Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex‐Differential Resource Allocation Patterns in the Subdioecious Shrub Hebe Subalpina

Vegetative growth and sexual reproduction were compared (under natural conditions and following defoliation) for the two sexual morphs of the subdioecious ev- ergreen shrub Hebe subalpina. Under natural conditions, both morphs produced the same number of flowers, but because the flowers of the polleniferous morph (here called "males") are larger males allocated almost twice as much biomass to flower production as did females. Females, by contrast, produced larger fruit as well as more fruit than males. In terms of biomass, females allocated 4.7 times as much as males on fruit production. Overall, females allocated almost twice the biomass to flowers and fruit. The morphs also differed in the timing of their growth, with each morph growing less during the phase in which its repro- ductive costs were highest. In spite of the greater allocation by females to reproduction, the two morphs grew the same amount over the entire reproductive cycle. This may be a result of the fact that females produced more leaves earlier in the season, which enabled them to accumulate more resources than males. The defoliation experiment substantiated the morph-differential allocation patterns. Defoliated shoots on females fruited, but did not grow relative to controls, and defoliated shoots on males grew, but did not fruit. These differences suggest that divergent selection has been operating on the morphs since the evolution of subdioecy (via gynodioecy) from cosexuality in Hebe, and may be related to differences in the relative fitness gains to the morphs through pollen vs. seeds.
Substituição parcial do farelo de soja pela farinha de carne e ossos em dietas para juvenis de tilápia-do-nilo

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the partial replacement of soybean meal by meat and bone meal in diets for juvenile Nile tilapia on digestibility, health, performance, and feeding cost. The experiment was carried out for 14 weeks, with 400 juveniles (4.9±0.6 g) distributed randomly into 16 tanks. The fish were fed with four diets containing 0, 15, 30, and 45% replacement of protein from soybean meal by protein from meat and bone meal. Performance parameters, digestibility, hematology, and feeding cost were evaluated. The best results for weight gain and apparent feed conversion were observed with 40 and 32% replacement, respectively. The lowest feeding cost was obtained with 30 and 45%. There was a linear decrease in the apparent digestibility coefficients of protein with increasing levels of meat and bone meal. Fish fed diets containing up to 24% replacement show increase of hemoglobin concentration. The diet with 32% replacement of protein from soybean meal by protein from meat and bone meal promotes better feeding conversion for Nile tilapia.
On the spatial distribution and nearest neighbor distance between particles in the water column determined from in situ holographic measurements

A film-based holography system was used in conjunction with instrumentation that detected bioluminescent thin layers to record the spatial distribution of zooplankton and their prey in the Gulf of Maine, USA. The holocamera and instruments were mounted on the Johnson Sea Link (JSL) in a setup that minimized the disturbance to the sample volume. More than 143 holograms were automatically scanned to provide focused images of 5000‐10 000 particles and their threedimensional coordinates in each 894 cm 3 sample. The reconstructed volumes provided clear images of intermingling copepods species,nauplii,Pseudonitzschiadiatomsand particles inthe 10 � m‐5 mm size range. Spatial analysis of the nearest neighbor distance (NND) of the smallest particles showed a random distribution, but detritus particles showed small-scale clustering in regions below the pycnocline. A detritus maximum, found several meters below the pycnocline, at 20‐30 m, was determined to be caused by fecal pellets in various stages of degradation. This region also contained elevated concentrations of calanoids, cyclopoids and harpacticoids. In one third of the cases, the harpacticoids, Aegisthus sp, were attached to detritus.
Fish immune system. A crossroads between innate and adaptive responses

Fish, as the first vertebrate group appearing in evolution after adaptive radiation during the Devonic period, still represent the most successful and diverse group of vertebrates. This heterogeneous group of organisms occupy an apparent crossroads between the innate immune response and the appearance of the adaptive immune response. Importantly, immune organs homologues to those of the mammalian immune system are present in fish. However, their structural complexity is less, potentially limiting the capability to generate fully functional adaptive immune responses against pathogen invasion. The ability of fish to mount successful immune responses with apparently more robust innate responses than that observed in higher vertebrates is discussed.
Magnolia hookeri var. Longirostrata (Magnoliaceae), a New Taxon from Yunnan, China

