Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spring phenology in boreal Eurasia over a nearly century time scale

It has been widely reported that tree leaves have tended to appear earlier in many regions of the northern hemisphere in the last few decades, reflecting climate warming. Satellite observations revealed an 8‐day advance in leaf appearance date between 1982 and 1991 in northern latitudes. In situ observations show that leaf appearance dates in Europe have advanced by an average of 6.3 days from 1959 to 1996. Modelling of leaf appearance on the basis of temperature also shows a marked advance in temperate and boreal regions from 1955 to 2002. However, before 1955, reported studies of phenological variations are restricted to local scale. Modelling, ground observations and satellite observations are here combined to analyse phenological variations in Eurasian taiga over nearly a century. The trend observed by remote sensing consists mainly in a shift at the end of the 1980s, reflecting a shift in winter and spring temperature. In western boreal Eurasia, a trend to earlier leaf appearance is evident since the mid‐1930s, although it is discontinuous. In contrast, the strong advance in leaf appearance detected over Central Siberia using satellite data in 1982–1991 is strengthened by late springs in 1983–1984; moreover, in this region the green‐up timing has displayed successive trends with opposite signs since 1920. Thus, such strong trend is not unusual if considered locally. However, the recent advance is unique in simultaneously affecting most of the Eurasian taiga, the leaf appearance dates after 1990 being the earliest in nearly a century in most of the area.
The use of vibratome sections of cereal spikelets to study anther development and meiosis

Summary We have developed a method using vibratome sectioning coupled with confocal microscopy to analyse pre-meiotic and meiotic events in developing wheat anthers. This report describes the application of fluorescence in situ hybridization to three-dimensionally preserved tissue sections from intact florets. We show that excellent imaging of all the stages of meiosis up to telophase I can be achieved, and show centromere positions and pre-meiotic homologous pairing both in meiocytes and tapetum cells. These clear results using intact tissue sections are contrasted with conventional spreading methods for analysis of meiosis in plants, which we show can produce artefactual or uninterpretable results.
Brazilian scientific progress in pasture research during the first decade of XXI century

This paper aims to discuss the scientific progress obtained in the past ten years in genetics and plant breeding, soil fertility and plant nutrition and the importance of target sward conditions for planning, controlling and recommending management grazing of tropical grasses. In addition, progress in crop-livestock integration systems and management alternatives for mitigation of greenhouse gas emission by beef cattle production systems, two very important areas related to sustainable production systems, will also be discussed.
Synergistic effect of ampicillin and gentamicin on beta- lactamase producing and methicillin resistant staphylococci

The antibacterial effect of ampicillin, gentamicin, vancomycin, methicillin and other drugs was tested on both beta-lactamase producing and methicillin resistant staphylococci. A total of 60 clinical isolates were collected from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua. The results reveal that 32 (53.3%) of the staphylococci isolated produced beta-lactamase while 28 (47.7%) did not produce beta-lactamase. The difference in beta-lactamase production by the Staphylococcus aureus isolates was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Out of the 32 beta-lactamase producing species, non was sensitive to methicillin while six of the 28 non beta-lactamase producing strains were sensitive to methicillin. The effects of ampicillin, gentamicin and the synergy of both drugs at different concentration (20, 15, 0.5 and 0.25 µg) did not show good sensitivity except for the 20 µg. A correlation (R < 1) was observed between beta-lactamase production and multi drug resistance, between beta-lactamase production and methicillin resistance and methicillin resistance and multi drug resistance. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus beta-lactamase, antimicrobial resistance.
Environmental control of gonadal development in the tropical damselfish Chrysiptera cyanea

