Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zonación vertical de epifauna y algas en litorales rocosos del Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica

The vertical zonation of epifauna and algae on rocky substrates of the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. The vertical distribution of epifaunal and algal species was studied at five intertidal rocky shore sites on the Gulf de Nicoya estuary, Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Each site was visited once during low tide, between April and July 2004. Two sampling sites were located on each side of the mouth of the estuary (Montezuma and Punta Agujas), one in the middle zone (Caldera), and two in the inner zone (Cocorocas, and Yuca island), the latter close to the mouth of the Tempisque river. Sites were selected to measure variation in the vertical distri- bution of intertidal organisms in relation to the estuarine gradient. Nine horizontal strata were sampled at each locality. Each stratum had 5 quadrats of 25 x 25 cm. Percent live coverage on the rock surface was estimated by digital image analysis. Classification (cluster analysis) and ordination (multidimensional scaling, and principal component analysis) techniques were applied. A total of 42 species was found: 16 mollusks, 10 algae, eight barnacles, three anemones, two polychaetes, two crustaceans, and one sponge. The vertical zonation is caused by exposure during low tide. The high, mid and low intertidal belts were dominated by the snails Nodilittorina aspera, and N. modesta (high); the barnacle, Chthamalus panamensis (mid), and an algal assemblage (low). At the Agujas site the infralittoral zone was bare rock. Multiple Discriminant Analysis (MDA) was also applied and showed that the supralittoral zone had a high similarity in percent live cover and identity with other loca- lities. The mid section had moderate differences in barnacle cover. The coverage of C. panamensis was high in Caldera and Cocorocas, and decreased abruptly at Yuca island, where Balanus inexpectatus was important in the infralittoral zone. The species diversity increased from the high intertidal zone to the lowest zones. Different species were found on the infralittoral zones of the localities. The possible main causes of this spatial trend are the low salinity, high turbidity, and sedimentation of the estuarine inner zone (Yuca island). Tidal mixing and river discharges, increased the density of suspended matter, and this might explain the high coverage of suspension feeders (Cocorocas and Caldera). The combination of strong wave force and rock type may cause the presence (Montezuma) or absence (Agujas) of certain species. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54 (Suppl. 1): 49-67. Epub 2006 Sept. 30.
Systematic Review of the Barbary Macaque, Macaca Sylvanus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract The Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus (Linnaeus, 1758), is systematically reviewed, based on a study of 103 specimens and survey of relevant literature. This review includes analyses of external characters, cranial characters, DNA variation, and karyology. Information also is presented concerning natural history, reproduction, fossils, and taxonomic history. Current knowledge of geographic variation in M. sylvanus is insufficient to warrant recognition of subspecies. Although M. sylvanus is now restricted to northwestern Africa, fossil evidence suggests that this species is a relict of the ancestral macaque stock that originated in Africa ca. 7-6 million years ago (Ma) and dispersed to Eurasia ca. 6–5 Ma. Macaques formerly were widely distributed in Europe, but became extinct there ca. 0.100–0.020 Ma; macaques have survived in Asia and are now represented there by ca. 20 species. An annotated gazetteer lists 166 localities where M. sylvanus has been collected, observed, or reported.
Relationship between RNA splicing and exon editing near intron junctions in wheat mitochondria

We have compared the RNA editing status of wheat mitochondrial unspliced precursor transcripts with spliced RNAs, focusing in particular on exon editing sites located very close to intron/exon junctions. Using direct sequencing of reverse transcriptase–PCR products to assess C-to-U editing in various RNA populations for the respiratory chain genes nad2, nad4, nad5, nad7, and cox2, we observed that candidate exon sites immediately upstream or downstream of introns remained unedited in the presence of the adjacent intron, whereas sites further away were typically partially (or completely) edited in precursor molecules. The ‘late’ editing of exon sites adjacent to splice junctions is consistent with access of the editing machinery being sterically hindered by the intron or alternatively by an editing recognition element being created by the exon/exon structure. When we examined RNA isolated from the embryo-to-seedling stages of wheat development, we found that fully spliced messenger RNAs showed editing at the expected sites in all stages, including dormant seeds. In contrast, we observed that cox2 precursors were less completely edited in RNA populations from 0 to 24 h postimbibition embryos than in 6-day-old seedlings not only at splice junctions but also at other exon sites, consistent with more efficient coupling between editing and transcription during later stages of development.
Is there a positive relationship between naturalness and genetic diversity in forest tree communities

