Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal protease activity in storage tissue of the deciduous grass Molinia caerulea

Plants of Molinia caerulea were grown in sand culture for two seasons. All nitrogen (N) supplied to the plants was enriched with 15N throughout the first season, and at natural isotopic abundance throughout the second season. A series of destructive harvests was taken during the second season. At each harvest, the N mobilized from roots and swollen basal internodes and the protease activity (ability to degrade azocasein) of these storage tissues were measured. The pH response curves of protease activity of both basal internodes and roots exhibited optima at pH 5 throughout the season. The protease activity of roots and basal internodes increased in spring, both on a unit fresh weight and unit protein basis, concomitant with mobilization of N from both these tissues to new shoot growth. In absolute terms more N was mobilized from roots than from basal internodes. However, basal internodes which, compared with roots, showed the greatest protease activity (on a f. wt or unit protein basis) were also the tissues that mobilized a greater proportion of N present in the tissue over winter to new shoot material. Individual clones of M. caerulea varied both in the amount of N mobilized from roots and in root protease activity (per plant). Individuals with a higher protease activity mobilized more N compared with individuals of lower protease activity. Therefore in M. caerulea, relationships between N mobilization and protease activity exist at several levels: (1) between different tissues; (2) temporally throughout the season; and (3) between individual clones.
Níveis de proteína degradável para novilhas em crescimento sobre a concentração de protozoários ciliados e outros parâmetros ruminais

In this experiment four Holstein heifers fitted with rumen and duodenum canulae were utilized to evaluate the rumen parameters as pH, passage rate (%/h), volume (L) and ciliated protozoa concentration, when fed diets with four levels of rumen degradable protein. This was achieved supplementing 0, 25, 50 or 75 grams of degradable protein per kg of concentrate as a urea and casein (98.2% OM and 93.2% CP). The diets had 25% of barley straw without treatment and 75% concentrate formulated to contain different proportions (25/75 and 75/25) of corn and barley and also 5% of wheat residue and 5% of mineral and vitamin supplement. A continuous infusion of Cr-EDTA was used as a liquid phase marker. A cross-over design with 8 treatments (2 diets and 4 degradable protein levels) were utilized in 8 balance periods in a factorial arrangement. The level of degradable protein significantly affected the mean pH values that decreased as the supplementation increased (P 3 /mL) than in the barley diet (59.5 x 10 3 /mL). The Entodinium genus represented 87.8% of the total population. The genus Epidinium showed lower values (P 3 /mL) and in the second experimental period (4,40 vs. 1.25 x 10 3 /mL). The estimates of total ciliated in the rumen were 26.6 vs. 22.1 x 10 3 /mL, respectively for the corn and barley diets (P < 0.05). The ciliated species detected were typical of high concentrate diets.
Em Direção à Caracterização da Complementaridade no Corpus Multidocumento CSTNews

Apresenta-se uma investigacao da complementaridade no CSTNews, corpus multidocumento de noticias em Portugues do Brasil. Como resultado, identificou-se um conjunto de atributos explicitos que caracterizam as relacoes do modelo Cross-document Structure Theory (CST) que codificam a complementaridade, os quais tem potencial para subsidiar a deteccao automatica desse fenomeno.
Isolation of Monocytes with High Purity and Yield from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells by Flotation Density Gradient Centrifugation

