Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual Dimorphism Masks Life History Trade‐Offs in the Dioecious Plant Silene Latifolia

Females of dioecious plant species are expected to show greater trade-offs with other life history traits than males because of their high investment in reproduction. We investigated life history traits and resource allocation patterns for both males and females of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia, to document allocation both prior to and after re- productive investment. In addition, the impact of fruit production on subsequent allocation to reproduction and growth was investigated by varying the number of flowers pollinated on females. The mean date of first reproduction was the same for males and females. Early- flowering plants of both sexes invested less in leaf biomass than plants that delayed flow- ering. The percentage of flowers pollinated had a significant effect on how resources were allocated, and on the amount and timing of further flower production. Sexual dimorphism was observed in resource allocation patterns after, but not prior to, investment in repro- duction. Overall, pollinated females were found to have more leaf biomass and invest nearly twice as much in reproduction as males, in spite of an apparent trade-off between leaf production and reproduction within both females and males. We conclude that sexual di- morphism in life history traits that affects resource acquisition causes the resource pool that is allocated to be variable, rather than static, thereby masking the underlying trade- offs.
Studies on the Pharmacokinetics of Ebselen in Rats (1): Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion after Single Oral Administration

The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of ebselen were investigated by single oral administration of radio-labelled 14C-ebselen to fasted male rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg. 1. The radioactivity in plasma reached the Cmax of 14.78 μg equiv. to ebselen/ml at 1 hr after administration, eliminated with an apparent half-life (t1/2) of 2.1 hr (1-3 hr), reached the second peak at 4 hr, eliminated with t1/2 of 6.6 hr (4-8 hr), reached the third peak at 12 hr, and then eliminated. 2. The radioactivity was distributed to tissues, reaching maximum leve ls by 2 hr after administration in most part of tissues. Relatively higher levels of radioactivity were observed in fat, brown fat, adrenal gland, skin, liver, Harderian gland and kidney. The levels of radioactivity in most part of tissues were comparable with or higher than that in plasma. At 96 hr after administration, the levels of radioactivity in all the tissues were reduced to 0.1% or less of their maximum levels, showing little retention of radioactivity in tissues. The binding ratio of radioactivity to blood cells was 4.5-28.4% from 0.5 to 12 hr after administration, and then increased with time and almost all radioactivity in blood was found in blood cells at 72 hr after administration. The binding ratio of radioactivity to plasma proteins was high, being 92-97% from 1 to 24 hr after administration. After charcoal treatment, 14% of the initial radioactivity remained in the plasma sample at 1 hr after administration. The binding ratio of radioactivity to plasma proteins was 99% or more when 0.2-20 μg/ml of 14C-ebselen was added to blank plasma samples. After charcoal treatment, 71% of the initial radioactivity remained in the plasma sample after addition of 18 μg/ml of 14C-ebselen. 3. Unchanged ebselen is not found in urine, plasma or bile. A selenosulfid e (Se-S) complex formed from ebselen with plasma thiol proteins, S-[2-(phenylcarbamoyl)phenylseleno] protein (Se-S complex, “protein” represents mainly albumin in plasma) was found in plasma. The Se-S complex concentration was determined as the radioactivity which was released from plasma proteins by dithiothreitol reduction after single oral administration of 14C-ebselen to male rats. The Se-S complex concentration in plasma reached the Cmax of 3.39 μg eq. to ebselen/ml at 1 hr after administration and eliminated with an apparent half-life of 7 hr. The complex could be reduced, forming a selenol intermediate. The Se atom in the selenol is proposed to be methylated or glucuronidated, forming M-7 and M-1, respectively, and M-7 is proposed to be further oxidized, forming M-4. M-7, M-4 and polar metabolites including M-1 were found in plasma after single oral administration of 14C-ebselen to male rats. 4. The radioactivity was excreted almost completely within 48 hr after administration. Within 96 hr after administration, 58.9% of radioactivity was excreted in urine and 40.1% of that in feces.
Cathelicidin-DM is an Antimicrobial Peptide from Duttaphrynus melanostictus and Has Wound-Healing Therapeutic Potential

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of templates with application potential for drug development. Amphibians are important sources of AMPs. Duttaphrynus melanostictus is the main source of traditional Chinese medicine “Chansu”, which has anti-infection effect while without a clear mechanism. This study aimed to find the cathelicidin peptide in D. melanostictus and then investigate the activity in vivo and in vitro, and an AMP-encoding gene (cathelicidin-DM, GenBank: KJ820824.1) was obtained from the constructed cDNA library of D. melanostictus. The MIC test and SYTOX Green uptake were used for the evaluation of the bactericidal capacity and mechanisms. The serum stability tests were used for the evaluation of the application potential. The skin wound infection model and in vivo imaging were used for in vitro application of possibility evaluation. The results showed that cathelicidin-DM was a 37 amino acid AMP with good bactericidal ability, which was similar to melittin: both can kill bacteria within 15 min. Moreover, cathelicidin-DM exhibits good therapeutic potential in the mouse wound infection model, and it can be enriched to the site of infection for treatment. Thus, cathelicidin-DM could be a new template for antimicrobial drug development given its good antibacterial activity in vivo and in vitro.
Phylogeographic studies in plants: problems and prospects

