Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progressive heterosis in autotetraploid alfalfa: studies using two types of inbreds

Progressive heterosis is unique to autopolyploids (polysomic polyploids) where heterozygosity and heterosis are not maximal in a single-cross hybrid of inbred parents. In an autopolyploid, heterozygosity increases with additional generations of hybridization and can result in a progressive heterotic response. This study was designed to evaluate progressive heterosis for important quantitative traits (yield of forage and seed) of autotetraploid (2 =4 = 32) alfalfa (L.) using inbreds produced in two different ways. In Exp. 1, partially inbred parents (= 0.333) were produced by colchicine doubling five genotypes of cultivated alfalfa at the diploid level (CADL). sixth CADL genotype produced 2 pollen and was used as a male parent. In Exp. 2, partially inbred parents were derived by selfing three cultivars (Vernal, Saranac, and Iroquois) the S generation (= 0.518). In each experiment, populations of increasing heterozygosity were constructed by successively hybridizing the inbreds and their progenies. Single cross (SC), three-way cross (3W), and double cross (DC) populations were constructed for Exp. 1. Single cross, DC, and double-double cross (DDC) populations were constructed for Exp. 2. In both experiments, populations were evaluated for forage yield in direct-seeded replicated field trials. Populations were also evaluated for yield of seed in the greenhouse and cage (Exp. 1) and in a replicated field trial (Exp. 2). The results of both experiments demonstrated progressive heterosis for yield of forage and seed in alfalfa. More heterozygous generations nearly always outperformed their more inbred progenitors. Whenever pairwise comparisons between generations were significant (< 0.05), the more heterozygous generation exhibited superior performance. In Exp. 1, forage yields of the progressively more heterozygous 3W and DC generations were 114% and 125%, respectively, of the SC generation. Similarly, in Exp. 2, forage yields of the DC and DDC generations were, respectively, 120% and 137% of the SC generation. The results of this and previous studies indicate that successive hybridization of diverse strains might maximize the progressive heterotic response in alfalfa.
Morphological and molecular variation in natural populations of Betula

summary Molecular variation within morphologically variable natural populations of Betula pendula Roth, (diploid) and Betula pubescens Ehrh. (tetraploid) was investigated using RFLP and RAPD techniques. RFLP analysis of rDNA showed a high degree of polymorphism within and between individuals of both cytotypes in spacer length variation. Analysis of randomly amplified genomic DNA fragments, within one population, showed little differentiation between cytotypes. In East Anglian populations, diploid and tetraploid Betula are distinct neither on the basis of morphological nor molecular characters.
Postrelease Performance of Hatchery Yearling and Subyearling Fall Chinook Salmon Released into the Snake River

Abstract Two rearing treatments are used at Lyons Ferry Hatchery to produce yearling (age-1) and subyearling (age-0) fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha for supplementing production of wild fish in the Snake River. We compared four indicators of yearling and subyearling postrelease performance, namely, seaward movement, condition factor, growth rate, and survival. A standard rearing treatment was used to grow yearlings slowly for 14 months to sizes of 152–162 mm (mean fork length). A second standard rearing treatment was used to grow medium subyearlings at a moderate rate for 5 months to 84–89 mm. Two modified rearing treatments were used to produce large subyearlings that were grown rapidly to 90–103 mm and small subyearlings that were grown slowly to 70–76 mm. We released yearlings in April and subyearlings in June on the typical supplementation schedule. Seaward movement, condition factor, growth, and survival varied among rearing treatments. Yearlings moved seaward fastest for reasons related.
Memory Phenotypes of HIV-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses Are Independent of Functional Activity as Defined by Cytokine Output