In this work, a simple, inexpensive and reproducible technique of flotation density gradient centrifugation was developed to isolate monocytes with high purity and yield from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using Histopaque solution, density and osmolarity of which were modified to 1.072 g/㎖ and 335 mOsm with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution, respectively. The average purity of monocytes was 74.75±3.84%, with the individual purity ranging from 71.44% to 82.38%. The average yield of monocytes was 32.62±11.16%, with the individual yields ranging from 21.02 to 53.63%. The monocytes isolated by floatation density gradient centrifugation could be successfully cultured into morphologically, phenotypically and functionally dendritic cells in vitro. In conclusion, the entire procedure seemed to be faster and more convenient, simple and cost-effective than other monocyte isolation methods, including plastic adherence and density gradient methods, and has the potential to be developed as a closed system for clinical scale generation of dendritic cells.
Effect of relaxin on the motility, acrosome reaction and utilization of glucose of fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of relaxin on motility, acrosome reaction (AR), viability and utilization of glucose in fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa. Both semen samples were washed twice through centrifugation (5 min at 600 g), and preincubated for 1 h at 39°C for swim up. The swim-up separated spermatozoa were resuspended in a sperm Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (Sp-TALP) medium containing 0 (control) and 40 ng/mL porcine relaxin and incubated for 0–6 h. Sperm motility was determined on the basis of movement quality examined by a phase contrast microscope. Sperm viability and AR were evaluated by using the triple staining technique. The incorporation and oxidation of 14C-glucose was assessed by a liquid scintillation counter. Motility was improved (P < 0.05) in both fresh and frozen-thawed spermatozoa by the addition of relaxin to the Sp-TALP medium, whereas relaxin showed no significant effect on viability in either fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa. The percentage of AR increased (P < 0.05) when fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa were incubated with relaxin. In contrast, the incorporation and oxidation of 14C-glucose increased (P < 0.05) in both kinds of spermatozoa incubated with relaxin. Thus the results demonstrated that the addition of relaxin to the Sp-TALP medium increased the motility, AR and utilization of glucose in fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa.
Studies of zinc nutrition in sheep. II*. The influence of zinc deficiency in ram lambs upon the digestibility of the dry matter and the utilization of the nitrogen and sulphur of the diet

Dry matter digestibilities and nitrogen and sulphur balances were compared in ram iambs fed on a zinc-deficient diet containing 2.4 p.p.m. zinc and showing clinical signs of zinc deficiency and in pair-fed ram lambs consuming the same basal diet supplemented with 30 p.p.m. zinc. Dry matter digestibility was similar for the two treatments but both nitrogen retention and sulphur retention were significantly lower in the zinc-deficient animals, although they were consuming and digesting the same amounts of food. Faecal excretion of nitrogen and sulphur was similar in the two groups but the urinary excretion of both these elements was significantly elevated in the zinc-deficient animals. These findings provide further evidence that protein utilization is impaired in zinc deficiency in sheep. *Part I, Aust. J. agric. Res., 1969, 20, 889.
The Protective Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Seminal Line Changes in Rats Exposed to Doxorubicin

Thepresent study was aimed to investigate the germ cell toxicity of doxorubicinand assess the possible protective/regenerative effect of mesenchymal stemcells after concurrent administration. Thirty 6-8 months old male Wistar ratswere randomly selected and distributed in three groups: Group 1 was treatedwith doxorubicin (D0, D3), group 2 was treated with doxorubicinÂ (D0, D3) and mesenchymal stem cells (1x106/animal,12h, 72h and 7days after doxorubicin administration) while group III was the control group. The rats fromgroup I and II received a total dose of 10mg/kg doxorubicin via intraperitonealroute. In order to evaluate the acute, subacute and chronic toxicity animalswere killed by cervical dislocation 24 h, 7 days and 21 days after doxorubicininjection, and their testes and epididymides were isolated. Group I showed asignificant decrease in sperm count, motility and viability compared withcontrol and group II. After histological examination, diffuse tubular atrophywith sperm line necrosis, diffuse necrosis of sperm ducts and massive depletionof sperm cells were observed in group I, as compared with group II which revealednormal appearance of the seminiferous tubule epithelium, consisting in largenumbers of spermatogenic cells, spermatogonia and spermatocytes, dividing germcells in the adluminal compartment and large numbers of sperm cells, showingthat spermatogenesis occurred under physiological conditions.
Carrion fly community dynamics: patchiness, seasonality and coexistence

ABSTRACT. 1. An outdoor cage experiment was conducted to test the theory that localized interactions facilitate coexistence of species breeding in ephemeral habitats. The same amount of larval resource (50 g of liver) but divided into one, two, four, eight or sixteen pieces was placed into each of fifteen cages once a week from June to September for 4 years.
First fossil asellote (Isopoda: Asellota), from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of the Carnic Prealps (Friuli, northeastern Italy)