Genetic structuring of plant populations is strongly influenced by both common ancestry and current patterns of interpopulation genetic exchange. The interaction of these two forces is particularly confounding and hence interesting in plants. This complexity of plant genetic structures is due in part to a diversity of reproductive ecologies affecting genetic exchange and the fact that reproductive barriers are often weak between otherwise morphologically well‐defined species. Phylogeographic methods provide a means of examining the history of genetic exchange among populations, with the potential to distinguish biogeographic patterns of genetic variation caused by gene flow from those caused by common ancestry. With regard to plants, phylogeography will be most useful when applied broadly across the entire spectrum of potential genetic exchange. Although current phylogeographic studies of plants show promise, widespread application of this approach has been hindered by a lack of appropriate molecular variation; this problem is discussed and possible solutions considered.
Single‐species metapopulation dynamics: concepts, models and observations

This paper outlines a conceptual and theoretical framework for single-species metapopulation dynamics based on the Levins model and its variants. The significance of the following factors to metapopulation dynamics are explored: evolutionary changes in colonization ability; habitat patch size and isolation; compensatory effects between colonization and extinction rates; the effect of immigration on local dynamics (the rescue effect); and heterogeneity among habitat patches. The rescue effect may lead to alternative stable equilibria in metapopulation dynamics. Heterogeneity among habitat patches may give rise to a bimodal equilibrium distribution of the fraction of patches occupied in an assemblage of species (the core-satellite distribution). A new model of incidence functions is described, which allows one to estimate species' colonization and extinction rates on islands colonized from mainland. Four distinct kinds of stochasticity affecting metapopulation dynamics are discussed with examples. The concluding section describes four possible scenarios of metapopulation extinction.
Sucrose cycling, Rubisco expression, and prediction of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated atmospheric CO2

Photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 cannot presently be predicted due to our limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms and metabolic signals that regulate photosynthetic gene expression. We have examined acclimation by comparing changes in the leaf content of RuBP carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) with changes in the transcripts of Rubisco subunit genes and with leaf carbohydrate metabolism. When grown at 1000 mm3 dm–3 CO2, 12 of 16 crop species at peak vegetative growth had a 15–44% decrease in leaf Rubisco protein, but with no specific association with changes in transcript levels measured at midday. Species with only modest reductions in Rubisco content (10–20%) often had a large reduction in Rubisco small subunit gene mRNAs (> 30%), with no reduction in large subunit gene mRNAs. However, species with a very large reduction in Rubisco content generally had only small reductions in transcript mRNAs. Photosynthetic acclimation also was not specifically associated with a change in the level of any particular carbohydrate measured at midday. However, a threshold relationship was found between the reduction in Rubisco content at high CO2 and absolute levels of soluble acid invertase activity measured in plants grown at ambient or high CO2. This relationship was valid for 15 of the 16 species examined. There also occurred a similar, albeit less robust, threshold relationship between the leaf hexose/sucrose ratio at high CO2 and a reduced photosynthetic capacity ≥ 20%. These data indicate that carbohydrate repression of photosynthetic gene expression at elevated CO2 may involve leaf sucrose cycling through acid invertase and hexokinase.
Tentacular and oral‐disc regeneration in the sea anemone, Aiptasia diaphana. I. Sequential morphological events in distal‐end restitution

The complete regeneration of a new oral‐disc and tentacles has been observed and described for Aiptasia diaphana. These structures are regenerated quite rapidly: seven to ten days at 20°C. At three days post‐amputation, the new primary, secondary, and tertiary tentacle buds begin to develop in direct association with the underlying primary, secondary, and tertiary septae (respectively) of the column, suggesting that the latter organize the form of the regenerating oral‐disc. Two days after amputation, the zooxanthellae of the presumptive oral disc arrange themselves into a ring which quite precisely delimits the area from which the tentacle buds will form. In spite of its suggestive proximity, this accumulation of algae plays no role in the induction of tentacle buds as was shown by studying regeneration in anemones which essentially lacked large quantities of these symbiotic algae.
Annual variation of breeding patterns of the toad, Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Vellard, 1947)