Magnolia hookeri var. longirostrata D.X. Li & R.Z. Zhou, a new variety from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated. Its pollen morphology is also analyzed. It is morphologically closely allied to M. hookeri, but differs in its smaller carpels, longer and narrower gynoecia, longer and glabrous peduncles, longer fruit aggregates, and small-tuberculate follicles with longer beaks at the apex.
Chemoenzymatic synthesis of conjugatable oligosialic acids

Abstract Bacterial polysaccharides are components of glycoconjugate vaccines against encapsulated bacterial pathogens. Because these vaccines are prepared by random coupling methods the structure of the immunogens is difficult to characterize. As a model for the development of well-defined glycoconjugates we have devised a chemoenzymatic method for preparation of conjugatable oligosialic acids. In this scheme, chemically synthesized azide or alkyne derivatives of lactosides are sialylated by bacterial sialyltransferases. An HPLC method to follow the progress of the enzymatic reaction was developed based on fluorogenic coupling partners of the Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition reaction, since the azide and alkyne aglycons are not convenient chromaphores. We have used this chemoenzymatic scheme to synthesize oligosialic acids of Neisseria meningitidis group C polysaccharide with a conjugatable aglycon. The chemoenzymatically synthesized oligosialic acids were coupled to bovine serum albumin with the 1,3-cycloaddition reaction. The resulting glycoconjugate was reactive with N. meningitidis group C-specific monoclonal antibody, thus confirming this as a possible pathway to glycoconjugate antigens.
Nutrients released by gastric epithelial cells enhance Helicobacter pylori growth.

Background. Helicobacter pylori survives and proliferates in the human gastric mucosa. In this niche, H. pylori adheres to the gastric epithelial cells near the tight junctions. In vitro, H. pylori proliferated well in tissue-culture medium near gastric epithelial cells. However, in the absence of epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori could only be established in tissue-culture medium when, prior to the experiment, it was preincubated near gastric epithelial cells. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether diffusion of nutrients derived from epithelial cells was required for H. pylori growth in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's minimal essential medium (DMEM) cell culture medium. Materials and Methods. Cell culture conditions essential for H. pylori growth in vitro were determined with gastric epithelial HM02 cells. Results. Deprivation of iron in cell-culture-conditioned DMEM resulted in a growth arrest of H. pylori. However, near gastric epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori was resistant to iron deprivation. Evidently, when residing close to epithelial cells, H. pylori was able to fulfil its iron requirements, even when the DMEM was deprived of iron. Nevertheless, supplementation with iron alone did not restore H. pylori growth in DMEM, hence other nutrients were deficient as well in the absence of epithelial cells. Growth of H. pylori in DMEM was restored when hypoxanthine, l-alanine and l-proline were added to the DMEM. Conclusions Diffusion of (precursors of) these nutrients from the gastric epithelial cells is essential for H. pylori growth in vitro. We hypothesize that in vivo, H. pylori favors colonization near the tight junctions, to gain maximal access to the nutrient(s) released by gastric epithelial cells.
Oil industry, wild meat trade and roads: indirect effects of oil extraction activities in a protected area in north‐eastern Ecuador