The first asellote isopod from the fossil record is described here as Fornicaris calligarisi Wilson and Selden, n. gen. and sp. The two specimens, both probably males, showing dorsal morphology, come from loose material of the Dolomia di Forni Formation in the bed of the Tagliamento River below the town of Forni di Sotto, Udine Province, Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, northeastern Italy. The Dolomia di Forni Formation is Triassic (Norian) in age, and the fossils date from approximately 210-215 Ma. Characters such as narrow, elongate eye stalks, tiny uropods, and enlarged first pereionite (found in terminal males) place the fossil within the Paramunnidae. Parsimony analysis using TNT placed the fossil within the Austrosignum-Munnogonium species complex. The robust pereiopods with hooked tips, elongate and robust carpus and propodus of pereiopod I, axial compression of the pereion, and the large size of the fossils (>2× related extant taxa) are features particular to the fossil genus and species.
Acceleration of flowering of Eustoma grandiflorum in early winter by day-extension treatments with far-red rich bulb-type fluorescent lamps

定植直後から8月末までの短日処理と生育中期の9月中旬以降の長日処理を組み合わせて，寒冷地に適したトルコギキョウの秋冬出し作型における遠赤色光電球形蛍光ランプを利用した日長延長による開花促進の影響を検討した．光源として，市販の白熱電球と赤色光を多く含む電球形蛍光ランプに加えて，遠赤色光を多く含む電球形蛍光ランプを試作して用いた．その結果，遠赤色光を多く含む電球形蛍光ランプを使用すると，白熱電球を使用した場合と同様に，赤色光を多く含む電球形蛍光ランプを使用した場合や自然日長と比較して，開花と花蕾の発達が促進され，商品花数が多くなって，切り花品質が向上した．遠赤色光の照射光量が0. 7 μmol・m−2・s−1以上では，第2花および第2花の腋芽から発生する側枝の花蕾の発達と開花が促進された．また，12時間日長や16時間日長と比較して終夜照明により開花は促進され，商品花数が多くなった．これらのことから，寒冷地におけるトルコギキョウの秋冬出し作型においては，生育中期から0. 7 μmol・m−2・s−1以上の遠赤色光を多く含む光源を用いて，日長延長による長日処理を行うと，商品性の高い切り花生産が可能であること，その効果は終夜照明においてもっとも大きいことが示された．
A role for ecotones in generating rainforest biodiversity

Gene flow and morphological divergence were measured among 12 populations of a common species of rainforest passerine. Populations in the forest and the ecotone (the transition zone between the African rainforest and savanna) are morphologically divergent, despite high gene flow, and morphological differences between habitats are as large as those found between related species. In contrast to past theories of rainforest speciation, which emphasize geographic isolation, these results suggest that natural selection may play an important role in generating rainforest biodiversity. Because ecotone habitats may be a source of evolutionary novelty, greater attention should be paid to their conservation in order to preserve the processes that may be important to maintain rainforest diversity.
Occurrence of the exotic leafcutter bee Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in southern South America. An accidental introduction?

Summary Here we report for the first time the presence of the exotic leafcutter bee Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna in South America, based on specimens collected in the northeast part of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. We believe that M. concinna accidentally entered the country probably together with the introduction of M. rotundata to different regions of the country for commercial purposes since the 1970's. A diagnosis, illustrations, flowers records, and nesting data are given.
Interlab Cell Line Collection: Bioresource of Established Human and Animal Cell Lines

The Interlab Cell Line Collection (ICLC) was established in 1994 as a core facility of the National Institute of Cancer Research. It supplies: human and animal cell lines; Short Tandem Repeat (STR) profiling of human cell lines; quality control service; mycoplasma detection and eradication service; safe deposit service and patent deposit service of cell lines and hybridomas. The catalogue of services is on-line, and the cell lines are distributed all over the world.
Comparison of harvested rate and nacre deposition parameters between cultured pearls issued from initial graft and second nucleus insertion in P. margaritifera

