Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating animal density using camera traps without the need for individual recognition

Summary 1Density estimation is of fundamental importance in wildlife management. The use of camera traps to estimate animal density has so far been restricted to capture–recapture analysis of species with individually identifiable markings. This study developed a method that eliminates the requirement for individual recognition of animals by modelling the underlying process of contact between animals and cameras. 2The model provides a factor that linearly scales trapping rate with density, depending on two key biological variables (average animal group size and day range) and two characteristics of the camera sensor (distance and angle within which it detects animals). 3We tested the approach in an enclosed animal park with known abundances of four species, obtaining accurate estimates in three out of four cases. Inaccuracy in the fourth species was because of biased placement of cameras with respect to the distribution of this species. 4Synthesis and applications. Subject to unbiased camera placement and accurate measurement of model parameters, this method opens the possibility of reduced labour costs for estimating wildlife density and may make estimation possible where it has not been previously. We provide guidelines on the trapping effort required to obtain reasonably precise estimates.
The spread of CTX-M-type extended-spectrum β-lactamases

CTX-M-type enzymes are a group of class A extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs) that are rapidly spreading among Enterobacteriaceae worldwide. More that 50 allotypes are known, clustered into six sub-lineages. The CTX-M-encoding genes have been captured from the chromosome of Kluyvera spp. on conjugative plasmids that mediate their dissemination among pathogenic enterobacteria. CTX-M-type ESBLs exhibit powerful activity against cefotaxime and ceftriaxone but generally not against ceftazidime, which has important implications for laboratory detection. However, several CTX-M variants with enhanced ceftazidimase activity have been detected. The rapid and massive spread of CTX-M-type ESBLs is rapidly changing the ESBL epidemiology and, in some geographical areas, these enzymes are now the most prevalent ESBLs in Enterobacteriaceae.
Effect of level of fermentable neutral detergent fiber on feed intake and production of lactating ewes

The objective of this experiment was to quantify the effect of level of fermentable NDF (FNDF) on DMI and production of highly productive, lactating ewes. Within one week of parturition, 21 ewes and their triplets or twins (2.7 lambs per ewe) were penned individually in expanded metal floor pens and fed one of 3 diets for 6 weeks. The diets were formulated to contain 15, 25, or 35% FNDF with associated decreases in nonstructural carbohydrates based upon estimated ingredient digestibility values at 1X maintenance. The 15% FNDF diet (19% NDF) contained 48.2% corn gluten feed (CGF), 44.9% corn, 2.9% calcium carbonate, 2% mineral-vitamin premix, and 2% corn oil. Soy hulls replaced 3 percentage units (PU) of the CGF and 17 PU of the corn for the 25% FNDF diet (30% NDF), and 6 PU of the CGF and 33 PU of the corn for the 35% FNDF diet (41% NDF). Chromic oxide was used as a marker to determine digestibility. Milk production was measured during week 3 by lamb removal, oxytocin administration, and milking followed 3 hours later by a second milking. Almost all ewes had sore teats by week 4, often followed by mastitis, which was treated with penicillin and udder balm. For ewes fed the 15% FNDF diet, DMI was similar to 2007 NRC values, but DMI was substantially higher for ewes fed the 25 and 35% FNDF diets. Somewhat in line with digestibility depression from increased intake, actual digestibility values were substantially lower than the 1X maintenance values upon which the diets were formulated, but ewe and lamb gains, and milk production increased substantially as dietary FNDF increased. It was discovered that the actual composition of the 15, 25 and 35% FNDF diets was 7, 12 and 16% FNDF but this difference may be attributed to the filter pore size in the method of NDF determination used, causing FNDF to be underestimated. These data indicate that diets for lactating ewes with 2 or 3 lambs should contain a minimum of 12 to 16% FNDF in the dry matter and that diet formulation can have a marked effect on DMI.
Genomic Organization of the Human FXYD2 Gene Encoding the γ Subunit of the Na,K-ATPase

Abstract Although the γ subunit of the Na,K-ATPase has only 66 or 68 amino acids, its human gene (FXYD2) was found to span 9.2 kb and have seven exons, including two alternatively spliced exons encoding different N-termini. Two candidate promoters with consensus sites for transcription factors Sp1, AP-1, and AP-2 are present, consistent with independent transcription of the splice variants. Multiple ESTs support the transcriptional competence of the identified gene elements. In the FXYD2 gene, there are two closely spaced polyadenylation signals, and both are used. A proposed third splice variant encoding a 31-residue N-terminal extension was not found in the gene, nor was the predicted larger protein found in human kidney Na,K-ATPase. Instead, evidence was found for the origin of the larger cDNA clone in homologous recombination with unrelated DNA from chromosome 2. FXYD2 is on chromosome 11q23 close to a site of tumorigenic chromosomal translocations, and has a number of repeat elements.
Cyanoprokaryota (Cyanobacteria) en ambientes cársicos en Yucatán México