Starting in 1994, a wholesale wild meat market developed in north‐eastern Ecuador, involving Waorani and Kichwa people in the area of influence of a road built to facilitate oil extraction within Yasuní National Park. Between 2005 and 2007, we recorded the trade of 11 717 kg of wild meat in this market, with pacas Cuniculus paca, white‐lipped peccaries Tayassu pecari, collared peccaries Pecari tajacu and woolly monkeys Lagothrix poeppiggi accounting for 80% of the total biomass. Almost half of the wild meat brought to the market was transported by dealers for resale at restaurants in Tena, a medium‐sized town 234 km west of the market. Prices of wild meat were 1.3–2 times higher than the price of meat of domestic animals, suggesting that it is a different commodity and not a supplementary protein source in the urban areas where it is consumed. The actual price of transportation between the local communities and the market was a significant predictor of the amount of meat sold in Pompeya. Based on this relationship the Waorani hunters sold exceptionally larger amounts of wild meat than would be expected if they would not have the transportation subsidies provided by the oil companies. Although the scale of this wild meat wholesale market is still relatively small, its dynamic reflects the complex interactions that emerge as the overriding influence of oil companies or other private industries modify the culture and subsistence patterns of marginalized indigenous groups, increasing their potential impacts on wildlife and natural ecosystems.
Sunflower meal for broilers: chemical composition and metodologics amendments on determination of energetic values and digestible aminoacids

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a composicao bromatologica e avaliar modificacoes metodologicas para determinacao dos valores energeticos e do perfil de aminoacidos digestiveis do farelo de girassol (FG) para aves. Amostras de FG foram analisadas para a determinacao da composicao bromatologica. Os valores energeticos foram obtidos pelo metodo de coleta total de excretas utilizando frangos de corte machos em crescimento, submetidos a cinco dietas contendo 0, 10, 20, 30 e 40% de substituicao de FG em uma racao-referencia com quatro repeticoes. Para determinar os coeficientes de digestibilidade dos aminoacidos e avaliar diferentes metodos de determinacao, outro experimento foi conduzido empregando a tecnica de alimentacao forcada com galos adultos cecectomizados distribuidos em tres tratamentos com seis repeticoes. Os tratamentos consistiram em fornecer 30 g de FG divididas em duas intubacoes de 15 g em intervalos de 12 horas (controle); 30 g de FG divididas em duas intubacoes de 15 g em intervalos de 24 horas e 15 g de FG fornecidas em uma unica intubacao. A composicao quimica determinada foi: 89,51% MS; 36,46% PB; 4294 kcal.kg-1 EB; 1,31% EE; 6,15% MM; 1,15% P; 0,33% Ca; 35,32% FDN e 22,30% FDA. O valor estimado para as variaveis energeticas foi afetado pelo nivel de inclusao de FG na racao referencia, sendo que o nivel de 10% tende a superestimar os valores, os quais apresentam estabilidade a partir de niveis proximos a 20%. O coeficiente de digestibilidade dos aminoacidos do FG sofre influencia da metodologia empregada na sua determinacao no que diz respeito ao nivel de inclusao para lisina, metionina, treonina, arginina, isoleucina e leucina. Com relacao ao periodo entre a ingestao das doses, nao foi verificada diferenca entre 12 e 24 horas.
Hollardia hollardi POEY, 1861: FIRST RECORD OF FAMILY TRIACANTHODIDAE (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes) FROM BRAZILIAN MARINE WATERS

SUMMARY The first record of the Triacanthodidae family (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes) from Brazil is documented, based on two specimens (111.0-128.4mm SL) of Hollardia hollardi Poey, 1861, collected off the coast of Bahia, Brazil (13o21.119’S, 38o38.896’W
Effects of reducing sheep grazing in the Scottish Highlands.

The effects of reducing sheep grazing on upland vegetation and wild herbivores was studied at 11 sites in the Scottish Highlands. Areas where sheep had been removed for periods of up to 25 years were compared with areas where stocking rates had remained unchanged. At 5 sites, removal of sheep was associated with taller vegetation and more signs of vole activity. While the removal of sheep appeared to have resulted in relatively few changes in floristic composition at these sites, patches of dwarf shrub-dominated vegetation tended to be larger and patches of grassland to be smaller where sheep had been removed. One previously open site was being invaded by birch woodland after sheep removal. At the remaining 6 sites removal of sheep appeared to have had little or no effect on vegetation or on wild herbivore activity. This was probably due to an increase in grazing by red deer, along with continued heather burning, at these sites. It is concluded that sheep removal is only likely to cause significant changes in vegetation composition and structure in the Scottish Highlands where red deer numbers are low and heather burning infrequent. When this occurs, vole numbers are likely to increase.
Movement and Activity Patterns of Eastern Coyotes In a Coastal, Suburban Environment