Cultured pearls produced with Pinctada margaritifera, using the surgreffe method (implantation of a second nucleus following pearl harvest) were studied for the first time to: (1) examine family effect on nacre thickness, nacre weight and nacre deposition speed and (2) compare variation in these three traits with that obtained from the cultured pearls previously harvested after the corresponding initial grafts. A surgreffe experiment using 783 recipient oysters was realized in Rangiroa atoll (French Polynesia). After 24 months of culture, 389 cultured pearls were harvested. Significant donor family effect was found for the harvested pearl rate from surgreffe (P = 0.046). Highly significant donor family effect was recorded for nacre thickness (P = 0.004). Very highly significant donor family effects were recorded for nacre weight and nacre deposition speed (P < 0.0001). Comparison between surgreffe and initial graft showed: (1) no significant effect for the average cultured pearl rate harvested (P = 0.052) and average cultured pearl nacre deposition speed (P = 0.622) and (2) very highly significant differences (P < 0.0001) for the average cultured pearl nacre thickness and nacre weight. This study highlighted three major implications for pearl industry management: (1) donor family effect was maintained from initial graft to surgreffe, for nacre thickness, weight and deposition speed, (2) the persistence of the pearl sac metabolic activity over three years of culture and (3) the relation between harvested pearl rate and the size of the nucleus inserted in the pearl sac.
Das EU Projekt HALT Ambrosia - Fragen und Antworten

Das Ziel des Projektes ist, einen Beitrag zur Eindammung der Beifus-Ambrosie (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in Europa zu leisten, um ihre Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit, Landwirtschaft und Biodiversitat zu mindern. Es sollen Strategien entwickelt werden, um das Auftreten der Beifus-Ambrosie und die Verbreitung ihres Pollens in Landern in denen sie sich schon etabliert hat, wie Ungarn, Slownien, Teile von Osterreich, und in Bereichen Sud-Ost Europas zu reduzieren. Zudem soll die Verbreitung aus diesen Regionen in Lander, die noch nicht so sehr betroffen sind wie Deutschland, die Niederlande und Nordeuropa, verhindert werden. Feld- und Glashausexperimente wurden in Ungarn, Slowenien, Osterreich, Deutschland und Danemark durchgefuhrt. Diese beinhalten Versuche zum Keimungsverhalten, der Samenbank und zur Reaktion der Pflanze auf mechanische und chemische Bekampfungsmasnahmen. Auch integrierte Masnahmen wie ein erhohter Konkurrenzdruck auf die Beifus-Ambrosie wurden untersucht. Ergebnisse zur biologischen Bekampfung und Untersuchungen der Auswirkung der Beifus-Ambrosie auf die Biodiversitat wurden von externen Experten ausgewertet und zur Verfugung gestellt.Basierend auf diesen Ergebnissen sind Empfehlungen zur Bekampfung der Beifus-Ambrosie sowohl im Ackerland als auch in Nicht-Kulturland entwickelt worden.Stichworter: Beifus-Ambrosie, Biodiversitat, chemische Bekampfungsstrategien, EU-Pilot-Projekt, Keimungsbiologie, nicht chemische BekampfungsstrategienEU project HALT Ambrosia - questions and answersThe aim of the project is to contribute to the reduction of the prevalence of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) in European countries in order to reduce the burden on public health, agriculture and biodiversity. This will consist of developing strategy elements for the reduction of common ragweed and its pollen in countries where the species is already established, e.g., Hungary, Slovenia, parts of Austria, and Southeastern Europe and for the prevention of further import and spread in countries not yet heavily infested, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Northern European countries. Laboratory and field experiments covered the germination biology and seed bank behaviour and the impacts of chemical and non-chemical control strategies on common ragweed. Trials on integrated control strategies like increased competition on common ragweed were conducted, too. Desk-top studies on biological control and investigations of the impact of common ragweed on the biodiversity were carried out by associated project partners.Based on these results recommendations for successful control of common ragweed in rural and non-rural areas have been developed.Keywords: biodiversity, chemical control strategies, EU pilot project, germination biology, non-chemical control strategies, ragweed
A sisters’ story: comparative phylogeography and taxonomy of Hierophis viridiflavus and H. gemonensis (Serpentes, Colubridae)

