Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptation of the Developmental Process of Anaphes victus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) to Local Climatic Conditions across North America

Abstract Anaphes victus Huber (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid of weevils (Curculionidae), has a North American distribution and displays genetic variability among populations from different locations. Local adaptation to temperature was compared among three A. victus ecotypes originating from different latitudes: Texas, Michigan, and Québec. Development occurred between 11.5 and 34.0°C for all ecotypes and was accurately described by sigmoid curves. Some adaptations of A. victus to local climatic conditions were found, because the Texas ecotype had a higher developmental rate at the temperature of maximal developmental rate (Tm) than both northern temperate ecotypes and it developed faster at high temperatures. In contrast, the ecotypes from Michigan and Québec displayed faster developmental rates at low temperatures. In contrast to the Texas ecotype, both northern ecotypes have Tm values above the average maximum temperatures of their original habitat. These results are discussed in the context of evolutionary constraint that could have restricted the adaptation of the developmental process in A. victus. Lower developmental thresholds were similar across ecotypes and sexes, an indication that this parameter may not be subjected to local adaptation. For each ecotype, males required fewer degree-days than females to complete their immature development.
Insecticidal efficacy of essential oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume and its two major constituents against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) and Sitophilus oryzae (L.).

Essential oil isolated from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume was analyzed by mass spectroscopy (MS) and two of its main constituents were identified. Contact and fumigant activity of C. zeylanicum essential oil and its two constituents viz., cinnamaldehyde and linalool were examined against two stored product pests, Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Responses varied with respect to doses of compounds, insect species and exposure time. In contact activity assay, the cinnamon oil at 1.2 mg/cm 2 caused 98 and 80% mortality against C. maculatus and S. oryzae adults respectively, after 24 hours of treatment. 0.3 mg/cm 2 of cinnamaldehyde caused 100 % mortality in C. maculatus whereas, similar dose of linalool caused 89% mortality in S. oryzae after an exposure period of 12 hrs. The fumigant action as compared to contact toxicity indicated high percentage of mortality for adult insects even at low doses of compounds and less duration of exposure. The essential oil of cinnamon along with its major constituents demonstrates higher contact and fumigant toxicity to C. maculatus than S. oryzae adults. Further, cinnamaldehyde showed higher toxicity than linalool and it may be attributed to its chemical structure.
ASSESSMENT OF ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF THE EXTRACTS OF RHYNCHOSTYLIS RETUSA BLUME- A MEDICINAL ORCHID

Rhynchostylis retusa is a monopodial, epiphytic and medicinal orchid. The phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activities of different extract (methanol, ethanol, chloroform and hexane) of Rhynchostylis retusa was applied on five different bacteria (gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus & Bacillus subtilis; gram negative: Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli & Klebsiella pneumonia) and three fungus species (Penicillium sp., Rhizopus sp. and Aspergillus niger). The antmicrobial activity was assessed using disc diffusion method. A preliminary phytochemical screening was performed on the basis of detection of alkaloid, terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, coumerins, amino acides and carbohydrates. Under this study methanol, ethanol and chloroform extracts from Rhynchostylis retusa showed different degree of inhibitory that potential against tested bacteria while hexane extract not showed any inhibition zone on studied bacteria. The antibacterial activity against all bacteria with the zone of inhibition ranging from 5‐12 mm were observed and found that highest inhibition zone (10-12 mm) with the concentration of 10.0 mg/ml of chloroform extract. Chloroform extract also showed significant antifungal activity against Penicillium, Rhizopus and Aspergillus niger with the highest zone (12‐15 mm) of inhibition. The ability of the crude extracts of Rhynchostylis retusa to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungus is an indication of its broad spectrum antimicrobial potential which may be employed in the management of microbial infections.
VARIATION IN TREE COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE WITH CHANGES IN SOIL PROPERTIES WITHIN A FRAGMENT OF SEMIDECIDUOUS FOREST IN SOUTH-EASTERN BRAZIL