Los conceptos diversidad genetica y grado de naturalidad son bien conocidos como medidas de conservacion y como descriptores del estado o condicion actual. La carencia de estudios que evaluen la relacion entre la diversidad genetica y el grado de naturalidad en comunidades biologicas, asi como sus posibles implicaciones en aspectos evolutivos y en el manejo con fines de conservacion, hace este topico particularmente importante especialmente en comunidades de arboles forestales. Por lo tanto, en este estudio se examino la hipotesis siguiente: la diversidad genetica de un rodal forestal en Europa central aumenta con el grado de naturalidad, de acuerdo con la definicion del Potencial de Vegetacion Natural (PNV). Los resultados muestran que la hipotesis es insostenible, porque las diferencias entre los promedios de la diversidad genetica de los rodales con mayor grado de intervencion del hombre (artificiales) y los seminaturales (69 casos) fueron en su mayoria no significativas. Ademas, en tres casos la diversidad genetica promedio de las clases de rodales artificiales fue significativamente mas alta que la diversidad genetica promedio de los rodales seminaturales. El analisis estadistico indico que ninguna de las clases de rodales artificiales evaluadas presento una diversidad genetica estadisticamente menor que las clases de rodales seminaturales. Por lo tanto, el grado de naturalidad de una comunidad forestal, inferido a partir de su PNV, no puede utilizarse como un indicador sencillo de la estabilidad ecologica cuando se desconoce la diversidad genetica y la adaptabilidad de las especies arboreas.
Ecological and evolutionary implications of plant tolerance to herbivory

Summary 1. Plant tolerance to herbivory has been accepted as a mechanism of defense that can be expressed jointly with resistance. Recent advances have partially validated previous theoretical predictions and improved our understanding of tolerance. Here, I highlight the necessity of integrating tolerance into ecological and co-evolutionary theory to better understand the biology of this defensive mechanism. 2. Existing work has been biased toward understanding the adaptive nature and constraints acting on tolerance rather than its ecological implications. Increasing consensus that tolerance may alter the classical antagonistic dynamic between plants and herbivores suggests possible avenues to explore its population and community consequences. 3. In this review, I summarize previous advances in the ecology and evolution of tolerance to herbivory. I also discuss recent evidence that improves our understanding of unresolved issues such as the specificity of tolerance in response to herbivory, its role as an agent of selection on herbivores, and its ecological and evolutionary consequences which include a role of tolerance during biological invasions. 4. Although there is good support for an adaptive role of tolerance in response to herbivory damage, tolerance can itself impose selection on herbivores. Furthermore, tolerance can influence herbivore population dynamics and coexistence, as recent studies show that tolerance responses increase diversity of the associated herbivore communities on individual host plants. 5. Future studies that take into account the role of herbivores on the expression of tolerance will provide novel insight that will help disentangle the mechanisms of tolerance and its ecological and evolutionary implications.
Transmission of double-stranded RNAs in flax rust, Melampsora lini

Two strains of flax rust, Melampsora lini, designated strains CH5 and I, were found to possess a number of double-stranded (ds) RNAs. A third strain, LMS, lacked dsRNAs. Sexual transmission of the dsRNAs was investigated by examining the dsRNAs in progeny obtained by selling and by intercrossing strains CH5 and I. The results allow the dsRNAs in each strain to be assigned to transmission units, with strain CH5 possessing two such units (designated L and C) and strain I three units (L, A, and B). The L unit consists of a single large dsRNA (about 4800 base pairs), while the other units (A, B, and C) each consist of a set of five to seven smaller dsRNAs, which taken together, total approximately 8000–9000 base pairs. The L unit in both strains was transmitted to all sexual progeny, whereas the multisegment units, A, B, and C, were transmitted to only some of the progeny. The A and C units were transmitted only via recipient pycnia ("maternal" inheritance), but transmission of the B unit occurred through bot.
Concepts for smart AD and DA converters

This thesis studies the `smart' concept for application to analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. The smart concept aims at improving performance - in a wide sense - of AD/DA converters by adding on-chip intelligence to extract imperfections and to correct for them. As the smart concept can correct for certain imperfections, it can also enable the use of more efficient architectures, thus yielding an additional performance boost. Chapter 2 studies trends and expectations in converter design with respect to applications, circuit design and technology evolution. Problems and opportunities are identfied, and an overview of performance criteria is given. Chapter 3 introduces the smart concept that takes advantage of the expected opportunities (described in chapter 2) in order to solve the anticipated problems. Chapter 4 applies the smart concept to digital-to-analog converters. In the discussed example, the concept is applied to reduce the area of the analog core of a current-steering DAC. It is shown that a sub-binary variable-radix approach reduces the area of the current-source elements substantially (10x compared to state-of-the-art), while maintaining accuracy by a self-measurement and digital pre-correction scheme. Chapter 5 describes the chip implementation of the sub-binary variable-radix DAC and discusses the experimental results. The results confirm that the sub-binary variable-radix design can achieve the smallest published current-source-array area for the given accuracy (12bit). Chapter 6 applies the smart concept to analog-to-digital converters, with as main goal the improvement of the overall performance in terms of a widely used figure-of-merit. Open-loop circuitry and time interleaving are shown to be key to achieve high-speed low-power solutions. It is suggested to apply a smart approach to reduce the effect of the imperfections, unintentionally caused by these key factors. On high-level, a global picture of the smart solution is proposed that can solve the problems while still maintaining power-efficiency. Chapter 7 deals with the design of a 500MSps open-loop track-and-hold circuit. This circuit is used as a test case to demonstrate the proposed smart approaches. Experimental results are presented and compared against prior art. Though there are several limitations in the design and the measurement setup, the measured performance is comparable to existing state-of-the-art. Chapter 8 introduces the first calibration method that counteracts the accuracy issues of the open-loop track-and-hold. A description of the method is given, and the implementation of the detection algorithm and correction circuitry is discussed. The chapter concludes with experimental measurement results. Chapter 9 introduces the second calibration method that targets the accuracy issues of time-interleaved circuits, in this case a 2-channel version of the implemented track-and-hold. The detection method, processing algorithm and correction circuitry are analyzed and their implementation is explained. Experimental results verify the usefulness of the method.
Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex Systems