Abstract We studied the activity of 11 and movement of 6 radio-tagged eastern coyotes (Canis latrans var.) inhabiting suburban Cape Cod, MA between June 1998 and August 2001. Coyotes were nocturnal year round except for breeding females, which were active day and night during April–June. Twenty four-hour movements of coyotes ranged up to 31.9 linear km and averaged 23.5 ± 7.3 (SD) km from 5–14 radio-fixes during each 24 hr monitoring period. There was no difference between male and female movement rates. Coyotes moved through altered open areas more than expected when compared to residential and natural areas. Coyotes inhabiting urbanized areas generally use residential areas for traveling and/or foraging.
The European carbon balance. Part 3: forests

We present a new synthesis, based on a suite of complementary approaches, of the primary production and carbon sink in forests of the 25 member states of the European Union (EU‐25) during 1990–2005. Upscaled terrestrial observations and model‐based approaches agree within 25% on the mean net primary production (NPP) of forests, i.e. 520±75 g C m−2 yr−1 over a forest area of 1.32 × 106 km2 to 1.55 × 106 km2 (EU‐25). New estimates of the mean long‐term carbon forest sink (net biome production, NBP) of EU‐25 forests amounts 75±20 g C m−2 yr−1. The ratio of NBP to NPP is 0.15±0.05. Estimates of the fate of the carbon inputs via NPP in wood harvests, forest fires, losses to lakes and rivers and heterotrophic respiration remain uncertain, which explains the considerable uncertainty of NBP. Inventory‐based assessments and assumptions suggest that 29±15% of the NBP (i.e., 22 g C m−2 yr−1) is sequestered in the forest soil, but large uncertainty remains concerning the drivers and future of the soil organic carbon. The remaining 71±15% of the NBP (i.e., 53 g C m−2 yr−1) is realized as woody biomass increments. In the EU‐25, the relatively large forest NBP is thought to be the result of a sustained difference between NPP, which increased during the past decades, and carbon losses primarily by harvest and heterotrophic respiration, which increased less over the same period.
Substrates and Materials Used for Nesting by North American Osmia Bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes: Megachilidae)

Abstract Nesting substrates and construction materials are compared for 65 of North America’s 139 described native species of Osmia bees. Most accounts report Osmia bees nesting in preexisting cavities in dead wood or pithy stems such as elderberry (Sambucus spp.), with cell partitions and plugs made from a pulp of finely masticated leaf tissue. Mud is widely used by species constructing free-form clumps of nest cells against stone surfaces. Some Osmia bees adopt abandoned nests of other Hymenoptera, particularly those of mud dauber wasps (Sceliphron spp.) and larger ground-nesting bees (e.g., Anthophora spp.). Reports of subterranean nesting by Osmia species are uncommon but possibly under-represent the habit, because subterranean nests are obscure and likely to be scattered. Ground- or surface-nesting habits are suspected for species that are absent from intensive trap-nesting programs in their native ranges but that otherwise have been commonly taken at flowers. The range of nesting habits and materials of European species are largely comparable, although records indicate that far more European species may nest in empty snail shells.
CORH 3-A Short Duration Non aromatic rice hybrid

The new early maturing rice hybrid CORH 3 is a combination of TNAU CMS 2A and CB 87R. This hybrid matures in 115 days. The hybrid was found to produce on an average 7.2 tonnes per hectare which was more than 12% higher than the hybrid checks, ADTRH 1 and KRH2, and more than 25% higher than the variety checks, ADT 43 and ADT 39. The hybrid produces good quality rice possessing intermediate amylose, soft gel consistency, and good linear elongation on cooking. It has white, non-sticky, non-aromatic rice which tastes good and has been well accepted by the consumers. Besides, the hybrid CORH3 is tolerant to Rice Tungro Disease (RTD) and blast. It is also resistant to Green Leaf Hopper (GLH) and tolerant to Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) and White Backed Plant Hopper (WBPH).
Carboxymethyl Starch Octenylsuccinate: Microwave‐ and Ultrasound‐assisted Synthesis and Properties