Climate may play a direct role in determining patterns of reproductive activity in anurans. Investigating the responses of males and females attending a breeding site to environmental variation are of particular interest regardless the possible effect of climate change on the decline of populations. I studied annual variation over two years in the breeding population size and breeding phenology of the diurnal toad, Melanophryniscus rubriventris, in a seasonal environment characterized by temporal and spatial uncertainty due to climatic conditions. Breeding activity of this toad was opportunistic throughout a prolonged spring-summer breeding season. Direct influence of rainfall on the onset and extent of breeding activity was detected in both years. Spawning activity showed a clear pattern of two three-day peaks mostly related to heavy rainfall events. Males always significantly outnumbered females at breeding sites. The disparity of rainy season extent between the two breeding seasons studied resulted in different annual patterns of arrival and length of residence of adults. Males and females remained several days longer during the second year than during the first year. Because adults showed highly variable annual patterns of breeding activity studies involving only a few years may yield misleading results concerning the nature and extent of the decline of the species or populations. Future studies on the ecology and conservation of the species should include long-term monitoring.
Assessing the performance against houseflies of indoor aerosol space sprays. Part I. Factors examined during tests with houseflies in free flight

The development of a mathematical model which, by quantifying the interaction of a population of houseflies with an ageing spray cloud, is capable of predicting the knockdown and kill performance of insecticidal aerosol formulations shown against houseflies, Musca domestica L. , will be presented in a series of four separate papers. In this first paper, measurements were made of insecticide collected by houseflies during free flight using a standard room-spray technique. With pressure-packed aerosol formulations where the solvent is the principal change, it was shown that both knockdown and mortality responses of the insects were directly related to dose collected. The process of droplet collection was most significantly influenced by their size and availability, dependent upon the time after spraying, the position of insect release and the activity of individual adult M. domestica. The knockdown or mortality response of the insect to given amounts of insecticide was largely unaffected by the remaining solvent, although, with mineral oil, some inhibition was noted at low mortality levels. The amount of insecticide accumulated by houseflies in their initial flight was of prime importance in determining the overall effect. Flies remaining not knocked down at the end of the exposure period were shown to be so because they had accumulated less toxicant and not necessarily because they were more tolerant of the insecticide. The establishment of a relationship between the number of flies in flight and time after release has provided a key function for incorporation into the model.
Energetics of Cellular Repair Processes in a Respiratory-Deficient Mutant of Yeast

Repair of potentially lethal damage induced by cytoxic agents like UV irradiation (254 nm), psorelen-plus-UVA (365 mn), and methyl methanesulfonate has been studied in the presence of a glucose analog, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, in yeast cells. Simultaneously, effects of 2-deoxy-D-glucose were also investigated on parameters of energy metabolism like glucose utilization, rate of ATP production, and ATP content of cells. The following results were obtained. (i) 2-Deoxy-D-glucose is able to inhibit repair of potentially lethal damage induced by all the cytotoxic agents tested. The 2-deoxy-D-glucose-induced inhibition of repair depends upon the type of lesion and the pattern of cellular energy metabolism, the inhibition being greater in respiratory-deficient mutants than in the wild type. (ii) A continuous energy flow is necessary for repair of potentially lethal damage in yeast cells. Energy may be supplied by the glycolytic and/or the respiratory pathway; respiratory metabolism is not essential for this purpose. (iii) The magnitude of repair correlates with the rate of ATP production in a sigmoid manner.
Study the Perspectives of Implementation of ERP in Manufacturing Industries

During recent years, industries have invested considerable resources in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. ERP is the processofintegrating all the business functions and processes in an organization to achieve numerous benefits.Implementation of ERP systems in the industries does not remain always successful as sometimes this brings partial success or complete failure. In this paper,an attempt has been made to introduce ERP systems on the basis of a case study that can help in bringing the troubled ERP systems under control. A survey of individuals and industries has been conducted on the implementation of ERP systems and some critical success and failure factors have been identified. From the case study, the industry specific objectives, the software used, and about 20 more other benefits and difficulties faced by the industries in implementing ERP are identified. These findings will help managers, practitioners and consultants to develop better strategies for supervising and controlling ERP implementation projects.
Moose herbivory in taiga : effects on biogeochemistry and vegetation dynamics in primary succession

Early successional processes in taiga forest ecosystems are believed to be primarily under abiotic controls. with biotic factors taking on greater importance later in the successional sequence. Here we report how moose (Alces alces L.), a dominant mammalian herbivore, exert major control over biogeochemical processes early in succession in the taiga of Alaska. Moose browsing affects soil chemistry and vegetation dynamics in ways that influence subsequent plant establishment and ultimately forest development. Browsing significantly changed soil organic matter pools, the composition of soil carbon fractions. and the stable isotope signature (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of surface soils. These edaphic modifications were accompanied by changes in plant species composition that accelerate the successional trajectory. Thus, we contend that the rate of initial plant establishment and early forest succession in taiga is under significant control by mammalian herbivores.
Latitudinal Gradients in Species Diversity: A Review of Concepts