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether variations in tree community structure and soil properties were interrelated in a fragment of semideciduous forest in Martinho Campos, south-eastern Brazil. The forest was sampled by ten plots, each of which was made up of four contiguous 15×15m quadrats (total 0.9ha). Plots were randomly distributed in the fragment with the help of grid-line coordinates. Soil samples were collected from each quadrat for chemical and textural analyses, and the soil of each quadrat was classified in conformity with the US Soil Taxonomy System. All trees with diameter at the base of the stem ≥5cm were identified and measured (circumference and height). Three soil groups were recognized: Ustifluvent, Ustropept, and Dystropept. A principal component analysis independently discriminated the soil groups in terms of their chemical and textural properties, indicating the consistency of the soil classification. Significant differences among the soil groups were also found for most soil properties. Tree community physiognomy was significantly different in Ustropept soil habitat, where trees showed more pronounced slenderness. A detrended correspondence analysis indicated that tree community structure also responded to the three soil habitats. A canonical correspondence analysis, together with Spearman's rank correlations, demonstrated that species' abundance distributions were significantly correlated with the soil properties. Differences in soil nutrient content (particularly Ca 2+ and K + ) and in ground water regime are apparently the leading factors determining tree species distributions within the fragment.
Inter-cropping with Southern Corn Rust Resistance Maize Genotype Improved Maize (Zea mays L.) Defense Response

Intercropping is regarded as an effective and environment friendly cultivation practise in disease control. SCR infection severity and the differences of defense related enzymes activity under SCR inoculation were observed between sensitive and resistance genotypes and between mono- and inter-cropping cultivation manners of the same genotype. Compared to mono-cropping, the disease grade of SCR sensitive genotype inter-cropped with SCR resistance genotype decreased from 5 and 7 to 3 and 3 in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The defense related enzymes activities under SCR inoculation in SCR sensitive genotype were higher when inter-cropping with SCR resistance genotype than in mono-cropping. The result indicates that the disease resistance of plants is not only related to its hereditary but could also be affected by the genetic diversity of the cropping community. These results suggest that by intercropping the SCR susceptible genotype with the SCR resistant genotype can significantly enhance the defense related metabolism of the susceptible genotype under SCR inoculation and improve the resistance to SCR. (Liu TX, Zhao CL, Wang XP. Inter-cropping with Southern Corn Rust Resistance Maize Genotype Improved
Diversity and bioactivity analysis of actinomycetes isolated from Cibagou Nature Reserve soil

【Objective】The composition,antibacterial activity and enzyme activity of soil actinomycetes in Cibagou Nature Reserve of Chayu,Tibet were analyzed,which could also provide microbial resources to screen new drug lead compounds and highly active enzymes. 【Method】The thermophilic,mesothermal and psychrophilic actinomycetes were separated and cultivated by 5 kinds of media from 45 soil samples that were sampled from different vegetations and altitudes in Cibagou Nature Reserve.Actinomycetes were classified according to their morphological and chemical characteristics.Plant similarity calculation formula was used to analyze the similarities among soil actinomycetes flora in Cibagou Nature Reserve,neighboring areas in Yunnan and Qinghai,as well as significantly different geographical locations and climatic conditions in Chengde,Hebei,and Wuling Mountain.A variety of enzyme activities and antimicrobial activities of 617 mesothermal actinomycetes were analyzed by Agar block shift methods to 2 bacteria strains and 3 pathogenic fungus strains. 【Result】The soil actinomycetes flora were complex and 11 genera were found.Thermophilic actinomycetes were widely distributed under the altitude of 4000 min soil.The dominant genera were Stretomyces,Micromonosporaand Thermoactinomyces.10 genera of mesothermal actinomycetes and 3 genera of psychrophilic actinomycetes were found simultaneously.The soil actinomycetes groups were related more closely to that of Yunnan than that of Wuling Mountain,Chengde in Hebei and Qinghai areas.617 mesothermal actinomycetes could use gelatin,nitrate reduction and condensate lactasin,and had low antagonistic ratio to crop pathogenic fungus but strong activities. 【Conclusion】Cibagou Nature Reserve implies rich and strong activity of actinomycetes in primeval forest soils,strong antagonistic activity of actinomycetes to plant pathogenic fungus can be screened in acidic soils in Cibagou Nature Reserve.
Function and Phylogeny of Spider Webs