Abstract Photoperiod and temperature are potent environmental factors regulating the reproductive cycle of temperate fish. It is unclear whether fish in the tropics utilize these environmental factors for initiation and termination of their reproductive activity. The aim of this study was to examine the involvement of photoperiod and temperature in ovarian development of sapphire devil, Chrysiptera cyanea, which is a reef-associated tropical damselfish. Monthly collections of individuals in the experimental region (26°42′N, 127°52′E) revealed an increase in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and appearance of vitellogenic oocytes in ovaries from March to August. Post-ovulated follicles and yolk-laden oocytes coexisted in some ovaries from May to August. These results suggest that the sapphire devil in this region has a restricted reproductive season with repeated spawnings. Rearing the fish during the resting phase (December) under experimental conditions of a long photoperiod (LD 14:10) at 31°C for 15 days and at 25 or 31°C for 60 days resulted in a significant increase in GSI and induction of vitellogenic oocytes, whereas a short photoperiod (LD 10:14) at the same temperatures failed to induce oocytes at the yolk stages. Long-term rearing of the fish at 31°C caused regression of vitellogenic oocytes. During the reproductive season, the fish reared at 25°C had higher spawning frequency than those at 20 and 30°C. It is concluded that photoperiod and temperature are involved in the regulation of gonadal development and a long photoperiod within a suitable range of water temperatures is required for continuity of reproductive activities.
Bioaccumulation of silver from laboratory‐spiked sediments in the oligochaete (Lumbriculus variegatus)

A 28‐d bioaccumulation study was conducted to assess the potential of silver to bioaccumulate in the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus. The oligochaetes were exposed to laboratory‐spiked sediments containing approx. 444 mg Ag/kg dry weight for up to 28 d. Fifteen test replicates were prepared by adding 300 adult L. variegatus to 4‐L glass beakers containing 1 L of silver sulfide‐amended sediment. An equal number of controls were also prepared. After 1, 5, 13, 21, and 28 d of exposure to the sediments, the oligochaetes within each of three test and three control replicate vessels were recovered and counted. The recovered organisms were transferred to dilution water and allowed to purge gut contents for 24 h. The organisms recovered from each replicate vessel at each sampling period were pooled, dried, weighed, and analyzed to determine tissue silver concentrations. By the end of the test, the mean number of oligochaetes recovered from the control and the test sediments increased by 1.8‐ and 1.9‐fold, respectively. The accumulation factor for silver, as silver sulfide, was estimated to be 0.18. This low accumulation factor indicates that contamination of sediments with silver sulfide does not pose a major route of entry of silver into the aquatic food web.
Comment on "Asymptotic Achievability of the Cramér-Rao Bound for Noisy Compressive Sampling"

In [1], we proved the asymptotic achievability of the Cram\'{e}r-Rao bound in the compressive sensing setting in the linear sparsity regime. In the proof, we used an erroneous closed-form expression of $\alpha \sigma^2$ for the genie-aided Cram\'{e}r-Rao bound $\sigma^2 \textrm{Tr} (\mathbf{A}^*_\mathcal{I} \mathbf{A}_\mathcal{I})^{-1}$ from Lemma 3.5, which appears in Eqs. (20) and (29). The proof, however, holds if one avoids replacing $\sigma^2 \textrm{Tr} (\mathbf{A}^*_\mathcal{I} \mathbf{A}_\mathcal{I})^{-1}$ by the expression of Lemma 3.5, and hence the claim of the Main Theorem stands true. In Chapter 2 of the Ph. D. dissertation by Behtash Babadi [2], this error was fixed and a more detailed proof in the non-asymptotic regime was presented. A draft of Chapter 2 of [2] is included in this note, verbatim. We would like to refer the interested reader to the full dissertation, which is electronically archived in the ProQuest database [2], and a draft of which can be accessed through the author's homepage under: this http URL
Nonclassic Endogenous Novel Regulators of Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis, the process through which new blood vessels arise from preexisting ones, is regulated by several “classic” factors, among which the most studied are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). In recent years, investigations showed that, in addition to the classic factors, numerous endogenous peptides play a relevant regulatory role in angiogenesis. Such regulatory peptides, each of which exerts well-known specific biological activities, are present, along with their receptors, in the blood vessels and may take part in the control of the “angiogenic switch. ” An in vivo and in vitro proangiogenic effect has been demonstrated for erythropoietin, angiotensin II (ANG-II), endothelins (ETs), adrenomedullin (AM), proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP), urotensin-II, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, neuropeptide-Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), and substance P. There is evidence that the angiogenic action of some of these peptides is at least partly mediated by their stimulating effect on VEGF (ANG-II, ETs, PAMP, resistin, VIP and PACAP) and/or FGF-2 systems (PAMP and leptin). AM raises the expression of VEGF in endothelial cells, but VEGF blockade does not affect the proangiogenic action of AM. Other endogenous peptides have been reported to exert an in vivo and in vitro antiangiogenic action. These include somatostatin and natriuretic peptides, which suppress the VEGF system, and ghrelin, that antagonizes FGF-2 effects. Investigations on “nonclassic” regulators of angiogenesis could open new perspectives in the therapy of diseases coupled to dysregulation of angiogenesis.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPORT IMAGERY ABILITY AND OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING FUNCTIONS AMONG MALE ATHLETES