The six major hypotheses of the control of species diversity are restated, examined, and some possible tests suggested. Although several of these mechanisms could be operating simultaneously, it is instructive to consider them separately, as this can serve to clarify our thinking, as well as assist in the choice of the best test situations for future examination.
Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor (ROR) α4 is the predominant isoform of the nuclear receptor RORα in the liver and is up-regulated by hypoxia in HepG2 human hepatoma cells

The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor alpha (RORalpha) is critically involved in many physiological functions in several organs. We find that the main RORalpha isoform in the mouse liver is the RORalpha4 isoform, in terms of both mRNA and protein levels, while the RORalpha1 isoform is less abundant. Because hypoxia is a major feature of liver physiology and pathology, we examined the effect of this stress on Rora gene expression and RORalpha transcriptional activity. HepG2 human hepatoma cells were cultured for 24 h under normoxia (20% O2) or hypoxia (10, 2, and 0.1% O2) and the abundance of the Rora transcripts measured by Northern blot and semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Hypoxic HepG2 cells contained more Rora mRNA than controls. This was also observed in rat hepatocytes in primary culture. Cobalt chloride and desferrioxamine also increased the amount of Rora mRNA in HepG2 cells. It is likely that these treatments increase the amount of the RORalpha4 protein in HepG2 cells as evidenced by Western blotting in the case of desferrioxamine. Transient transfection experiments indicated that hypoxia, cobalt chloride, and desferrioxamine all stimulate RORalpha transcriptional activity in HepG2 cells. Hence, we believe that RORalpha participates in the control of gene transcription in hepatic cells and modulates gene expression in response to hypoxic stress.
Inexact Accelerated Proximal Gradient Algorithms For Matrix l_{2,1}-Norm Minimization Problem in Multi-Task Feature Learning

In this paper, we extend the APG method to solve matrix l_{2,1}-norm minimization problem in multi-task feature learning. We investigate that the resulting inner subproblem has closed-form solution which can be easily determined by taking the problem's favorable structures. Under suitable conditions, we can establish a comprehensive convergence result for the proposed method. Furthermore, we present three different inexact APG algorithms by using the Lipschitz constant, the eigenvalue of Hessian matrix and the Barzilai and Borwein parameter in the inexact model, respectively. Numerical experiments on simulated data and real data set are reported to show the efficiency of proposed method.
Rainfall patterns in the Kruger National Park.

The available rainfall data for all the recording stations in the Kruger National Park are presented. The average annual rainfall was calculated for each station and this served as basis for compiling a rainfall map for the region. The cyclic nature of the annual rainfall as well as the rainfall distribution within cycles were investigated and a prediction made of expected future rainfall.
Voter Turnout and Vote Buying in the 2018 Parliamentary Elections

About the authors Jana Mourad is an economic researcher at LCPS. Her work spans multiple areas pertaining to nationals as well as refugees in Lebanon. She has contributed to various projects on voter behavior, local development, oil and gas, and socioeconomic assessments. Prior to joining LCPS, Mourad was a researcher at the American University of Beirut, where she primarily worked on projects with UNDP and UNHCR. Mourad holds a master’s degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut as well as a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Finance and Legal Studies from the Lebanese American University.
Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPRs) on the Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Nodulation, and Growth of Lupinus albus l. cv. Multolupa

The effects of five plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), nodulation, and growth promotion of plants of Lupinus albus cv. Multolupa were investigated. The plants were selected for their capacity to use 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) as the sole source of nitrogen. Four strains belonged to the genus Pseudomonas (Luc 1, Luc 2, Luc 3, and Luc 4) and one (Luc 5) belonged to the genus Bacillus. Three patterns of inoculation were examined. In the first pattern, PGPRs were inoculated seven days before being inoculated with B. japonicum. In the second pattern, PGPRs and B. japonicum were co‐inoculated, and in the last pattern, PGPRs were inoculated seven days after being inoculated with B. japonicum. The plants were sampled 30 and 45 days after being inoculated with B. japonicum (T1 and T2). In the first pattern of inoculation, Luc 5 significantly increased the biological nitrogen fixation compared to the control at the first sampling time, as did Luc 1 and Luc 4 at the second sampling time. In the second pattern of inoculation, Luc 5 negatively effected the biological nitrogen fixation at both sampling times. In the third pattern of inoculation, all PGPRs caused a decrease in the nitrogen content of the plants compared to the control. The results obtained according to the patterns of inoculation showed that the mechanisms of action of the effects and routes used by Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive strains were clearly different. Competition between PGPRs and B. japonicum, competition for the niches in the rhizoplane, production of auxins, and induction of systemic resistance (ISR) by the production of siderophores or by lipopolysaccharides present in the outer membrane (LPS) are discussed as probable reasons for the effects observed.