorial 2x2, composto de dois porta-enxertos de tomateiro ('Magnet' e 'Helper M') e duas especies de nematoides das galhas (M. enterolobii e M. javanica) com cinco repeticoes. As plantas foram inoculadas com 500 juvenis infectantes (J2) de M. enterolobii ou M. javanica. As raizes foram coletadas aos 3, 10, 17, 24 e 31 dias apos a inoculacao, coloridas com fucsina acida, e dissecadas sob microscopio estereoscopico para a localizacao e contagem dos diferentes estadios de desenvolvimento dos nematoides. Os dados foram submetidos a analise de variância e as medias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que, embora ambas as especies tenham sido capazes de penetrar as raizes dos porta-enxertos de tomateiro, somente M. enterolobii conseguiu desenvolver-se normalmente, com as femeas maduras realizando suas posturas, a partir de 24 dias apos a inoculacao.
Structural investigation of the lipopolysaccharide from Proteus mirabilis R45 (Re-chemotype)

Five phosphorylated saccharides were isolated from the deacylated then N-acetylated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Proteus mirabilis R45 (Re-chemotype) by anion-exchange chromatography. Their structures were determined by 1- and 2-dimensional 1H- and 3C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as α-Kdo-(2-4)-[β-L-ArapNAc-(1-8)-]-α-Kdo-(2-6)-β-D-GIc pNAc-(1-6)-α-D-GIcpNAc 1-phosphate (1), α-Kdo-(2-4)-[β-L-Ara pNAc-(1-8)-]-α-Kdo-(2-6)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1-6)-α-D-Glc pNAc 1,4'-bisphosphate (2), α-Kdo-(2-4)-α-Kdo-(2-6)-β-D-Glc pNAc-(1-6)-α-D-GlcpNAc 1-phosphate (3), α-Kdo-(2-4)-α-Kdo-(2-6)-β-D-Glc pNAc-(1-6)-α-D-GlcpNAc 1,4'-bisphosphate (4), and β-L-Ara pNAc 1-phosphate (5) (ArapNAc, 4-acetamido-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose; Kdo, 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulopyranosonic acid). Compounds 1-5 were obtained from deacylated LPS in a molar ratio of ~1.1:0.8:1.1:1.0:0.6 as determined by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. Although we cannot exclude that in the deacylated LPS (without N-acetylation) the molar ratio may be different, the result can be taken as indication that in LPS about 50% of the 4'-phosphates of lipid A are substituted by (β-L-AraρN. Furthermore, our data prove that the first Kdo in the carbohydrate chain is partially substituted by a second residue of ArapN. The de-O-acylated LPS was additionally investigated using fast atom bombardment and B/E linked scan mass spectrometry which confirmed the above findings and also identified minor amounts of another LPS species possessing a third pentosamine residue.
Effects of Papain and a Microbial Enzyme on Meat Proteins and Beef Tenderness

ABSTRACT: The relative effects of an aspartic proteinase (AP) and papain on meat proteins and beef tenderness were evaluated by measuring release of hydroxyproline in collagen, and breakdown of myofibrillar proteins. Tenderness was objectively measured by Warner-Bratzler shear. AP showed self-limiting hydrolysis of myofibrillar proteins resulting in 25 to 30% improvement in meat tenderness and was not adversely affected by pH, salt, phosphate, and ascorbate concentrations often encountered in meat processing. Like papain, its tenderizing effect was expressed primarily during cooking and caused no ignificant changes (p > 0.05) in tenderness during frozen or refrigerated storage. It was also inactivated at cooking temperatures in excess of 60 °C, therefore eliminating any undesirable side effects that may be associated with residual protease activity.
Postfledging Survivorship and Habitat Selection Across a Rural-to-Urban Landscape Gradient

ABSTRACT. Despite recent increases in the number of demographic studies of birds in urban environments, the postfledging period remains poorly understood. Because novel ecological factors, including changes in predator abundance and invasive exotic shrubs, are associated with urbanization, we asked (1) how does postfledging survivorship vary across a rural-to-urban landscape gradient and (2) to what extent does Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), an invasive exotic shrub, influence patterns of survivorship and habitat selection? During the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons, we placed radiotransmitters on fledgling Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis; n = 45) and Acadian Flycatchers (Empidonax virescens; n = 31) that occupied riparian forest stands embedded within a rural-to-urban landscape gradient in central Ohio, USA. Predation was the primary cause of fledgling mortality for both species, but cumulative survivorship (± SE) for Acadian Flycatchers (0.720 ± 0.097; 22 days) was 1.6 × that of Northern Cardinals (0.440 ± 0.077; 71 days). Survivorship across the entire postfledging period was not associated with urbanization, but during the initial 3 days after fledging, when mortality rates were highest, Northern Cardinal survivorship was positively related to urbanization. Northern Cardinals strongly selected for complex understory vegetation that was positively associated with survivorship, but survival was not related specifically to cover by Amur Honeysuckle. Contrary to assumptions that postfledging survival declines as landscapes urbanize, our results suggest that urban forests may provide suitable habitat for juvenile birds living within metropolitan areas.
Water Relations of Flowering of Agave deserti