Farzaneh Hatami Abstract The aim of present study was to determine the relat ionship between sport imagery ability and observational learning functions among male athlete s. 115 male athletes, who participated in 12st varsity sport tournament with mean age of 22.8 9±3.94 age years, completed the research questionnaires. Results showed that there were signi fica t positive correlations between sport imagery ability and functions of observational lear ning subscales. Results of stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed th at the skill and goal imagery ability significantly predicted the skill function of obser vational learning, and the strategy imagery ability significantly predicted the strategies of o bservational learning function. Also, the performance function of observational learning sign if cantly was predicted by goal and mastery imagery abilities. Based on these findings, could be suggested that coaches and sport psychologists can improve the effectiveness of imag ery and observational learning by matching the imagery ability types and alternatives observational learning functions in relatively high skilled athletes.
Influence of Dietary L-Carnitine on Productive Performance, Internal Organs and Carcass Characters of Two Duck Breeds Reared for Foie Gras Production

120 male Muscovy ducks and 120 male Moulord ducks reared for foie gras production were used to study the effect of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on productive performance traits, internal organs and carcass characters. Ducks of each genotype were allotted into two groups (n=60), the first group received dietary L-carnitine at level of 500mg/kg ration and the other is control. 2. L-carnitine supplementation increased body weights at 2 and 4 weeks significantly than control groups also weight gain and relative growth rate from hatch to 2 weeks were significantly increased in L-carnitine groups. From the 6 week of age the effect of L-carnitine on body weight and weight gain were not significant. 3. Dietary L-carnitine increased significantly heart weight and heart percentage of life weight in Muscovy ducks and pancreas percentage of life weight in Moulord ducks compared to their control groups. However, all other body organs, carcass characters and carcass parts chemical composition did not differ significantly. 4. Muscovy ducks recorded significantly higher life weight, carcass weight, dressing %, total fillet weight, shoulder weight and thigh weight and percentage of life weight than Moulord ducks. 3. The benefit from dietary L-carnitine on productive performance traits can be obtained within the first 4 weeks of life also marketing of Mule ducks should be at 8weeks old age, however Muscovy ducks marketing could be delayed till 10 weeks old age.
Rotational Dynamics of Organic Cations in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite

Neutron Diffraction Data and Crystal Structure Refinement Fig. S1 (a) shows the neutron diffraction data taken at 4 K. The Bragg peaks were fitted using the Rietveld refinement method to determine the crystal structure at 5 K, using GSAS (S1) package along with EXPGUI (graphical user interface) (S2). The refined crystal structure with an orthorhombic space group was the same as that reported by Baikie et al. (S3) and Stoumpos et al. (S4) The structural parameters are listed in Table S1 and the resulting crystal structure is plotted in Fig. S1.
Tales from the underground: molecular plant–rhizobacteria interactions