Algunos cuerpos de agua en ambientes carsicos de la peninsula de Yucatan son ricos en especies de cyanoprokariontes metafiticas tropicales. Se presentan las especies de Chroococcales y Oscillatoriales de siete diferentes familias y se identifican 14 nuevos registros para Mexico, de los que cuatro constituyen nuevas especies (Asterocapsa xcaamalensis, Chlorogloea halkab, Cyanosarcina caribeana y Synechococcus socialis). Las condiciones ecologicas unicas de los humedales alcalinos con distintos niveles de profundidad parecen promover la riqueza de Cyanoprokaryota, un grupo importante de la biodiversidad en la peninsula. El area estudiada es parte de la subregion del Caribe, que esta incluido entre los 25 sitios clave de la diversidad mundial. De las especies documentadas en este estudio, el 82% se han registrado en la literatura para esta subregion y la mitad de estas especies tienen una distribucion circunscrita al Caribe
Genetic Control of Photoperiod Response in Early-Maturing, Near-Isogenic Soybean Lines

Photoperiod response is one factor responsible for the regional adaptation of soybean [Glycine mar (L.) Merr. ] cultivars. Few photoperiod response studies have been carried out with lines containing alleles for late maturity at only one or a few loci. An understanding of the photoperiod response of early-maturing soybean lines would facilitate cultivar development in short-season areas. The objectives of this study were to investigate the photoperiod response of early-maturing 'Harosoy' near-isogenic lines with indeterminate and determinate growth habit and to examine the genetic model for sensitivity to natural day length extended to 20 h with incandescent lamps [incandescent long day length (ILD)]. Harosoy near-isogenic lines were grown in the field under natural day length and ILD. The same lines were also grown in growth cabinets under 12- and 20-h photoperiods with cool white fluorescent plus incandescent lamps. Under natural day length, E 3 and E 4 alleles each delayed flowering 5 d and maturity 15 d while the E 1 allele delayed both flowering and maturity 16 d compared with the alternative early-maturing alleles. The E 3 and E 4 alleles each delayed flowering 30 d under ILD compared with natural day length. The E 1 allele did not delay flowering or maturity under ILD compared with natural day length. Under 12-h days in a growth cabinet, there were no differences among near-isogenic lines for flowering or maturity, but the loci responded differently in the 20-h photoperiods. The E 3 allele exhibited the largest photoperiod response, delaying flowering 24 d and maturity 84 d, compared with 12-h photoperiods. These photoperiod-sensitivity loci produced differential photoperiod responses that may be useful for short-season cultivar development.
Genotype of hepatitis B virus in Romanian patients.

Viral hepatitis B is a major health problem in Romania. However, genotyping of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not yet been conducted in samples originating from Romanian patients. Previous studies have suggested a correlation between the viral genotype and the evolution of the disease, the development of resistant mutant strains and the response to current therapeutic protocols. In order to characterise the distribution of HBV genotypes in patients from Transylvania, located in the North-Western part of Romania, we analysed the samples obtained from 10 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute type B viral hepatitis. Viral genotype was assigned by PCR amplification and sequencing of pol BCD, pre-S1 and pre-C/C regions of the HBV genome. Biological assays (HBs and HBe antigens, anti-HBe antibodies) and viral quantification were also conducted on each sample. Our results indicate a predominance of the genotype D (70%), followed by the genotype A (30%). This preliminary study conducted in Romanian patients may open to way to further investigations, conducted on larger patient samples, in order to characterise the molecular epidemiology of HBV in Romania.
Estudo das alterações morfo-funcionais de espermatozóides bovinos submetidos à sexagem por meio da técnica de citometria de fluxo