A general discussion of the designs and functions of the silk structures spiders use to capture prey has not been attempted since the book of Witt et al (319). Knowledge has increased so greatly in the intervening years that complete coverage is now impossible in a review article. I have cited primarily more recent and general publications. Related aspects of web biology not emphasized here are reviewed in papers on particular taxonomic groups (260), general feeding ecology (233), choice of websites (131, 232, 234), interand intra-specific competition (and the lack of it) (273, 275, 314), ecophysiology (192), web removal (20), sexual behavior (139, 238), vibration transmission in webs (175), neurobiology (3), attack behavior (237, 279), communication (320), energetics of web-building (227), timing of web construction (229), cues used for orientation during web construction (80, 308), structure and composition of web lines (224, 290), physical properties of silk (109, 322), and silk glands (138). Due to the numbers of papers on orb webs, orbs are emphasized over non-orbs. The imbalance in research is strong (the ratio in the reference section is about 2: 1 orb: non-orb, despite the fact that the ratio in numbers of species must be closer to 1: 2 (H. W. Levi, personal communication). At least partially repairing this imbalance is a pressing need.
Evolutionary Relationships Within the Species-Rich Genus Ruellia (Acanthaceae)

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships among species of the large genus Ruellia (Acanthaceae) have never been studied. Ruellia, with approximately 300 species, is geographically widespread and morphologically diverse. Molecular data for 196 specimens from the nuclear ribosomal ITS region and the chloroplast trnG-trnR region were used to test monophyly of the genus against closely related genera in Ruellieae, to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among species of Ruellia on a global scale, to re-evaluate previous morphology-based classifications, and to examine the utility of morphological characters, especially corolla morphology, for future sectional delimitation. Bayesian and parsimony analyses indicate four genera are evolutionarily allied to Ruellia. Acanthopale is sister to Ruellia s. l. with strong support. Blechum, Eusiphon, and Polylychnis are nested within Ruellia s. l. , and species in Eusiphon and Polylychnis are here formally transferred to Ruellia resulting in the new combinations Ruellia geayi and Ruellia fulgens. Ruellia s. l. , including Blechum, Eusiphon, and Polylychnis, is monophyletic but only weakly supported by parsimony. Within Ruellia, Old World taxa form a basal grade and New World taxa are monophyletic and nested within the Old World grade. Alternative hypotheses involving non-monophyly of New World Ruellia were significantly less parsimonious and less likely. Within New World Ruellia, many clades are informally recognized, several of which reflect previous taxonomic groupings to some extent. Constraining all putatively hummingbird-pollinated taxa to monophyly was strongly rejected. This suggests that corolla morphology has undergone convergent evolution and is therefore likely an inappropriate character for sectional delimitation, contrary to previous use.
Relationships Between Fish Parasitism and Pollution Exposure in the White Croaker, Genyonemus lineatus (Sciaenidae), from Los Angeles Harbor, Southern California, U.S.A.

Abstract The white croaker, Genyonemus lineatus, occurs in degraded habitats like Los Angeles Harbor, California, U.S.A. , and has been used as a target species for pollution monitoring studies in the Southern California Bight. Sampling of croaker from several sites within Los Angeles Harbor and a reference site, Dana Point, was done to assess the relationship between endohelminth parasitism and pollution in this fish host. Prevalence of Anisakis sp. , Stephanostomum spp. , and Lacistorhynchus dollfusi varied significantly by site. Only for Anisakis sp. was mean intensity significantly different between the less polluted site, Dana Point, and the site in Los Angeles Harbor closest to the outfall pipe of a sewage treatment plant. Anisakis sp. appears to be useful as an indicator of pollution exposure in white croaker populations from Los Angeles Harbor.
Development of the vagina in the human fetus.