Colonization of the rhizosphere by micro-organisms results in modifications in plant growth and development. This review examines the mechanisms involved in growth promotion by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria which are divided into indirect and direct effects. Direct effects include enhanced provision of nutrients and the production of phytohormones. Indirect effects involve aspects of biological control: the production of antibiotics and iron-chelating siderophores and the induction of plant resistance mechanisms. The study of the molecular basis of growth promotion demonstrated the important role of bacterial traits (motility, adhesion and growth rate) for colonization. New research areas emerge from the discovery that molecular signalling occurs through plant perception of eubacterial flagellins. Recent perspectives in the molecular genetics of cross-talking mechanisms governing plant-rhizobacteria interactions are also discussed.
An Evolutionary and Life-History Perspective on Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by bone mass reductions and heightened fracture risk; its global prevalence rates are projected to increase precipitously over the next few decades. Evolutionary and life-history perspectives have proven valuable for offering a different lens with which to consider the etiologies of common chronic diseases, and in this review, these approaches are applied to osteoporosis. Although there are many perspectives on human susceptibility to bone loss, this article explores the most prominent and empirically studied theories. Osteoporosis is considered within the context of theories on aging (e.g., antagonistic pleiotropy, disposable soma) and mismatch theory. Female vulnerability is considered within a separate evolutionary framework and has been articulated as a trade-off between reproduction and skeletal health. Recent advancements in bone imaging techniques for skeletal and living human and nonhuman primate populations (i.e., CT scans, ultrasonometry) have fac.
PCR-Based Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer of iucA and ipaA Virulence Genes in Clinical E. coli Isolate EPT09 from Pakistan

2 Abstract: The pathogenic E. coli strains are very important public health issue, especially in developing countries. Among the dangerous aspects of these strains is the zoonosis and acquisition of new genes through horizontal gene transfer via mobile genetic elements like plasmids, viruses or transposons. These genes include Shiga toxin (Stx1, Stx2 or variants) genes. The aerobactin operon encodes iucA, B, C and D enzymes for the aerobactin synthesis and an outer membrane aerobactin receptor Iut. In some strains of E. coli and Salmonella the aerobactin genes are found on pColV and F1me plasmids, respectively. Moreover, these genes were reported to be located on chromosome in Shigella and other E. coli strains. In the present study plasmid profile assay of clinical E. coli isolate EPT09 showed three types of plasmids designated as pEPT1 (23.1kb), pEPT2 (1.3kb) and pEPT3 (0.85kb). All the clones of EPT09 showed same plasmid profile. PCR analysis showed no amplification of the virulence gene ipaA but iucA gene was detected on plasmid DNA in EPT09. The later is reported on chromosomal DNA in Shigella,. So results of present study suggest that clinical E.coli isolate "EPT09" obtained virulence gene iucA through horizontal gene transfer and was incorporated into the plasmid DNA.
Dietary β-carotene inhibits mammary carcinogenesis in rats depending on dietary α-linolenic acid content

To investigate whether dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA) content alters the effect of β-carotene on mammary carcinogenesis, we conducted a chemically induced mammary tumorigenesis experiment in rats randomly assigned to four nutritional groups (15 rats per group) varying in β-carotene supplementation and ALA content. Two oil formula-enriched diets (15%) were used: one with 6g ALA/kg diet in an essential fatty acids (EFA) ratio of linoleic acid:ALA of 5:1 w/w (EFA 5 diet), the other with 24g ALA/kg diet in an EFA ratio of 1:1 w/w (EFA 1 diet), both designed with a similar linoleic acid content. β-Carotene was either added (10mg/kg diet per d) or not added to these diets. β-Carotene supplementation led to decreased tumour incidence and tumour growth when added to the EFA 5 diet, whereas it had no effect when added to the EFA 1 diet. The decreased tumour growth did not result from an involvement of lipoperoxidation (tumour malondialdehyde content being similar between the groups) or from an inhibition of tumour cell proliferation (as there was an unchanged S phase fraction in the tumours). We concluded that an adequate content of ALA in the diet is required to allow a protective effect of β-carotene in mammary carcinogenesis. Whether such an interaction between ALA and β-carotene influences the risk of breast cancer in women needs to be investigated.
The staggered marsupial third lower incisor: hallmark of cohort Didelphimorphia, and description of a new genus and species with staggered is from the Albian (Lower Cretaceous) of Texas