We used a multidisciplinary approach to infer the taxonomy and historical biogeography of Hierophis viridiflavus and H. gemonensis, performing molecular analyses of mitochondrial (16S, Cyt‐b, ND4) and nuclear markers (PRLR), a landmark‐based morphometric study and a cytogenetic analysis. Our data distinguished three main groups in the studied species, corresponding to H. gemonensis and to two monophyletic clades (E and W) within H. viridiflavus. Clades E and W display a significant genetic (about 4% for Cyt‐b and ND4) and morphological divergence and a different morphology of the W sex chromosome (submetacentric in clade E and telocentric in clade W). Taking into account the existing divergence, these clades appear to represent independent phylogenetic units, deserving elevation to species status. Specific names should be H. viridiflavus (Lacépède, 1789) and H. carbonarius (Bonaparte 1833) for clades W and E, respectively. The phylogeography of the studied species is only partially concordant with a general pattern of ‘southern richness and northern purity’ of genetic diversity, whereas H. gemonensis exhibits high genetic diversity at low latitudes (especially in the Peloponnese), H. carbonarius shows a number of different haplotypes both at low (along the southern Italian Apennines and in Sicily) and high latitudes in Italy. Furthermore, a relaxed clock model hypothesizes the differentiation between H. gemonensis and H. viridiflavus sensu lato at about 7 Mya, in the Messinian. Subsequently, the speciation involving H. viridiflavus sensu stricto and H. carbonarius took place in the Quaternary, probably as a result of Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Furthermore, our results are consistent with the existence of several ‘refugia within refugia’ in Italy and in the Balkans and depict the major cladogenesis as allopatric events, mainly driven by paleoclimatic and geographical factors.
Fungal endophyte infection and host genetic background jointly modulate host response to an aphid‐transmitted viral pathogen

Despite their ubiquitous nature, interactions between multiple micro‐organisms and their effects on host growth and each other's success have received limited scientific attention. In particular, grasses can be commonly infected by both endophytic fungi and viruses, which are typically transmitted by aphids. In this study, we investigated how an aphid‐transmitted viral pathogen and a symbiotic endophytic fungus altered host growth and allocation. We hypothesized that, by reducing aphid feeding, endophyte infection would lower viral titre and consequently decrease the negative effects of virus infection on host biomass production. In a greenhouse experiment, we manipulated fungal endophyte status and virus infection (Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus – PAV) of two tall fescue cultivars with different genetic backgrounds [KY 31 and pasture demonstration farm (PDF)]. In one cultivar (PDF), we also manipulated endophyte strain, using two strains that had been selected for differences in alkaloid production. We assessed host, virus and vector responses. As hypothesized, endophyte infection decreased reproduction and abundance of aphid vectors; however, in contrast to our hypothesis, this response by aphids did not impact viral titre. For both tall fescue cultivars, endophyte infection alleviated the negative effect of virus infection on the proportion of total plant biomass allocated to roots. On the other hand, for the KY 31 cultivar only, virus infection decreased tillering in endophyte‐infected individuals, but not endophyte‐free individuals. Within the PDF cultivar, both endophyte strains produced similar effects on host, virus and vector responses. Synthesis These results indicate that some of the beneficial effects provided by endophyte infection, particularly alleviating the negative effect of virus infection on the proportion of total plant biomass allocated to roots, do not arise strictly from altering host interactions with herbivores (aphids), but also occur by changing host responses to viral infection. Furthermore, these results emphasize the importance of exploring multispecies microbial interactions and genetic controls on these interactions in order to more fully understand their role in community‐ and ecosystem‐level dynamics.
Restriction site mapping of the chloroplast DNA inverted repeat : A molecular phylogeny of the Asteridae

By focusing exclusively on the highly conserved inverted repeat region of the chloroplast genome, we extend comparative restriction site mapping to greater evolutionary depths than those to which it has been applied previously. A cladistic analysis of inverted repeat restriction site data is presented in order to enhance understanding of relationships within the Asteridae and to test the possible monophyly of the Asteridae. A total of 114 species, representing 33 families of Asteridae and eight families of Rosidae and Dilleniidae (sensu Cronquist) was examined, of which 99 species exhibited restriction maps of sufficient colinearity to be included in the phylogenetic analysis (.)