Objectives: The definition of CD8+ T cell attributes that mediate protective immunity in HIV dis-ease progression has not been clearly defined. Although our ability to characterize these cells continues to improve, the extent to which specific memory phenotypic categories of CD8+ T cells reliably represent their functional attributes remains controversial. Methods: We simultaneously assessed surface phenotype and functionality of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells by multiparametric flow cytometry, measuring five CD8+ T cell functions (CD107a, IFNγ, MIP-1β, TNFα and IL2) and phenotypic markers CCR7, CD45RA, and CD27, in parallel in 24 HIV-infected individuals. Results: Virus-specific responses were contained within all eight phenotypic categories defined using CCR7, CD45RA, and CD27. Phenotypic profiles of HIV-specific cells differed from CEF-specific cells, with HIV-specific cells having higher levels of CD45RA (p = 0.008). Interestingly a large portion of CEF and HIV-specific cells were found within previously undefined phenotypes CCR7+CD27－CD45RA+ (14.6% and 17.2%, respectively) and CCR7+CD27－CD45RA－(14.8% and 15.8%, respectively). In addition, up to 10% - 20% of responding cells were phenotypically “naive”. Additionally, memory phenotypes of cells exhibiting monofunctional and polyfunctional responses frequently differed, and failed to associate with a consistent phenotype representing functionally active cells. Conclusion: These data suggest that particularly after antigen stimulation, that surface phenotypes defined by CCR7, CD27 and CD45RA expression on antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, reflect a wide range of immunological functions, and that no single phenotype defined by memory marker expression can reliably be used to identify functional capacity.
Recovery of Indigestible Fiber from Feces of Sheep and Cattle on Forage Diets

Abstract The usefulness of indigestible neutral detergent fiber as an internal marker was explored in a study involving 24 forages primarily of tropical and subtropical species. Samples of forages, feces, and orts from digestion trials using two or three sheep or cattle per forage were digested in vitro to determine the recovery of fiber. Samples of eight forages and associated orts and feces were also digested in situ. Six days of incubation were required for fiber disappearance to approach an asymptote. Recovery of fiber in feces did not change appreciably after the first 6 d. Mean fiber recoveries for subtropical forages ranged from 83 to 111% with standard errors from . 5 to 5.0. Recovery for immature ryegrass forages averaged 130%. Results indicate that although the recovery of fiber among bermuda forages was biased in favor of those having lower fiber content, fiber recovery for sorghum forages was unbiased with a mean of 96% and low standard error (1.5). The hypothesis that bias in fiber recovery is caused by variations in sample particle size is explored.
The effect of high hydrostatic pressure on Salmonella thompson and Listeria monocytogenes examined by electron microscopy

Cells of Listeria monocytogenes that had been exposed to pressure contained vacuolar regions in the cytoplasm. Pressure‐treated cells of Salmonella thompson contained no vacuoles but had fewer ribosomes than untreated cells and their appearance suggested that some cell lysis had occurred. In both organisms changes in the appearance of the nuclear material were observed.
Desiccation and storage studies on Dipterocarpm seeds

SUMMARY The relationship of seed moisture content (fresh weight basis) to germination, and the effect on viability of various storage conditions were examined for five species of the tropical forest tree genus Dipterocarpus. It was shown that seeds fall into two groups with regard to desiccation tolerance. Firstly, D. obtusifolius and D. turbinatus cannot be dried below about 45% moisture content without damage; a sigmoid curve was found to fit the relationship between germination and moisture content for the latter species. Secondly, D. intricatus, D. tuberculatus and D. alatus can be safely dried to 10%, 12% and 17% moisture contents respectively, but desiccation to near 7% moisture content reduced viability by at least a half. Storage studies showed that seed of D. intricatus and D. tuberculatus possessed increased longevity as moisture contents were reduced within the range 6–20%. It was concluded that seeds in the first group are ‘recalcitrant’ and that those in the second group are ‘orthodox’ in their storage physiology, according to the categories described by Roberts (1973). Wide differences between species in seed desiccation rates were observed. In 15% relative humidity D. intricatus dried to 7% moisture content within a week, whilst D. obtusifolius retained 30% moisture content even after 5 wk; other species had intermediate desiccation rates. Seed size and structure may partly account for the differences observed. Correlations were observed between seed storage physiology and other factors which were investigated. ‘Orthodox’ seeds had quicker desiccation rates, were derived from drier habitats, and had smaller embryos than those of ‘recalcitrant’ seeds. ‘Orthodox’ seeds, with the possible exception of D. alatus, should be kept at 0–3°C with about 12% moisture content in the short term and, provided less than 10% germination is lost on freezing, at-18°C with about 8% moisture content in the long term. ‘Recalcitrant’ seeds should be stored in ventilated containers at 21°C and with moisture contents above 45–50%.
Formulação com aminoácidos totais ou digestíveis em rações com níveis decrescentes de proteína bruta para frangos de corte de 21 a 42 dias de idade

