Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenology and life history of the blowfly Calliphora vicina in stockfish production areas

Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) causes yearly losses of 1–2 million Euros to the stockfish industry in Lofoten, Norway. To develop an efficient management program, knowledge of its life cycle and phenology in production areas is needed. Cohort studies in a simulated Lofoten climate showed that field abundance peaks of adults in early spring and midsummer can be explained by a cohort originating from stockfish and its subsequent generations. Laboratory simulations with normal, increased, and decreased Lofoten temperatures indicate that C. vicina overwinter as a mix of larvae, pupae, and adults, and a temperature change of ± 2 °C significantly influences reproductive timing, reproductive output, and female mortality. Flies originating from stockfish reproduced during the first summer when temperatures were increased 2 °C above normal. At lower temperatures, the reproductive investment was low or absent during the first summer and the adult flies entered the winter in a diapausing state. Most offspring produced during the first summer and autumn developed continuously without maternally induced diapause, pupated during the winter, and hatched in the early spring to co‐occur with their parent generation during stockfish production. Calliphora vicina showed flexibility in reproductive efforts and overwintering strategies. The high proportion of adults overwintering compared with the commonly used larval diapause strategy might be interpreted as an adaptation to exploit the stockfish resource. The majority of female C. vicina that cause damage to stockfish likely developed on fish dried the previous year, and a continuous year‐long trapping is recommended to decimate the population.
Effects of ACC deaminase containing rhizobacteria on plant growth and expression of Toc GTPases in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under salt stress

The bacterial enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase plays a key role in lowering plant stress ethylene levels, thereby stimulating plant growth. The present study aims to evaluate whether the ACC deaminase producing plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas putida UW4 can maintain and promote plant growth in saline environments and modulate the expression of chloroplast import apparatus genes in salt-treated tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Tomatoes were grown in the presence and absence of the PGPR and shoot length, fresh and dry mass, and chlorophyll concentration were measured after 6 weeks. The expression levels of the Toc GTPases of the chloroplast protein import apparatus were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the rhizobacteria significantly increased shoot length, shoot fresh and dry mass, and the chlorophyll concentration of tomato seedlings grown in the presence of up to 90 mmol·L–1 NaCl. Analysis showed that the expressio.
GENETIC ALGORITHMS AND THE MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT PROBLEM IN BIOLOGY

Multiple Sequence Alignment is an important problem in molecular biology, where it is used for constructing evolutionary trees from DNA sequences and for analyzing the protein structures to help design new proteins. To date, most multiple alignment methods are based on a dynamic programming approach. This approach however results in exponential time complexity, since it requires time proportional to the product of the sequence lengths. Tree-based algorithms, which combine results from pairwise alignments, have also been proposed. However, these algorithms depend on the existence of a tree that describes the relations between the sequences, and this tree cannot always be obtained. In general, Multiple Sequence Alignment belongs to a class of hard optimization problems called combinatorial problems. One of the methods that has been developed recently to solve this type of problems is Genetic Algorithms. Genetic Algorithms create a “population” of random solutions and then use the concepts of natural selection, crossover and mutation to improve these solutions. Genetic Algorithms have been used successfully in a wide variety of application areas to find solutions for hard optimization problems. They offer the advantage of operating on several solutions simultaneously, combining exploratory search through the solution space with exploitation of current results. In this study we show how Genetic Algorithms can be used to solve the Multiple Sequence Alignment problem. Our results suggest that optimal, or near-optimal solutions can be obtained with Genetic Algorithms faster than with dynamic programming methods. Also Genetic Algorithms are inherently parallel and therefore can be implemented very efficiently on parallel computers. Published in: Proceedings of the Second Annual Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Conference, February 1996, Baton Rouge, LA.
Establecimiento de seis especies arbóreas nativas en un pastizal degradado en la selva lacandona, Chiapas, México

El presente estudio se realizo en un pastizal degradado en la Selva Lacandona, Chiapas, Mexico. Se evaluo durante un ano el efecto de tratamientos de deshierbe y fertilizacion, sobre el desempeno de plantulas de seis especies arboreas nativas medido en terminos de supervivencia y crecimiento. A partir de la epoca de sequia la probabilidad de supervivencia de las plantulas aumento bajo la cobertura de los pastos (tratamiento sin deshierbe), tanto de especies demandantes de luz como tolerantes de sombra. Las plantulas de las especies de habito heliofilo Ceiba pentandra , Schizolobium parahyba y Swietenia macrophylla tuvieron mayores niveles de supervivencia y crecimiento, con respecto a las umbrofilas Brosimum alicastrum , Calophyllum brasiliense y Ormosia schippii . La tasa relativa de crecimiento (TRC) en altura y diametro vario significativamente para el efecto simple del deshierbe y de la especie. El efecto simple del deshierbe indico un mayor crecimiento en altura y diametro de las plantas en el tratamiento con deshierbe. No se registraron efectos significativos de la fertilizacion en el desempeno de las plantas. El efecto de la especie fue el factor mas consistente para explicar la varianza en las tres variables de respuesta. Esto indica que las especies arboreas estudiadas tuvieron determinadas trayectorias de supervivencia y crecimiento, al margen del efecto de los tratamientos aplicados.
Neurons with hysteresis form a network that can learn without any changes in synaptic connection strengths