TANNO, P. H. Study of morpho-functions alterations in bovine spermatozoa submitted on sorting through flow cytometry technology. [Estudo das alterações morfo-funcionais de espermatozóides bovinos submetidos à sexagem por meio da técnica de citometria de fluxo]. 2009. 100 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Medicina Veterinária) – Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2009. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morpho-functions alterations in bovine semen submitted on sorting through flow cytometry technology and compare with conventional semen and the difference between the subspecies. Semen was obtained from six bulls, that three were taurine (Holstein Black and White) and three were zebuine (Dairy Gir) with four ejaculates from each animal (n = 24). Five treatments were performed: conventional semen with L (Lagoa) media; conventional semen with S (Sexing) media and sexed semen (zero, three and six hours after ejaculation to evaluate if there were membrane alterations over the time). The treatments were analyzed with flow cytometry as for plasmatic membrane integrity and acrosome reaction (PI/FITC-PSA); lipid peroxidation (C11-BODIPY) and sperm capacitation through protein tyrosine phosphorylation and the increase in plasma membrane fluidity and disorganization (Merocyanine 540 and Yo-Pro-1). The treatments effects were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Stat-View, SAS Institute, Inc. 1998, Cary, NC, USA). Effects were considered significant if the values were P<0.05 and with significant tendency (P<0.10). Semen from the taurine subspecie had a more significant negative effect than zebuine on semen quality. Sexed semen showed more lipid peroxidation in sperm with membrane integrity and the presence of phosphorylated proteins in plasma membrane surface that seemed to be sperm capacitation. However, in the contrary of expected, this increase did not accompany with quantity of cells classified as capacitated by the association probes YoPro-1 e Merocyanine 540 analyse because the conventional semen showed more sperm population with plasma membrane integrity disorganized (P<0.05). There was not worsening in sexed semen quality over the time ejaculate waiting (P<0.05).
The dynamic interaction between microbial biodiversity, biogeochemical activity and sedimentary geomorphology in the Severn Estuary

The Severn Estuary, UK is an important model estuarine environment due to its hyper-tidal range, leading to dynamic sediment environments. This work investigated the diversity and relationship with geochemistry of Severn Estuary sediment prokaryotic communities, which have not been previously described in detail. Focus was placed on the diversity and distribution of the largely uncultivated Chloroflexi, which were detected in high abundance in the deep subsurface but previous work has failed to address the diversity of subdivisions in dynamic surface sediments. Three geophysically different sampling sites were analysed from intertidal, shallow water and deep water areas of the Severn Estuary. Molecular profiling methods using the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 454 pyrosequencing were used. Novel qPCR and pyrosequencing methods were designed to target Chloroflexi subdivisions. Each of the sampling sites was characterised by differing prokaryotic communities depending on sediment turbidity and geochemistry, though the most abundant phyla, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Chloroflexi, were constant. The novel methods revealed surprising abundance and diversity of Chloroflexi subdivisions in Severn Estuary sediments, dominated by Anaerolineae, on a more detailed scale than previously reported in the literature. Further experiments described how sediment prokaryotic community structure and function changed over a wide temperature range and over 100 days. Slurries of Severn Estuary intertidal sediments were incubated between 1 - 80oC. A critical temperature window of 43oC indicated a shift in the bacterial community to thermophilic spore-forming Firmicutes and from heterotrophic to autotrophic sulphate reduction. In the Archaea community, methanogenesis shifted from chemoorganotrophic to chemolithotrophic dependent metabolism. These results extend our knowledge of the geochemical changes in temperature dependent sediment communities, which is important for the modelling of climate susceptible habitats, such as coastal sediments.
Inhibition of the Chloroplast Photochemical Reactions by Treatment of Wheat Seedlings with Low Concentrations of Cadmium: Analysis of Electron Transport Activities and Changes in Fluorescence Yield

2+ ions for 24 h in dark, and after this treatment the plants were grown in the light until the primary leaves were fully developed. Cd 2+ ions (30-120 fiu) induced a significant decrease in activities of both photosystem II and photosystem I. The extent of the decrease in PS II activity was much greater than that in the PS I activity. Analysis of changes in the fluorescence yield of chlorophyll a also indicated that Cd 2+ ions drastically affect the photochemistry of photosystem II. Cd 2+ ions induced decrease in the rates of photoreduction of 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol even in the presence of the exogenous electron donor, hydroxylamine, both in Tris-treated and untreated chloroplasts. This result suggests that the site of inhibition is near the site of donation of electrons by hydroxylamine. Treatment with Cd 2+ ions impairs the electron transport system on the reducing side of PS II. The decrease in the fluorescence yield of Chi a is less than that in the evolution of O2 mediated by oxidized phenylenediamine. This difference may be a result of inhibition on the reducing side of PS II. In addition to inhibition on the reducing side, Cd 2+ ions may affect the oxidizing side of PS II. A comparative study of the rates of evolution of O2 with /7-benzoquinone and dichloro-^7-benzoquinone as electron acceptors was performed since the halogenated benzoquinones have been shown to accept electrons from both active and inactive centers of photosystem II while some of the benzoquinones accept electrons only from active centers. The results suggest that Cd 2+ ions induced a marginal increase in the number of inactive reaction centers in PS II. Analysis of light-saturation-kinetics of the evolution of O2 catalysed by PS II indicates a reduction in the size of the antennae as well as in the concentration of the active (a-type) reaction centers of PS II. Thus, the Cd 2+ -induced effects on the photochemistry of PS II involve changes on the reducing side of PS II as well as possible changes in the sizes of the populations of active and inactive centers. Thus, short-term exposure to Cd 2+ ions during establishment of seedlings has a severely detrimental effect on photochemical activities in chloroplasts.
Genetic Expression of Tomato for Heat and Drought Stress Tolerance: An Overview