Two experiments (Exp) were carried out to evaluate diets for broilers formulated with reducing crude protein (CP) level, supplemented with synthetic amino acids, formulated based on total amino acids (TAA) (Exp 1) or digestible AA (DAA) (Exp 2). The experiments conducted in the period from 3 to 6 weeks of age of the birds. In both experiments, the four levels of CP were: 20.8, 19.7, 18.6 and 17.5% CP. In the Experiment 2, two other treatments were added: diets containing 20.8 and 17.5% CP and high digestibility (HD), based on corn, soybean meal, corn starch and soy protein isolate. In both experiments, the feed intake was not affected by CP decreasing. In Exp1, weight gain (WG), feed conversion (FC), breast and drumstick yield were negatively affected by CP reduction, meanwhile in Exp 2 those variables were not affected. However, in both experiments, in the week from 21 to 28 days of age, WG and FC were negatively influenced by CP decrease. As the CP levels decrease, the dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility increased in the Exp 2, due to the smaller inclusion of soybean meal. In both experiments, the relative protein retention was greater for rations with low CP levels. In Exp 2, although of the different CP levels did not affect the performance, the Hdig diets promoted higher OM digestibility and tended to have higher DM digestibility. The rations with 17.5%CP level and HDig promoted a more positive protein balance and higher relative protein retention as compared to the standard digestibility. Considering all the results, formulation with DAA showed advantages related to TAA.
Extension of the known range of Triturus dobrogicus: electrophoretic and morphological evidence for presence in the Czech Republic

Three populations of the Triturus cristatus superspecies were studied using morphological and electrophoretic techniques. Two bivariate statistics - the ratio between the length of forelimbs and interlimb distances and that between head width and body length - and eleven allozyme loci revealed close similarity between a sample taken in Moravia (Czech Republic) and a sample of T. dobrogicus collected in Vienna (Austria). Accordingly, the Moravian population should be classified as T dobrogicus. Therewith, the northeastern limit of the known distribution of Triturus dobrogicus is extended into the Czech Republic.
Nutritional evaluation of peas for ducks

The nutritive value of four pea cultivars (AC Advantage, Carneval, CDC Mozart and Keoma) and soybean meal (SBM) was evaluated in a 102 h study with 48 male White Pekin ducks. All birds were tube-fed 25 g of dextrose at 24 and 30 h after feed withdrawal, then 25 g of each feedstuff was tube-fed to eight ducks at 48 and 54 h after feed withdrawal. Excreta were quantitatively collected during the next 54 h. Endogenous nitrogen, amino acids and energy per bird in the 54 h collection period were 1.06 ± 0.58 g, 0.047 ± 0.025 g and 0.098 ± 0.049 MJ respectively. There were differences (P < 0.05) in apparent amino acid digestibilities (AAAD) and true amino acid digestibilities (TAAD). On average, AAAD were 82.8, 82.0, 70.3, 82.4 and 77.7% and TAAD were 89.4, 89.2, 82.3, 89.5 and 85.3% for SBM, AC Advantage, Carneval, CDC Mozart and Keoma respectively. The nitrogen-corrected apparent and true metabolisable energy values did not differ among the pea diets and were 13.36 ± 0.071 and 14.59 ± 0.071 MJ kg−1 respectively. Respective values for SBM were 12.16 ± 0.16 and 13.39 ± 0.16 MJ kg−1 and both were lower (P < 0.05) than in peas. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
The Function of Click Call Emission in Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Contact calls are used to promote cohesion among individuals that live in social groups. Capybaras are very gregarious and often vocalize. This species emits a vocalization known as a click, which has been observed during aggregating and foraging behaviors, suggesting contact or monitoring call function. We carried out a playback experiment to evaluate behavioral responses to the capybara's click call and to a bird call, used as control in ten capybaras. We compared animals' latency to respond to stimuli, the time spent in behavioral patterns, alertness, head orientation toward the sound source, and approach to the sound source. All capybaras responded to the emission of the click call playback. Most of them assumed an alert position, showed head orientation toward the sound source, and approached the sound source. They promptly reacted to the first click call emission, while few reacted to the first bird call emission, used as control. All subjects showed behavioral changes after the second emission of the click call, and some responded to the third emission. Just three individuals answered after the first control emission, while none of them responded to the second and third emission of the playback. Therefore, click call playback promotes prompt behavioral changes in capybaras, including approach to the sound source. These results indicate that this vocalization functions as a contact or monitoring call in the species.
Critical examination of the quantitative evidence for and against photosynthetic CO2 fixation by guard cells

