Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clonal Plasticity in Response to Reciprocal Patchiness of Light and Nutrients in the Stoloniferous Herb Glechoma longituba L.

Interconnected ramets of clonal plants can functionally specialize in the uptake of resources from aboveground and/or underground sources. Ramet pairs of the clonal stoloniferous herb Glechoma longituba L. were grown in spatially heterogeneous environments with complementary availability of light and nutrients. Plasticity with respect to root-shoot ratio, fitness-related traits (biomass, number of ramets and dry weight per ramet), morphological traits (lamina area, root length) were experimentally examined. The aim was to understand the adaptation of G. longituba to an environment with reciprocal patchiness of light and soil nutrients by plasticity in its root-shoot ratio and clonal morphology. The results showed that the performance of ramets growing in patches with high light intensity and low soil nutrients into the adjacent opposite patches was increased in terms of fitness-related traits. However, the performance of those from patches with low light intensity and high soil nutrients into the adjacent opposite patches was not changed. The root-shoot ratio and clonal morphology were plastic. Morphological traits such as lamina area and root length were altered in a way that enhanced the capture of light resources and soil nutrients. Apparent reciprocal resource transport between the ramets in an environment of reciprocal patchiness of resources can enhance the growth of ramets with complementary resource deficiencies. (Managing editor: Ya-Qin Han)
In vitro adhesion assays for probiotics and their in vivo relevance: a review

Adhesion to the intestinal mucosa is one of the main selection criteria for probiotics. Selection of adhesive strains is performed in vitro. Little is known, however, as to how well in vitro adhesion correlates with in vivo adhesion; to date, this has not been systematically reviewed. Because the various adhesion models usually describe only one part of the intestinal mucosa, a combination of models may provide the best information. Incubation conditions affect the outcome of an adhesion assay and should be optimized for physiological relevance. The effects of digestion, the food matrix and the normal microbiota appear to have a significant influence, but have not been extensively investigated. Many factors interfere with the mucosal adhesion of probiotics, it is therefore difficult to extrapolate in vitro adhesion results reliably to the in vivo situation in humans. It is suggested that the relationship between in vitro and in vivo adhesion and the significance of adhesion for probiotic efficacy should be further investigated. In determining the in vivo importance of adhesion and the assumed relationship between in vitro and in vivo adhesion, adhesive and low-adhesive isogenic strains would appear to be the best tools.
Nonlethal Gill Biopsy Does Not Affect Juvenile Chinook Salmon Implanted with Radio Transmitters

Abstract Using gastric and surgical transmitter implantation, we compared radio-tagged juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (T0) with tagged fish also having a gill biopsy (TB) to determine biopsy effects on fish implanted with radio transmitters. We found no evidence during the 21-d period to suggest that a gill biopsy reduced survival, growth, or gross condition of the tagged–biopsy group, regardless of transmitter implantation technique. We recorded 100% survival of all treatment groups. Relative growth rates of T0 and TB fish did not differ significantly. Leukocrit and lysozyme levels were not significantly different among groups, suggesting that no signs of infection were present. Our findings suggest that small chinook salmon can tolerate the combination of transmitter implantation and gill biopsy without compromising condition relative to fish receiving only the transmitter. We believe a gill biopsy can be used in field telemetry studies, especially when physiological data are needed in.
Seasonal variation of leaf conductance in a subalpine Pinus cembra during the winter months.

WIESER G. 2000. Seasonal variation of leaf conductance in a subalpine Pinus cembra during the winter months. Phyton (Horn, Austria) 40 (4): (185) (190). Winter leaf conductance of the last three flushes of Pinus cembra L. was studied under ambient conditions at the alpine timberline. Changes in leaf conductance paralleled seasonal variations in temperature. During the coldest months, December to March, leaf conductance was almost completely suppressed, even at the highest needle temperatures as compared to spring and fall. Comparing the maximum leaf conductance measured during the day with the minimum air and stem temperature of the previous night showed significant curvilinear relationships. A similar comparison with minimum soil temperature by contrast, resulted in a non significant relationship. Thus, in areas where a continuous snow cover prevents freezing of the soil, as for instance at the alpine timberline or even at high latitudes, stem temperature seems to be a precise predictor of the potential maximum leaf conductance on the following day.
Elevated CO2 reduces the nitrogen concentration of plant tissues

We summarize the impacts of elevated CO2 on the N concentration of plant tissues and present data to support the hypothesis that reductions in the quality of plant tissue commonly occur when plants are grown under elevated CO2. Synthesis of existing data showed an average 14% reduction of N concentrations in plant tissue generated under elevated CO2 regimes. However, elevated CO2 appeared to have different effects on the N concentrations of different plant types, as the reported reductions in N have been larger in C3 plants than in C4 plants and N2‐fixers. Under elevated CO2 plants changed their allocation of N between above‐ and below‐ground components: root N concentrations were reduced by an average of 9% compared to a 14% average reduction for above‐ground tissues. Although the concentration of CO2 treatments represented a significant source of variance for plant N concentration, no consistent trends were observed between them.
Post‐invasion evolution of native plant populations: a test of biological resilience