Progressive reduction in length of evolving marsupial muzzle incurred dental crowding and loss. Disappearance of the first lower incisors in earliest marsupials was followed by suppression and loss of first molars, the so-called "milk premolars", possibly in earliest Cretaceous or latest Jurassic. Crowding and staggering of the lower third incisor which occurred not later than early Cretaceous, became the hallmark of Cohort Didelphimorphia. The phylogenetic and biogeographic significance of staggered is (numerical second) usually supported bucally by a bony buttress, are discussed. Dental for- mulae of Metatheria and Eutheria are compared and shown to be developmentally and serially non-homologous. The new genus and species from the Texas Albian (upper Lower Cretaceous) described here may be the oldest didelphoid known. Its staggered is implies an Early Cretaceous or Late Jurassic time of Metatherian differentiation.
ANALYTICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF REGULAR-SHAPED NANOSTRUCTURES FOR GAS STORAGE APPLICATIONS

Nanospace governs the dynamics of physical, chemical, material and biological systems, and the facility to model it with analytical formulae provides an essential tool to address some of the worlds’ key problems such as gas purification, separation and storage. This paper aims to provide some analytical models to exploit building blocks representing various geometric shapes that describe nanostructures. In order to formulate the various building blocks, we use the continuous approximation which assumes a uniform distribution of atoms on their surfaces. We then calculate the potential energy of the van der Waals interaction between an atom and the structure to evaluate the location of the atom where the potential energy is at its minimum. We provide applications of the analytical models for some real structures where more than one type of building block is required.
Contaminant Exposure and Biomarker Response in Embryos of Black-crowned Night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) Nesting near Lake Calumet, Illinois

ABSTRACT We examined a suite of environmental contaminants and exposure endpoints in black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax, BCNH) embryos collected in 2002 from colonies in Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia. Embryos from the Lake Calumet, IL, colony had greater exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dieldrin, transnonachlor, oxy-chlordane, cobalt, copper, and selenium than did those from northwest MN and coastal VA. Embryos from IL and VA contained greater concentrations of mercury and zinc than those from MN, whereas the latter had greater accumulation of lead. Greater exposure of IL embryos to PCBs was reflected in greater ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase and benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase induction. However, measures of oxidative stress and genotoxicity were similar to those in embryos from the other colonies examined, and no overt toxic effects of contaminant exposure such as embryo mortality or malformations were observed. Although efforts to clean up the south Chicago environment are ongoing, Lake Calumet BCNH, and undoubtedly other piscivorous wildlife foraging in the region, continue to be exposed to a variety of environmental contaminants. Life-history characteristics of this species make it ideal as an environmental sentinel for the success of the cleanup of the south Chicago environment.
Effects of Population Size, Forest Fragmentation, and Urbanization on Seed Production and Gene Flow in an Endangered Maple (Acer miyabei)

Abstract Forest fragmentation threatens the reproduction of tree species, for which habitats overlap with urban and rural areas. An endangered maple, Acer miyabei f. miyabei, is such a species in northern Japan. We examined the effects of forest fragmentation on seed production and mate diversity and assessed gene flow within and between fragmented forests. We measured the density, viability, and kinship of seeds dispersed around 82 target trees in 21 fragmented forests in rural and urban areas. The dispersed seed density decreased as the size of the target trees and the number of adult trees in each forest decreased. The viable seed proportion also decreased as the number of adult trees in each forest decreased. We did not find any effects on the kinship co-efficient among seeds dispersed around each target tree. The regression line of the pairwise kinship co-efficient of the seeds against the distance had a higher intercept and a more gently declining slope between the forests than within the forests, indicating forest fragmentation altered gene flow patterns. The results suggest reduced seed production due to pollen limitation and changes in the genetic structure of regenerating populations of A. miyabei in fragmented forests.