The evidence for and against photosynthetic CO2 fixation by guard cells is described and critically evaluated. There is a large body of literature on this subject, including enzyme activity assays, immunological assays for ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in extracts, in situ immunological indicators at the light-and electron-microscope levels. products of 14CO2 fixation, and indirect indications such as the effect of light on the P-glycerate pool size, chlorophyll a (Chi a) flourescence transients, and alkalinization of medium. Although it is not possible to reconcile all the literature, I show that most reports indicate that the photosynthetic carbon-reduction pathway is absent in guard cells or, at most, does not exceed about 5% of that in mesophyll cells on a Chl basis. Because a mesophyll cell contains approximately 30 times more Chl than a guard cell does, the reported level of the pathway is equivalent to ? 0.1 to 0.2% mesophyll contamination, of which it is difficult to ensure the absence. Even if present at these levels, the pathway would not contribute significantly to carbon metabolism.
Covariation of stream community structure and biomass of algae, invertebrates and fish with forest cover at multiple spatial scales

Summary 1. To evaluate the spatial extent of the effects of forest cover on stream ecosystems, we measured algae, invertebrate, and fish biomass and invertebrate and fish community structure in 38 small first- to third-order streams in the National Capital Region of Canada along with forest cover at different spatial scales. 2. We considered 55 spatial scales of forest cover including several buffer widths (doubling 10–320 m) and lengths (doubling 10–1280 m, entire riparian distance upstream from sampling area) and entire catchments to determine which spatial scale maximized the correlation with biomass and metrics of community structure. 3. The proportion of variability in biomass and structural metrics explained by forest cover generally increased with increasing scale, suggesting that catchment-wide disturbances are the most influential determinants of benthic and fish communities. 4. Catchment forest cover explained more variation in algal (adjusted r2 = 0.54), invertebrate (adjusted r2 = 0.51) and fish (adjusted r2 = 0.33) biomass than structural metrics of invertebrates and fish (adjusted r2 = 0.08–0.27). 5. Analyses of the partial effects of forest cover at three scales (reach, riparian and the entire catchment) on biomass and community structure metrics identified catchment and reach scales as being most influential and never detected a significant partial effect of forest cover at the riparian scale. 6. These results suggest that maintenance or protection of reach and riparian buffers alone will not sufficiently protect stream function and structure from catchment-wide impacts.
FADH2-Dependence of tryptophan 7-halogenase