A neural network concept derived from an analogy between the immune system and the central nervous system is outlined. The theory is based on a neuron that is slightly more complicated than the conventional McCullogh-Pitts type of neuron, in that is exhibits hysteresis at the single cell level. This added complication is compensated by the fact that a network of such neurons is able to learn without the necessity for any changes in synaptic connection strengths. The learning occurs as a neural consequence of interactions between the network and its environment, with environmental stimuli moving the system around in an N-dimensional phase space, until a point in phase space is reached such that the system's responses are appropriate for dealing with the stimuli. Due to the hysteresis associated with each neuron, the system tends to stay in the region of phase space where it is located. The theory includes a role for sleep in learning. 18 refs., 2 figs.
REGULATION OF INTRACELLULAR LYSOSOMAL MOVEMENTS BY THE CYTOSKELETAL SYSTEM IN RAT ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES

Saltatory intracellular lysosomal movements were enhanced by both fluid-phase pinocytosis (horseradish peroxidase; HRP) and adsorptive pinocytosis (peroxidase anti-peroxidase; PAP) in cultured rat alveolar macrophages. To elucidate the role of cytoskeletal elements in the regulatory mechanism of lysosomal movements related to the autophagy and heterophagy, the effects of actin filament destabilizers (cytochalasin B, D) and antimicrotubular drugs (colchicine, nocodazole) on the lysosomal movement induced adsorptive pinocytosis of PAP were investigated by cytochemical electron microscopy.In the cultured alveolar macrophages, the pinocytosis of PAP promoted lysosomal movements and the extension of nematolysosomes (thread-like lysosomes) within the cytoplasm. The actin filament destabilizers inhibited these lysosomal movements and forming process of nematolysosomes, while the drugs had little or no inhibitory effect on pinocytosis of PAP. The antimicrotubular drugs also had an inhibitory effect on the appearance of nematolysosomes. Moreover, these drugs led to another type of lysosomal transformation, i.e., wrapping lysosomes which are thought to be one process of autophagy.The present study using actin filament destabilizers and antimicrotubular drugs clarifies two distinct types of lysosomal transformations, which are nematolysosomes and wrapping lysosomes. It is suggested that cytoskeletal elements play an important role in regulating the movement and transformation of lysosomes in the macrophages.
Lateral plate number development in the complete morph of thethree–spined stickleback, Gasferosteus aculeatus L.

The development of lateral plate number in completely plated three‐spined stickleback populations during the period of growth of the body after hatching was studied in two streams in Central Poland. The streams belong to the Oder River drainage basin (51°38′N; 19°26′E) and the Vistula River drainage basin (51°35′N; 19°37′E), respectively. After reaching a total length of 27 mm the development of lateral plate number is completed in both populations. This value is lower than thc corresponding values rcported in the literature.
Protein Conservation in Virus Evolution

Evolution of viruses is considerably more rapid than that of the cellular organisms that they infect. The reach of sequence-based evolutionary studies on viruses is therefore rather limited. The tertiary protein structure is generally conserved over longer time periods than the primary one. Indeed, structural studies proved to be more informative for reconstructing deep evolutionary connections between distantly related viruses. It has become apparent that certain viruses infecting hosts from different domains of life are remarkably similar in their virion assembly and architecture, suggesting a common ancestry for these structurally related viruses. Furthermore, the presence of several distinct architectural principles employed by viruses suggested that the origin of the current virosphere has multiple evolutionary origins. Insights obtained from numerous structural studies may not only be successfully used to refine the existing virus classification scheme, but may also lead to a major shift in our understanding on the origin, evolution and organisation of the viral domain. Key Concepts: Tertiary protein structure is conserved over longer periods of time than the primary one and thus allows recognising deep evolutionary connections between viruses that have diverged in a distant past. The ability to build virions (i.e., presence of capsid proteins) is a hallmark feature of viruses that distinguishes them from other mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids and transposons. Structural studies suggest that certain viruses infecting bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes are evolutionarily related. Viral lineage hypothesis predicts a common origin for structurally related viruses, infecting hosts from different domains of life. There are several different viral lineages of structurally distinct viruses, suggesting that the contemporary virosphere has multiple evolutionary origins. The molecular virion complexity shared by viruses in different domains of life suggests that at the time of the last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA) viruses were already very sophisticated. Keywords: virus evolution; viral lineage; viral jelly roll fold; double β-barrel fold; virus taxonomy and classification; membrane-containing viruses; structural virology; bacteriophage PRD1
Aneuploidy in induced autotetraploid populations of Festuca pratensis, Lolium multiflorum and Lolium perenne