Favorable temperatures for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivation are between 25 and 30°C during the day and 20°C at night. Average global temperatures are increasing by approximately 0.3°C per decade. A 2–4°C increase over the optimal (25°C) temperature adversely affects plant growth, flowering, gamete development, embryo development, and seed germination; inhibits the ability of pollinated flowers to develop into seeded fruit; inhibits fruit ripening; and reduces yield. Drought resulting from insufficient rainfall and/or altered precipitation patterns is another important climatic stress factor for tomato, often accompanied by relatively high temperature, in which evapotranspiration is affected and photosynthetic kinetics and crop productivity reduced. Application of genomics in tomato, to discover novel and high-throughput genetic and molecular technologies as an indirect selection tool, provides the potential for increasing efficiency of breeding by reducing the genotype × environment interaction, facilitating efficient introgression of superior alleles from wild species into plants, promoting gene-pyramiding control of quantitative traits, and enhancing development of stress-tolerant, higher yielding varieties. Advances in genetics and genomics have improved the understanding of structural and functional aspects of plant genomes. The CBF/NHX1/DREB1 genes have been used successfully to engineer drought tolerance in tomato. These genes are transcription factors implicated in tomato response to drought and heat stress. There are few tomato varieties/species which can easily adapt to stress tolerance as environmental conditions change. Some tomato varieties and wild species are heat and drought tolerant. The focus of research is to use tools and techniques to deliver global integration and overcome effects of environmental stresses on tomato.
Anecdotal Evidence for the Reality of Character Convergence

The theory of MacArthur and Levins (1967) predicts that, in some cases where two competing species have greatly overlapping niches, a third invading competitor will tend to converge phenotypically with the first or second species. They have called this character convergence. They suggest that a laboratory test must be devised to observe the phenomenon, since the ultimate outcome of the competition between the two virtually identical species will be the extinction of one. A recurring *pattern closely resembling character convergence has long been an enigma to mammalogists. In general, the phenomenon is instantaneous and geographic; it is the opposite of character displacement. Allopatric populations of two species are phenotypically dissimilar; sympatric populations are similar-so similar in some instances as to be indistinguishable except on fine points of dentition or such (Hershkovitz, 1962). Hershkovitz (1962, pp. 34, 35) discusses such situations, gives examples, and points out that they are fairly common among mammals. In fact, he even calls the phenomenon character convergence. In general, little is known of the specifics of the niches of most of his examples. In one case this is less true. Hall (1951) noted that allopatric populations of weasels of two species (Mustela frenata and A11. erminea) become more and more similar in size as their ranges approach in the plains of western North America. They are most similar where sympatric. Rosenzweig (1966) emphasized the importance of body size in defining the niche of such carnivores by delimiting their choice of food sizes. He also noted that these two weasel species had unusually similar food sizes for coexisting members of the same hunting set. While it is impossible to evaluate their actual niche separation in terms of MacArthur and Levins' D/H, there is no doubt that the separation is slight indeed. Also, the area of sympathy noted by Hall is an area where these two species are ecologically sandwiched between the larger M. nigripes and the smaller M. nivalis (again, conforming to the model's requirements). In the Cascade mountains and Sierra Nevada of the western United States, where M. frenata and M1f. erminea exist sympatrically in the absence of these other two, convergence is not observed; in fact, character displacement seems a fairer description of the observed dines here. It seems possible that character convergence is resulting in stable, geographically expressed patterns which could confirm the theory in nature.
Genetics of resilience to nematode parasites in Romney sheep

Abstract 7533 Romney lambs, born in 1991 on six farms in the southern North Island of New Zealand, were studied as part of an investigation into the feasibility and implications of breeding sheep whose lambs require minimal anthelmintic treatment to maintain acceptable performance when exposed to challenge by nematode parasites ("resilience"). They were the progeny of 123 different sires. All flocks involved were genetically linked by the use of reference sires so that analyses could be carried out across farms. After weaning, ram lambs were mustered on 4 or 5 occasions for anthelmintic treatment. Treatment was administered on an individual basis as dictated by body condition and degree of breech‐soiling ("selective drenching"). Drench requirement data including age at first drench (normalised by transformation to include the 5% of animals not requiring drench treatment), 5 binary scores denoting whether or not a lamb was drenched by Time 1, Time 2 … Time 5 ("BY1, BY2… BY5"), and total number of drench tr.