Tryptophan 7-halogenase (Trp 7-hal) catalyses the regioselective chlorination and bromination of tryptophan. For halogenating activity, Trp 7-hal requires FADH 2 produced from FAD and NADH by a flavin reductase, halide ions (chloride or bromide), molecular oxygen and tryptophan as the organic substrate. Investigations of the flavin dependence showed that purified Trp 7-hal itself does not contain flavin. Keeping the Trp 7-hal separated from the flavin reductase during the reaction revealed that Trp 7-hal can use diffusible FADH 2 produced by a flavin reductase showing that direct contact between the halogenase and the flavin reductase is not absolutely necessary. Thus, the reaction also proceeds when chemically reduced flavin is used. For the catalytic regeneration of FADH 2 , the organometallic complex (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)rhodium-bipyridine {[Cp*Rh(bpy)(H 2 O)] 2 + } can be employed as the redox catalyst with formate as the electron donor. With this chemoenzymatic system about 85% yields of the product formed by the two-component enzyme system consisting of Trp 7-hal and a flavin reductase were obtained.
Recent developments in the study of insect flight

Here we review recent contributions to the study of insect flight, in particular those brought about by advances in experimental techniques. We focus particularly on the following areas: wing flexibility and deformation, the physiology and biophysics of asynchronous insect flight muscle, the aerodynamics of flight, and stability and maneuverability. This recent research reveals the importance of wing flexibility to insect flight, provides a detailed model of how asynchronous flight muscle functions and how it may have evolved, synthesizes many recent studies of insect flight aerodynamics into a broad-reaching summary of unsteady flight aerodynamics, and highlights new insights into the sources of flight stability in insects. The focus on experimental techniques and recently developed apparatus shows how these advancements have occurred and point the way towards future experiments.
A comparison of the efficacy of higher taxa and species numbers in the assessment of biodiversity in the neotropics

The neotropical region as a whole is much more species diverse than the palaeotropics but no more diverse at the family and only slightly at the generic level. Only 6.4% of neotropical species belong to plant families that are confined to the region and there is a greater generic diversity in Africa than in the neotropics indicating that species are much better indicators of total diversity. The striking difference in species make up between the northern Andean region and Amazonia is important to recognize in conservation planning. In the northern Andean region, herbs and shrubs with Andean-centred distributions predominate whereas in Amazonia, trees and shrubs with Amazonian-centred distributions predominate. The analysis of species distributions show both centres of endemism and centres of diversity which are not apparent when only higher taxa are considered. The local demography of species varies considerably within the lowland rainforest regions and this is discussed using data from quantitative inventories. It is concluded that accurate assessment of the taxon component of biodiversity of the neotropics must be based at the species level rather than at that of higher taxa, and that species data are a valuable tool for conservation planning.
Detection of the bean common blight bacteria, Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli and X. c. phaseoli var. fuscans, using the polymerase chain reaction.

A 3.4-kb plasmid DNA fragment (p7) of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli that hybridizes specifically to X. c. phaseoli was subcloned and partially sequenced to design primers for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of bacteria causing common blight in bean. In Southern hybridization experiments, p7X3 and p7X4 subfragments showed high specificity for total genomic DNA of pathogenic X. c. phaseoli, whereas the p7X2 segment also weakly hybridized to DNA extracted from some strains belonging to other X. campestris pathovars. For each of these p7 fragments, a set of G + C-rich oligonucleotide primers was devised and tested under high-stringency conditions in PCR assays
Synthesis of sucrose acetate using a solvent‐stable serine protease from Serratia sp. SYBC H

Sugar esters have several applications in a variety of industrial processes, including their use as biodegradable surfactants in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries and as antitumoral agents and plant growth inhibitors. Most of the sucrose monoesters described in the literature have been enzymatically synthesized from the primary hydroxyls (1′‐OH, 6‐OH, and 6′‐OH) of sucrose. In this study, we report a simple procedure for the regioselective acylation of a secondary hydroxyl (4′‐OH) of sucrose. Sucrose‐4′‐acetate was efficiently synthesized from sucrose and vinyl acetate in anhydrous dimethyl sulfoxide using a solvent‐stable serine protease from Serratia sp. SYBC H. When the sucrose/vinyl acetate molar ratio, protease concentrations, and reaction times are equal to or above 1:8, 25 mg/mL, and 21 h at 30°C, respectively, the yield of sucrose‐4′‐acetate can exceed 90%. The described protocol of enzymatic synthesis of sucrose‐4′‐acetate can improve possible applications of sucrose esters in various fields.