The water budget during flowering for the leaves, inflorescence, and lateral floral branches of the monocarpic perennial Agave deserti Engelm. (Agavaceae) was investigated in the western Colorado desert. During the 159 days from the emergence of the inflorescence until the fruit could be removed from the plant without affecting seed viability, the approximately 68 leaves on a plant decreased 24.9 kg in wet weight (7.1 kg attributable to leaf transpiration) and 1.84 kg in dry weight. The decrease of water in the leaves, which accompanied their death, was balanced by water storage in the inflorescence (3.1 kg), transpirational water loss from its surface (4.3 kg), and water loss from the lateral floral branches (10.8 kg), most of which came from the fruit. The final dry weight of the inflorescence (1.25 kg) approximately equaled the total annual photosynthetic productivity of a mature plant; such a large demand on its reserves is consistent with the single blooming period for this perennial. Due to seed predation, stringent germination conditions, and seedling fatalities, only about one seed in 1.2 x 106 will lead to a mature flowering plant. In fact, most A. deserti plants are produced vegetatively.
Food habits of American black bears as a metric for direct management of human–bear conflict in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California

Abstract The management of human–American black bear (Ursus americanus) conflict has been of significant concern for Yosemite National Park (YNP) personnel since the 1920s. Park managers implemented the YNP Human–Bear Management Plan in 1975 in an effort to reduce human–bear conflicts, especially in the extensively developed Yosemite Valley (YV). We used scat analysis to estimate annual and seasonal food habits of black bears in YV during 2001–02. We assessed the success of efforts to reduce the availability of anthropogenic foods, including garbage, by examining changes in the diet compared to a study from 1974–78 (Graber 1981). We also quantified consumption of non-native fruit to address its possible contribution to human–bear conflicts. The annual percent volume of human-provided food and garbage in black bear scats in YV decreased from 21% to 6% between 1978 and 2002, indicating YNP efforts have been effective. We found high use of non-native apples by bears throughout YV. Non-native food sources could be contributing to habituation and food conditioning, given their proximity to developed areas of YV. We recommend that YNP managers continue to (1) adapt and improve their management tools to address changing circumstances, (2) quantify the success of new management tools, and (3) reduce the availability of non-native food sources.
Community structure and distribution of Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera larvae in lowland karst rivers in Slovenia

Mayfly and stonefly larval community compositions were investigated in lowland karst rivers. From January to December 2005, 49 benthos samples were taken using a multi-habitat approach. Environmental variables were measured in about monthly intervals. Altogether, 26 mayfly taxa (20 species) and 17 stonefly taxa (13 species) were recorded. Eight species were common, whereas 16 taxa were rare. Only Baetis rhodani and Ephemerella ignita occurred frequently at all sites. Significant differences were observed among sampling sites in diversity and richness metrics but neither in abundance nor in values of index of biocenotic regions. Spatial and seasonal differences amongst assemblages were determined by NMS. The relationship between mayfly and stonefly assemblage structure and seasonally varied environmental factors were investigated using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Mayfly and stonefly larval taxa distribution was best correlated to an eutrophication gradient represented by conductivity, nitrate concentration and dissolved oxygen concentration.
The influence of light quality on the development of the brown algae Petalonia and Scytosiphon

Petalonia fascia (O. F. Mull.) Kuntze, P. zosterifolia (Reinke) Kuntze and Scytosiphon lomentaria (Lyngb.) J. Ag. have been cultured in white, blue and red light of equal quantum irradiance at 15°C. Hairs, knot-filaments and Ralfsia-like crusts were formed only in blue light, whereas the prostrate system of red-grown plants consisted entirely of sparingly-branched and mostly uniseriate filaments. The production of erect thalli from the prostrate system was controlled or stimulated by red light, but these erect thalli became fertile only in the presence of blue light. All three species exhibited all of these types of response, although specific differences in the degree of certain types of response were observed.
Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa: A Basis for Seed Policy and Law