Lack of uniformity of opinions concerning the development of the vag ina prompted an investigation into the successive stages of the vaginas developmental events. Observations on the material studied indicated: 1) that the upper part of the vagina develops from the mullerian ducts: 2) the lower part of the vagina is formed from the urogenital sinus in an area fromerly occupied by the mullerian tubercle; it is here that the hymen forms; 3) the hymen is formed passively by the invagination of the posterior wall of the sinus attributed to expansion of the vaginas lower end and; 4) formation of the vagina occurs without the participation of the wolffian ducts which involute at 50mm and usually rapidly and entirely disappear from the genital cord. These observations suggest that a caudocranial process occurs in which epithelial cells in the center of the solid cord undergo involution desquamate and are discharged in part of the hymenal opening thus forming the vaginal canal.
EVects of conWnement on insulin amyloid Wbrils formation

Insulin, a 51-residue protein universally used in diabetes treatment, is known to produce amy- loid Wbrils at high temperature and acidic conditions. As for other amyloidogenic proteins, the mechanisms leading to nucleation and growth of insulin Wbrils are still poorly understood. We here report a study of the Wbrillation process for insulin conWned in a suitable polymeric hydrogel, with the aim of ascertain the eVects of a reduced protein mobility on the various phases of the process. The results indicate that, with respect to standard aqueous solutions, the Wbrillation process is considerably slowed down at moderately high concentrations and entirely suppressed at low concentration. Moreover, the analysis of the initial stages of the Wbrillation process in aqueous solutions revealed a large spatial heterogeneity, which is com- pletely absent when the Wbrillation is carried out in the hydrogel. We attribute this heterogeneity to the diVu- sion in solution of large amyloidal aggregates, which must be formed very fast compared to the average times for the whole sample. These Wndings are inter- preted in the framework of recently suggested hetero- geneous nucleation mechanisms. Moreover, they may be useful for the development of new insulin pharma- ceutical formulations, more stable against adverse con- ditions.
Características físico-químicas e atividade antioxidante total de pitaias vermelha e branca

Neste estudo, foram avaliadas as características físico-químicas e a atividade antioxidante total (AAT) da casca e da polpa das pitaias vermelha e branca. Foram determinadas a composição centesimal, vitamina C, fenólicos totais e AAT nas cascas e polpas das pitaias. A AAT foi determinada utilizando-se duas metodologias: sistema β-caroteno/ácido linoléico e sequestro do radial DPPH. As cascas e as polpas das pitaias analisadas apresentaram alto teor de umidade e baixo teor de proteínas e lipídios. Os teores de fibra alimentar total (FAT) e cinzas foram significativamente maiores nas cascas das pitaias, e os teores de glicídios e energia foram maiores nas polpas. O teor médio de vitamina C variou de 17,73 a 20,69 (mg.100 g-1) nas polpas e de 22,21 a 24,05 (mg.100 g-1) nas cascas. A casca da pitaia vermelha demonstrou menor teor de fenólicos totais (77,22 mg EAG.100 g-1). As pitaias analisadas mostraram alta AAT pela metodologia de sistema betacaroteno/ácido linoleico e baixa AAT pela técnica de DPPH. A pitaia vermelha apresentou a maior AAT com destaque na sua polpa. O potencial antioxidante e as características químicas das pitaias vermelha e branca podem contribuir na dieta benéfica à saúde humana.
Stomatal conductance and xylem sap properties of aspen (Populus tremuloides) in response to low soil temperature

The mechanisms regulating stomatal response following exposure to low (5°C) soil temperature were investigated in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) seedlings. Low soil temperature reduced stomatal conductance within 4 h,but did not alter shoot xylem pressure potential within 24 h. The xylem sap composition was altered and its pH increased from 6.5 to 7.1 within the initial 4 h of the low temperature treatment. However, the increase in abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in xylem sap was observed later, after 8 h of treatment. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in the electrical conductivity and an increase in the osmotic potential of the xylem sap. The timing of physiological responses to low soil temperature suggests that the rapid pH change of the xylem sap and accompanying changes in ion concentration were the initial factors which triggered stomatal closure in low temperature-treated seedlings, and that the role of the more slowly accumulating ABA was likely to reinforce the stomatal closure. When leaf discs were exposed to xylem sap extracted from low soil temperature-treated plants, stomatal aperture was negatively correlated with ABA and positively correlated with K + concentrations of the xylem sap. The stomatal opening in the leaf discs linearly increased in response to exogenous KCl concentrations when K + concentrations were in the similar range to those detected in the xylem sap. The lowest concentration of exogenous ABA to induce stomatal closure was several-fold higher compared with the concentration present in the xylem sap.
Effect of Melatonin Supplementation on Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Serum Vitamin and Mineral Concentrations in Heat-Stressed Japanese Quail