P. 44, 4-to-last line: “bottom of the plot window” → “top or bottom of the plot window. ” Also, add the following footnote right after this: “You may not see those interactive icons if your plot is displayed in-line within your console. You can change the setting of your Python environment so that plots are displayed in separate windows. For example, in Anaconda Spyder, go to “Tools” → “Preferences” → “IPython console” → “Graphics” and choose “Automatic” for the graphics backend. ”
Looking Backwards to the Future?

In the mid-1970s, the author, David Millard (now ACPO, W Mid lands) and his colleagues at Shelton Probation Office, Stoke on Trent, began to develop a style of teamwork that attracted a lot of interest and discussion around the Service. They published two reports about their work which led a series of national conferences at Keele. We invited David to indulge in a bit of nostalgia, and to wonder whether the lessons learnt at that time have anything to say to our present troubles.
FORMULATION OF SERRATIA ENTOMOPHILA FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF GRASS GRUB

Cultures of the bacterium Serratia entomophila (Enterobacteriaceae) have been applied as the biological control product Invade® for the control of grass grub for more than a decade. However, the use of the bacterium is limited by the specific requirements of the live microbial cultures for distribution and delivery. The cultures must be maintained under refrigeration and applied through a modified seed drill. To overcome these problems we have developed a system for stabilising the bacterium in a biopolymer matrix, which can then be incorporated into clay-based granules. The resulting formulation can be stored at ambient temperatures for extended periods and applied to the soil through conventional farm machinery. Such thermostable formulations of sensitive micro-organisms are likely to have a wide application in the biological control of pests and diseases.
Feather Pecking Behaviour and associated Welfare issues in Laying Hens

Feather pecking, the pecking at or removal of feathers from one bird by another, is a problem in the poultry industry. Elimination of damaging feather pecking from flocks is made especially difficult by the numerous factors that appear to influence its prevalence. This review outlines the various contributors to feather pecking organised around Tinbergen's four questions on causation, ontogeny, phylogeny and function. There is growing evidence that feather pecking (especially severe feather pecking) is related to foraging motivation and gut function. However, other factors, such as improper early experiences, strain and individual differences and perseveration of the behaviour help explain its continued occurrence, even if the birds are kept in enriched environments. To date, methods of dealing with feather pecking are inadequate and involve welfare concerns of their own and alternate solutions, such as provision of forages, are not usually successful in abolishing feather pecking behaviour. The problems of excessive pelage/plummage removal or redirected oral/foraging related behaviour are not unique to poultry and seem to occur in other species in which foraging and forage intake is important. Between species comparisons of related behaviour patterns may improve our understanding of feather pecking and help to design effective solutions. In order to solve the problem of feather pecking, the factors discussed in this review need to be accounted for or we risk applying ‘band-aid’ solutions, which may appear outwardly to be solving the problem. However, the underlying cause(s) may still be present and the animal's welfare may still be compromised.
Species‐independent, geographical structuring of chloroplast DNA haplotypes in a montane herb Ipomopsis (Polemoniaceae)

Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of hybrid zones between red‐flowered Ipomopsis aggregata and white‐flowered I. tenuituba. Either local adaptation to hummingbird and hawkmoth pollinators has given rise to sympatric (or parapatric) divergence of flower colour and morphology (primary intergradation at hybrid zones), or alternatively two previously allopatric species are coming into contact at several geographical areas of secondary intergradation. We examined restriction site patterns in nuclear DNA (nrDNA), chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from populations of I. aggregata and I. tenuituba representing seven zones of sympatry. No variation was detected in a 350‐bp fragment of mtDNA and uninformative levels of variation were observed for nrDNA. We detected 22 potentially informative restriction site polymorphisms in cpDNA, all of which united geographical areas containing populations of both species. We detected no informative species‐specific markers. Studies of other species (e.g. oaks) have detected similar species‐independent geographical structure of cpDNA. However, in these cases secondary interegradation could be inferred from species‐specific nuclear alleles. The pattern in Ipomopsis is consistent with both primary intergradation (independent speciation in each area of sympatry) or secondary intergradation involving complete cytoplasmic replacement. Thus, additional data are needed to explain the origin of hybrid zones in Ipomopsis.
Das Spurenelement Iod. Zu wenig und zu viel schadet dem Organismus

Iod ist ein lebenswichtiges chemisches Element. Der Iodbedarf Erwachsener betragt 1 μg/kg Korpergewicht, empfohlen wird die Aufnahme von 2 μg/kg Korpergewicht. Iodmangel fuhrt zu verschiedenen Krankheitsbildern, von denen der so genannte “Kropf” das bekannteste ist. Doch nicht nur Iodmangel ist gefahrlich: Bei einem Konsum von > 7 μg/kg konnen toxische Nebenwirkungen auftreten, die bei einem schnellen Ubergang vom Iodmangel zu einer bedarfsbedingten Iodversorgung bei iodsensitiven Personen (haufig sind es altere Frauen) zu einer Schilddrusenuberfunktion fuhren.
Adaptations to herbivory in alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) possesses numerous adaptations to herbivores. As with other wild plants, general chemical defences (notably medicagenic acid in alfalfa) and general anti-insect structures (notably trichomes) provide some protection against a wide spectrum of polyphagous insects. Several morphological adaptations protect alfalfa against specialized insect feeders, especially those that consume the seeds. Alfalfa has been disruptively selected by man to possess morphological adaptations and tolerance for two contrasting classes of herbivory: continuous grazing by livestock and intermittent harvesting for hay. Domestication of alfalfa has lowered the effectiveness of several natural adaptations against insects. Occasionally, however, artificial selection for resistance against certain insect species has, often unintentionally, resulted in selection for structural features discouraging these insects. Preadaptations of wild alfalfa for the horse facilitated this plant's domestication as a speciali.
Introduction

The articles which make up this Special Issue are a small selection from the many interesting contributions to the first regional international conference of the IIAS on Public Administration and Globalization held in Bologna last June. The conference, possibly the first international gathering to focus squarely on this topic of increasing importance, set out to explore the relationship between public administration and the institutions and processes of globalization, exposing in the process some of the myths which surround the latter concept. Inside its overall theme, the conference considered four subtopics of equal importance, the subject of workshops at which the papers here published were first presented and from which they have been selected. Our first workshop concentrated on values and principles. We asked whether supranational machinery must be intrinsically democratic? Whether indirect legitimation of transnational government through national government and institutions is sufficient? And whether membership had to be confined to democracies, as the European Union, but not the United Nations, demands of its members? Although we are all familiar with the terms ‘globalization’ and ‘global governance’, they are often used without any degree of precision. In our Call for Papers, we used the term globalization loosely to denote ‘the development of a global economy and of global information networks, together with the structures which support these’. ‘Global governance’ was construed very widely to include ‘the development of international and transnational administrative structures’. We also recognized the implicit reference contained in the terminology to the ‘hollowing out of the nation-state’ (Rhodes, 1994). This Special Issue opens with an attempt at a more exhaustive analysis and discussion by Michiel de Vries. His article covers a range of common usages and definitions, together with a consideration of the impact of globalization on the nation-state. Globalization, however, is commonly understood as referring to an international process of integration or growing together. Indeed, according to one of our participants:
Influence of processing and storage on chemical and biochemical characteristics of Mish cheese traditionally produced in Jordan

Mish is a soft pickled cheese produced traditionally in Jordan and Palestine. The influence of Mish cheese processing and storage on fat and cholesterol oxidation and hydrolytic rancidity was evaluated by determining peroxide value (PV), 7-ketocholesterol, and free fatty acid (FFA) content. Changes in Mish cheese acidity, salt, moisture, the antioxidant activity of water soluble nitrogen (WSN) measured by a super oxide dismutase (SOD) test and organoleptic evaluation were also evaluated. The results indicate that the extent of oxidation of fat and cholesterol was very low, fine PV and 7-ketocholesterol content after 20 weeks of storage were in the ranges 1.42-2.88 meqO2/kg and 2.02-4.81 μg/g, respectively. The effect of storage was greater on hydrolytic rancidity i.e. the FFA content at the end period of storage ranged from 1.87-3.64%. There was a significant decrease in moisture and salt contents throughout the storage period, i.e. moisture decreased by 9-14% and salt decreased by approximately 5%. The W.