The aneuploid frequencies were determined in two autotetraploid populations of Festuca pratensis, St 839 and Sv 01243. Vegetative and generative properties of euploids, hypoploids, and hyperploids were studied. Before chromosome counts, the seed lots were sieved into five seed size fractions. Chromosome numbers were determined by a modification of conventional root tip squash. Chromosome number varied with seed size. This variation was caused by differences in hypoploid frequencies between the fractions. In St 839 the lightest seeds contained 30% hypoploids and the heaviest ones 2%. In Sv 01243 the hypoploid frequencies varied from 20% to 1%. The total aneuploid frequency in St 839 was 29.3% with a slight predominance of hyperploids. In Sv 01243 the aneuploid frequency was 26.0%, with about equal size of the aneuploid chromosome classes. Vegetative and generative characters were measured. Euploids were superior to aneuploids, and hyperploids to hypoploids in both populations. The effects of aneuploidy were more pronounced on the generative characters. The euploids were heading earlier than the aneuploids. The differences were generally highly significant.
Determination of Organophosphate Resistance-Dependent Over-produce Esterase Allel Type with Electrophoresis in the Malaria Vector Species Anopheles sacharovi and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

In this study, over-produce esterase allele types dependent on organophosphate resistance in mosquitoes were determined by cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis in the human malaria vector species Anopheles sacharovi and Culex pipiens in Cukurova (Adana). We found A2 and A5 allele bands with some unknown and unidentified gel bands in some An. sacharovi field samples, of which some bands seemed to match with over-produce esterase. We identified A2-B2 allele types for all the Cx. pipiens samples collected in this study.
Evolution of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon patterns in Formica ants

A comparison of the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of thirteen sympatric species of Formica ants from Finland, along with a subset of five species from the British Isles, was conducted. This permitted a comparison of the evolution of these profiles within a single genus and the stability of these profiles over large geographical and evolutionary distances. The study indicated that species-specific hydrocarbon profiles remained remarkably stable between Finland and the British Isles and were not influenced by ecological factors such as soil or vegetation types. This stability allowed candidate cuticular hydrocarbons or groups of hydrocarbons to be identified that may constitute species-specific recognition cues in these ants. In Formica, cuticular hydrocarbon composition has evolved down two distinct paths, either elevated production of Z-9-alkenes or the production of various dimethylalkanes. Evolution of hydrocarbons can be predicted for the other five Formica species for which the cuticular profiles are known. The Z-9-alkenes, dienes, and various distinctive combinations of dimethylalkanes can be used as unique species recognition cues in the Formica ants and this parallels the evolution of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon composition in the Drosophila flies. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95, 131–140.
Growth rate and phosphate utilization of some Carex species from a range of oligotrophic to eutrophic swamp habitats

In a growth experiment at phosphate levels varying between 0,0005 and 0.1 mM phosphate, relative growth rates and other growth parameters were determined in Carex species (C. rostrata Stokes, C. limosa L., C. lasiocarpa Ehrh., C. diandra Schrank, and C. acutiformis Ehrh., listed in order of increasing nutrient availability of their natural habitats). In all species, more efficient utilization of the phosphate was observed with decreasing phosphate levels, together with reduced fresh shoot ratio. In addition, each species shows characteristics which may help it to grow under low phosphate conditions: relatively high phosphate level in the plant (C. rostrata), a low fresh shoot ratio (C. limosa) and regulation of uptake and translocation of phosphate in such a way that relative growth rate during the first two weeks is maintained or even increased for a longer period (C. rostrata, C. limosa, and C. diandra). In the studied Carex species, the contribution of fresh shoot ratio to relative growth rate is much larger than that of net assimilation rate. C. acutiformis, a species of eutrophic areas, had the highest relative growth rate.
Crystals and Paracrystalline Inclusions of Prochloron (Prochlorophyta) Symbiotic with the Ascidian Trididemnum cyclops (Didemnidae)

Crystals and paracrystalline inclusions are described from cells of the green prokaryotic alga Prochloron symbiotic with the tropical ascidian Trididemnum cyclops. These include polyhedral bodies (which bear a close resemblance to carboxysomes derscribed from other photosynthetic prokaryotes), large crystals (resembling protein crystals of higher plant chloroplasts), spherical bodies (thought to be a different form of the large crystals), ordered lameliae and cylindrical bundles. It is suggested that all these inclusions may be involved with temporary storage of components of the photosynthetic System. They highlight the similarity of Prochlor· on to the other photosynthetic prokaryotes but separate it from the eukaryotic algal groups.
Uma Caracterização dos Padrões de Navegação de Usuários em uma Aplicação Social de Streaming de Vídeo