Contemporary evolution may explain the success of some exotic plant invasions. However, the evolutionary response of recipient native plant populations to exotic invasion has received relatively little attention. Because plant populations are genetically variable, contemporary evolution may also occur in native populations following entry of invasive species. Previously, we documented molecular differences in native populations; here we extend these studies to evaluate growth of native species in a common garden experiment. We seek to determine if three populations of two native grass species (Hesperostipa comata and Sporobolus airoides ) demonstrate evidence of contemporary evolution in response to invasion by Acroptilon repens . We obtained 50 genets of the two native grass species from communities long-invaded (25 � 80 years) by A. repens and from adjacent, noninvaded areas, and planted five transplants of each genet into two A. repens infestations (Laramie and Fort Steele, Wyoming, USA) to document their growth and survival. Cumulative differences between collections from invaded and noninvaded communities were species-specific. S. airoides displayed a consistent positive response to long-term coexistence with A. repens , whereas the performance of H. comata originating from invaded communities was not different from H. comata collected from noninvaded communities. In general, genets from invaded communities had fewer tillers than genets from noninvaded communities, but their relative tiller production (percent increase) was greater for genets from invaded communities at both field transplant sites for both grass species. Basal area increase and overall performance of collections from invaded and noninvaded communities of origin depended on transplant site and grass species. The results suggest that native species have the potential for adaptation to coexist with exotic invasives, although that potential may differ among species.
Interferon-Tau Suppresses Prostaglandin F2α Secretion Independently of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Nuclear Factor κ B Pathways1

Abstract Pregnancy is established in ruminants through inhibitory actions of interferon (IFN)-τ on the release of prostaglandin F2α (PGF), which allows the corpus luteum to survive and continue to produce progesterone. Experiments were designed to 1) delineate the signal transduction pathway coordinating the synthesis of PGF, 2) determine how rapidly recombinant bovine (rb) IFN-τ attenuated phorbol ester (PDBu)-induced secretion of PGF, and 3) establish the site at which rbIFN-τ attenuates the secretion of PGF in cultured bovine endometrial (BEND) cells. BEND cells were untreated (control) or treated for 5, 10, 60, 180, or 300 min with PDBu (100 ng/ml), rbIFN-τ (50 or 500 ng/ml), PDBu + rbIFN-τ, or PDBu + PD98059 (MEK-1 inhibitor; 50 μM). Secretion of PGF was induced (P < 0.0001) by PDBu within 180 min, but induction was inhibited 74% by the addition of rbIFN-τ (P < 0.0001) and was ablated completely by PD98059. Parallel results were obtained for cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 protein expression. PDBu induced (P < 0.05) activation of the Raf-1/MEK-1/ERK-1/2 pathway, which was obligatory for the expression of COX-2 and secretion of PGF but was not altered by cotreatment with rbIFN-τ. PDBu induced (P < 0.05) transcription of c-jun and c-fos mRNAs within 30 min; induction was inhibited (P < 0.05) by cotreatment with PD98059 but not by cotreatment with rbIFN-τ. Treatment of BEND cells with rbIFN-τ also did not attenuate PDBu-induced degradation of IκBα, suggesting that the IκBα/NFκB pathway is not a site of IFN-τ inhibition of PGF. However, rbIFN-τ did block transcription of the COX-2 gene induced by PDBu within 30 min. In conclusion, COX-2 expression and PGF secretion induced by PDBu is mediated through the Raf-1/MEK-1/ERK-1/2 pathway, but this pathway is not disrupted by rbIFN-τ. Because rbIFN-τ inhibits COX-2 mRNA within 30 min, we hypothesized that transcription factors activated by rbIFN-τ rapidly and directly attenuate COX-2 gene expression, thereby suppressing secretion of PGF.
Physiological and nutritional factors affecting protein digestion in broiler chickens