Seed policies primarily concentrate on the formal seed system, which supplies Sub-Saharan African countries less than 20% of the total seed demand and involves only a limited number of crops and varieties. Seed laws, and the mechanisms and organizations involved in their implementation, are developed with varying degrees of success. We address the limitations of applying a linear model to seed sector development and introduce integrated seed sector development (ISSD). We assess seed systems in Ethiopia, Mali, and Zambia, and demonstrate that one single model cannot address the variations in realities within one country or the continent. ISSD provides opportunities for taking a pluralistic approach in strengthening multiple seed systems, and has the potential to combine objectives targeting food security, agricultural development, promoting entrepreneurship, and contributing to biodiversity management. We elaborate pathways for ISSD-guided policies that include variety release, seed quality management, and plant breeders' rights.
Patterns of invasion within a grassland community

1 Relatively few studies have looked for patterns of invasion by non‐native species within communities. We tested the hypotheses that: (i) some types of microhabitats within a community are more invasible than others; (ii) microhabitat types that differ in invasion also differ in resource availability; and (iii) invasibility is mediated by effects of these resources on competition between native and non‐native species. 2 To test the first two hypotheses, we measured plant cover and soils in a coastal grassland in northern California. Consistent with these hypotheses, cover of non‐native plants was consistently high where nitrogen‐fixing shrubs had recently grown, in the bottoms and sides of gullies and on deep soils, and these microhabitats tended to have relatively high nitrogen or water availability. 3 Cover and number of native species tended to be lower where cover of non‐native species was higher, indicating that non‐native species as a group negatively affected native species. However, the number of non‐native species also tended to be lower where the total cover of non‐natives was higher. This suggests that a few non‐native species excluded natives and other non‐natives alike. 4 To test the third hypothesis, we grew a common non‐native, the annual grass Lolium multiflorum, and a common native, the perennial grass Hordeum brachyantherum, at different levels of water and nitrogen. The relative competitive ability of the native was higher at lower nitrogen availability but not at lower water availability. When 10‐week‐old native plants were grown with non‐native seedlings and nitrogen was relatively low, the native out‐competed the non‐native. However, the non‐native out‐competed the native at all resource levels when species were both grown as seedlings. Competition between native and non‐native grasses in this system may thus help prevent invasion by non‐natives in microhabitats where nitrogen availability is low, but invasion may be relatively irreversible.
The Size Structure of Deep-Sea Meiobenthos in the North-Eastern Atlantic: Nematode Size Spectra in Relation to Environmental Variables

The size distribution of benthic nematodes was investigated along different gradients of food availability in various regions of the north-eastern Atlantic: I, across the continental margin and II, with increasing distance from the continental rise. An overall trend for miniaturization with increasing distance from the food source was found. Moreover, our results indicate that seasonally varying food supply or a periodically pulsed input of organic matter to the sea floor affects nematode size spectra. The hypothesis is proposed that the life cycle of deep-sea nematode species and hence the size structure of their populations are related to seasonal energy availability. This dependence might result in one year life spans of deep-sea nematodes and probably other meiofauna.
Optimisation of sweetener blends for the preparation of lassi.

Sucrose was successfully replaced with sweetener blends for the preparation of lassi. Optimisation of the levels of sweeteners added individually or in blends, viz. binary, tertiary and quaternary and finally selection of the best blend among them was based on organoleptic assessment. Binary blend aspartame × acesulfame-k scored the highest when compared with the best optimised single sweetener aspartame, tertiary and quaternary blend in lassi and had nonsignificant differences with control in all sensory attributes. It showed maximum synergy in sweetness intensity in comparison to tertiary and quaternary blends. Use of binary blend resulted in 38% reduction of usage level when compared with single sweetener aspartame.
Effect of Bird-Resistant Sorghums and Tannic Acid on Yolk Mottling

Abstract In two experiments commercial egg-type hens were fed a corn-soy diet to which up to 4.00 percent tannic acid was added. Additional diets used bird-resistant and non-bird-resistant sorghum grains to replace 60 percent of the yellow corn. The sorghum grains comprised 40 percent of the diet and their tannin content ranged from 0.75 percent for the non-bird-resistant variety to 2.44 percent for one of the bird-resistant varieties harvested in the dough stage. Yolk mottling was significantly increased only when the hens were fed tannic acid as 2.00 and 4.00 percent of the diet. These yolks also exhibited a greenish tint. This study shows that bird-resistant sorghum grain can replace 60 percent of the yellow corn of laying hen diets without affecting yolk mottling scores and that a 100 percent substitution of a mature stage bird-resistant variety would not be likely to have any deleterious effect on yolk mottling or discoloration.