SUMMARY This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary melatonin supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) and homocysteine, and on serum concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, cholesterol, triglyceride, highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and activities of paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) exposed to high ambient temperature (34°C). One hundred twenty Japanese quail (10 d old) were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups consisting of 3 replicates of 10 birds. The birds were kept in a temperature-controlled room at 22 or 34°C. Birds were fed a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 40 mg of melatonin/kg of diet. The experiment was terminated after 32 d. Levels of MDA in serum, liver, heart and kidney, and level of homocysteine in serum were markedly increased in heat-stressed quail, and the levels significantly decreased by melatonin supplementation (P 0.05). The results of the study indicate that melatonin supplementation attenuated the increase in oxidative stress and depletion in antioxidants caused by heat stress in Japanese quail.
Research on agricultural search engine optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) has practical significance for promoting farmers income and agricultural efficiency in China. Firstly, how to extract web page attributes contributed to the ranking in search engine is considered. And the attribute extractor in Java platform is built. Then, a batch gaining method noted AAA is proposed independent of Search Engine API by which a downloader is also designed. Third, a new kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) method is proposed to rank these agricultural web pages on keywords, in which the non-linear combinations of search engine ranking factors can be obtained. By adjusting the kernel function and its parameters in order to ensure maximum contribution rate of variance. Fourth, the software system is developed for agriculture to provide decision support for search engine marketing. Data experimental results show that our method has a good performance.
The diagnostic recommendation and integrated system for monitoring N, P and K status of sugarcane in Punjab

The Diagnosis Recommendation and Integration System (DRIS) approach was employed to monitor the N, P and K status of sugarcane plants cultivated in different areas of Punjab. The nutrient with the most negative index is considered the most relatively insufficient and most limiting. DRIS assessed the nutrient balance in plant leaf tissues and identified not only the most limiting nutrient, but also the order in which the other nutrients become limiting. The DRIS indicated that 9, 14 and 77% of the total sugarcane samples collected were suffering from the inadequacy of N, P and K, respectively. Diagnosis of sugarcane leaves varying in their position on the plant or sampled at various stages of growth irrespective of cultivar or planted or ratoon crops carried out with DRIS approach showed that only minor variation in the nutrient order occurred. The nutrient diagnosis was largely independent of type of leaf tissue sampled.
Estudo das percepções e do comportamento dos consumidores de gasolina em uma metropóle brasileira

O objetivo por meio desse trabalho e o de conhecer o comportamento de compra de gasolina por parte dos consumidores. Alem disso, se buscou identificar quais sao os atributos mais importantes em um posto de combustivel, a percepcao de riscos por parte dos consumidores e os fatores que afetam o seu comportamento. Em termos metodologicos, primeiramente foram realizados dois grupos de foco e seis entrevistas com consumidores e com profissionais de postos de combustiveis. Os resultados foram utilizados para a confeccao dos questionarios. Em seguida foi realizado um pre-teste para possiveis correcoes e calculo da amostra, com 290 questionarios validos. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o quarteto “qualidade-rapidez-aparencia-localizacao” sao os fatores mais importantes para os consumidores de gasolina e que a maioria dos clientes somente abastece em um ou dois postos de combustivel. Observou-se que os consumidores enxergam riscos ao comprar esse produto quando o combustivel e muito barato, quando abastecem em um posto pela primeira vez, principalmente se for em rodovias e nao em cidades. Nao se obteve diferencas significativas entre homens e mulheres e nas conclusoes sao discutidas diversas acoes e recomendacoes que podem ser tomadas pelos gestores do setor de combustiveis, notadamente em relacao ao marketing.