A series of experiments were conducted to examine protein digestion in the young bird and the physiological changes that affect protein digestion as the bird matures. Trial one determined the effect of age on pH of the gastrointestinal tract. The results showed that the pH of the proventriculus and gizzard decreases with age suggesting that gastric acid secretion increases proportionally with age and this may impact protein digestion. Experiment two examined the effect of age on ileal amino acid (AA) digestibility of feed ingredients. AA digestibility increased from 5 to 21 d and the degree of improvement differed among ingredients and specific AA. This finding coupled with the low AA content of some ingredients demonstrates the importance of using appropriate nutrient digestibility values for young birds when formulating pre-starter and starter diets. Experiment three determined the acid binding capacity (ABC) of feed ingredients and the effect of formulating diets based on ABC on diet ABC, gastrointestinal pH and performance. The research confirmed dramatic differences in ABC among ingredients and that diets could be formulated on the basis of ingredient ABC. However, the range in diet ABC was less than predicted suggesting interactive effects among ingredients. Intestinal pH was reduced however broiler performance was not improved when diets low in ABC were fed. Experiment four examined the effect of diet acidification with HCl on diet ABC, gastrointestinal pH, ileal amino acid digestibility and broiler performance. Improvements in performance and reductions in mortality were observed when broilers were fed acidified diets. Adding acid to diets did not improve AA digestibility and therefore was not the reason for improved performance indicating an alternative mechanism of action. It is concluded that acid production by the proventriculus of young birds is low and increases with age however this does not impact protein digestion. Methods of improving performance of broiler chickens may include diet acidification however this is not the effect of remedying the low acid production by young birds. Therefore, alternative mechanisms are positively affecting broiler performance.
Vulnerability Detection on Android Apps–Inspired by Case Study on Vulnerability Related With Web Functions

Nowadays, people’s lifestyle is more and more dependent on mobile applications (Apps), such as shopping, financial management and surfing the internet. However, developers mainly focus on the implementation of Apps and the improvement of user experience while ignoring security issues. In this paper, we perform the comprehensive study on vulnerabilities caused by misuse of APIs and form a methodology for this type of vulnerability analysis. We investigate the security of three types of Android Apps including finance, shopping and browser which are closely related to human life. And we analyze four vulnerabilities including Improper certificate validation(CWE-295:ICV), WebView bypass certificate validation vulnerability(CVE-2014-5531:WBCVV), WebView remote code execution vulnerability(CVE-2014-1939:WRCEV) and Alibaba Cloud OSS credential disclosure vulnerability(CNVD-2017-09774:ACOCDV). In order to verify the effectiveness of our analysis method in large-scale Apps on the Internet, we propose a novel scalable tool - VulArcher, which is based on heuristic method and used to discover if the above vulnerabilities exist in Apps. We download a total of 6114 of the above three types of samples in App stores, and we use VulArcher to perform the above vulnerability detection for each App. We perform manual verification by randomly selecting 100 samples of each vulnerability. We find that the accuracy rate for ACOCDV can reach 100%, the accuracy rate for WBCVV can reach 95%, and the accuracy rate for the other two vulnerabilities can reach 87%. And one of vulnerabilities detected by VulArcher has been included in China National Vulnerability Database (CNVD) ID(CNVD-2017-23282). Experiments show that our tool is feasible and effective. For the convenience of researchers in related communities, We make our data and tool available at https://buptnsrclab.github. io/blog/2020/01/03/vularcher-site-launched.
The emergence of agroecological practices on agropastoral dairy farms in the face of changing demand from dairies

Description of the subject. Today, the dairy sector is facing economic, social and environmental challenges. Agroecology seems to be one way of meeting those challenges. However, dairy market demand in terms of volume and supply periods may not be in line with an agroecological transition. Breeders must respond to the production conditions fixed by dairies. Objectives. We analyzed to what extent dairy farming practices are changing in two agropastoral territories after a change in the dairy process or supply period, and whether changes in practices induce a stronger uptake of agroecological practices or, on the contrary, a shift towards more conventional intensification of those practices. We were thus able to see if and how these livestock farming system dynamics contribute to and fashion agroecological transition in dairy production, in response to changes in local contexts. Method. To highlight the evolution of breeders' practices, we interviewed 41 dairy ewe farmers in the South of France and dairy cattle farmers in Western Burkina Faso. We then proposed a normative approach to evaluate to what extent changes in practices corresponded to an agroecological transition. For that purpose, we proposed a grid to analyze local practices in combination with agroecological principles. We evaluated practices before and after changes to the supply period or the dairy market. Results. In each of the territories studied, four trajectories emerged, some of which were part of an agroecological transition. The results showed that the market plays an important role as a driver of transition, in particular in situations of organic production, or limited access to inputs. Other drivers, such as resource management schemes, lead to changes in practices on rangelands towards a reduced use of pastoral resources. Conclusions. In these highly contrasting contexts with different issues, such as food security and land accessibility, farmers bring into play practices according to agroecological principles that appear to respond to the local situation.
Role of Immunofluorescence antigen mapping in the diagnosis of Epidermolysis Bullosa - A rare genetic blistering disorder