The synthesis of water-soluble octenylsuccinates of carboxymethyl starch (OS-CMS) was performed with octenylsuccinic anhydride by assistance of microwave and ultrasound irradiation using the dimethyl sulphoxide/p-toluenesulphonic acid system and DMSO as solvents for activation of CMS as well as reaction medium of the following esterification. The prepared OS-CMS derivatives were characterized with regard to their structural, surface-active and performance properties. The application of both microwave and ultrasound irradiation as energy sources permitted to shorten the esterification time to several minutes from 24 h of the previously reported conventional heating [33], whereby the reaction efficiencies were high and the water-soluble derivatives exhibited excellent emulsifying efficiency as well as surfactant performance properties tested by washing power and antiredeposition efficiency. The results indicate also the high potential of both microwave and ultrasound energy sources to innovate and increase the efficiency of technological polysaccharide esterification processes.
Proteome analyses for the characterization of the ADAM17ex/ex hypomorphic mouse model

The ectodomain shedding of numerous transmembrane proteins by the A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) governs a variety of physiological and developmental processes. Focusing on murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) of ADAM17wt/wt and ADAM17ex/ex (hypomorphic) mice, we investigated ADAM17-mediated changes in conditioned cell culture supernatants, in membrane preparations and in whole cell lysates using a 2D-DiGE proteomic approach. The detection of high amounts of cleaved TNFα in supernatants of TNFα-overexpressing wild-type but not ADAM17ex/ex MEF cells demonstrated the general suitability of the employed 2D-DiGE approach for the identification of shed protein fragments. Interestingly, the analyses of whole-cell lysates revealed that ADAM17 might also influence intracellular protein levels since a variety of proteins (e.g. annexins) showed altered abundances at reduced levels of ADAM17. From conditioned MEF supernatants, seventy differentially abundant secreted and cell-surface proteins were identified. These included collagens and other extracellular matrix components, several proteases and several protein fragments. Thus, wild-type and ADAM17ex/ex MEF cells clearly differ in their ability to secrete or shed proteins. However, only fourteen different protein fragments showed altered abundances in ADAM17ex/ex MEF cell supernatants, including only two known ADAM17 substrates (TNFα and NCAM-1). Notably, most full length proteins that were detected as fragments lack a transmembrane region and are thus no bona fide ADAM17 substrates. The high amounts of the perlecan LG3 peptide and of the type-I collagen C-terminal propeptide in supernatants of wild-type MEF cells point to a reduced collagen maturation and degradation in ADAM17ex/ex MEF cells. Since we also observed reduced levels of the C-procollagenase “bone morphogenic protein 1” and reduced matrix metalloproteinase activity in ADAM17ex/ex MEF cell culture supernatants, the observed processing of collagen and perlecan might reflect “proteolytic side effects” by other proteases in a complex “protease web”.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MULTIPLE-LOCUS HETEROZYGOSITY AND GROWTH RATE IN OSTREA EDULIS POPULATIONS

Relationships between multilocus heterozygosity at allozyme loci and shell length were analysed in 1-year-old cohorts of Ostrea edulis (five populations, seven loci). In contrast with usual observations for marine bivalves, as well as previous studies on captive O. edulis, our results show: (i) a lack of significant heterozygote deficiency within populations and no differentiation in allele frequences among populations; (ii) no association between multilocus heterozygosity and size, although the statistical power is sufficient to detect regressions that explain as little as 5% variance in size. The lack of repeatability of multilocus heterozygosity‐fitness correlations across species or across populations within one species has already been observed, and suggested to depend on the age of the sampled cohorts. However, variation in the breeding structure of the samples can also play a role. According to the ‘inbreeding’ hypothesis for multilocus heterozygosity-fitness correlations, populations with very low inbreeding should lack both heterozygote deficiencies and multilocus heterozygosity-fitness correlations, consistent with the present results in oysters.