Abstract. In this paper, we present a characterization of user behavior in video streaming applications. Our work is focused on providing insights to the following questions: (1) What are the most common websites that lead users to video content in social media video applications? (2) What is the browsing behavior of users within the application until they leave? (3) How exposed are users to ads in these applications? Using user browsing data from a large university campus in Brazil, we focus our case-study application on YouTube, the largest video application online. Different from previous studies, we characterize the browsing behavior of individual users. Moreover, while tackling the third question, we also characterize user exposure to video ads, a new kind of advertisement that was mostly unaccounted for by previous work. Our main results show that: (1) users usually reach content using different links depending on the kind of content (e.g., comedy videos vs news videos); (2) users tend to use search engines and related video lists to follow up on new content after viewing a video; and (3) video ads account for a much higher exposure to ad content than link ads.
Comparison of the rumen passage rate of different forages using rare-earth markers

The passage rate of nine different forages (diploid perennial ryegrass, tetraploid perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, hybrid ryegrass, meadow fescue, tall fescue, timothy, cocksfoot and white clover) was evaluated with help of two markers (Yb and Dy) in a small-scale study at IGER, Aberystwyth, UK. Five dry Holstein-Friesian cows were used in a 4-period incomplete changeover design experiment. Cows received a mix of 30 kg maize silage (30% DM), 1 kg barley straw, 1 kg soyabean meal and dry cow mineral. At the beginning of each measurement period the cows were offered small amounts of two marker-labelled feeds which were randomly assigned to them, one Yb-labelled and one Dy-labelled. Grab samples of faeces were taken twice-daily over the next nine days. Faeces were dried, ground and analysed for concentration of markers. The concentrations were plotted against time and an equation was fitted and analysed statistically. There were no significant differences between passage rate of the different forages or markers. The highest passage rates were for dipolid perennial ryegrass (Dy-labelled) and white clover (Yb-labelled).
The breeding distribution of Black Guillemots Cepphus grylle in Orkney and Shetland, 1982–84

Surveys of adult Black Guillemots associated with breeding habitat in the pre-breeding period recorded totals of 6883 in Orkney and 12,008 in Shetland. These populations are much larger than was previously thought, largely due to improved census methods and coverage. Although the distribution of suitable sites influenced the distribution of nests, breeding was widespread with most colonies comprising fewer than 20 birds. Nest sites accessible to ground predators were used on islands free from Brown Rats or Stoats but on infested islands Black Guillemots bred only in higher cliffs. The lowest breeding densities were in Yell Sound and it is likely that the population there was still recovering from the effects of a large oil spill.
From Tissues to Landscapes: How Thermal Physiology, Water Use, and Climate Influence Patterns of Landscape Use in Elephants

Author(s): Dunkin, Robin Christine | Advisor(s): Williams, Terrie M | Abstract: In the following chapters the interaction between large body size and climate and the resulting influence of this interaction at the level of the tissue, the whole body, and at the landscape level are investigated. In chapter one, tissue level adaptations of Asian (Elephas maximus)(Loxodonta africana)oC range of ambient temperatures were used to construct climate dependent thermal and water budgets. In chapter three, these budgets were used to construct a coupled biophysical and dynamic programming model to investigate how climate together with thermal, water, and energy demands, interact to produce landscape level patterns of habitat use. At the tissue level, the integument of elephants has a high water and low lipid content and its thermal conductivity (0.19±0.01 to 0.23±0.13 W m--10C) approaches the upper limit of previously measured mammalian values. The integument's resistance to water loss is also low and is comparable to or less than that of some amphibians. At the whole body level, low integumental resistance results in high rates of cutaneous evaporative water loss (E.m.: 0.31 and 8.9 g min-1m-2; L.a.: 0.26 and 6.5 g min-1m-2) and at temperatures between 28-30oC, elephants are fully dependent on evaporative cooling to dissipate heat produced from resting metabolism. At the landscape level, simulations under six combinations of climate and primary productivity demonstrated that under cool and moderate climates, primary productivity was the strongest determinate of home range size, however, at temperatures above 24-27oC, ambient temperature was limiting as elephants were more tightly tethered to water with less access to food. Climate appears to have a non-linear influence on landscape use because evaporative cooling increases exponentially with ambient temperature. Although the drivers of landscape use by large herbivores are complex, the results of this work demonstrate the importance of interactions between body size and climate spanning three levels of biological organization, in setting the fundamental spatial and temporal patterns of landscape use reported for elephants.
Discrimination des lupins à basse teneur en alcaloïdes par les adultes de Sitona lineatus L. (Col. Curculionidae)

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Discrimination des lupins à basse teneur en alcaloïdes par les adultes de Sitona lineatus L. (Col. Curculionidae) Pierre Cantot, Jacques Papineau