Background: Epidermolysis Bullosa is a rare genetic mechanobullous skin and mucosal fragility with blistering. It is classified into: Epidermolysis (Simplex), lucidolytic (Junctional) and dermolytic (Dystrophic). The disease is extremely debilitating necessitating early detection and treatment. Immunofluorescence mapping is gold standard of diagnosis. Objective: To determine types and inheritance patterns of cutaneous and extracutaneous Epidermolysis Bullosa by immunofluorescence mapping. Methods: 5 µm frozen section from lesions /artificial bulla are collected over multispot PTEF coated slides. Incubation done with primary antihuman mouse antibodies (IgG) and with FITC conjugated anti-IgG mouse secondary antibodies. Antibodies used against Collagen IV, Collagen VII, cytokeratin 4, cytokeratin 14, Laminin 332, alpha6 and beta4 integrins. Healthy skin is positive control. Results: In Simplex type blister and split is above lamina densa with reduced CK14 at base (Dominant). Anti-integrins, laminin 332 and collagen IV all are present at base. In Junctional type, collagen IV present at base, cytokeratin or integrin at roof, and cleavage is at lamina lucida. Laminin 332 is reduced (dominant) or absent (recessive). In Dystrophic type blister is below lamina densa. Collagen IV or VII stains roof of blister. Collagen VII is absent in recessive type and reduced in dominant type. Limitations: Rare disease Conclusion: Agreement of clinical diagnosis and mapping is moderate indicating mapping is an essential adjunct.
A kinetic model of Phanerozoic taxonomic diversity. III. Post-Paleozoic families and mass extinctions

A three-phase kinetic model with time-specific perturbations is used to describe large-scale patterns in the diversification of Phanerozoic marine families. The basic model assumes that the Cambrian, Paleozoic, and Modern evolutionary faunas each diversified logistically as a consequence of early exponential growth and of later slowing of growth as the ecosystems became filled; it also assumes interaction among the evolutionary faunas such that expansion of the combined diversities of all three faunas above any single fauna's equilibrium caused that fauna's diversity to begin to decline. This basic model adequately describes the diversification of the evolutionary faunas through the Paleozoic Era as well as the asymmetrical rise and fall of background extinction rates through the entire Phanerozoic. Declines in diversity and changes in faunal dominance associated with mass extinctions can be accommodated in the model with short-term accelerations in extinction rates or declines in equilibria. Such accelerations, or perturbations, cause diversity to decline exponentially and then to rebound sigmoidally following release. The amount of decline is dependent on the magnitude and duration of the perturbation, the timing of the perturbation with respect to the diversification of the system, and the system's initial per-taxon rates of diversification and turnover. When applied to the three-phase model, such perturbations describe the changes in diversity and faunal dominance during and after major mass extinctions, the long-term rise in total diversity following the Late Permian and Norian mass extinctions, and the peculiar diversification and then decline of the remnants of the Paleozoic fauna during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. The good fit of this model to data on Phanerozoic familial diversity suggests that many of the large-scale patterns of diversification seen in the marine fossil record of animal families are simple consequences of nonlinear interrelationships among a small number of parameters that are intrinsic to the evolutionary faunas and are largely (but not completely) invariant through time.
A Study on Factors Impacting on Profitability: The Case of Vietnam

This study is conducted to investigate factors influencing the profitability of the Vietnamese food processing firms. Data was collected from audited financial statements from listed food processing firms on the Vietnam Stock Exchange. Panel regression model was applied in this study (PLS). The testing methods used in this research were Pearson model; Modified Wald Test, Wooldridge test (for autocorreclation in panel data), Hausman model, especially the relationship between FEM and REM as well as Multicollinearity test based on VIF coeficient. The results shows that DR, SDR and LDR have negative impacts on profitability. In contrast, TDTELT have positive impacts on the profitability. FATA and SIZE impact return on asset (ROA) without statistical significance. SIZE has positive impact on return on equity (ROE) while it impacts negatively on profit margin (PM). Moreover, AGE, GDP growth, and inflation do not have impact on profitability. Keywords: Factors, Return on assets, Food processing firms, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-10-07 Publication date: May 31 st 2020
Meiosis and Pollen Viability in Helianthus tuberosus L. and its Hybrids with Cultivated Sunflower

The hexaploid species of Helianthus tuberosus is a potential source of resistance to several sunflower pathogens. But crossed with cultivated sunflower, it produces F, hybrids which have low values of fertility or even full sterility. Pollen viability and meiotic features were studied in 17 populations of the species H. tuberosus and in F1 hybrids. Significant differences in pollen viability existed between populations (47.1–98.8%). In the 15 FI hybrids, plant fertility ranged from 0 to 100 per combination, while pollen viability ranged from 12.4 to 57.1. Meiosis was almost normal in the analyzed species, and irregular in the F, hybrids. The highest percentage of meiocytes was with bivalents (85.9), but univalents (0.3) and multivalents (13.8) occurred as well. In metaphase and anaphase, the percentage of meiocytes with fast and lagging chromosomes was high. In anaphase, chromosome bridges were detected in 9.9 of the meiocytes.